don't call me Veronica

old church

2008-07-02T23:04:00.004-04:00

Speaking of old school, I recently joined a Facebook group regarding my old church - specifically, the one I came to know Jesus in when I was in high school. We were all remembering different aspects of those days, and I wrote about my initial visit to the Sunday night worship service that was geared for students (we had a mid-week large program and then the weekend Bible study).

Son Village... that was my first experience with "worship" music. The memory is still clear - I'm new and know none of these songs. Yet everyone around me is singing their guts out. Some kid down the pew is doing something with his voice that sounds like different notes to what everyone else is singing - it sounds beautiful... I think I've heard of that before - something called "harmonizing."

"I can't do that," I reason. Forget this worship stuff.

Then I hear another kid in front of me named Danny singing his guts out - probably literally, because he's certainly not hitting any of the notes he's supposed to and it's not quite like the other guy's deal.

"I can do that," I reason. Let's try some of this worship stuff.

Because... well... both guys were doing a beautiful thing.

I still have my black half-sized sheet notebook full of weeks of lesson notes. Who knew I would then be taking notes that to this day I still steal from. Um - I mean, borrow from. Thanks, Dan.

old school

2008-06-30T22:16:00.004-04:00

Recently I was sorting through some clothes so that I might donate some to a yard sale fundraiser our church was doing. Now I'm a rational man, but I oddly find that I have to do this at least three times before any yard sale. Often I think I should hang on to an item, only to later rethink it... mainly because I ask my wife to help me the third time.

We all need people to help us rethink our conclusions about what matters.

It was interesting, actually... I would hold up a shirt and we'd both decide if it was worth hanging on to based on the "look" and "era" it mentally and emotionally brought us into. For instance, I haven't regularly worn suits since my early days in professional ministry - so there really wasn't any point hanging on to the JC Penny blue pinstripe or the Chess King puke green number.

"Pittsford and Pioneer Faith stuff," we'd say, referencing the churches I wore them in. They easily landed in the donation pile.

Then there are these polo shirts that I wore when I served in a larger church. This was in my latter days as a youth pastor when I needed to be "approachable" by teens and yet "professional" enough that the adults felt good paying me.

"This looks like a First Wes shirt," we'd summarize. "Old school."

And so on.

It's odd how a thing can connect you to a feeling.

As another example, I recently saw yet another old school chum on Facebook that I used to have a tight relationship with as a kid. Then junior high made us walk down separate hallways, and after that high school kept the snowball of separation going. By the time we'd reached senior year we finally had our first class together, only to find that the friendship had somehow fallen to the side - so we settled for chosen ignorance across the room.

That's so wild, especially when you consider all the sleepovers we did growing up.

So we connected, and he asked if I was "Tony Myles that also went to Dooley School and lived off of Braintree?"

I was, and I volleyed back, "Yes - that Tony Myles whose finger you bit in second grade when I asked you for your apple during lunch. But who's holding any grudges?"

He went on to say that he drives by my old house everyday, and oddly happened to buy our old lunch mother's house. "I don't recall biting your finger, sorry about," he said. "I do, however, remember your parents taking us to a Bulls game and also, I remember the class having a picnic by Boch and it started to rain. We all ran to your house. Remember that?"

After sensing those old school feelings and thoughts as I stared at his picture and considered our fading friendship, this is what I wrote:

You bought the old lunch mother's house, huh? Mrs Sowka? (That's the only one I remember - because she taught me what the middle finger meant one day during recess.)

Speaking of fingers... no worries.

I remember that day - Mr Acardi's class for me. We all ran into my house and suddenly there stood many kids in front of my dad's velvet paint of a topless hula girl. Actually, my mom remembers that part... I remember everyone playing with my GI Joe and Star Wars toys.
Weird timing for us to connect. I was recently looking through my senior year book and found something you wrote. It was after we were in a writing class I believe... you said something like, "Weird how we didn't talk much this year." And I remember that was weird, too, since we were pretty tight growing up.
So I'm sorry that happened.

My wife asked me just today if I go back to high school for a week if I would. I said, "Yeah, as long as nothing changes in my life today." (I've seen too much sci-fi) She asked what I would do differently if I could retain all that I know now. I said, "I think I'd try a few things I didn't try - like maybe a sport or a play - just for the experience. But I think the big thing would be that I would talk with people differently, because the things that seemed to be such a big deal then really weren't, and I'd know that. Yeah, I'd talk with people differently."

The more I consider stuff like this, the more I hope I'm talking with people today the way I should be talking with them today. That even if we geographically are separated, we lose nothing.

Lest our relationship get pitched aside like an old suit that somehow feels dated.

Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.' "

Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town. (1 Samuel 20:42)

a quote i said amen to today

2008-06-25T11:51:00.005-04:00

Back when I was in one of my early churches I served in professionally, I was asked to fill out my first yearly denominational report. This was the first time I ever faced the (now infamous) question, "# of conversions" (or something to that effect).

I didn't know what to do... I didn't realize I was supposed to be counting all year long. Nobody told me, and so I asked my boss. He said he didn't know his numbers either and usually made up a number. Later I heard that many other pastors did the same, which kind of made me wonder about the whole thing to begin with.

It's a funny business filling out such things. You don't mean to, but tyour humanness begins to wonder, "Will my paycheck get bigger or smaller if the number was bigger or smaller?" Because apparently this was important enough to be on a denominational report, so obviously it was important... right?

Without knowing it, that question put me on a journey of asking why we track such things - does a number really tell us anything?

