Top 5 ministry books read this year...

1. Working the Angles by Eugene Peterson

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a pastor or who is thinking of being a pastor. It is a good reminder or a good foundation to what this calling of pastor is all about. Peterson explains how it is the things that we do that go unseen that make us a pastor. This also might be a wake-up call to all those who ever thought this book had something to do with working the angels! Let me assure you it has nothing to do with angels whatsoever!


2. Under the Unpredictable Plant by Eugene Peterson

Finishing a close second in the running is another book in this series. Using the story of Jonah Peterson talks about what vocational holiness means. I found this book extremely relevant. He speaks much of pastors who stick around for a few years at a church and then run off looking for greener pastures (the perfect church) never to find what they are looking for. And also those who are seduced by power and prestige which gets in the way of fulfilling God's mission.


3. Organic Church by Neil Cole

Neil Cole has been talking about Simple/House/Organic churches for years and practicing what he preaches. I think people have been waiting for him to write this book forever. If you have had a workshop with Neil Cole this information is probably not all this new to you but this is a good representation of what a simple church movement is all about.



4. Jesus of Suburbia by Mike Erre

I've already said a lot about this book already so I'll spare you. Basically the idea is that the Jesus of North American consumer Christianity is far removed from the true Jesus of Nazareth. It's a good contrast and helpful in thinking through how we worship and teach Jesus in the cultural setting we've been placed.



5. The Great Giveaway by David Fitch

I don't really know how to describe this book. I found the chapters on worship and preaching the most helpful and also challenging. If nothing else, you should read the chapter on preaching. He decries preachers who spend all their time giving their congregation more to-do lists and applications when the point of the sermon should be to get people to respond to God, not to have another 3 things to do during the week, every week.

Here's a quote I will leave you with:
"The applications of the sermons accumulate like an ever-growing stack of self-help books and tapes we can never hope to get to. After many months of this, because we cannot possibly put into practice all of the applications, preaching becomes nothing more than a scroll we wear on our foreheads that comforts us in the knowledge that we are the ones who are serious about studying Scripture."

"With narrative preaching, however, the preacher’s first job will not be to hand out more “to do” lists. Rather it is to unfurl the reality of who God is past, present, and future so that all men and women who would submit to live in that world would then be able to understand themselves, who they are, where they are going, and what they are to do in terms of Jesus Christ and his story."

So glad they remembered!

I wasn't sure I was going to get a digital e-card from Ed and Lisa this year but they surprised me once again!

Top 5 Books on Spirituality

It’s my favorite time of the year. Year-end list making time! To warm up I’m going to do my favorite books . But because I have nothing else to talk about I’m going to break it into four days. With my top-five books read this year in Spirituality, Ministry, and Non-fiction, and then do a top ten of fiction. I know most of you could care less what my favorite books are that I have read this year, but I’m more doing this for me, because it is entertaining, but I would love to hear some feedback as I post these from you as well and hear about what you have read. I would love to read your year end lists on your blog as well so let me know if you have made one! I will start with Spirituality. Let the madness begin!

Spirituality:

1. New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
This could be one of my favorite books of all time. I know I will go back to it time and time again. Very simple yet profound. I have said this before but I feel a real connection to Thomas Merton and see him as one of my mentors from the grave. If you have not read anything from Merton, I would say this is one of his best.

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2. The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian Mclaren
Always controversial, but not near as controversial as the name implies, this is another solid book from Mclaren who never stops forcing me to think through ideas and thoughts for myself.

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3. Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer
This is a book that I know have impacted a ton of people’s lives which is why I read it. I read this at a crucial time when I was trying to figure out what I’m going to do with my life. It was helpful in terms of thinking through the idea of vocation.

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4. The Genesee Diary by Henri Nouwen
I have always been fascinated with the life inside a monastery and this book takes you on a six month excursion through the daily workings of the monastery as well as Nouwens’ reflections during his stay.

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5. Whistling in the Dark/Wishful Thinking by Frederick Buechner
These are pretty much just Buechner’s own dictionaries of theological and religious words but very insightful and laugh-out loud funny at times. I never thought I could have this much fun reading a dictionary!

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Tomorrow I will tackle ministry books.

John Calvin

Last night and this morning I've been reading Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion as something to compliment Harry Potter (i don't know what that means either). But in any case, i can't believe I haven't read this before. It's not near as long as I believed it to be, sure it's four books, but the books aren't as large as I would have supposed. The material is weighty but it's very readable and worth thinking through. I guess one of the reasons I've never read Calvin was because I've never been a Calvinist, but am just now realizing that if Calvin were alive, he probably wouldn't be a Calvinist either! At least, not in the way we think of it.

“My meaning is: we must be persuaded not only that as he once formed the world, so he sustains it by his boundless power, governs it by his wisdom, preserves it by his goodness, in particular, rules the human race with justice and Judgment, bears with them in mercy, shields them by his protection; but also that not a particle of light, or wisdom, or justice, or power, or rectitude, or genuine truth, will anywhere be found, which does not flow from him, and of which he is not the cause; in this way we must learn to expect and ask all things from him, and thankfully ascribe to him whatever we receive.” Book 1, Chapter 2:1

“For until men feel that they owe everything to God, that they are cherished by his paternal care, and that he is the author of all their blessings, so that nought is to be looked for away from him, they will never submit to him in voluntary obedience; nay, unless they place their entire happiness in him, they will never yield up their whole selves to him in truth and sincerity.” Book 1, Chapter 2:1

One Semester Down

Just one more class in about 20 minutes, one conversation with the professor that made me feel stupid last time to see if i can test out of Biblical Hermeneutics and take an advanced class, and one final on Wednesday and I'm all done! Feels good to have everything turned in. Such a freeing feeling, at least for a few weeks. Now there is only one thing on my mind....Harry Potter. I'm on book three and from what Kelli says this will be the best one thus far!

As for Portland today, holy crap, it's rainy and windy. I had to take the train and the bus to school today and even with an umbrella i'm soaked. My jeans are still wet from an hour ago and my socks are wet which I hate more than Florida and Ohio State playing for the championship.

But one thing I have to look forward to tonight is the Bears destroying the Rams tonight despite Rex Grossmans' ridiculously bad play. ESPN reported that Griese got about half of the snaps in practice this week, let's hope after a few turnover from Grossman which will probably happen in the first quarter, they give Griese a shot. Don't hear me wrong. I'm not saying Griese is extraordinary or will be able to turn it on like Romo has, he's Brian Griese for goodness sakes, but even if Griese does nothing offensively and just doesn't turn the ball over we would be in a better position!

Well, i'm going to go get some bad school coffee and finish off Pastoral Counseling. Speaking of, i haven't had an out of context quote from our professor for a while so here goes:

"Consistency is the hobgoblin of a small mind."

The Great Giveaway

"Why is it that pastors of large churches are more willing to build bigger buildings than empower a group of forty to fifty people to plant another living body of Christ? If indeed the facts are true that the greatest conversion growth occurs in churches when they grow from fifty to two hundred people, why is it that we insist on building bigger churches after they have reached one thousand? What does it say about our assumptions for church growth when we plant churches that already start with two hundred people?" -David Fitch

How to Prank a Telemarketer

http://howtoprankatelemarketer.ytmnd.com/

You've got to listen to this! Hilarious! Thanks Evergreen Forum, more specifically Aaron I think.

