Volume 6: What is the Emerging Church?

Emerging church struggles against the consumer orientation of worship. Do we come to hear the funniest, best sermon from one man or woman? Or do we come to experience God? What if we brought our best to church? What if we brought our faith TO church? What if we open our hearts to something bigger than consuming a product offered on Sunday mornings?

May God show us the way to faith together. I pray to God that I never become the center of church or Sunday mornings...for then my life's purpose has failed. I pray that everyone sees my weakness and my inadequacies. I pray they see I am just a broken man. My prayer is that we bring our faith in God together, and together, we celebrate the God who loves us all. May we truly experience God.

Volume 5: What is the Emerging Church?

Here is an excellent example of a church using an emerging worship paradigm. We've done some things like this at our church, too. Using the fine arts is a great way to communicate the message of God in an open way. Words are so confining, yet art is beyond words...it speaks to the very soul, and I believe God speaks through it. Enjoy!

Volume 4: What is the Emerging Church?

On YouTube there was a video discussion going on about the Emerging Church movement. One older gentleman (trust me, I am using that word VERY loosely) was calling Emerging Church "stupid, heretical, and unorthodox." I have refrained from putting his voice up here because it is filled with such vitriol. This video is of a Roman Catholic priest defending the Emerging Church movement by responding to said gentleman!

I thought it might be fun to just hear what a younger Catholic perspective might be.

Volume 3: What is the Emerging Church?

Mark Driscoll, Evangelical author and pastor, comments on his views of the Emerging Church. His views are a mostly fair minded, Evangelical perspective, which is why I include him. It is wise to hear from a variety of traditions and viewpoints.

You can hear his discomfort with parts of the emerging church when he addresses an important issue of what values and beliefs we can/are willing to leave behind. This is an appropriate question and concern that gets to the heart of Emerging Theology: The doing away with doctrines. Scary for some. Liberating for others. What makes a Christian? Believing propositional statements or following Jesus with our lives? I believe the latter, and so I believe it's time to do away with Modernist propositions that do more to divide than unite.

Unfortunately, he also makes an Al Gore claim of being one of the "founders" of the Emerging Church movement. Just like our former VP and the internet, the facts don't quite work out that way...

The beautiful thing about the Emerging Church movement is that it was born around the globe simultaneously over many years of painful soul searching. Surely there was a better way to be the Church? We've failed in so many different ways. What does it really mean to be a Christian...a Follower of Jesus the Christ? These questions drove several Christian faith communities to explore theological and methodological traditions from our past. It wasn't created in one place by one person. In my humble opinion, the Holy Spirit is bringing the Church together from many different places and traditions in order to do something new. That is exciting.

The one thing Mark really brings out is the contextual and missional component of the Emerging Church. That seems be a cornerstone of the Emerging Church movement: New forms of communication, new ways of thinking, new ways of speaking will all need new ways to contextualize the Gospel (i.e. make the Gospel speak today's language and culture). Afterall, just by reading this you are partaking in a new way of sharing our lives together.

Volume 2: What is the Emerging Church?

This video is 11 minutes, so it is long. However, it is a documentary of the Emerging Church movement done from within the movement itself. It is done alongside Solomon's Porch an emerging church flagship. Again, notice about midway through the discussion that he speaks of "going native," which is a discussion of how the Christian life is by definition missional. We believe that the Church needs to wake from her slumber of complacency to a faith that Jesus died to give: A faith that tranforms our lives such that we reflect the love of God in all that we say and do.

Volume 1: What is the Emerging Church?

This video has Dr. Ray Bolger, an emerging church leader, speaking of the emerging church. His insights are very helpful, and I believe representative of most emerging churches. Church as family vs. institution is critical. Emerging movements are all about community...not building or organization.

I really like his description of the emerging church as trying to find God's fingerprints on culture. My view of truth is that Truth is God's fingerprints in the universe. Therefore, in all things we can find some truth, but in no single thing can we find all truth. Emerging Church movements recognize this and are approaching faith more humbly. We believe in Truth, but with the understanding that we know only in part...as through a mirror, dimly, but one day we will know fully...and be fully known.

Intro: What is the Emerging Church?

I've had several people ask me about the Emerging Church movement. Some hear me talk about my ideas. Others have seen or heard of Rob Bell. Others still have read Brian McLaren, Leonard Sweet, or visited sites like Emergent Village. I am going to run a series of articles and videos on the Emerging Church movement the next few days...maybe weeks if the discussion is good. My goal in all of this is to spark discussion, so please feel free to comment away!!!

This video is a Nightline special about the Emerging Church. It is a good intro if you have never heard of Emerging Church before now. For those of you more into the movement, don't worry, I'm going to give better explanations later...This is afterall an intro!