Am I counting how many men's are raised at the end of a service or the one man who decides he's no longer going to raise a hand to his family in anger?
Should I keep track of the numbers that come forward for an altar call or the woman who decides that she's going to stop being forward in how she flirts with her neighbor?
Is there anything to be learned from a box checked on a card after service or should I be looking into whether or not those two teenagers have asked God to check their relationship with one another?

So I began bucking the system - when I was asked to state monthly how many "house calls" I'd made, I instead wrote down how many "one-on-one" conversations I'd had with people in any environment. When they asked me to state the number of people at a special event at a high school, I included anyone at the place - including the janitor who had to listen to us talk about Jesus while he waited to clean the gym. I never inflated numbers, but I definitely thought holistically about it.

This didn't always work, though. In one church I was looked at as a failure when numbers dropped during the summer that we moved out of one building and into another, even though for three months we had to meet in a backyard, under a tent, and in a building without electricity... at night. In another church, I had lots and lots of stories of life change - only they were all my stories... I wasn't raising up others to do the ministry and was doing it all myself.

Maybe that's why today when I read this I said "AMEN!"

"Stop counting conversions, because our whole approach to conversion is so, I don't know, mechanistic and consumeristic and individualistic and controlling. Instead, I'd encourage us to count conversations, because conversation implies a real relationship, and if we make our goal to establish relationships and engage conversations, I know that conversions will happen. But if we keep trying to convert people, we'll simply drive them away. They're sick of our sales pitches and our formulas." - from A New Kind Of Christian

And maybe that's why on our web site FAQ section we have this:

Q: How big is the church?

A: We honestly don't know how many people are a part of Connection Church because we intentionally don't keep count. We do this because people matter more to us than programs, and stories of life change matter more to us than mere church attendance. We kind of like doing things that promote the Almighty Name of Jesus Christ without our church ever getting any credit... because at the end of the day we're more concerned about His glory than our own.
Of course, if you pressed us on how big Connection Church is, we'd tell you that our church size is "healthy." If you pressed even further, we might disclose that we are as big as God's Church and as small as the needs right in front of us.
And if you kept pressing for a number, we'd finally tell you the
number "ONE" matters most to us... because there is always one more person to introduce to Jesus Christ, and always one more fellow Christ-follower to encourage, and always one more step we all can take with Jesus.

By the way, thanks for reading this. You are visitor number 40,107 to this web page.

monthly rant: gaseous conversation

2008-06-23T15:09:00.008-04:00

Today I begin a new feature... a monthly rant. I've had rants in the past, and don't think of myself as much of a rant guy. Nonetheless, I think that I find myself getting on a soapbox about once a month about something stupid (stupid because I spend the time getting on the soapbox in the first place).

So here are my rules:

1) I will rant.

2) No comments allowed. Sorry, this is my rant. If you don't like that, you can rant about my rant on your own blog.

3) I will still exercise Ephesians 4:29 in the midst of my rant.

4) I will rant in this way only once a month - but perhaps at varying times of the month (meaning you'll only see one June and one July, but technically they can be days apart).

5) I will use this as my way of not having to vent this out in public conversation. That's one reason why I have a blog - it lets me dump my distracting thoughts so I can concentrate on the big ones. (I have more reasons, but that's one of them)

That said... here's this month's rant.

-------------------------

Yes, the price of gas has increased.

Can you please stop talking about it in unnecessary ways, though?

I don't mean you, I mean "you."

I mean everyone.

I mean culture.

I mean news programs.

I mean car commercials.

I mean radio ads.

I mean people being interviewed on TV about something else.

It seems like when I turn on the tube, that's the topic - even when it's not the topic.

Exaggeration #1: "Well, my family and I were wondering if we should sing 'I've been working on the railroad' or 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' at bedtime, but because of the price of gas we went with 'Dem Bones.'"

Exaggeration #2: "The price of gas is crazy! So come buy these new sandals at Wal-Mart... on sale this week only!"

Exaggeration #3: "Ever since the price of gas went up, I can't stop thinking about my indigestion. That's why I use TUMS. They can't do anything about the line at the pump, but they can certainly keep you from getting backed up."

Yes, I know the price of gas is crazy. I know it affects everything - from how much we spend on groceries to whether or not we can make it here or there. I know this is truly crippling many people, and we as a family have changed some of our choices to try to compensate. I have even found that people have to choose between whether or not they can come on a Sunday morning to a church service these days... and thankfully we're all finding ways to carpool or drive wisely.

Again, I don't mean to belittle how it may be affecting you.

But certainly you see my point... what is a legitimate issue has become the latest carnival for ad campaigns.

And that I think I just need to rant a little bit about that.

So if that's you... if you have some sort of pull with how much we're putting the spotlight on this in unnecessary ways... please stop. It's not doing anyone any good and is actually equalizing your product with someone's pain. Don't worry, the politicians will find a way of making use of this in their campaign, so you don't need to help.

In the meantime, see you at the pump. I'll bring the Kleenex for us both.

another humble tip of the hat

2008-06-17T16:53:00.004-04:00

I love it when Jesus gets even more good press...

because He deserves it.

Here's another slice: CLICK HERE

More pics as well of our church and neighbors working together: CLICK HERE

an amazing God-sized yesterday

2008-06-09T12:16:00.003-04:00

I could tell you how amazing yesterday was...

but I think it's easier to just link to THIS.

a recent letter to my church

2008-06-05T23:15:00.006-04:00

There can be something deep within the bent of a person's sin,

something that can cause him to stand at a distance,

or her to avoid the risk of change,

instead of stepping into their Sacred calling

to be a set-apart people of Jesus Christ

who help Him save the world.