Eugene Peterson

I just read Eugene Peterson's "Under the Unpredictable Plant" and I can't say enough good things about it. I connect with what Peterson says in the same sort of way I connect with Nouwen or Merton. You can just tell that Peterson knows what he is talking about and there is depth behind it. I'm not sure there is another pastor/writer alive today that I have as much respect for. Anyway, if you have not read this book, or Working the Angles for that matter, you should pick them up. It is a very refreshing refocus on what it means to be a pastor.

Here are some quotes that stuck out. It is for these reasons particularly that I struggle with my profession. This is exactly what I don't want out of being a pastor.

“Why do we have such a difficult time keeping this focus? Why are we so easily distracted? Because we get asked to do a lot of things other than this, most of which seem useful and important. The world of religion generates a huge market for meeting all the needs that didn’t get met in the shopping mall. Pastors are conspicuous in this religious marketplace and are expected to come up with the products that give customer satisfaction. Since the needs seem legitimate enough, we easily slip into the routines of merchandising moral advice and religious comfort. Before long we find that we are program directors in a flourishing business. We spend our time figuring out ways to attractively display god-products. We become skilled at pleasing the customers. Before we realize what has happened, the mystery and love and majesty of god, to say nothing of the tender and delicate subtleties of souls, are obliterated by the noise and frenzy of the religious marketplace.”

"Propogandists are abroad in the land lying to us about what congregations are and can be. They are lying for money. They want to make us discontent with what we are doing so we will buy a solution from them that they promise will restore virility to our impotent congregations. The profit-taking among those who market these spiritual monkey glands indicates that pastoral gullibility in these matters is endless."

"North American religion is basically a consumer religion. Americans see God as a product that will help them to live well, or to live better. Having see that, they do what consumers do, shop for the best deal. Pastors, hardly realizing what we are doing, start making deals, packaging the God-product so that people will be attracted to it and then presenting it in ways that will beat out the competition. Religion has never been so taken up with public relations, image building, salesmanship, marketing techniques, and the competitive spirit."

"My pastor-crisis was concurrent. In the course of organizing a new congregation in the suburbs, I felt pressure to get a lot of people together as quickly as possible in such a way that they would provide financial resources to build an adequate sanctuary for the worship of God. I found that gathering a religious crowd was pretty easy, provided I didn’t get too involved with God. My ecclesiastical superiors sent me to workshops that showed me how to do it. I observed the success of other pastors who did it. Religious consumers are like all other consumers, easily attracted by packaging and bargains. But I also knew that to follow this route I would have to abandon the very thing that gave the life of a pastor its worth: a passion for God."

How do we fight consumerism in the church? I think this is one of the worst consequences of the "seeker" church. We've catered to consumerism to where we can't even separate ourselves from it. We have given people what they want and didn't think about what they need. Is there a way where we can truly become counter-cultural in the sense that we fight against consumerism in all it's ugly forms in the church instead of just continually giving into it because that's what draws the largest crowd? Is that even possible anymore?

Another week, another failure for Grossman

Grossman, you officially suck. 7 games, 20 turnovers. You should be a third string quarterback on the Lions.

Despite today's numbers, the Bears somehow pulled off a win again today. But, it's no question with Grossman playing like this, they don't have a chance in the playoffs. That's too bad.

Today's numbers:
6/19 - Comp.
34 - Yds.
1.8 - Avg.
0 - TD
3 - INT

Harry Potter Madness Month!

I'm obviously a little behind the times since I am just starting to read the Harry Potter series, but nonetheless in the month of December (and maybe some of January) I am trying to read all 6 of the books to catch me up in the series. This all started at the prompting of my wife Kelli who LOVES the books. I have really enjoyed the movies but remember very little about them so it is an excellent time to read the books. I just finished the first book today The Sorcerer's Stone and absolutely loved it. This truly is a fantastic book. It's clever, it's funny, it's suspenseful. And it's a good break from the heavy reading of Seminary! I can't wait to start the second one!

My favorite quote of this book comes from Dumbledore who anyone would be thrilled to have as their teacher when speaking of the stone which could create the elixir of life that would cause you to live forever. He said, "You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all-the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."

True enough Dumbledore.

What to do.....

Rex Grossman's Last Six Games:
4 Interceptions, 2 Fumbles
0 Interceptions, 1 Fumble
3 Interceptions, 1 Fumble
1 Interception, 1 Fumble
0 Interceptions, 0 Fumbles
3 Interceptions, 1 Fumble

Total - 17 Turnovers

Sure, Rex can have some good games and started the year well but in the last six games has 17 turnovers! Count them! Grossman is the one thing holding the Bears back right now.

So what do you think? Is it time to give Griese a chance???

from the coast...

My Mom visited us for Thanksgiving. Here we are at the coast at Seaside.















Another pic from Seaside.















We went to the Aquarium in Seaside. We love aquariums large or small and this tiny little one held some nice surprises like this octopus that is just in an open tank of water that allows you to get as close as you dare! We also fed the seals whom all had their own unique way of getting our attention so we would pick them to feed. Very entertaining.




















After Seaside, we drove up to one of my personal favorite towns on the coast, Astoria. This is the Astoria Column which has 164 steps inside you can climb to the top which Kelli and I did but immediately regretted. Tougher than I thought, but then again I'm probably more out of shape than I care to admit. This hill that it's on has an amazing overlook of the coast and the town.


































Kelli and I at the top of Astoria Column.















One of my favorite pictures from today. We were in the mountains and stopped where there was some snow and snapped this cool shot.















Finally, here is the house from Goonies in Astoria! Yup, that's the real deal!

"Pelosi and Hoyer repeated that in the first 100 legislative hours of the new Congress that convenes in January, they will try to pass bills that directly affect the pocketbooks of working-class and middle-class people, including raising the minimum wage, cutting interest rates for student loans and allowing the Medicare program to negotiate lower drug prices." www.cnn.com

You mean the new congress aren't going to lower taxes for the rich? Who knows if this will happen or not, but thank God, finally someone with some sense!

I Don't Know Whether to Laugh or Cry!

Hahahahaha. To read more go to HERE.

Thanks for the heads up Christian!

This reminds me of that one time people left the church I was preaching at because I made a joke about Joel Osteen. The person sought me out afterwards and handed me a picture of which consisted of them with Joel Osteen in person! Oops.

a taste of the Kingdom

Here's proving that the large church is legitimately advancing the Kingdom of God faithfully! It's easy to rip on large churches for being inwardly focused and sure, sometimes it's true. But not all large churches are! I talked to my friend Josh Peigh yesterday who is a pastor at Manchester Christian Church in NH and he told me about something they did this weekend for the African refugees in their community. Sure enough, he wasn't lying. You can see the story HERE.

Congrats Josh! This is really awesome. Seeing something like this totally makes my week.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

Here's an interesting study on happiness. Click HERE.

Crucial Issue #1

I read the first two articles today for that Erickson class. They are conflicting views on evangelicals response to postmodernism. Grenz thinks that postmodernism is around to stay and finds that we should respond primarily in community. Read the article if you want that fleshed out. Note one thing however! Grenz neither accepts crowns Postmodernism king, nor accepts unwittingly the tenets of Postmodernism as D.A. Carson assumes. He clearly states that while Postmodernism negatively rejects the tenets of Modernism he still finds validity in truth claims and science! But then again, if you already disagree with him, you will probably not see that. Or at least that is what I have experienced from opponents of Grenz.

