I just enjoyed a yummy Banzai Burger at Red Robin and it was good... As was the company of Mr. Ron Pai, who will be discussing worship at our youth ministry fall retreat. Way to go Ron! And way to go Red Robin!
(I really have nothing profound to share beyond that today).
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: The Origin of Satan (Vintage) by Elain Pagels. I don't think I really like it like I thought I would. I don't agree with her view of scripture, history, etc. Still, it is interesting.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Monday, August 29, 2005
The Blind Boys of Alabama
Last ThursdayI spent the day climbing Church Mountain, a 6,900 foot peak that was once the home of an amazing forest service lookout. It was beautiful, though I was a bit freaked out hiking through the massive meadow near the hike's end. Not that meadows scare me, but I was slightly frightened being the first person through that day and seeing massive amounts of bear poop all around me. Honestly, I just don't want to die.
But Thursday night we went to Seattle and heard the Blind Boys of Alabama play. It was great music and a great show. But the coolest thing was how these guys were able to just share their joy in Christ, talk about the Holy Spirit, and have everybody in the crowd think they are great! How cool is that?
Anyway, after that I spent a few days in Whistler mountain biking. I am now finally back, and hopefully ready to handle some more work. I think I really needed to get away from all of this for a while. I just hope it was long enough!
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey by Sam Keith, Richard Proenneke. It's awesome. I might just move away one of these days and not return...
But Thursday night we went to Seattle and heard the Blind Boys of Alabama play. It was great music and a great show. But the coolest thing was how these guys were able to just share their joy in Christ, talk about the Holy Spirit, and have everybody in the crowd think they are great! How cool is that?
Anyway, after that I spent a few days in Whistler mountain biking. I am now finally back, and hopefully ready to handle some more work. I think I really needed to get away from all of this for a while. I just hope it was long enough!
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey by Sam Keith, Richard Proenneke. It's awesome. I might just move away one of these days and not return...
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
The Logic of Mission
Lesslie Newbigin's The Gospel in a Pluralist Society is brilliant and a great read, but would be worth reading all 200+ pages just for his chapter on The Logic of Mission. Here's two amazing quotes from that chapter, which definitely deal with what this blog is mainly about and what the church should be like:
It is impossible to stress too strongly that the beginning of mission is not an action of ours, but the presence of a new reality, the presence of the Spirit of God in power... What really needs to be said is that where the Church is faithful to its Lord, there the powers of the kingdom are present and people begin to ask the question to which the gospel is the answer. And that, I suppose, is why the letters of St. Paul contain so many exhortations to faithfulness but no exhortations to be active in mission (page 119).
It will be clear from what I have said about Paul's eschatological vision of salvation that I am not placing at the center of the argument the question of salvation or perdition of the individual. Clearly that is part of what is involved, but my contention is that the biblical picture is distorted if this is put in the center... At the heart of mission is simply the desire to be with [Jesus] and to give him the service of our lives. At the heart of mission is thanksgiving and praise (page 127).
What Newbigin is implying here is fascinating and so important for the Church to hear! Our goal is to be transformed, and our transformation will cause others to ask questions! He points out that Jesus, and later the disciples, would show signs of the Kingdom of God, and it was because of these signs that people would ask questions. That is where the message of the Gospel would come in. There is still a message, but it is different. It's easy to threaten people with hell so they "accept Jesus into their hearts," but the Gospel challenge is for us to live differently, to live in such a way that our lives and actions are appealing to others.
If we are living lives of "thanksgiving and praise," the only possible result is holiness, a state of being in which the Church is set-apart and living in a way that demands a reaction, be it acceptance or rejection. We put good church services and altar calls at the center because we are afraid of the other option, which is living into the reality of the Kingdom and being transformed and renewed in the process. Yet that is the Way. We must begin living correctly, developing an incarnational orthopraxy, if we are to be the Church that Christ has called us to be.
That's just a small portion of what I would like to say about this chapter, but I have to go to work now. Maybe I'll explore these thoughts a bit more if I have the time/desire (or if anybody is even interested).