BABEL

Therefore it was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
- Genesis 11:9

This last weekend Stephanie and I watched Babel, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. It is described as a movie that discusses the despair and hope of life, and it was nominated for several awards at the Oscars. Being a couple who love good movies of substance and thought, we decided we needed to see it. The title caught my eye as it conjured up in my mind the multiplicity of human languages. In that regard, it lived up to expectations. Using locals, it filmed in Morocco, Japan, and Mexico while it covered four different story lines. Each story line was in a different language. Japanese, Arabic, English, and Spanish streamed into our living room. It was a different, but wonderful touch.

Ironically, I quickly forgot I was listening to different languages as I read the subtitles. Soon, I was relating to two boys arguing over who could shoot a rifle further and straighter. Without hearing the Japanese, I was pulled into a young, deaf girl’s world as she struggled with the death of her mother. A Mexican mother burst with pride at her son’s wedding making us laugh and smile. I have always been amazed at how such different worlds contain such similar people.

Just as quickly, I was tormented by the extreme despair each storyline produced. A wife was shot, kids were lost, a girl sought love tragically, and two boys’ naively shot someone with their new hunting rifle. At one point, I turned to Stephanie and said, “I don’t like where this is going…It’s taking me too far down.” This movie brought despair. The film created that sinking feeling in your stomach that forces our mouths closed in the face of tragedy.

The storylines progressed and the movie ended; however, I wasn’t satisfied. That feeling of despair never left. Despite the beautiful sunshine outside, there was a resident darkness leftover in my mind. I couldn’t decide if I liked the movie or not, but I was leaning towards not. As the day went on, I kept replaying scenes of the movie in my head trying to figure out why. It was pretty graphic, but it was artistically done, which is acceptable for me. Sure there wasn’t a happy ending, but that usually doesn’t bother me, either. Why did I not like this movie!?!

In the middle of a conversation, it dawned on me: Hope. The movie was supposed to be about despair and hope, but it just sunk the audience into despair and left me there. Don’t get me wrong, the director tried to wrap up with hope, but it was so empty…so NOT hopeful. Innocence lost, death, fear. There are some human stories that end without hope and can’t be made pretty no matter what we do.

That was my issue. How could a story of hope be told without God? Our stories and our attempts at putting things together or making things right don’t always turn out hopeful. That is the essence of faith: God gives us hope when all else fails. God gives us the strength to recover our lives. God heals our wounds. God forgives our most heinous crimes. That pit welling in my stomach was an absence of God: It was fear and death. It was despair for the real world in which we live. It was the loneliness of being an individual. It was the alienation of being in a world where we don’t understand each other.

The story of faith is God calling out: “Fear not, for I am with you, and I will never leave you. You are not alone.” And, so, we have hope for we have God. By the way, I don’t recommend the movie.

A New Type of Christian

I got this from my friend Jeff. I thought it was pretty good!

Fun news for me!

This week I passed the 2nd round of ordination interviews. I have one more year of process and one more set of interviews left. I thought for sure I'd have to do some rewrites, but, alas, it all went very well.

Even though the process is long and cumbersome, I am glad to know that our church is doing a good job at screening ministerial candidates. My prayer is that this process would encourage people into ministry, and that God would use it to sharpen our ministries and calls.

That being said, I had some friends who didn't make it through. Please pray for them as this leaves career, calling, etc. all up in the air.

Sophia Update

Sophia is doing well. She is gaining weight and growing longer! Our fun news for the week is that we moved her to her own room, and now Mommy and Daddy are getting more sleep!!!

Please continue to pray that she would make enough red blood cells to replace the ones she's losing. We're almost out of the woods...two more weeks...we think!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

*This picture was taking in the hospital when she was first born, but I thought that her shades were quite sporting!

Home and Well!

Sorry it's been so long, but it's been quite a ride!

Sophia is home, and she is doing well. 3/26 She did have a blood transfusion, but everything went really well. I think the only thing awry was Mom and Dad's nerves. It's really weird to see your newborn hooked up with IV's, etc., especially when they're on the head.

Her blood levels eventually stabilized, and so far we haven't had any more transfusions. The rollercoaster continued when the Newborn Screening indicated a possible problem with something called Organic Acid Disorders.

The good news just came in yesterday that the test was a false positive, and as far as we can tell, Sophia is now a healthy and normal little girl!!! We are so greatful that God has gotten us through all of this. We know that millions of couples go through much more difficult circumstances with their children, but as we have learned when it is your child, everything is major. And, so we pray for those families who don't have clean bills of health for their children. Our hearts go out to you.

She's Here!