Parker rejects the validity of postmodernism in general and thinks it will die off soon like any other fad. Unfortunately, as you will see in the article he has very little proof of this. I don't feel like he takes this issue very seriously and his article reflects that. He also believes that a new shift is happening that he is coining Transmodernism which is more wishful thinking than it is a visible reality. His proof for that is even more mediocre. I think he is just trying to get credit for coining a term in case it actually happens! However, like Parker I would also like to take the best aspects of both modernism and postmodernism but I do not see that happening on the large scale. I hope it does but his article gives little evidence of that. I agree with Parker that we should challenge postmodern thought more instead of just submitting to it and I think Grenz does this. Anyway, read the articles and decide for yourself.

The first is an interview with Stanley Grenz

The second is an article from James Parker III.

OH NO, A TEN PAGE PAPER

I'm excited to be taking an intensive class with Millard Erickson in January. The only problem is, all the work has to be done BEFORE the class! Ahhh. Each of the four days we have to turn in a 5-10 page paper analyzing the current theological issue discussed that day.

Thankfully turning out a 10 page paper isn't the difficulty it used to be. It can be done in a few sittings. Kelli and I were thinking back to high school tonight when our senior year culminated in the writing of a 10 page paper and we all thought that it was impossible! She remembered how we had to make notecards (for us it was 50) to document our research and collect information and then we would use them to write our paper! The dreaded 10 page paper was feared as soon as you heard the rumor of it your freshmen year. Funny to look back and think how easy things are that used to be difficult. Now we have to write 40 pages in a week! Anyway...

The four issues are as follows:
1. Methodology: How Postmodern should our christian faith and our theology be?
2. Doctrine of God: How much does God know about the future (Open Theism)
3. Doctrine of Salvation: What about those who never get a chance to hear the gospel?
4. Doctrine of the Trinity: What is the real relationship between the Father and the Son?

These are obviously not new issues but are four issues Erickson picked to be of crucial importance today. In writing these papers we are to read certain journal articles and respond to the articles and other sources. So basically I guess I won't be having a Christmas break! I feel good about it however because it's a cool thing to get to take a class with the dude that is a theological giant!

The other good news is that I turned in my papers today to confirm that I tested out of both semesters of Greek! Well, I didn't really test out of them. The professor had me explain my Greek experience and afterwards said, "well, i don't really see a need to administer the test so I'll just sign off on your papers!" Praise God from whom all blessings flow! (in singing voice)
I shouldn't have to take it however after five semesters! How much I still know is debatable but I did my time!

Why didn't I hear about this???

Calvary Chapel Rejects Purpose Driven
and Emerging Spirituality
The following news alert is a follow-up to our recent Special Report on Calvary Chapel.

June 16, 2006 - Costa Mesa, CA: Last week at Calvary Chapel's annual pastor's conference, founder and Senior Pastor Chuck Smith announced that Calvary Chapel was rejecting various movements and practices that have been taking place within the Christian church at large as well as in some Calvary Chapel churches. According to a number of pastors who spoke with Lighthouse Trails this week, Smith asked that those Calvary Chapel pastors who were going in the direction of the emerging church would no longer call themselves Calvary Chapel churches.

This week a notice was placed on the Calvary Chapel Distribution website recalling Chuck Smith Sr's book, When Storms Come (which had been tampered with). The notice also stated: "The teaching and positions of Rick Warren have come into conflict with us at Calvary Chapel. Pastor Chuck has directed us to discontinue this product effective immediately."

Both Purpose Driven and the emerging church promote contemplative spirituality, which is a belief system that is contrary to biblical Christianity. Popular authors such as Richard Foster, Brian McLaren, Rick Warren, Henri Nouwen, Brennan Manning and many others teach contemplative spirituality (also known as spiritual formation)

http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/recall.htm

Wow! What's wrong with contemplative spirituality? I've seen this getting ripped a lot lately and I'm not sure how it's heresy. Anyone understand this? I love Nouwen and Manning. Not sure exactly how McLaren or Warren fit in with contemplative spirituality however. That seems strange.

Thanks Chip for emailing this to me.

Congratulations

...to my little sister who is getting married in the spring.

District Attorney Carson

I just read my post from yesterday and that was pretty harsh! I must have been hungry.

Speaking of harsh i just got done reading D.A. Carson's "Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church" which should have the subtitle "Why I despise Brian Mclaren and why everything he thinks is wrong." That is the basic premise of the book. While there is some truth in some of what Carson says, most people disregard those truths because of all of the cheap shots he took throughout the book. But then again, most of the accusations posed in the book are simply untrue or are statements Mclaren has made that Carson has manipulated and taken out of context. I don't even have a "Friend of Emergent" button on my blog and it was still infuriating to read. Carson completely and purposefully (it seems) misrepresents most, if not all of what Emergent is about and accidently confuses Emergent with The Emerging Church througout which is a primary indicator on what you are about to read is very uninformed. Anyway, I could go on, but it wouldn't do any good I suppose.

I read this for a seminary class. I'm not exactly sure as to the purpose yet because we haven't discussed the book but it made me want to transfer to George Fox!

Orthodox Sexism

We have a winner! This is currently the most ignorant thing Mark Driscoll has ever said! It's always a tight competition because we've been getting so much it's hard to decide. But this is one of the most asinine quotes to date. I have always thought of Mark as a very smart man but being smart and being wise are two very separate things and unfortunately this is not being either. I just keep asking myself, "Where are his elders?" Isn't anyone reading this and saying, "Mark, dude, this is completely unnecessary and is just ripping down the body of Christ." But then again, I guess proper sexual roles is part of Mark's nine non-negotiables for orthodoxy so this ridiculousness would be par for the course. Apparently part of the non-negotiable of proper sex roles is for pastors wives to keep in shape so the pastor can have satisfactory sex. Sure I'm putting these words in his mouth but come on. Is this really a sex issue? Aren't there just as many fat pastors whose wives don't want to sleep with them?

"Most pastors I know do not have satisfying, free, sexual conversations and liberties with their wives. At the risk of being even more widely despised than I currently am, I will lean over the plate and take one for the team on this. It is not uncommon to meet pastors’ wives who really let themselves go; they sometimes feel that because their husband is a pastor, he is therefore trapped into fidelity, which gives them cause for laziness. A wife who lets herself go and is not sexually available to her husband in the ways that the Song of Songs is so frank about is not responsible for her husband’s sin, but she may not be helping him either."

I wish I had the spirit of generosity that Brian McLaren has when this sort of stuff is said but this just ticks me off. We've all said really dumb things, and hopefully Mark will come to the realization that this is dumb, i'm afraid otherwise however.

I do want to make this clear however, whatever team you are taking one for, I don't want any part of.

