If the rest of my school semester goes like the first day, I may have a record number of blog posts. The material for future blogs is flocking like the salmon of Capistrano…

My COM 213 (Public Speaking) class called for us to introduce ourselves, as well as to answer 3 questions in our introduction:

#1 – What time period & location in history we’d like to visit
#2 – What person in the past we’d like to meet
#3 – What question we’d ask them

My answers were:
#1 – I’d like to visit what is now Germany, in the early 16th century
#2 – I’d like to meet Martin Luther (not the Rev. Dr., but you get the picture.)
#3 – What were the factors that led most directly to his tacking of the 95 theses/disagreements/questions about practices of the church on the Wittenburg Door? (Just want to hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.)

Seems straightforward, doesn’t it? Well, here are a couple of the answers that I got to listen to…

TIME PERIOD & LOCATION IN HISTORY TO VISIT
-I’d like to live in the USA in the Olden Days, but not in the 20’s because the Great Depression would be really sad to go through…

-I couldn’t imagine living at another time without my cell phone…

-I’m not really like a history person, so like, I don’t know when I would want to go back to, because it was so long ago…

-I’d like to live in the Roman age, when there was so much cultural development…

-I’d like to go to Nam & see if it was as crazy as my dad said…

PERSON TO MEET (Remember: in history, the past… before today.)
-Johnny Damon (CF for the Yankees)
-Martin Luther King
-Oprah
-Michelangelo
-Bob Marley
-Bob Dylan
-Jesus
-My gramma
-Abraham Lincoln
-Michael Jordan
-Phil Ivey (poker guru)
-Edgar Allen Poe
-Emily Dickinson
-Michael Jackson. Yes, THE Michael Jackson

QUESTION TO ASK THE PERSON
-The most prevalent question was “How was it living back then?” closely followed by, “Is the world I live in different than your time?”
-Others include: “how did you manage to live without all the technology we have?”
“Who is your hero?”
“How did you overcome the haters?”
“Why did you drink so much?”
“How can I start my own TV show like you?” for Oprah

And, my favorite question was to be asked of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson himself – “Why are you such a bizarre person?”

Good times.
How would you answer the questions?

I just got done sitting through the first of many lectures for the Spring 2006 semester – this one was for my Education Law & Ethics class, aka – EL401.

The sum-up of the class has to do with the ethics of educators… of course, someone asked for a definition of ethics: the class definition came out sounding something like this…

“Ethics are like values. But they’re different for everyone, depending on what you value. It’s like what you would do & what you wouldn’t do, almost like a moral code. Ethics are personal, because they reflect each persons viewpoints…”

The best part was our ethical exercise:
If the school I work at was struggling for money, would I, as the main administrator, accept a large sum of money from a local business to run the necessary programs to help the school succeed? Then, if it was a bar, would I still accept the money? A strip club? An organization with ties to political parties?

The consensus of the class was that these future educators will do anything for money, & would have no problem accepting money from any organization… even the political party donors could be navigated around by simply giving “equal time” or the “opposing view” to other political organizations.

The only group that the class felt it would be unethical to take money from? The church – because “you can’t mix church and state,” (love than argument,) & also because “churches push their own agendas on people.” Interesting stuff. I thought of the radical fideists & Brintus’ struggles with mislabeling…

Thoughts?

BOOK REVIEW: “The Ragamuffin Gospel,” by Brennan Manning

The central theme of “The Ragamuffin Gospel” is the incredible saving grace & love of our Lord Jesus Christ. The author speaks in detail about the daily life struggles of a believer & how these difficulties can cause us to feel unworthy of approaching an Awesome God, making it seem tough for us attempt spend time with Him. From Scripture, we’re reminded of the FACT that Jesus Christ’s love for us is not based on how “good we’re doing“ with Him – it’s based in His goodness, His grace, & His mercy. Though we’re “Ragamuffins” – people of no real standing before our God, our Savior approaches us, in love & with full assurance of acceptance & forgiveness, right where we are.

As I read, I was overwhelmed with an incredible sense of God’s love for me. The only way to describe it was as a feeling of “heaviness,” but not a bad heaviness— a weight on my heart, a reminder of the undeserved & unearned goodness of Jesus Christ to me. It made me want more of Jesus.

Thanks to OP, I just got to watch an interesting take on “the Emerging Church” – got me to wondering: what characteristics need to be present in order for a church to be considered “emerging” – it’s got to go way beyond the trappings (e.g. candles, coffee, icons, casual dress…)

Is this emerging business just an American phenomenon or is it something that is going to be looked back on in 25 years as a mini-reformation, perhaps on par with the Jesus movement &/or the charismatic renewal.