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Just read two articles from Leadership Journal on their website. One is a very short one by Brian McLaren which is okay, and the other is an interview with Dallas Willard and Dieter Zander about spiritual formation, which is a good read. Also, I'm reading a transcribed lecture by James Fowler on adolesence, personhood and faith. And I am waiting very impatiently for my Brueggeman text on Genesis to arrive from Amazon! Yes, I am a nerd.
It is impossible to stress too strongly that the beginning of mission is not an action of ours, but the presence of a new reality, the presence of the Spirit of God in power... What really needs to be said is that where the Church is faithful to its Lord, there the powers of the kingdom are present and people begin to ask the question to which the gospel is the answer. And that, I suppose, is why the letters of St. Paul contain so many exhortations to faithfulness but no exhortations to be active in mission (page 119).
It will be clear from what I have said about Paul's eschatological vision of salvation that I am not placing at the center of the argument the question of salvation or perdition of the individual. Clearly that is part of what is involved, but my contention is that the biblical picture is distorted if this is put in the center... At the heart of mission is simply the desire to be with [Jesus] and to give him the service of our lives. At the heart of mission is thanksgiving and praise (page 127).
What Newbigin is implying here is fascinating and so important for the Church to hear! Our goal is to be transformed, and our transformation will cause others to ask questions! He points out that Jesus, and later the disciples, would show signs of the Kingdom of God, and it was because of these signs that people would ask questions. That is where the message of the Gospel would come in. There is still a message, but it is different. It's easy to threaten people with hell so they "accept Jesus into their hearts," but the Gospel challenge is for us to live differently, to live in such a way that our lives and actions are appealing to others.
If we are living lives of "thanksgiving and praise," the only possible result is holiness, a state of being in which the Church is set-apart and living in a way that demands a reaction, be it acceptance or rejection. We put good church services and altar calls at the center because we are afraid of the other option, which is living into the reality of the Kingdom and being transformed and renewed in the process. Yet that is the Way. We must begin living correctly, developing an incarnational orthopraxy, if we are to be the Church that Christ has called us to be.
That's just a small portion of what I would like to say about this chapter, but I have to go to work now. Maybe I'll explore these thoughts a bit more if I have the time/desire (or if anybody is even interested).
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Just read two articles from Leadership Journal on their website. One is a very short one by Brian McLaren which is okay, and the other is an interview with Dallas Willard and Dieter Zander about spiritual formation, which is a good read. Also, I'm reading a transcribed lecture by James Fowler on adolesence, personhood and faith. And I am waiting very impatiently for my Brueggeman text on Genesis to arrive from Amazon! Yes, I am a nerd.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Youth Ministry Changes
Ask and you shall receive! These are some of the things we will be doing to our youth ministry this year. We have been meeting twice per week, with nights that generally consisted of worship, a message and small groups. Sunday mornings were hang-out, lame game, group discussion, message. This might be better:
1. We will meet only on Sunday nights.
2. Though the nights will hopefully be fun, the draw is the Gospel, not program.
3. There will still be funny videos, skits, a game, etc.
4. We are going to go through the entire Biblical story this year. That doesn't mean every verse, nor every book of the Bible, but the story from creation to eschaton.
5. Every week we will look at a specific story from the larger story. After discussing it as a group (if there is a message, it will be short and interactive), every student and leader will be invited to write out how/why they will live their life differently and have the opportunity to share with the larger group.