Off the Map

Just returned from the Off the Map Conference in Seattle. Brian Mclaren and George Barna were the main speakers for the event. Mclare of course is always a highlight but the other highlight for me was the workshops by Joe Meyers. I hope his second book Organic Community comes out soon because I think it will be fantastic if what he was speaking about was any indication. His first book, "The Search to Belong" is a must read, especially for all my small group or community pastors (that means you Josh Peigh, Nick Plassman, and Brad Prunty and others i am probably forgetting ((i'm not leaving you out Drew, you've already read it)). Drop what you are doing. Come on, get up, and go buy the book. Or just order it online.

There were three frustrating things about the conference:
1. We noticed that all of these conferences seem to be "beginner" conferences to the world of the alternative or missional church. I'm ready to go more in depth of what that actually looks like in practice more than just the philosophy behind it. The guys I went with and I have read most of the books and have been a part of this conversation for quite some time now, i wish they had something more in depth.

2. George Barna's negativity. I agree with what George Barna is saying in principle which is basically there needs to be new communities and expressions of faith for our future generations and the effectiveness and theological focus of many of the consumer/seeker sensitive churches are not going to work forever. That is true. But, listening to him was such a downer because of this statement: "Life change in these seeker churches are at about one half of one percent. There is NO life change happening in these churches." That's a bunch of crap. I have been very critical of the mega/seeker/consumer, whatever you want to call this kind of church and I will continue to be critical because it is a must, but I do not want to fall into the negativity, anger, or ever make the statement that NO life change is happening in the corporate church. That's simply not true. I hear stories of people submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in authentic ways in these churches and being a part of the Kingdom of God on earth. It is clear that the Bible is not prescriptive on how the church is supposed to look in every way shape and form. I'm excited that we have the freedom to practice church in many ways and look forward to seeing unchurched people connect with these new forms.

3. The church that hosted us tried to rape us for every dollar we were worth. Coffee was 2.75 and a Latte was 4.50! That's more than Starbucks. Besides being WAY too expensive the latte was horrible. It was like drinking warm milk, i think they forgot the espresso. What is more disturbing is the fact that those are the same prices people pay on Sunday morning! No wonder their building is huge!

My favorite parts of this conference were probably more about the people I went with.
1. We got to watch and sing R. Kelly's Hip Hopera 'Trapped in the Closet' way too much. (seriously, check these out! Funniest thing you'll ever see.)

2. Chip informed us that there is a car wash in California called Hand-Job.

3. We ate Mexi-Nuggets and deep friend burritos at Taco Time.

4. And of course, Brian Mclaren. Chris said it well when he said, "I like what this guys theology does to him, you can see the fruit of the spirit in this guy." Some people's theology makes them angry, hostile, crass, prone to cursing, and disparaging others, but not Mclarens. This is a guy you can respect.

For a more thorough synopsis of the content go to Bob Blog.

www.next-wave.org

I got to do a phone interview with author and pastor Mike Erre last week whose book Jesus of Suburbia was recently released. Click the link above to check it out. I thought the interview went great mostly because Mike said a ton of great stuff. That alone makes it worth listening to!

Proverbs 31 Husband Justifies Beer Habit

MINOT, N.D. — Jack Crocker, a beer-loving machinist and "part-time Christian," finally agreed to read Proverbs with wife Reanna. He's glad he did.
"I'm a Proverbs 31 husband all right," says Jack, then quotes Proverbs 31:6-7: "Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more."
"That's my permission to crack open a cold one," Jack says, having a Coors after dinner.
But Reanna, a new church member, is pushing Jack hard to stop drinking. She insists he is neither "perishing" nor "in anguish." But Jack researched the Bible on the Internet and found 2 Corinthians 4:16 and 5:2 which say, "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day," and "Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling."
"Everyone is perishing and in anguish," Jack says. "Until we're delivered from these bodies, the Bible says to drink up."
As part of the escalating family tension he created a "Proverbs 31" category on their weekly budget and listed "beer" under it. He also wants to start a Proverbs 31 Men's Group with his buddies.
"We're trying to find where the Bible talks about buffalo wings," he says. •

I love when the new Lark News comes out. I look forward to this day every month!

Fantastic New Music!

The Lancaster Orchestra - Never Cried Once When I Could Have

Beautiful album, even better than "With a Little Help From Absent Friends." Check out the songs, "I Wish We Had Never Met" . Unfortuntely this is only half the song, but it gives you a good idea of the sound.




The Pernice Brothers - Live a Little

Check out their Myspace page to listen to some of the album.
These guys have been around since 1995 and just keep getting better. Great British pop stuff.





Hem - Funnel Cloud

Not California

This is for fans of Over the Rhine. I wish I could find the song We'll Meet Along the Way because it's beautiful! It really showcases her voice. Check out their Myspace page for more music.




Damien Jurado - And Now that I'm In Your Shadow

What We're The Chances
Damien Jurado is pretty much Damien Jurado, this time just some funky electronic stuff thrown in here and there. Still good.

My Niece and Nephew

Aidan won the costume contest for his age and spent the whole day with his balloon. This is a great picture!















Ava congratulating Aiden on his victory and most likely trying to steal his balloon.

a weary mind

My brain is officially 1/2 way to fried as a direct result of seminary from all this darned thinking! That's not a good start. I have just realized I have about 7 weeks left and about 50-60 pages worth of papers to write! Is that bad???

I just want to thank Widmer Bros. brewing for helping me cope with the stress. You've made one of the smoothest stouts I have ever had and it is delicious. If you get a chance to buy their Snow Plow Milk Stout, DO IT! Little piece of heaven right here on earth.

Also found out the guy I work with tonight has been brewing his own beer for about 2 years and has even won some awards. He said he would be happy to brew with me and show me how it's done. How can I pass that up??? I can't!

I also want to thank Starbucks and Peets Coffee for making me way more productive than what I would have been alone. You have allowed me to read mind-wrenching crap I could have never read alone.

Out of Context 4

"For all you preachers out there, what you need to do is to find a good joke and build a text around it."

-Counseling professor.

Cops, Weed, and a Marching Band

Last night we were living in bizarro world. Kelli and I met up with our friends Jon and Natasha Irvine who will hopefully be moving here from Tampa in the coming months. On the way home I got pulled over for “driving dumb.” Those were the literal words of the officer. After arguing with him a bit and getting nothing resolved it was clear that he pulled us over because he was bored and just wanted to talk to someone. As he left he said, “I’m going to let you guys go, but stop driving dumb.” Hilarious.

So then I went to the Doug Fir to meet the guys and there was a hipster marching band playing in the showroom. Strange, very strange. It was immediately clear to Jon that everyone was on X seeing as they were rubbing themselves and each other and dancing around like no one else existed. Strange but unique show.

Then we were sitting outside in the courtyard when a guy sat down and introduced himself as Brent. He just wanted to talk because he apparently knows everyone and he just kept saying, “man, there is some REALLY good stuff going on here at the Doug Fir.” He was a passionate Doug Fir evangelist. I still can’t figure out what he was really trying to tell us. We did meet him again on the way out however and he said, “hey guys, I’d stay and talk but I’ve got this great bud here that I’ve got to smoke, come on smell this *$&#.” I took a smell and it was strong. I humored him and said, “yeah that smells like some great stuff.”

Unfortunate

Come on Kenny, you're good enough without Pine tar. That's certainly disappointing.

Did Green Day Steal Songs?

Medford man claims alt-rockers, Green Day, stole his tunes
Posted by The Oregonian Newsroom October 23, 2006 10:33

Paul McPike thought Green Day's album "American Idiot" sounded familiar.