Nightline’s View of the Emerging Church

Wikipedia – The Emerging Church

The Website

This are a couple of pictures of the worship team that led the first two days at the conference that Moe & I were at this last week. “Press Play” is the name of the team…

More On Press Play

A bunch of people died in Saudi Arabia during the annual “Throw Rocks At the Devil” festival… not the first time this has happened. Thoughts?
Throwing Rocks at the Devil

Last night, Moe & I hooked up with a couple of the guys that I went to the woods of Oregon for a mini-retreat with last March, John F & Tim C. It turns out that what we really needed was some good dessert, so we went to the Cheesecake Factory & attempted to attain an adequate cheesecake intake. I believe that we may have succeeded.

Spending time with friends is fun – it’s especially fun on the heels of hearing Jerry Cook encourage us to emphasize & prioritize our friendships & other relationships – it makes coffee & Oreo cheesecake taste that much better to know that the interactions that are so enjoyable are things that God would want to nurture in me, but also that I would do the same in others. Lots of great discussions on life, family, our kids, PJ our new dog & the church culture (& models) that we’ve been presented with while we’ve been here.

A common point of emphasis for all of us has been the need to know our own identity & who God has made us to be – so that can be lived out. Not knowing & believing in the work that God has done in us, it could feel like we would be pressured to become something else. For Trekkies – kinda like the Borg where they come into a civilization & completely assimilate it, taking a few of the positive aspects of that civilization, but really just creating a legion of nameless, nondescript worker bees to give their lives for the “collective.” I’m not saying that what we’ve seen &/or heard has been bad, but there is a lot of pressure to conform to specific methods of doing/presenting church that would just about kill any semblance of the uniqueness of the masterpiece God’s created each of us to BE… & the way He wants us to live, & love others, through that uniqueness.

We have a couple of sessions today, then will be dismissed to come home at about 1 p.m. We’re both VERY ready to be in Reno… but I believe this was a good time for us – in our personal relationship, & in who & what God wants us to be as well.

Thank you for your prayers throughout this week – See you soon!

There has been a lot of talk here about values – in the context of: “Our values determine what we say “Yes” to & also allows us to know what to say “No” to. Values are not something that we merely aspire to fulfill or would like to want to live out in some perfect world. Values are the “ground-level, lived out, this is what is so important to me” stuff that it thoroughly permeates every decision where I, right now, put my time, energy, & resources.

This is my one & only shot at this life – I don’t have multiple go-rounds to “get it right” – whether or not Christ returns in my lifetime, this is the final generation for me. How then do I live?

The “Desperation Band” led worship today – really enjoyed it, especially after a workshop they led on worship – those that went to it hoping to glean a gimmick or two from them would have been disappointed. These guys are the Sr High, College, & Saturday night worship leaders at New Life in Colorado Springs (Home to Ted Haggard.) They are all about – authentic, real worship, a life fueled by prayer & fasting, doing what they do with excellence, but keeping Jesus Christ & the cross front & center… I loved the analogy given by one of the guys: you can admire a beautiful abstract painting – but then you ask, “What is that picture of? What’s it saying?” Our worship of Christ shouldn’t be like that, beautiful, but abstract, but rather be firmly centered on Christ – clearly focusing on Him & the message of forgiveness, grace, love, & the cross. I’d encourage you to check out their music. Good guys.

The first session after the lunch hour was with Josh McDowell – talked about truth a lot. And his books. He’s got a new one coming out called – “DaVinci – A Quest for Truth”. He was a bit alarmist about the pending end of the world as we know it. Moses loved it.

Me & Moe went to an afternoon workshop with Jerry Cook – he emphasized a very similar message from when he spent time with us @ Hillside – Jesus loves us & wants to be our friend – &, He wants us to be friends with His friends. Simple. Straightforward. Great explanation of what God wants His people to be & do.

Tonight there’s a Desperation Band concert, & also a session with Ron Luce of Teen Mania – I’m hoping it won’t be another “the sky is falling & Christianity is going down the toilet” session – things are bad, but Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, & forever. He says to love Him, & love people & follow what the Holy Spirit tells us to do daily. And we win.

10 January 2006

There were two sessions this afternoon – here’s what stood out to me – please forgive me if this is disjointed, as I’m typing it at 11 p.m. after a day that started out at 7 a.m. with that disclaimer out of the way, here we go:

Kim Dirmann co-pastors the Rock Anaheim Foursquare Church with her husband Jerry. They have both been friends of ours for 10+ years. She spoke on 1Samuel 16 – where David was anointed as king – before he killed Goliath, he was chosen by God to eventually assume the role of leadership over God’s people, Israel. Some things that stood out to me:

∑ DON’T BE A JUDGER – Don’t judge people by their outward appearance – Samuel initially did this with David’s brother, Eliab – instead, listen to the Holy Spirit & how He marks & identifies people.