Isaiah has a little sister! She was born March 23rd at 9:25 a.m. At birth she was 20.5 inches long and 7 lbs. 10 oz. She is a little darling!

We are awaiting tests to see if she'll need a blood transfusion or exchange transfusion.

Almost There!

Stephanie and I are so excited that we are just a few weeks from seeing Sophia. All the tests are continuing to be a little high, but they are OK for now.

The day long trips to Indy are getting old. The only positive is seeing the 3-D ultrasounds. We think she looks like Isaiah did when he was first born...It really is amazing what all you can see on those things!

Our C-section is schedule for March 23rd @ 8:00 a.m.

Wow, that's close! We gotta get on that nursery!

Miracle babies

Our first ultrasound exam for the middle cerebral artery showed a really high level, and we thought that we would have to have a transfusion in utero. We were very scared, but we asked everyone we know to keep us and Sophia in their prayers. Three days later we go for the exam and potential transfusion...Instead of going up, the levels went WAY down! God had answered our prayers. One of the doctors said, "I don't know why it went down. It shouldn't have done that...." Steph and I squeezed each others' hands, smiling knowingly. This wasn't the first time God has provided for our children. Isaiah was taken c-section because he was breach; however, when Dr. Cly began to pull Isaiah out, he said, "God was with you. The umbilical cord is wrapped around his neck twice." Later he explained that Isaiah would probably have died or been handicapped if he weren't taken c-section. We thanked God for the miracle of a breach baby that couldn't be turned around.

We've had some scares but so far everything is going well with Sophia. The anti-c antigen has caused her to be a little anemic, but so far we haven't had to do a transfusion. Every week we go without a transfusion, the better off we are.

It is always hard when it is your children who are sick. We want so badly for our children to be healthy. During pregnancy we dream dreams and have high hopes. We are finding it stressful to be doing these tests every week, but we are greatful for them...We are still dreaming dreams:)

Baby Sophia

From January 3rd we have known that Stephanie had a somewhat rare antibody that was attacking Sophia's red blood cells. It is called an anti-c antigen. You can read more about that here (warning it's very heady stuff!). This basically meant that we would have to watch Sophia for signs of anemia. We had to go to Indy nearly every week so that they could check the velocity of the blood flow throw her middle cerebral artery by doing ultrasounds. The picture to the right is a picture of an ultrasound screen during such an exam. We are so greatful we live today when there is stuff to help us out!

Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam.

I admit it. I’m a Trekkie. I love watching Star Trek. In fact, I don’t just love watching Star Trek…I love watching Star Trek (the original), Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and even though it’s not that good Star Trek: Enterprise. I’ve seen all the movies. I know a few of them by heart. After all, who can forget the classic scene, “Kkkaaaahhhhhnnnnn!”
I’m afraid I probably have lost at least half of you by now. Sorry. Being a Trekkie is one of my little quirks. We’re all a little weird. Come on, admit it! You are too! We all are. To be ‘an average person’ is just to say that a person’s weirdness isn’t totally beyond anyone else’s. So I admit it…Yes, I watch Star Trek, and, yes, I love it.
All that being said, I wanted to quote a Klingon phrase, “Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam.” Literally, it means, “Today is a good day to die,” but it is used whenever a Klingon is confronted with a challenge or a difficult situation. It is a statement of boldness. I declaration of can-do. To say this is to commit to a cause and see it through to the end. The Klingons are an honorable race, and the stakes of life and death brought forth in this phrase tell all that their commitment to a cause is serious.
Recently, Pastor Paul preached a sermon entitled “Whatever It Takes.” He encouraged us to look at our faith and to commit ourselves. Sometimes living faithfully is difficult. Have you ever said to a group of friends, “I don’t think we should be talking about someone like this behind their back.”? Have you ever offered love when someone was giving you hate and mean words? I’ve seen college students arrested for passing out Bibles, and I know that many of our brothers and sisters in faith have lost their lives in Jesus’ name. Whatever it takes…
Some might say that after 9/11 that we should not say such things. It might send the wrong message. However, when we truly understand Jesus when he said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” we see that Jesus has called us to a crucified life. It is a life that gives of itself for others. It is a life of loving and being loved. It is a life that is bold and courageous to right wrongs. It is a life that dies to self. The Apostle Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live. But, Christ lives in me.” To live as a Christian is to live in Christ, and that always means that we die to self. We live for God. We live for others. We live in Christ. Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam. Maybe the Klingons got it right.

The Lotus: chapter 2, Blossom

The Lotus takes on a new look when it blossoms. From a lilly-pad to a blossom to a flower, the plant changes. As it opens, a new perspective on the world and self unfolds...