As he listened to the title track, he said it dawned on him that the alt-rock band was singing his song.

"It came back to me," said the 32-year-old Medford grocery store checker. "That's my song. I sang that song way back in high school."

In fact, McPike claims he didn't just pen "American Idiot." He says he wrote every song on the album and sang them for his classmates at Independence High School in Amador County, Calif., more than a decade ago.

"I went and listened to the whole album, and there it was: my songs right there. They hadn't been changed a bit, except for guitars and drums."

So now McPike is suing Warner Bros. in U.S. District Court in Portland. He's claiming copyright infringement, and he wants a cut of the profits from "American Idiot."

Trouble is, McPike couldn't find a lawyer to represent him so he's doing the legal work himself. He wrote to Warner Bros. and Green Day, but he hasn't heard back from them yet.

A representative of Warner Bros. was not available for comment. Green Day's publicist at Creative Artists Agency also could not be reached for comment.

He said he's a fan of Green Day and likes what they did with what he says is his work.

"I am really happy with the job they did with my songs actually," he said.

He says the band's made millions from his tunes. He's not holding out much hope for getting "a bunch of money."

"It's more the principle," he said. "Those were my songs and I want credit."

The Church You Know - Worship

This is my fav.

ht-everyone and their mommas.

The Church You Know

www.thechurchyouknow.com

Christian Rock Band Cleans Up Hotel Room

October 16, 2006 | Issue 42•42

WAYCROSS, GA—Hotel staff at the Highway 82 Best Western found the suite occupied over the weekend by members of the Christian rock band Ruggid Krøss swept, dusted, scrubbed, and readied for immediate occupancy. "Bands have come through here before, but I've never seen anything like this," said housekeeping supervisor Maria Konieczna, who was called to the scene after maids expressed alarm at the carefully mended furniture, retouched bathroom-wall paint, and hospital corners the five-member evangelical group inflicted on the hotel's property. "The television was lifted up, dusted under, Windexed, and placed carefully back in the cabinet. Plus they apparently had our towels professionally laundered at their own expense. There's nothing in the manual about dealing with this type of propriety." Hotel staff are attempting to contact Ruggid Krøss' manager to return the six extra Gideon's Bibles they left in the suite's nightstands.

Ht: The Onion

Our True Identity

MLB Fans Can Now Take Their Team Devotion to the Grave.

Click on the headline to read the story.

I'm a huge Cubs and Bears fan but this is a little disturbing. It's a sad day when the largest thing that defines your life is what team you root for. This looks like a case of mistaken identity. I think this article brings up a good question however that needs to be asked by everyone at some point. Where do we find our identity?

Some find their identity in the clothes they wear, the cars they drive, the career they work, the sports teams they root for, the success they achieve, but is there something deeper to our identity than what we DO or what we LIKE? Doesn't our identity have to do more with who we ARE?

Then we have to ask ourselves the question: Who am I? That is a question that cannot be answered with what you do or what you like unfortunately. Those things do not define a person. So what does?

How would you answer the question: Who Am I?

Rex????

The First half is in the books and Rex Grossman has 4, count them 4 turnovers! What is going on here? The Cardinals look like a Super Bowl contender right now. The Bears have decided to stop playing defense and Grossman looks like a third stringer for the Lions. I'm hoping that I come back to this post later and have to retract my statements but Grossman is sucking it up all over the place right now and I'm mad. I'm not trying to take away from what he's done this season so far but if you can't handle the Cardinals. Crap.


Brian Urlacher - Our HERO!
What an unbelievable game! Rex did everything he could do to lose it, 0 offensive touchdowns, 6 turnovers and somehow the Bears pull off 2 defensive touchdowns and a punt run back in the 2nd half. The craziest and most memorable game I've ever seen. I was screaming my head off like a little 2 year old girl. Just ask Kelli. I can't even describe how exciting this game was. Thank God for Chicago's defense. It was clutch! And of course, thanks to Neil Rackers for missing the field goal that would have won the game for Arizona.

Out of Context 3

"Take your marijuana and take it somewhere else, smoke it up, blow your brains out, I don't care."

-10-9-06 Counseling Professor.

Damn You Credit Cards

As I look back upon the last 4 years and see how I have established a credit card debt that add up more than the price of a new SUV I can't believe it. It's amazing how little purchases here and there can amount to enormous balances. I feel awful that I myself am particularly responsible for putting Kelli and I in this tough situation. Granted moving twice in the last two years, going some months without paychecks, going on an amazing honeymoon (which I don't regret) etc. have not helped but I have spent a lot of money on things I didn't really need just because I don't have the discipline to say no.

I realized this partially yesterday when I was about to put another 3.00 dollar latte charge on my credit card when Stumptown Coffee told me they didn't take credit. I didn't have any cash so my friend Jason just bought us both a 1 dollar coffee and you know what I realized? It was just as good. And two dollars cheaper. I started to consider the fact that I was about ready to put 3 more dollars on the credit card that was totally unnecessary. And then I thought about ALL the times I have done that in the last three years. Damn. I wish I could take that back.

Having a minimum payment on your credit cards that equals your rent really puts strain on your life and your marriage. And for that reason I am going to change and start spending more wisely. No more 3 dollar lattes, no more concerts when we don't have the money (goodbye Joseph Arthur, we'll catch you next time), and even no more beer when we can't afford it. That's not easy for me but it is necessary. I'm splurged for too long. It's time for some good ol' fashion discipline. Not to mention what this all says about my theology of money. I don't even want to share any thoughts on that.

Sometimes I catch myself blaming the credit card companies. And I talk about how they are evil but in reality I am the only one to blame and I take full responsibility. I am the one with evil inside that tells me that I have to keep spending, I need that coffee or that beer or that book (hurts to say that) and keeping up with everything. The companies certainly don't make it easy to get out of debt but they did not make me spend in the first place.

Where did all this start? My junior year of college my friends and I didn't have any money but were obligated to take our annual spring break trip to Clearwater, FL and decided to get credit cards. While I wouldn't trade that trip for the world, what I would change is that once I got home I would have paid it off, cut it up and never touched another one. If I had just done that life would be so much simpler right now. Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about. And some of you are probably in the place where the credit card bills are just starting to come in. Take my word for it: pay it off and cut it up now! For those of us that are already in deep debt, lock the cards up somewhere, make the payments and press on! Someday, some day long long in the future we will be free of our stupid mistakes of early adulthood.

Out of Context 2

"No one wants to see me naked on the front lawn."

-Counseling Professor 10.9.06

Wet and Wild Weekend

This past Saturday Kelli and I took a trip to Bagby Hot Springs which is a few hours drive from Portland. We were both told about the hot spring on the exact same day by a co-worker of Kelli's and for me it was the Fed Ex guy so we thought it was fate that we should visit. The drive was beautiful and the 1.5 mile hike to the bathhouses was even more beautiful. It was nice to do something outdoors, it was the first time we have since we've moved to Oregon.

So here comes the fun part.