Because that is God's plan.

Because that is God's style.

The first Christians were ordinary people

who let themselves become full of God

who helped them burst into their community

speaking absolute gibberish

that made absolute sense to those who heard it.

Because that is God's plan.

Because that is God's style.

These Christ-followers understood "setting themselves apart,"

and how lethal it can be to the couch potato life,

and to the way we planned on using our stuff,

(that really belongs to God anyway),

and how even though God doesn't need us

He chooses to need us.

Because that is God's plan.

Because that is God's style.

When Christ-followers of an era,

like them,

like us,

devote themselves to the right things...

and live in union with God,

each other,

and who they really are,

they become an imperfect, human version of the perfect, God Trinity.

they become... the Church.

Because that is God's plan.

Because that is God's style.

Whether or not you know God,

you and I live in this place,

in this time,

in this day and age,

to please the heart of the Lord,

and become fully-alive Christ-followers,

who reach out,

and redemptively love all people into a deeper Connection with God.

This is why we exist.

Because that is God's plan.

Because that is God's style.

fun with a camera phone pt 1

2008-06-04T23:58:00.005-04:00

I like having a phone on my camera... because you never know what you're going to see around town.

Saw this at Bob Evans when I took my son to the bathroom. The text reads: "Did you know to wash your hands the appropriate length of time (30 seconds) you should sing through one verse of Old McDonald?"

I did not know that. Life is better now... especially since they gave me the lyrics.

I always find drive-by-witnessing rather... interesting. Please visit the web site - realglobalwarming.com.

I hope the next time you decide to use the Crystal Clean company you remember how "clean" this car is. Simply the best.

I thought I'd seen it all when I found this gem on the road one day... do they seriously expect you to drive straight?

And then I saw this a few months later... keeping in mind that the billboard hangs on the side of a different business.

And yes - that dog is lifting its leg.

And yes - they used a plastic dog to do that picture.

And no - I don't know why they made a plastic dog lifting its leg.

But nothing... NOTHING...

tops the "Cat Man."

Yes - I took this picture myself. And I even met the Cat Man. He drives around with his vehicle like this all the time.

Jealous?

Part two coming soon.

a memorial

2008-05-26T16:29:00.000-04:00

From my heart to those who have lost family and friends in the line of duty.

speechless

2008-05-25T00:04:00.007-04:00

"I am speechless, in Your presence, Lord. "
- Steven Curtis Chapman, 1999

I want to invite you to pray with and for the speechless prayers of the Chapman family.

Read the story HERE.

slow motion rasberries

2008-05-21T15:30:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time, someone decided to invent the internet.

I'm quite positive it was for this video to be available all over the globe, as it should be.

Although I'm not sure the person who wrote this song ever imagined this would be one of its uses.

ht marko

buckets of affirmation

2008-05-21T14:11:00.002-04:00

We all intrinisicly know this - certain people fill us up, some empty every ounce of our energy, and others don't seem to affect us much either way. Over time this can change, for I've had "fillers" become "emptiers" and vice-versa. Likewise, the "neutrals" have at times gone up and down based on context and relationship changes.

But what if you could influence that in some way?

If you had the opportunity to guide your interactions with others toward "mutually-filling" relationships, would you?

Some time ago I came across a resource in the book "How Full Is Your Bucket?" by Tom Rath and Don Clifton. The authors do a good job of helping people recognize how each person we connect with desires for us to "fill their bucket," but it must be more than trite compliments and friendly-isms. For bucket filling to be meaningful to the recipient, it must be personalized and specific to what that person needs.

Have you ever stopped to "interview" the people closest in your life about these questions?

By what name do you like to be called?

What are your “hot buttons” – hobbies or interests you like to talk about a lot?

What increases your positive emotions or “fills your bucket” the most?

From whom do you most like to receive recognition or praise?

What type of recognition or praise do you like best? Do you like public, private, written, verbal, or other kinds of recognition?

Speaking of which, here are my answers.

By what name do you like to be called?

Tony. "T" is good, too.

What are your “hot buttons” – hobbies or interests you like to talk about a lot?

Who Jesus Christ really is; how amazing it is to be married to my wife; the blessing my boys are to me; the potential for the Church to be what Jesus dreams it could be; my good, good, good friends; the energizing people I work with; the God-sized movement we call Connection Church; creative TV/movies with good writing;

What increases your positive emotions or “fills your bucket” the most?

When people are authentic... it drives me crazy when others won't talk with you but freely talk about you. Also, acts of service and gifts rock. I also find that right after I pour myself out - like after preaching or cooking or something that requires a risk - I am most appreciative of genuine affirmation... but need about a day to be ready for criticism.

From whom do you most like to receive recognition or praise?

Those who know me best... although it is interesting to hear about first impresions from people I first meet.

What type of recognition or praise do you like best? Do you like public, private, written, verbal, or other kinds of recognition?

All of them rock, but each depends on the circumstance. I never know what to do with public praise because it's just weird to be celebrated... I like it, mind you, but it's weird since most of the good things that happen through my life are because of God. Private is nice when it's from someone I know well.

Feel free to add your answers in the comments.

narnia

2008-05-17T21:01:00.002-04:00

Saw Prince Caspian last night... I hope you enjoy it. The series of books it's based on rock.