6. The back of the piece of paper on which they write will have the weekly reading.
7. Every week we will discuss any questions/insights students had from the past week's reading.
8. Every week we will share how we did living out the challenge we took on the week before.
9. There will also be weekly small group discussion time.
10. Yes, we will have (musical) worship.
11. Monthly service projects are a must.
12. Yes, retreats and mission trips are in there as well.
13. Leaders will be challenged to spend time every week with one or two students.
There's a few other tidbits like different spiritual practices, and Effie and I will be hosting a coed seniors small group in our house, but that's most of it. I'm excited about this... It means that if students don't participate, our nights suck. That's scary, but on the other hand, if our night is based around program, we judge the night incorrectly. I'd rather be about impacting kids than producing a cool night. So there you go.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: How Can the Bible Be Authoratative, an amazing lecture by N.T. Wright that I read a year ago but wanted to be refreshed on. I just ordered Brueggemann's text on Genesis, which I am excited to read and comment on soon! The truth, though, is that my reading is going to be slowing down for a while, since most of my spare time seems to be going into home repair! Maybe I'll learn how to attach pictures and put some up to show how busy I've been. Okay, bye for now!
1. We will meet only on Sunday nights.
2. Though the nights will hopefully be fun, the draw is the Gospel, not program.
3. There will still be funny videos, skits, a game, etc.
4. We are going to go through the entire Biblical story this year. That doesn't mean every verse, nor every book of the Bible, but the story from creation to eschaton.
5. Every week we will look at a specific story from the larger story. After discussing it as a group (if there is a message, it will be short and interactive), every student and leader will be invited to write out how/why they will live their life differently and have the opportunity to share with the larger group.
6. The back of the piece of paper on which they write will have the weekly reading.
7. Every week we will discuss any questions/insights students had from the past week's reading.
8. Every week we will share how we did living out the challenge we took on the week before.
9. There will also be weekly small group discussion time.
10. Yes, we will have (musical) worship.
11. Monthly service projects are a must.
12. Yes, retreats and mission trips are in there as well.
13. Leaders will be challenged to spend time every week with one or two students.
There's a few other tidbits like different spiritual practices, and Effie and I will be hosting a coed seniors small group in our house, but that's most of it. I'm excited about this... It means that if students don't participate, our nights suck. That's scary, but on the other hand, if our night is based around program, we judge the night incorrectly. I'd rather be about impacting kids than producing a cool night. So there you go.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: How Can the Bible Be Authoratative, an amazing lecture by N.T. Wright that I read a year ago but wanted to be refreshed on. I just ordered Brueggemann's text on Genesis, which I am excited to read and comment on soon! The truth, though, is that my reading is going to be slowing down for a while, since most of my spare time seems to be going into home repair! Maybe I'll learn how to attach pictures and put some up to show how busy I've been. Okay, bye for now!
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Palestinian Liberation
I would highly suggest people checking out the links on this site to either Google news or Ten by Ten to check out what is currently happening in Palestine right now. This is a great start for Palestinian freedom. We should be disgusted that our nation continues to take the side of Israel, one of the most evil nations in the world today. I know that is a bold statement, and that all of the Christians who are urgently seeking to force Jesus to come back as soon as possible want to support them no matter what, but the truth is that the people of Palestine have been abused and systematically robbed for too long. Today is an encouraging day, though we know that there is still much to be done before we can call anything a success.
I would highly recommend Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation by Naim Stifan Ateek if you are interested in learning the history, theology, or possible solutions to this very complicated crisis.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: The newest issue of Sojourners, which is actually all about the Palestine/Israel conflict.
I would highly recommend Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation by Naim Stifan Ateek if you are interested in learning the history, theology, or possible solutions to this very complicated crisis.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: The newest issue of Sojourners, which is actually all about the Palestine/Israel conflict.
Random Life Tidbits
Here's what is happening in my life right now:
1. We officially bought a house and are all moved in. That is to say, all of our stuff is inside of its walls. I am now a resident of Ferndale, WA (or Ferntucky as my students say). We are mostly moved into the master bedroom, but everything else has to wait as we paint, rip out the carpet (which smells like dog), and put in Pergo flooring. And that's just the start! I rode my bike to work today, only to discover that Ferndale is a lot further from Bellingham than I thought!
2. I am getting ready for September 18th, which is the first day of our massive shift in the way we do youth ministry. It is frightening because it means putting everything that I believe about ministry out there and seeing if it "works." I really can't imagine going back once we start, so if this isn't successful in the eyes of my superiors, I really don't know what I would do.