What we didn't known was that clothing was optional and weed was practically mandatory! Luckily (or so we thought) there were some private rooms with baths (you can see pictures of all of this HERE). We get inside one of the rooms, pop the stick that is holding the water back and start to fill up the tup when we noticed that there are holes in the wood of the walls which you can safetly see the people in each of the rooms next door. I went out to get a bucket of cold water to balance out the 136 degree water from the spring and when I came back Kelli whispered to me, "well, i just saw that old man's penis." Oh geeze. What was worse was that the older couple next door was not sexually inhibited like I had waished.

It was a strange place, but would be peaceful minus all the nudity, or perhaps minus our self-consciousness over nudity. As we left the bathhouse to start our hike back to the car we looked down a hill where there were some public baths and that didn't even stop people from being naked or acting out all their public sex fantasies. People here amaze me!

Also, we got back to our car and had a 75 dollar ticket because we forgot to pay 5 dollars to park. Crap.

Out of Context

I've decided to begin this as a regular treat for you to laugh at because one of my professors says some stuff that sounds pretty insane out of context. Actually, sometimes it sounds pretty insane anyway, but he's a hilariously great dude and I think you will enjoy this. Keep in the mind, this is in the context of pastoral counseling.

"If you have a heart attack, no i won't pray for healing, you've eaten horribly your whole life, it's the principle of reaping and sowing, you deserve to die." 10-2-06

More soon. I've got plenty!!!

One of the most amazing things i've ever read

Click here

There's nothing you can even say about this. It's the Kingdom of God on earth.


ht: Drew Moser

My Favorite Headline in Sports

Detroit rocks NY: Bonderman, Tigers eliminate Yanks

Does Beer Turn Men Into Women???

Randon Notes

Watched Lucky Number Slevin last night because I have unlimited free rentals (which is the only reason I will bring home Click tonight). I was disappointed with Slevin. It was slow moving, fairly uninteresting and only sparked my interest at the end when the story finally unwinds and then abruptly ends. I thought it was an awkward film overall and certainly disappointing considering the huge cast.

We also watched Thank You For Smoking last week and it was great. Very clever and funny. By the end I was thinking to myself, "man, they've really duped me, why am i rooting for this guy? he's a terrible human being." Fun movie though, i highly recommend it.

Having a hard time processing and thinking creatively with information and ideas lately. I'm not sure why. I feel like my brain has hit a wall. It might be because of my schedule or I'm just blank right now. I guess we all go through those spells.

Kelli and I are taking a little road trip this weekend to Bagby Hot Springs (i guess we're obligated with a name like that). As the name implies they are some natural hot springs that you hike about a mile and a half to get to and then hop in (they say clothing is optional).

Going to see Joseph Arthur next Friday at the Doug Fir. I'm cranked (trying to find new adjectives for the word excited) for that.

I saw a blurb in Newsweek about a gun range in Las Vegas called The Gun Store that rents all kinds of machine guns and automatic weapons to you to shoot. How freaking unreal would that be? You could feel what it would be like to shoot guns like they have in the movies! I told my friend Bob that this morning and also told him that I pretend sometimes that I'm packing heat when I walk around the neighborhood (doesn't anyone else do this?). I'm pretty sure he thinks i'm insane now. I may have watched too many Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Sylvester Stalone, etc. movies as a kid. I think this is the kind of post that police come back to and say, "see this is where he first started talking about guns" after some absurd criminal behavior. I'm going to stop talking now, i'm not crazy, I promise. Actually, the exact opposite, i've always had the fantasy to be the hero like Chuck Norris in Forced Vengeance, or Missing in Action, to take down the bad guys.

Ok, back to the real world. i'm out like Ryan Secrest.

Preaching Vs. Plagiarism Pt. 2

This is just one example of the problem that I was talking about in the previous post on this issue delivered straight to my email.

New Research Tool and a Special Offer
Streamline your study time

CreativePastors.com is thrilled to announce a new research tool for pastors that will allow you to explore the complete text of more than 600 sermons that Ed has delivered during his sixteen years at Fellowship Church - and it's all available within our simple search bar.

It couldn't be easier to use. Getting ready to preach a message on anger? Type anger into the search bar on the left hand side of the site. At the top of the search results page, you'll see the number of times that word is mentioned within the text of the transcripts on the site. Click the link and you'll find every series and message where that word is mentioned, along with a short sample showing the reference in context.

Whether you're looking for different perspectives on a book of the Bible, a unique approach to a much-used topic or a specific cultural reference, you'll find your results in the blink of an eye. And this month, every sermon transcript on CreativePastors.com is available for 15% off. So go have fun with our new search tool and stock up on your favorite sermon transcripts!

Congrats Drew

My friend Drew Moser got his article published by Lark News. A feat that takes quite a bit of time! It's not easy to come up with an idea that will make it in the big leagues like Lark but he's done it!

Check out the exclusive: Dobson endorses family for president in 2008.

Nice work man. I really loved the "Pastor works diligently to keep people from his home" article too.

Best Team in the NFC

Final Score:
Chicago 37
Seattle 6

Any questions???

"Our false selves are the identities we cultivate in order to function in society with pride and self-possession; our real selves are a deep religious mystery, known entirely only to God. The world cultivates the false self, ignores the real one, and therein lies the great irony of human existence: The more we make of ourselves, the less we actually exist.

But my life and aims tend to be artificial, inauthentic, as long as I am simply trying to adjust my actions to certain exterior norms of conduct that will enable me to play an approved part in the society in which I live."

--Thomas Merton

This is the struggle of my life. TM always knows how to cut right to the heart of it.

"Our false selves are the identities we cultivate in order to function in society with pride and self-possession; our real selves are a deep religious mystery, known entirely only to God. The world cultivates the false self, ignores the real one, and therein lies the great irony of human existence: The more we make of ourselves, the less we actually exist.

But my life and aims tend to be artificial, inauthentic, as long as I am simply trying to adjust my actions to certain exterior norms of conduct that will enable me to play an approved part in the society in which I live."

--Thomas Merton

This is the struggle of my life. TM always knows how to cut right to the heart of it.

Girl in the War EP

Josh Ritter (have you heard me talk about him lately?) has an EP he released on www.emusic.com called Girl in the War Digital Tracks. I highly recommend it for fans of The Animal Years or just of Ritter in general. Here is the tracklist.

1. Girl In The War
2. Blame It On The Tetons
3. Harbortown
4. Peter Killed The Dragon
5. Monster Ballads (early version)
6. In The Dark (acoustic demo)
7. Girl In The War (acoustic demo)

I would say there are a few highlights, one is the Modest Mouse cover "Blame it on the Tetons". The second is the early version of "Monster Ballads". Finally the acoustic version of Girl in the War is wonderful.

I'm serious when I say this. This guy can do NO wrong. Amazing songwriter.

In simliar news i'm pretty peeved because Mandy got to see him live last night and I haven't even seen him yet.

T.O.????

I'm having a hard time believing that T.O. actually tried to kill himself as the story goes.

Seems there are conflicting reports:

1. Media - T.O. ATTEMPTS SUICIDE. Obviously the media's job is to jump the gun and think the worst at ALL times to manipulate something into a hot story.

2. T.O's publicist - T.O.'s pain killers mixed wrongly with his supplements so she took him to the hospital, he did not try to commit suicide. But of course the publicist's job is to cover up anything that looks negative and pretend everything is okay.