I'm posting this, though, because in case you have some time to waste you might enjoy discovering what you'd like as a Narnian creature. If so, click here.

If you do it, link to your pic somehow in a response.

a season for a season

2008-05-17T00:21:00.004-04:00

Shhhh.

I know you may be familiar with the text you're about to read. The Byrds used it to give guts to the song "Turn! Turn! Turn!" back in the mid-60's... it's been shared at more than one memorial service as a means of comfort to tragedy... and even Kevin Bacon quoted it in Footloose when John Lithgow inappropriately told him the Lord was against dancing (even though the whole town was made up of professional dancing teenagers).

Shhhh.

Quiet those references down for a moment, because sometimes our familiarity with something sacred can turn it into something less than what it is. Lean into what God is about to breathe on you through this:

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away.
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Shhhh.

Which of those words jump out to you in each phrase? Answering that can help you gain a footing regarding what has happened, is happening, and will happen to you. Whether you're facing the consequences of your own hands or are engaged in circumstances that others have put upon you, either can bring extreme joy... or exhausting tension.

And apparently... there is a time for both.

Shhhh.

For a while, I have been practicing and putting intentional space in my routine to better hear from God and understand the "time" I'm in.

All throughout the day, I pray a simple prayer that asks, "God, where are you at in this and how should I respond?"
Once a day, I build in a pocket of time to reflect on what the Holy Spirit has shown me and how He is nudging me.
Once a week, I take a Sabbath where my family and I spend our time differently than the other six days... all to remind us that the world doesn't run on our energy and voice mail works just fine.
Once a month, I get away for a day of reconnecting. That sounds hyper spiritual, but it's just a simple practice of slowing down, looking into people (instead of just "at" people), walking in familiar places and situations with a fresh set of eyes, and asking God to break my heart in all the places it's gotten hard.

Are you up for this kind of practice? Stilling ourselves so that we can hear God is becoming a critical discipline in our techno world.

And it just might help us remember what matters most.

don't try this at home

2008-05-14T12:45:00.003-04:00

You may or may not know this about me, but I spent several years in Student Ministry before doing what I do now. During that time I was a proponent of helping kids have fun on the journey of getting to know Jesus Christ better. In the spirit of such gurus as Mike Yaconelli and Wayne Rice, I found myself often looking for fresh concepts that pushed the envelope.

Maybe you're familiar with games like this, for they've often been talked about by The Oprah and other daytime deities. I once had a mom let me know that her son was not allowed to play "Chubby Bunny," for instance, because The Oprah said not to. In this case, The Oprah was right... the game involves stuffing a marshmallow into your mouth, saying "Chubby Bunny," and then repeating the process until you can do it no more.

(And by the way - I was calling her that long before Rush Limbaugh, back when she hosted AM Chicago when I was a kid... because that matters.)

Over the years I learned the perils of other "games," too. Another youth group favorite is "Sardines" - this is a reverse game of hide and seek where one person hides and the group searches. When found, the "finder" hides with the "hider" as does everyone else who stumbles across them. This leaves one lonely kid who can't find anyone and never wants to come back to hang out with the church again (not to mention groups of teenagers in the dark with their bodies touching each other - no problem there, eh?)

So it is with that in mind that I present you with the "secret stash." What follows are games I've thought of but chose not to do (for obvious reasons), as well as a few concepts I've heard in passing from others whose brains went too far in the planning stages.

Soiled Toilet Brush Baseball

Backslap The Senior Pastor (Until He Complains)
Pass The Mousetrap

Shave the Freshman's Mustache

"Dump Pews Over" Relay

Catch The Flaming Sock

Spam Soccer

How Sharp Is Your Ginsu?
Quick Dry Cement Pedicure

The Big Bad BBQ Grill Lick

Corn Syrup Chug
A Pool, A Piranha, and You
Count The Straws In Your Nostrils
Guess The Dog Breed Gnawing On Your Leg

who's the boss

2008-05-13T23:24:00.001-04:00

Over the weekend I read a buddy's blog post about how hard it must be for a Jewish person to reimagine their faith (should he/she consider becoming a Christian). To many people, this is a spiritual shift - hard enough in itself. A Jewish individual, though, faces a shift on a cultural and familial level as well.

When I was in Israel some years ago, I saw this firsthand in the dramatic ways the whole city shut down on Saturday to honor the Sabbath... from towns of businesses that shut down to how elevators automatically went from floor to floor in buildings (so you wouldn't have to do the "work" of pushing a button). Perhaps "dramatic" is too misleading a word... maybe this is actually normal, but our Western departure from it is what is actually "dramatic." There is something a cultural Jew seems to get that many Christians don't.

On the other hand, there is that whole Messiah matter. Christians recognize that the Messiah figure in the Hebrew Scriptures is Jesus Christ... and many Jews don't.

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. (Is 11:1)
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King [the Messiah] who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land” (Jer 23:5)

Perhaps it would be easy for a Christian who feels he "gets it" to critique a Jew for this, but maybe one should walk in their shoes for a moment.

Imagine that you have tickets to see Bruce Springsteen in concert... live... front row... direct access (which is good in case he wants to pull you up stage during "Dancing In The Dark" and help launch your career as he did Courtney Cox) .

Whether or not you're a Springsteen fan, you're stoked.

And then you get there... the crowd is crazy... and finally the emcee announces, "And now... the moment you've all been waiting for... THE BOSS!!!!"