∑ BE FULL OF FAITH – 1Samuel 17:26 – addresses the fear that the armies of Israel had because of Goliath, whereas David was not afraid. His reasoning: he, David, & the rest of the Israelites had a covenant with God (circumcision was the mark of it.) Goliath may have been 9’+, but he had no such covenant. We are to be lead by faith & God’s voice, not merely outward appearance/fear.

∑ JEALOUSY WILL KILL ME: As someone who is heading towards becoming an “older” generation, it’s important for me to be a Samuel & not a Saul when it comes to dealing with blessed, gifted, God-anointed younger individuals. My jealousy at someone else’s blessing can & will be a source of death for what God wants to do in & through me.

∑ I’M ON A MISSION FROM GOD – My job is to walk in the covenant relationship that I have with God – & to intentionally look for people in the “next generation” that I can encourage, shape, bless, etc.

Wayne Cordeiro kicked rear & took names – I love that he cut right to the heart of what it means to live for Christ & to be in ministry – & listed three non-negotiables for people that are wanting to do both.

1. HARD-WORK is required – in order for me to live for my King, I need to live a set apart disciplined life. Devote myself to developing God-given gifts & talents – don’t make light of a seemingly insignificant assignment, gift, or role, as wherever God has placed me is significant for me & to Him. Ecclesiastes 5:13; 1Timothy 4:12

2. HOME-WORK is most important – no ministry success will make up for neglecting my home – spouse, kids, etc. do not sacrifice the family on the altar of supposed “ministry success.” Love my wife as a glory & testimony to God, above all other relationships.

3. HEART-WORK – storing up treasures in heaven is my highest calling – this means focusing on things that will be in heaven: Jesus & people. Throw my heart into who I am, who I am becoming, & that is much more than what I do for a job. I have to get beyond INFORMATION, INSPIRATION, into INCARNATION – living out what God has done, is doing in me. To leave a legacy that is marked by God’s hand on my life.

What I liked best about Wayne Cordeiro’s message is that he didn’t focus on age or use the word “generation” which by the way has been so overused that I just might get nauseous if I hear it again. His words were practical, tested, & focused on the reality that we have a great calling on our lives that requires good choices & a lifetime of participation on our parts.

Lots of good stuff. I’m continuing to have great interactions with Moses. I’m thankful for the discussions we’re able to have, & for our ever-growing friendship. You may not know this because Moses, Noel, & family are familiar to us, but he (& Noel) are rare gems. I know this & am sharing it with you because I am continually reminded of it when I come to stuff like this where there are 700 or so youth pastors that are here that I get to interact with.

Thank You Jesus for Your blessings – keep our eyes & ears open to hear Your voice & Your Spirit’s leading. Thank You for Your peace, Your promises, & Your great love.

I’ll post again when I get the chance.

10 January 2006
We got into LA last night, & were famished so we hit the first steakhouse we found – Outback. I haven’t eaten that much red meat in months – my stomach was letting me know that it was not too happy with the gut bomb I sent it.

In spite of Ben’s worries, we navigated our way to the Super8 motel using our Mapquest directions – & it wasn’t a roach motel. Our wives would even approve of the cleanliness & spaciousness of the rooms – we could totally pack the 5 of us into one room & have plenty of space to share.

This a.m. we made our way to the Brooklyn Bagel Bakery; it only took about 30 minutes of getting lost, many U-Turns & other difficulties of LA traffic. Fortuneately, only Ben gave me crud for my not knowing where we were going.

Found a parking spot in front of Angelus Temple, & hope & pray that it doesn’t get towed. J Then, we stood in line for a while to get into the registration area. Boring. So, a division of labor was required – Moe & I walked to Starbucks to amp up our caffeine intake, & Ben & my dad stood in line to register.

We greeted Johannes & the other 7 Euros (national youth leaders from different countries…) that he brought with him to the conference – the rest of the a.m. has been spent saying hi to old friends, finishing my 5-shot Americano, & waiting to get started.

Worship today has been a “United Live” Hillsong Church-like group. About 7 singers in the front, lots of jumping around & dancing – several guitars (3 electrics & 2 acoustics, 1 bass, 1 keys, 1 drummer). No songs I’d ever heard before.

Speakers today were James Craft, Kim Dirmann, & Wayne Cordeiro – Kim & Wayne really were great – I’ll be posting the notes from both of their sessions this evening after we get to hear Jack Hayford.

I’ve just finished a tall stack of blueberry pancakes & am feeling a syrup-driven high/low coming on.