3. Police - T.O. called 911 and when asked if he was trying to hurt himself and he said, "Yes." which is recorded. Hard to refute that, but not a whole lot of information to go off of. The Police's job is to tell you as little as possible anytime, and that's probably for good reason.

Who do you believe when everyone's job is to lie???

4. Dustin's theory - T.O. took 5-7 pain killers, not trying to kill himself, but desperately seeking attention (which has been known of T.O. in the past). I'm not in the medical field but I know that it would take a few more than that to kill yourself. He's depressed, he's upset, he swallows the pills to get attention from those around him and see if people really care about him which is what you want when you are depressed. In the next few days he will make a press statement (forced by the team and his publicist) that he took some pain pills that didn't go well with his supplements. Therefore he called 911 and was too loopy to answer the questions correctly, he had thought they said, "are you hurting?" not "are you trying to hurt yourself?" He'll make some jokes in the press statement to let everyone know that he is completely happy with the world, he'll make a few statements about how he just wants to move forward and play football (until the next time he seeks attention), and then he'll hope the whole thing blows over and never answer questions about it again.

Any other theories???

Updated 12:40pm PST - Come on, somebody tell me I was right. I just watched the press conference and I called it EXACTLY! By the way, his publicist is the worst liar on earth. The media are much better liars! Good work media.

Three Things

One, for those who have me on Bloglines, please re-ad me to your list if you want to get the feed. For some reason the bloglines is not picking up my feed and I had to reset it.

Two, check out Bob's post on the Creative Commons Church (for those who are interested in the plagiarism and preaching discussion we have been having. He shares thoughts along a similar mindset but communicates them much better than I did and gives positive ideas to reinforce it!

Three, Joseph Arthur's new record Nuclear Daydream, and Ben Kweller's new self-titled album came out last week. Any thoughts so far? Anything else good coming out soon?

Preaching and Plagiarism

I have always hated when pastors copy a sermon word for word and preach it as their own on Sunday without ever giving credit to where or who it comes from. It's been a pet peave of mine since the Bible College days. Now, of course I take some ideas from here and there from sermons I have heard but I ALWAYS give credit to where credit is due, i never pretend to be smart enough to have come up with what I copy. But what about pastors who take a Rick Warren, or Ed Young sermon and preach it as if it were their own. Is that wrong? Is that unethical?

Christianity Today's blog got me thinking about this more in depth, many of you have already read it, but if not check it out here:

Out of Ur's article "Word for Word; what is driving pastors to plagiarize?"

What I think is even worse is that the celebrity preachers are encouraging people to not just take their sermons and preach them word for word but to actually buy them from the pastors for a price of about 6-10 dollars! I would say that there are about 674 things inherently wrong about that, but I don't think I need to list them off for this crew. This easter Keith and I got an email from Ed Young Jr. ministry allowing us to buy his Easter sermon for 8.95 with his own handwritten corrections. How considerate and generous of him to make a profit off of something he is already paid to do at his church! I could spend a lot of time and get very upset over this issue.

What I wanted to point out today however is that while reading a book for class called "Ministerial Ethics" I noticed that denominations across the board starting when ethical codes were first being written in the early 20th century cited plagiarism in preaching as unethical and against the standards of what it meant to be a pastor.

"It is unethical for the minister to use sermon material prepared by another without acknowledging the source from which it comes."

This was the standard on Presbyterian's, Disciples of Christ, Baptists, Unitarians, etc. across the board.

But in the more recent codes this line has been dropped altogether. There is no mention of plagiarism in the major denominational ethical codes! Why do you think this is? Has it recently become ethical to steal or even buy a sermon and preach it word for word as your own? Has this new act hurt or helped the church? Why would it be unethical 50 years ago but okay today?

Here we go again...

I know I've talked about Josh Ritter's most recent album The Animal Years a ton lately but that is only because it is one of the best albums I have heard this year. My friend Rick describes this song very well :

"The "Thin Blue Flame" continues one of the best traditions in folk rock. From Dylan's early albums ( and he does it again on the latest- his best is Hurricane), Springsteen every once in a while, The 77's (I Could Laugh), Peter Himmelman (Untitled), even Bright Eyes (Let's Not Shit Ourselves) this tradition continues and I am a sucker for those 8 minutes each time."

This is an amazing song. Sit back, put this on and listen to every single word. It's a very powerful song.

THIN BLUE FLAME

The Dark Side

I just finished “Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership” which honestly wasn’t incredibly enlightening nor as in depth as I would have liked but it has sparked a lot of thoughts into my personal life where there could be some problems in the future. It was interesting to realize that we all have a dark side that has been developing our entire lives that can help us succeed but can also bring us down. As you already know, this dark side has been the cause of many ministry leaders’ downfalls in the past. Of which we as Christians are reminded of frequently by the news and by people we meet who like to remind us once they find out that we are Christ-followers.

There were a few quotes from the book that I wanted to share with you however because they sparked some good thoughts.

“Far too many sermons are preached in an effort to gain the approval and admiration of followers, with little or no concern for God’s approval. The pastor or speaker who steps down from the platform and is immediately obsessed with whether his sermon was good is dealing with a prime symptom of narcissism. Jim Bakker seems to have been a classic victim of narcissistic personality disorder. His visions of grandeur were born out of deep feelings of inferiority and inadequacy. He was driven to achieve in an effort to prove to himself and other that he was worthy and approved.”

That strucks a chord with me. It is a tough differentiation to make because obviously we want to critique ourselves and get feedback on our communication skills but at the same time don't want to obsess over ourselves and watch the video after all five services to see what mannerisms could be better (no offense Ed Young Jr.). How do we balance being messengers of God's word and being refined communicators and teachers of God's truth?

“There are too many young men and women entering the ranks of spiritual leadership today carrying the heavy load of unrealistic expectations.”

AMEN to that! Unfortunately, Bible Colleges and Seminaries are instilling these expectations and idealisms that are the downfall of many, and once they get out into the world to “do” ministry it is a rough realization that it is nothing like what they said it was going to be! I wonder if there is a better way to prepare people than to excite them about how they are going to change the world with what they learned in the classroom??? Is there a way to maintain the excitement of serving but at the same time be realistic about the challenges and the dark nights of ministry?

Do you think the "superstar pastor" conferences feed into these unrealistic expectations?

Seminarians

Today was my first frustrating day at Seminary. But it wasn't necessarily because of the classes or professors (one of which made me look really stupid today which I'll get to later). The problem is, there are certain seminarians that get the feeling that they need to voice their opinion and share their experience about any and everything the professor addresses. Usually these individuals are older and my hypothesis is that because everyone is younger than they are in the classroom they feel foolish that they are at the same level as everyone else and want to make it known to the world that they already know all the material being covered.

These are the men that nod attentively at everything the professor says or tries to trump the professor based on their own experience. Or even worse, they ask a question or share an experience that ONLY relates to them particularly and is not relevant nor beneficial to anyone else in the classroom giving me a vision of this man holding my hard earned (or borrowed) money in his hand setting it on fire with a lighter because he is wasting my precious time. This rant may seem selfish and juvenile but I think there may be some other former or current seminarians that can relate? I'm especially excited to hear Gentry's zealous, humorous (and probably vulgar) response. No pressure.

On a side note, I realized today that there is something about being around a group of studious, academic Christians that just makes me want to rebel. I can't explain it, nor condone it, but it's just a feeling I have inside that I need to get to the bottom of.