Only...

instead of Bruce coming out, actor Rick Moranis takes the stage and begins singing, "Born in the USA."
"He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." (Isaiah 53:2)

I wonder sometimes if this is how the Jews feel, while we say, "Well, I know He didn't show up as you thought He would, but... you know... he did do Sprinsteen songs, so technically..."

cheap shot at pizza

2008-05-09T12:25:00.009-04:00

Yesterday our area Papa John Pizza locations had a special "23 cent" special for a large, one topping pizza. It has something to do with the company making amends with fans because they put their logo on a t-shirt that razzed Cleveland basketball player Lebron James (#23), calling him a "crybaby."

This made fans upset. Some Papa Johns in the Cleveland area were even threatened with boycotts... and some with other types of threats.

So the company tried to redeem itself and the buzz was all over town - "pizza for under a quarter." My wife and I planned on dropping in, picking up one for lunch, and then dropping in later, and picking up one for dinner (customers were limited to one each).

The only catch is that this was the line I saw... keeping in mind my camera phone could only pick up about half the crowd as I turned the corner.

I'd heard other locations were worse - some people waiting 1-3 hours for their 23 cent pizza. One of our church members said she saw people lined up there in the morning, too - way before the place opened. A few people were arrested at various locations for disorderly contact... and several parking tickets were written (turning the 23 cent deal into a slightly more expensive deal).

We, on the other hand, decided to eat leftovers for lunch... and frozen pizza for dinner.

It was a bit frustrating to be let down, which makes me wonder if we who live in the whole Cleveland/Akron area might be tempted to be "crybaby" types as we complain...

and dislike Papa Johns all over again...

which sort is ironic, don't you think?

love and marriage

2008-05-07T07:50:00.003-04:00

I was talking with someone about an article I wrote for the newspaper recently and realized I didn't ever put up a link here to it. If you're married, I hope this speaks to you.

http://wp2.medina-gazette.com/2008/02/25/accent/religion/creative-dating/

green software?

2008-05-03T13:53:00.004-04:00

I was loading a program I downloaded from the internet the other day and read this.

I didn't realize software had gone green. And given it's the honor system, there's something rather interesting about that, too.

I wonder, though, what future stipulations we'll see on software:

Feel free to use this software as you'd like for 30 days. If you keep it after that, though, we need you to look up a few of our old classmates from high school and (ahem) "send them a message," if you know what we mean.
This software is provided for you free of charge. As long as you continue to watch The Oprah everyday.
The program you're about to use is freeware. This means you don't have to pay anything for it, even though we spent time making it. That's right... we made it ourselves, just for you. So can we just get back together? It won't be like it was last time, baby. We promise.
You're loading a program that is yours to keep forever. We want absolutely nothing in return. Except to sleep on your sofa when we're in town. And a bagel.
Are you seriously that cheap that you can't pay five bucks for a free program? What kind of sick sicko are you, sicko? You know what? Fine. Just click on the icon to start this program, but know that if you do it's a sign you really, really, really need help. Go on. We dare you, you sick sicko.

This message brought to you by 1-800-PSYCH-4-U. Only $19.99 for five minutes of counseling. Operators are standing by.

Um... yeah.

darth

2008-05-02T06:40:00.000-04:00

To all of you who aren't into the past two posts I've put up, here's something from the other side of my brain for you to enjoy.

emergent questions - pt 2

2008-05-02T06:24:00.004-04:00

So with a bit of my personal journey established, on to answering my buddy's questions.

The primary question being asked here is if there are certainties when it comes to theology. The secondary question seems to be how certain individuals in the Emergent Village might handle this question. And then there is the issue if some of the current conversation being had on this matters is constructive or destructive.

Obviously, I am under qualified to answer every one of these questions with accuracy. I can, though, offer my thoughts and feelings in the context I was asked - "With your contact with some from the movement..." As mentioned in the last post, I do have a bit of history here.

I remember when I received my first email to join in on a Google group for the Emergent coordinating group. While that was intriguing in itself, what was even more interesting is the fact that my email address was buried in a list of "who's who" in the "to:" line. Sure, there were some other guys and gals I'd never heard of before, but it felt kind of cool to be asked to sit at the cool table.

So I pulled up a chair.

I understand that the source of many questions about the Emerging Church and Emergent Village has to do with the voices that have been published. Keeping with the metaphor I've established, these people are like the upperclassmen at the cafeteria table who have been around the halls a bit longer than you. This doesn't mean you don't walk the same halls and can't come up with observations of your own, but there seems to be a bit of confidence in the things they say that cause you to think, "Hmm... maybe I should consider that."

In that analogy, though, I'm sure we all knew a few upperclassmen in high school who were just "off" a bit. Maybe they drank too much or were too consumed with one niche of high school at the expense of the rest... I'd argue that in any group of people you'll find extremes like this. For instance, there are some ultra conservative theologians who find that their "spokesmen" often speak for them, and other times they embarrassingly don't.

It's funny how quickly a "poster boy" can become a "wanted poster."

What I found through the Google Group is that there was clearly a line between the "Emerging Church" and (what would later become) "Emergent Village." To abuse another high school metaphor, the former group were interested in a "pick-up game" whereas the latter group formed a "team." There is still a friendship between both sides, but one has become more defined.

The reason I'm establishing this framework to answer the questions is because there is a difference between the Emerging Church and the Emergent Village... EC is the present-future of the church, whereas EV is an example/element of the present-future of the church. This has a few immediate implications:

An "emerging" Christian implies one on a journey with God. This is a person who is looking for something, but it doesn't mean they haven't something... rather, they believe there is the potential for growth into more.