Life Means So Much

I love being a dad. I love coming home and seeing my son turn and look. He smiles. Sometimes he'll giggle, too. Then he reaches out toward me with these outstretched arms. I can't but help go over to wherever he's at and pick him up. I pull him close, and I give him a kiss on the head. He'll push away and give me a grin. He's my boy, and I'm his daddy. We both know this.

I love my wife and child. They are the most precious treasures I have here on earth. They complete me. They force me to see things differently. I still love doing the things I did as a bachelor, but I treasure every moment I have with both of them. I enjoyed two mission trips I went on this summer, but I really wished they could have gone along with us. I hardly ever worried before, but now I say a prayer everyday that we all get through the day safely and healthy. I can't imagine us not being together as a family.

Chris Rice sings a song called "Life Means So Much." It is truly one of the most beautiful songs ever written in my opinion. Sure it's music is soft and slow...quite different from my alternative and punk music, but it's lyrics eloquently state the truth about life, its fragility, its fleetingness, and its beauty. It is a treasure. Life means so much. May each of us treasure every day we have and give ourselves to that which really matters.

"Life Means So Much" written by Chris Rice

Every day is a journal page
Every man holds a quill and ink
And there's plenty of room for writing in
All we do is believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessing
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or some random sketching

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

Every day is a bank account
And time is our currency
So nobody's rich, nobody's poor
We get 24 hours each
So how are you gonna spend
Will you invest, or squander
Try to get ahead
Or help someone who's under

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

Has anybody ever lived who knew the value of a life
And don't you think giving is all
What proves the worth of yours and mine

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Every day is a gift you've been given
Make the most of the time every minute you're living

Bloodlust

I have been wrestling with something lately. I don't really remember when it started, but I know it was a while ago. I started seeing a fascination with blood. Let me explain:

I know these teenage girls who cut themselves. One of them cuts herself all of the time. She has tried to quit, but it is difficult. I've asked her why she does it, and she shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know." She gets quiet and fidgety. "My counselor tells me that it is a way for me to express the pain deep inside. He's probably right because I really don't feel anything. I just feel better when I see my blood." Inside I weep for her. The suppressed pain that drives her must be horrible, and I wonder what it is about seeing her blood that makes her feel better.

Recently, I have been hearing about this movie called "Faces of Death, part IV." This movie is real video footage of executions, suicides, accidental deaths, and other macabre situations. That people pay money to see this surprises me. Most of us cringe when we hear about someone dying in an accident. We are saddened to hear about suicides. Many people can't even take the sight of blook, yet here is the 4th movie/documentary offering blood and death as entertainment. It reminds me of the Roman games. In the Roman Empire, thousands would gather to watch men fight animals, other men, sometimes even women to the death. Early Christians were eaten by lions or sometimes set on fire. People were horrified, yet just like today the people were entertained in some morbid why by watching someone bleed and die.

When I was in high school the president of our FFA chapter was watching a mature steer get dehorned. Mind you, this is a very bloody event as the base of the horn is about 1.5 inches and is full of blood vessels. Anyhow, in the midst of this demonstration, he fainted...Eyes rolled back, fell over, the whole bit! Everyone laughed and made fun of Mr. FFA himself. Deep inside though, I think everyone was glad it wasn't them. The blood was everywhere, and more than one person looked as white as a sheet. It's interesting to me that the greatest predator the world has ever seen faints so easily at the sight of blood.

This April we celebrated Good Friday at church. I couldn't help but think: Here we are. We are gathered together to celebrate this one man suffer, bleed, and die. Each month we celebrate it again by drinking his blood and eating his flesh. No wonder the Romans were freaked! We have an entire religion based upon blood and death. As I have thought about this more, I realize that every ancient religion does sacrifice. We kill life, and we pour out the essence of life, blood. From our earliest times, we have had this need to see blood flow. Somehow, it makes us feel better. From blood and death, we see new life...often eternal life.

From squeemish to bloodlust, humans have a truly spiritual experience when blood is shed. It is the most basic of religious rites. This has made me wonder...Did God need the Cross or did I? I've always struggled with why God didn't just forgive us. Why did Jesus have to die? Maybe, it isn't about God after all. What does this say about me? About you? About us?

I don't have any answers, yet (when I do, I'll right a book...so please buy it). But one thing I am coming to believe. Our mortality consumes us. Our beliefs in God, afterlife, sin, forgiveness, they are all tied in some way to our experience of bloodlust. Our fascination with blood is a reaction to our own mortality. Through blood we look past this life, and we are brought face to face with death. It is the most powerful symbol of faith the world has ever known. We need blood. I don't know anymore if God is the one who needed the Cross...Maybe it was just me and my bloodlust.

I'm interested in your thoughts.