Later I will go into detail about what is feels like to look like a complete moron with a distinguished professor.

Are you having trouble posting comments?

Some friends have recently emailed me and told me that they can't comment on my blog anymore since I switched over to the beta version of blogger. If you have had trouble commenting on my blog will you please just send me a quick email and let me know what happened? I would like to fix it because I know how frustrating it is to type a long comment only to lose it to blogger. dbagby@gmail.com

thanks.

I have a prediction...

The Chicago Bears win the Super Bowl.

a winner has been declared....

As you know I had a name contest a little while ago for the best name for the new banner with the winner getting a bag of authentic Portland coffee. Finally, after the chaos here has settled I have taken a few minutes and come to a decision. It was hard because there were a lot of good ones. But after much thought and deliberation, I would have to say my favorite name for this picture symbolically and ironically is:

Up the Slippery Slope

Congratulations Doug B! You win some Portland coffee. Email me and I'll give you two options.

A close second was:
Stairway to Average. I really liked that one too Cade.

Jobs and Songs

God is good. I've got a job painting a house right now. I've got an interview at Borders downtown today and if that doesn't work out, i've got a job waiting for me at Hollywood video. I went to a UPS interview last night at 11pm but it didn't turn out to be like anything they said on the website. On the web it said, "starting at 9.50, full health insurance". Well, the starting rate is actually 8.50 and you only get health insurance if you work 80 hours a month, but they only promise you between 15-22 hours a week so it's completely out of your control. If they only let you work 79 some month, you don't have health insurance the next month. He also said that it takes 5-8 years to get promoted from package handler to driver there. At that point, I bid everyone adieu and walked to my car to drive home and forget any of that every happened.

Anyway, here is some stuff you should check out. You probably would have checked these out already if you would just freaking get Emusic.

The Album Leaf - Into the Blue Again
This record just came out today on Sub Pop. Kelli and I used a few AL songs in our wedding last year from their last record. I saw the Album Leaf (which is mostly just one guy) perform in Brooklyn last year and it was an amazing show. I think Kelli and I will see them in Portland later this year. It's worth seeing. Mostly instrumental and electric but every now and again you'll actually get some vocals like on this song:

Always For You

M. Ward - Post War
Not much to say about M.Ward but his music just has a classic sound that you can't help but appreciate and love. I thought Transistor Radio was brilliant and I can't help but think that this is just as good, if not better.
Post War
To Go Home



Hem - Funnel Cloud
This one is for lovers of Over The Rhine. They put out a pretty cool record on my birthday of this year (Feb. 7th) called No Word From Tom which is a collection of covers including a great version of

"Rainy Night in Georgia"




Gin Blossoms - Major Lodge Victory
I realize that this may surprise some people who only know the "Empire Records" Gin Blossoms but this is a extremely sunny, catchy record that will make you happy!

Learning the Hard Way (sample)
Curious Thing (sample)



Jason Molina - Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go
Molina has been around for a while, fronting Magnolia Electric Co. which is a alt/country/roots rock band. Let me just say that this record is ions away from Magnolia rock. This is Jason with his guitar singing stripped down/bare sad songs. It sounds like he is in a prison cell moaning of his condition. With that said, I think it's beautiful.

Everything Should Try Again

Why Haven't You Bought This Album Yet?

Take a listen:

Girl in the War

Monster Ballads

Good Man

This is one of the best records I've heard this year. Well worth a listen. Josh Ritter's a phenomenal song writer.

The Great Giveaway 2

He then goes on to make the suggestion that we use qualitative measure of community instead of evaluating a church by the quality of preaching, the worship services, the convenience of children’s care services, etc.:

“When was the last time someone spoke a hard truth into your life? Was it done with love?
When was the last time you confessed sin to someone you felt safe with in this community?
When was the last time you prayed with someone over an issue of needs or discernment in this body?
When was the last someone in the body visited you in the hospital or brought you a meal when you were sick?
When was the last time a homeless person was brought into the congregation and made whole?

And ultimately he suggests that we measure the number of new church plants, not the size of church buildings. Listen to this:

“Why is it that pastors of large churches are more willing to build bigger buildings than empower a group of forty to fifty people to plant another living body of Christ? If indeed the facts are true that the greatest conversion growth occurs in churches when they grow from fifty to two hundred people, why is it that we insist on building bigger churches after they have reached one thousand? What does it say about our assumptions for church growth when we plant churches that already start with two hundred people? If this is what it means to be the physical body of Christ in North America then the ultimate sign of church success will be “the number of churches you have planted,” not how big your church is in terms of attendance, decisions, or church facilities.”

The Great Giveaway

I just started reading: The Great Giveaway by David Fitch. The subtitle is “Reclaiming the Mission of the Church from Big Business, Parachurch Organizations, Psychoterapy, Consumer Capitalism, and Other Modern Maladies.”

I read the first chapter this morning on what standard we are to use and not to use to measure the “success” of our church. One of the things he said that stood out is this:

“Numbers miss measuring how well a church is functioning as the body of Christ. Numbers often miss measuring the progress of discipleship in a church. Numbers do not reveal how a church group is functioning internally, whether people are building up each other, ministering to each other, and ministering in the outside community as the body of Christ. In short, numbers, on their own, say nothing qualitative about what is going on in the church when viewed as the body of Christ. Indeed, when numbers reach a certain level, a further increase in numbers may deter achieving the goals of being the body of Christ. Consequently, a church that appears to be a success numerically may be a failure in terms of its mission to be a faithful local body of Christ.”

He goes on to make this insight:

“This does not require that bigness in itself is antithetical to being the body of Christ. But what it may uncover is that bigness is a hurdle to overcome and not a goal to be sought in being the successful body of Christ.”

Some church leaders will say, “well numbers are important because they represent people.” That is true to some extent, but they don’t necessarily represent people who have any interest in being the body of Christ on earth or who’s lives are being changed by the power of God.

So how do we measure the wellness of our church? I’ll let you know what David’s suggestions are tomorrow. You should check out this book.

Heart of Gold

We watched Neil Young’s documentary “Heart of Gold” Monday night. Basically it’s his unveiling of his (then) new album Prairie Wind at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Neil Young is one of my musical heroes. He is such a humble, un-pretentious star. I overflow with respect for the man. I wish young musicians would follow in his legacy. He's a total class act.

Anyway, Young has such a rich history of music and it is definitely worth watching if you’re a fan. One of my favorites is on the special features disc where Neil performed “Needle and the Damage Done” on the Johnny Cash Show in 1971. Looks really freaking young, sounds exactly the same which is a mind blower. How did his voice never change in the last 30 years???? Must be performance enhancing drugs. They should test him. Another highlight is his performance of “When God Made Me.” If you haven’t given it a good listen, check it out. Simple but profound. I was moved.

R.I.P

The croc-hunter Steve Irwin died today. Most people probably would have guessed that he would have died at the hand of nature somehow but I wouldn't have guessed he would have gotten killed by a Stingray. Pretty sad story. He was a bit over-the-top at times, but he was passionate about what he did and loved every minute of it. I pray that I can maintain the passion that Steve had in my own field. Definitely will miss seeing this guy on tv, it was always fun and enlightening.