Example: Consider the mandate of Philippians 2:12 to "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." This implies the continual emergence into something new about something old.
An "emergent" Christian implies one who has been on a journey with God and arrived at a set of conclusions. This person has "come into view" of something... and it took them some labor to get there.

Example: E-V's beliefs can be found here.
A "fundamental" Christian implies one who didn't see the need to get on the journey with God because the fundamentals were enough. This person has fixed his view on something... perhaps four spiritual laws (no need for five, apparently) or a a certain mantra "The Bible says it, that settles it."

Example: I remember talking with someone once who said, "At my age I guess I'm just set in my ways when it comes to church." I responded, "Does that sound like you're willing to grow anymore?" He gruffed at me.

From my vantage point, there are things we can be absolutely certain of when it comes to theology. There is only one Savior and His name is Jesus Christ... apart from His redemptive offer of grace alone through His cross and resurrection, we are stuck in our sin and eternally separated from a fully-alive relationship with the Trinity. I think you'd find that most EV people would agree with this... but not all of them do.

And that's the rub. Especially when one or more of them get published, seemingly speaking for the whole group. But they don't, much like a person in a church might believe a certain way about a certain thing that the rest of the church sort of smiles at but doesn't really endorse. Maybe it's an old lady who believes you need to pray in tongues during worship songs or a young guy who thinks that tipping is a greater principle than tithing since God says to give "cheerfully." Imagine if that person published a book and said they were a member of your church... others would assume the whole church thought that way.

What I'm getting at is that there seem to be several different people in the Emergent Village:

Those interested in renewing: This is the dominant thread of E-V people I connect with... men and women who are asking, "What's really in the Bible?" and "What are our roots?" These are valuable and productive questions, for many church traditions started out nice but along the way became canonized where they shouldn't.

Someone decided not too long ago that being a Christian meant you vote Republican, picket abortion clinics, talk about "the media" with rolled eyes, clap at Christian concerts whenever someone says "Jesus Christ" (yet hiss in restaurants whenever someone says the same), pass out tracts to people that "explain" Christianity, and boycott anything Disney. And be sure to have a 5am quiet time.

What if there is more? The large majority of people who believe these traditions are often robotic about them, though, be it through denominational loyalty or fear of change.

(I think this is why they categorize E-V with the next label.)
Those interested in reimagining: There are only a few folks I've met that clearly have an agenda to reimagine Christianity. Obviously this is destructive and I won't cite the individuals, but the situations have included everything from personal agendas about gender equality to matters of how science could redefine how we understand the Bible. I wonder, though, if this is just exclusive to E-V. Perhaps in any local church, denomination, association, and so forth there are people trying to reimagine the system into their own image.

Again, this is destructive. One of the reasons I have felt led to remain in E-V is to ask questions when I think someone is pushing something they shouldn't.
Those interested in rebelling: Even fewer in numbers than the rest, there are a couple of people I've connected with who just want to be "against" the system. Again, this is to be expected in any group. For instance, a church plant can start out this way being "against" the other traditional churches in town. Maybe this is why many of those churches don't last... you can't be against something and last. You have to be for something.

If you asked me to summarize that all, I believe we're talking about 75% in the first category, 15% in the next, and 10% in the last. That is completely opinion, though, so don't cite that.

Speaking of which, Tony Jones is a Christian. This means he's not into universalism, but rather he's trying to foster a framework for all this conversation to take place. The idea of such a deep ecclesiology might frighten some, but what is interesting is that Tony is the most cautious about it of all... fully aware that every slice of structure he helps coordinate has massive ripples to it. I don't envy that role, yet I pray for him in it.

So were the great theologians of the past wrong? To the people of their era they were... and yet here we are, basking in "recent" shifts in thinking like pre-millenial eschatology and the salvation by grace alone. Sure, those were always around... but it took some emerging theologians in the more recent centuries to help us understand what that all meant.

Which is odd how they're right to us, even though they were severely questioned in their day.

For all we know the next revelation in theology is on a blog named "Frank Likes Cheese," and since theology is just that - revelation (not reinvention) -we'd best be praying for Frank.

emergent questions - pt 1

2008-04-26T20:54:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine who is also in pro-min (that's my new short way of saying professional ministry, but since I had to explain it I really lost any need to be witty, didn't I?) recently emailed me this query:

Hey Tony! How is all over there in church planting land?
I have been thinking, reading and discussing the emergent church stuff lately... With your contact with some from the movement, can I shoot you some questions? I will take that as a yes...because of the long pause :-)
With all the "postmodern" thinking and theological bent, I understand all the arguments for epistemology "beyond foundationalism" etc. but aren't there some certainties in our theology? I get the feeling that those in the E-Village do not want to nail down some doctrines of the faith based on Biblical and Historical roots. Specifically in regards to Jesus being the only way to have eternal life or the Scriptures being inspired and without error. Is universalism an option for Tony Jones, Brian McLaren etc.?
I have appreciated many of their thoughts about justice, the Kingdom, inclusion and love, but is it at the cost of Truth and Doctrines? Have many of the great theologians of the past been wrong all this time? What is your take on all of it?
Thanks man. I value your wisdom.

Ah... here's where the rubber meets the road for me, isn't it?

Let's start with some personal history.