3. There is an idea that was floating around in my head for months that I have now verbally shared with some friends concerning starting a business where all the profit goes to charity. At least, that's all I want to share about it right now. It's scary to talk about because it's something I really dream of doing but am not confident about.
4. I have fallen in love with some new CD's: everything by Wilco (my little brother burned all of their CD's for me) and The Killers album Hot Fuss.
That's my life right now.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church by Kenda Creasy Dean.
1. We officially bought a house and are all moved in. That is to say, all of our stuff is inside of its walls. I am now a resident of Ferndale, WA (or Ferntucky as my students say). We are mostly moved into the master bedroom, but everything else has to wait as we paint, rip out the carpet (which smells like dog), and put in Pergo flooring. And that's just the start! I rode my bike to work today, only to discover that Ferndale is a lot further from Bellingham than I thought!
2. I am getting ready for September 18th, which is the first day of our massive shift in the way we do youth ministry. It is frightening because it means putting everything that I believe about ministry out there and seeing if it "works." I really can't imagine going back once we start, so if this isn't successful in the eyes of my superiors, I really don't know what I would do.
3. There is an idea that was floating around in my head for months that I have now verbally shared with some friends concerning starting a business where all the profit goes to charity. At least, that's all I want to share about it right now. It's scary to talk about because it's something I really dream of doing but am not confident about.
4. I have fallen in love with some new CD's: everything by Wilco (my little brother burned all of their CD's for me) and The Killers album Hot Fuss.
That's my life right now.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church by Kenda Creasy Dean.
Monday, August 15, 2005
My Reality
In all honesty, I would have to say that the Willow Creek Leadership Summit was not nearly as bad as I expected. It seems that low expectations helped make it easier to handle! The truth, though, is that I came out of it more confused than ever. Here' my reality:
I love the church, but hate "going to church."
I want to serve others, yet it's people who give me ulcers and leave me feeling depressed and empty.
I want to do ministry, but feel like working at a church is only meetings and paperwork.
I care about the poor and hurting, but am afraid to follow my dreams of helping them.
I love my community, but am afraid to reach out to them and discover they don't feel the same way.
I absolutely love the students in my ministry, yet feel no connection with the church I work at.
I want to serve Christ in the way I feel led to do so, but am afraid of the way I would be looked at because of it.
I am tired, depressed, frustrated and angry. I am sick of the American church and the crap it calls faith. I'm also excited, energized and ready to kick @$$ in the name of Jesus!
That's my current reality.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Ecce Homo: How One Becomes What One Is (Penguin Classics) by Friedrich Nietzsche.
I love the church, but hate "going to church."
I want to serve others, yet it's people who give me ulcers and leave me feeling depressed and empty.
I want to do ministry, but feel like working at a church is only meetings and paperwork.
I care about the poor and hurting, but am afraid to follow my dreams of helping them.
I love my community, but am afraid to reach out to them and discover they don't feel the same way.
I absolutely love the students in my ministry, yet feel no connection with the church I work at.
I want to serve Christ in the way I feel led to do so, but am afraid of the way I would be looked at because of it.
I am tired, depressed, frustrated and angry. I am sick of the American church and the crap it calls faith. I'm also excited, energized and ready to kick @$$ in the name of Jesus!
That's my current reality.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Ecce Homo: How One Becomes What One Is (Penguin Classics) by Friedrich Nietzsche.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Willow Creek Leadership Conference
Yes, this Thursday through Saturday I will be going to the Willow Creek Leadership Conference being hosted at Cornwall Church. I am trying to have a good attitude, but I also know that I have been to five before this one and have yet to be impressed. There have been good speakers, don't get me wrong, but I think this conference has definitely pushed the idea of leadership too far. This is especially true when I think about how much Christian spirituality has been pushed-out of pastoral ministry. Is our job to cast vision or point to the work of the Spirit? Hybels needs to read some Merton and Eugene Peterson books...