I grew up loosely Catholic, bordering on atheism for several seasons of high school. Then I got slammed by grace when Jesus Christ allowed me to encounter him during my junior year. Through a process, I came to place my faith in Him because of a rather innovative church who spoke concrete Truth into my life in a way that was absolutely relevant and refreshing.
After high school, I wrestled with a call to pro-min because I knew squat about God and the Bible compared to everyone else. I realized, though, that in such matches the Lord has a way of winning (lest you walk away with a limp). It took me a year, and I finally gave in... which meant (given my personality) that I was intentionally enlarging my capacity to sponge up everything that I could about God, the Bible, theology, church history, contemporary methodology, shepherding others, and loving people with the kind of love Jesus demonstrated and the Holy Spirit has empowered me for.
My first experience in ministry was at the aforementioned church, which has always been something I look back on with excessive gratefulness. Although I would eventually figure out the educational side of all of this, those initial years out of high school for me were beyond formative... because of the church's capacity and its integrity among national and international ministries, it was like hoping you're going to be a reporter and then getting a job at the Chicago Tribune or the New York Times. Simply by rubbing shoulders with the people I rubbed shoulders with, God chiseled things into me and out of me that I'd have to beg for in any other context.

I took a job as a third shift janitor at the church, which took things a step further - for I was able to study the habits of the pastors I looked up to... I hate to admit it, but you learn a lot about a guy by cleaning up his office. Add to that eight hours every night of listening to audio teaching from the Bible on every topic imaginable and I was morphing around the clock.
Finally, school... I needed to settle that issue as well as matters of ordination. To answer both, I jumped into a denomination that helped me take the next steps of processing theology with an anchor of common agreement. I noticed, though, that because I didn't grow up in that denomination I had a wider-eyed view of what it was teaching than those who seemed to be working up the ranks of the system. No matter, though, for no system is perfect and yet God chooses to use any theological system that attempts to root itself in the Bible as a complementary tool to keep us ever hearing but never understanding, not to mention ever seeing but never perceiving.

Every one of us should have a "lover's quarrel" with whatever theological system we're in - "lover" to be a proponent of its motives, and "quarrel" to be sure that its conclusions are God-sized and not human-sized.
One blessing school afforded me was a study trip to Israel after graduation. This was a scholarship I'd been nominated for, which basically meant all I had to worry about was food and incidentals. My wife and I had been married two years at this point, and someone paid for her to go as well... which is a trip neither of us could have even imagined we could take part in ever. Somewhere in between climbing Mount Masada and standing on the first-century cobblestones of the cell Jesus was beaten in, I resolved that whatever ministry I would be involved in would be God's. Perhaps this is to be assumed of every pastor, but what it meant for me is that I would continue to ask a simple question with complex application every day of my life - "Is whatever this is (i.e. this church, this theology, this idea, etc) of God or man?"

We'll come back to that question later.
At some point in my journey, I started to question if the modern approach to ministry was all there is... is the concrete teaching it offered (i.e. "The Bible says it, that settles it") our only tool to share redemptive love and transformation? Should we debate people into the Kingdom and jeer at their "idiocy" if they believe anything other than what we do? Is giving people "fill in the blank" outlines really the best way they learn? Might there be a better goal than getting people to become faithful attenders of church things? Is Christian music really better than non-Christian music... and what makes music "Christian," anyway?

I asked questions like this for I noticed that most people around me wanted to "wash, rinse, and repeat" what had "worked" for many years than generate and invest the spiritual calories required to remain authentic and useful in a changing world. This was a problem, for what reached out to people in my generation wasn't connecting as it once did with the emerging one.

And as a side note, the word "emerging" isn't a bad word - it's an indicative word that describes "what's next," whether we like it or not, based on certain catalysts that bring it about.

Also, please note that all of this this was a question of methodology - not theology.
Around this time I had struck up some friendships with some people who were asking similar questions. I was immesely thankful for the conversation, and especially grateful that we could engage in such talks about methodology that helped us ask risky questions about our theology.

I know, I know... hang with me.

Jesus said that the fruit of a tree tells us something about the tree, so it stands to reason that if our methods need examination that we should equally examine what led us there in the first place. For instance, there is a great discussion right now on another blog about the role fear plays in trying to convert someone... should it? If you read the comments on that blog you will quickly find that it's more a theological question than a methodological one.

So maybe the question isn't "Should we question our theology?" - maybe the question is "Why shouldn't we?" or "What does our reluctance to do so reveal?" I think sometimes we secure ourselves to creeds more than we do to Christ... which is perhaps why Jesus once told a rather theological young man that he was "not far from the Kingdom of God." I wonder if that guy took it as a compliment... when it was in the same breath a declaration that he wasn't yet over that line.

In simple terms, it's easier to become a "follower of followers of Christ" than it is to follow Christ.
Finally, those conversations took on life... for we weren't just talking about the "how to" but the "why to." Isn't that what's most important? For whatever reason, most of my peers in ministry wanted to figure God out by copying and pasting creeds from the denomination, statements of faith from another church, or the conclusions of historical Christians.

I am careful in saying that by quickly following it up with this disclaimer - I support this effort, as long as we don't put periods at the end of such creeds, statements of faith, or church father conclusions.

Isn't the point to instead honor their theological sweat with some of our own that continues the journey? Or should we just inherit our the "family business" and never innovate... take it into the next century... rethink the methods of how we go about it and the ideas that got us into it in the first place?

Lest we end up attempting to treat real diseases with Coca-Cola instead of Penicillin?

This was refreshing.

At least... for a while.

More to come.

one more mom update

2008-04-26T19:48:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to share my thanks again for your prayers for my mom. She's on the upswing and doing well as she recovers from heart surgery, or as she says it, "The Lord has been good to me." Given her financial issues and uphill battle to keep getting by, that's rather inspiring.

Although I think my favorite quote of hers this week is, "I'm glad I live in the 'world of tomorrow' or else I wouldn't be in the world today."

funny stuff

2008-04-25T11:37:00.000-04:00

I'm adding this site to my links and wanted to draw your attention to it:

http://stufffchristianslike.blogspot.com/

la la la la la

2008-04-21T14:11:00.007-04:00

First off, sorry for being off-line. It seems as though the past week has brought more than its fair share of unexpected issues with people I care about (my mom, church family, good friends), only to be capped off on Friday with my laptop tasting its last byte of life.

A couple updates:

My mom will be coming home today. Your prayers have meant a lot, as the first few days were very rough. Once she turned the corner, though, it became a matter of time and tests to bring her back our way. Again, thanks for your support.

We have had two dogs in our home during this time - our dog as well as my mom's. Um... not sure about doing that a whole lot more.

Now, what I really want to get to in this post is a bit of a rant.

It all started when I was at the hospital with my mom that first day and had to use the restroom. A gentleman whom I know only by his shoes came in and sat down to do his thing. Standard bathroom etiquette states in section 4 of sub paragraph D-6 that "One should always consider the climate. If a public restroom is quiet, you are to take part in quiet activities that utilize courtesy flushes when necessary." Perhaps this young man was unfamiliar with that text, which is why he decided to use his cell phone to play hard core rap music.

Allow me to highlight the experience a bit further... for when I say his cell phone I don't mean that he had downloaded some studio tracks that he was enjoying. Rather, I am referring to music he had recorded with his cell phone speakerphone and was now playing with the same speakerphone.

And when I say music he had recorded, I should more specifically qualify that it sounded like him singing to his own (or perhaps someone else's) background tracks that he recorded in "area microphone" fashion with his cell phone.

And when I say singing, what I am actually stating is that it was a combination of rap lyrics containing street language that encompassed how he felt about "the man" as well as several thoughts about female canines (that he seemed to have a love/hate relationship with)... which was an odd combination of thought, if you ask me.

Now, for reasons you don't need to know regarding how my body was handling lunch that day, I found myself unable to get away from this individual's unique musical stylings. This left me with a few options... do I listen in to the free concert? Or should I use some of my speciality ringtones on my own cell phone to audibly duke it out with him, stall to stall? Maybe I should just cover my ears and sing a song in my head that could help me combat it internally, doing my best to honor section 4, sub paragraph D-6.

I opted for the third option.

Now... you might think at this point that the rant of this post is everything I've just mentioned. Far from it... that is only the prelude to the rant.

Here's the rant.

The song that came to my mind as I covered my ears? Was it one of the fine pieces of music composition that has been deposited into my brain?

Classical music I picked up over the years? From Mozart and Beethoven to amazing musical scores from John Williams and Bugs Bunny cartoons?

Singer-songwriter stuff I've enjoyed? From Bob Segar and the Beatles to U2 and John Mellencamp?

Period music of certain decades I've been alive? From the Bee Gees and Bryan Adams to Bon Jovi and Nirvana?

Contemporary Christian artists? From old school Amy Grant and Michael W Smith to new school Switchfoot and Casting Crowns?

Worship music tunes? From Rich Mullins and Keith Green to Chris Tomlin and David Crowder?

No.

None of that.

Nilch.

Nada.

Nay.

No.

This..

this is the exquisite piece of music that my brain drew upon.

Maybe you've seen these commercials featuring the slacker-esque guy dressed like a pirate and singing about how he should have gone to Freecreditreport.com. Or maybe you've seen the one where the same slacker-esque guy is singing about how his dream girl didn't have good credit and now he's living in her parents' basement.

He has a rap version like this, but I think I've only memorized the first one because it was the best representation for the company. I didn't think it was a very good idea for the guy in the second ad to essentially say, "If only we had checked credit reports first then I wouldn't have made the terrible mistake of getting married!" Bad move. If you had your own good credit, you wouldn't need her as a cosigner, would you? And how about some unconditional love, Romeo?

So back to my "stalling" situation... first I began humming the tune, only to realize that I knew the chorus. And once I started whispering it out loud, I recognized that I knew the verses, too.

Argh.

"Thankfully," the hospital had free wi-fi so I could afterward look up the information about who the catchy artist was (perhaps he had any other songs available, like something that took place in a mine shaft, for instance).

Many web sites have the guy in the commercials correctly listed as Eric Violette, but what they don't understand is that he isn't the actual voice on the commercials (he's a French-Canadian "comedian" who doesn't speak much English, so he lip-syncs that catchy tune with a slightly creepy/cheery/dazed-looking mouth). The songs were actually performed by a studio artist and written by David Muhlenfeld via "The Martin Agency" (who also did some pretty funny commercials for Geiko, too)

Surely this information has changed your life.

Ever get a song in your head you can’t get out?

Maybe those around you are experiencing this right now, from the thirty-somebody singing Phantom of the Opera songs at work to the teenagers performing High School Musical tunes out in the grocery store. There are obvious spiritual applications we can make about this, from the way sin can subliminally plant itself into our lives to how our thought life becomes influenced by the world (to the point where we say things like, "I know it's bad, but it doesn't affect me," which is a sign that it has, in fact, affected us).

I could go there... but I can't right now, because for some reason I have to go visit FreeCreditReport.com.

Thankfully the song hasn't affected me.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)