I'll give a full update when I return, with lots of ministry news as a bonus.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church by Kenda Creasy Dean. I've only read the first chapter, but it's already blowing my mind and making me shout hallelujahs out of my office!
I'll give a full update when I return, with lots of ministry news as a bonus.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church by Kenda Creasy Dean. I've only read the first chapter, but it's already blowing my mind and making me shout hallelujahs out of my office!
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Absolute Certainty
I spent last week at the Creation music festival, which I was surprised to discover I actually enjoyed. That was partly because I spent most of my time with students, but still, it was great.
There was one speaker who spent some time talking about creation. He spent some amount of time ripping into evolution, Darwin and the Big Bang, which of course are all lumped together when most Christians discuss any of these topics. He went on to other things from there, but I got to thinking about absolute certainty and the modern Christian need to "prove" the existence of God. Here are the problems I see in that:
1. God asks us to have faith. It doesn't require faith for me to believe 1 + 1 = 2. It does require faith for me to believe in an all-powerful God. God seems okay with that, so why aren't we? Frederich Schleiermacher tried to "prove" the existence of God using the modernistic rationalism of his day. Men like Lee Strobel and Charles Colson attempt to do the same thing today with science and history. With either argument, it's like we're trying to prove to people that they either have to believe in Jesus, or they are stupid. Hmm... That doesn't seem like the way Jesus did it.
2. Has anybody ever heard of Galileo? The church went nuts because what he said didn't line-up with the Bible. So there were threats, murders, etc, until finally the church conceded, accepted the obvious, and moved on. Christianity didn't die! So why be afraid? I think there are times when we have to reread our Bibles and be ready for changes to occur. If our foundation is a literal seven day creation, we are in trouble. But if your foundation is Christ, then you are fine. Once again I say that we put more faith in the Bible than in Jesus, and so we fight, threaten, and embrace ignorance in the face of challenges to the Bible.
Was Darwin right? I don't know. But we have to be ready for it. Tony Jones once asked what we would do if they proved homosexuality was genetic. These are the kinds of questions we have to be ready for and have better answers to than either dismissing science or quitting the faith. We are logical creatures who have been given divine revelation. We must bring the two together. Thank-you Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Tony Jones and Rob Bell.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: The Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbigen. It also inspired me to start writing this entry.
There was one speaker who spent some time talking about creation. He spent some amount of time ripping into evolution, Darwin and the Big Bang, which of course are all lumped together when most Christians discuss any of these topics. He went on to other things from there, but I got to thinking about absolute certainty and the modern Christian need to "prove" the existence of God. Here are the problems I see in that:
1. God asks us to have faith. It doesn't require faith for me to believe 1 + 1 = 2. It does require faith for me to believe in an all-powerful God. God seems okay with that, so why aren't we? Frederich Schleiermacher tried to "prove" the existence of God using the modernistic rationalism of his day. Men like Lee Strobel and Charles Colson attempt to do the same thing today with science and history. With either argument, it's like we're trying to prove to people that they either have to believe in Jesus, or they are stupid. Hmm... That doesn't seem like the way Jesus did it.
2. Has anybody ever heard of Galileo? The church went nuts because what he said didn't line-up with the Bible. So there were threats, murders, etc, until finally the church conceded, accepted the obvious, and moved on. Christianity didn't die! So why be afraid? I think there are times when we have to reread our Bibles and be ready for changes to occur. If our foundation is a literal seven day creation, we are in trouble. But if your foundation is Christ, then you are fine. Once again I say that we put more faith in the Bible than in Jesus, and so we fight, threaten, and embrace ignorance in the face of challenges to the Bible.
Was Darwin right? I don't know. But we have to be ready for it. Tony Jones once asked what we would do if they proved homosexuality was genetic. These are the kinds of questions we have to be ready for and have better answers to than either dismissing science or quitting the faith. We are logical creatures who have been given divine revelation. We must bring the two together. Thank-you Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Tony Jones and Rob Bell.
Peace,
Matt
Currently Reading: The Gospel in a Pluralist Society by Lesslie Newbigen. It also inspired me to start writing this entry.
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