q conference update

there has been so much information and so many topics discussed that i can't even begin to write about what we've been doing yet. but i will be writing about some of the speakers and breakout sessions in the coming days.

the speakers have been amazing. the conference has focused on culture.future.church.gospel. so each presenter has taken about 18 minutes to deal with an issue within those topics.

i have been inspired the most by jeff johnson from BET, don miller, blake mycoskie, chris seay, shane wheeler, and andy stanley. i think i only left out 5 presenters.

and last night, we had a private concert with jon foreman from switchfoot. it was like a vh1 storytellers in that he explained where some of the songs came from. he also brought out a friend on cello who was phenomenal. at one point, jon started talking about a new song he had written called "cure for pain," a song he has never played in front of an audience before, and his buddy on the cello just starts improvising and adds some gorgeous fills. in many ways, he made the song alive.

i can't leave this conference and not be changed. i can't leave this conference and be satisfied with what i do. i can't leave this conference and be okay with "just." we have a responsibility to be change things. to present a new paradigm, one that truly bucks the system of the world. and its not going to be by proclamation, its going to be by participation. redeeming those places in the world that darkness has overtaken.

salvation is here. salvation from child slavery. from human trafficking. from destroying our environment. from sex slaves. from violence. from anger. from injustice.

salvation is here.

are we actually showing that? or are we just talking about it? we may proclaim it, but are we working to actually bring a change? do we really believe that the love of God is absolute and that it can change the world?

are we ready to take a look in the mirror and see all of our problems, our sins, our dirt as we so readily accuse others of homosexuality, cussing, drinking, smoking, etc?

can we take the approach paul did and has he calls the sins out in a community, he just as quickly admits his own faults?

are we ready to do that?

be good to each other. look at Christ. peace.

q

tomorrow morning, bright and early, cecil, hootkey, pony and myself will be heading down to atlanta for the q conference. click on the title for the link.

i'm really looking forward to getting out of town for a couple of days. its gonna be a darn good time.

i desperately need a few days to get away, to be inspired again, to be re-energized, to reflect, to refocus. . . all of that.

all of the speakers that are going to be there are really interesting to me. its definitely a wide range of the spectrum from so many different view points.

rob bell. donald miller. rick mckinley. andy stanley. andy crouch. dave kinnaman. chris seay. blake mycoskie (which i'm really excited about). josh jackson from paste magazine.

and then you have richard cizik. from the national association of evangelicals. how does that fit in with all of this?

and there are people from CNN, BET, WIRED magazine, Business 2.0 magazine. . . i mean seriously. this is going to be sweet.

oh yeah, and t-bone burnett. so thats sweet.

how does it all go together? i have no idea. but its gonna be sweet.

i'll hopefully be posting while i'm down there to keep everyone up to date.


be good to each other. look at christ. peace.

pray for va tech

i'm sure there's a ton of stuff out there today about the need to pray for virginia tech. but i don't think one more would hurt.

its hard to comprehend what would drive one person to shoot 50 people and kill 32 of them. it doesn't make sense.

here in indiana, its almost a state of shock and feeling unattached. i can watch images of the event but it still doesn't register what is happening over there.

over there. this is in our country. this isn't iraq, afganistan, the sudan. this is our country.

i can't begin to grasp what happened.

i can only pray those affected will be surrounded by others to love them, care for them and be Jesus to them.

i pray that we will continue to value life. i pray that we as a country will move towards healthy relationships. because thats what life is about. relationships.

be good to each other. look at Christ. pray for va. tech. peace.

laughed really hard

that might by my daughter someday.
or a friend's daughter.
i wouldn't be surprised.

too funny.

peace.

this is the end

tomorrow morning marks the end of an era.
chewy has had a good run.
but its time to say goodbye.
it was not easy leaving my parent's place tonight.
it wasn't easy saying goodbye.
and its a freakin' dog!

even harder is that mckinna leaves tomorrow morning for seven weeks. she'll be here. so i'll see her again on june second. i think i get to talk to her before then.

letting go of those you love is so damn hard.

all in all, tomorrow sucks.

good friday

meditation on the cross for the comfortable

Lord,

i've prayed to know your cross, to know your suffering, pain, and death, to be in perfect union with your life on earth. i don't know what i'm asking.

you were spit upon, blunt iron nails ruined your hands and feet and the scorn of others made your life a failure. even your friends deserted you, and your Father even refused to save you from a hideous death. my life is so good. i am not homeless as you were, and i have friends and family that have not deserted me yet. my health is good. i can go out when i feel like it, seek entertainment and lawful pleasure.

how can i experience your passion in my life when there are so many good things? i cannot become a monk because of family obligations, and monks eat well anyway, and few seem to be suffering with you. i want to pray with you in gethsemane and be taken with you in the garden.

let some of the scourging you received fall on me. grant me thorns, too, and let my blood mingle with yours. i don't know why i want this, except maybe that i need you so much. i will take your company any way i can get it. i would rather be crucified with you than be separated from you for another moment.

please grant this prayer, that as much as it is possible, i may share in your sufferings and so be united with you completely.

amen.

unknown origin

for further reflection, go here.

scot mcknight has written a great piece about why Jesus chose passover for his death. you can read it here.

finally, as we reflect on Christ on the cross, "look at him with whatever faith you have and know that your worry about your lack of faith is itself a sign of faith....look at him. keep looking, and faith will take care of itself." - richard john neuhaus

easter is coming . . .

so easter is coming.
the tomb is empty.
we're supposed to be living out this resurrection life, right?
why do i feel like so many days i'm not?
why do i feel that i am supremely unqualified to teach easter morning?

there are more days that feel like saturday night before the resurrection. i can identify with the disciples so much who went and hid. who remained in hiding, and had such a hard time believing mary when she showed up telling them all that Jesus was alive.

i identify so much with thomas. i wonder why he was there? did he feel like their plan had failed and didn't want to be those whom he had given his life to for the past 3 years? did he not want to look into the eyes of the other disciples and see the same sense of dread? that the kingdom that he was so sure he bringing about was squashed like the other rebellions?

was his doubt more about his fear of getting his hopes up only to have them completely dashed again? who doesn't know what that's like. . .

easter matters so much more to me this year.
i think i said that before.

may we rest in the fact that the saturday night has passed. and that the tomb is still empty. that means, that i can hope again and again. it means i don't have to be a bitter, cynical manipulative man. because what i'm afraid of, well, it doesn't matter. because death doesn't win. life wins.

is it possible to be a christian, to have said the prayers, to go to church, to tithe, but yet know the true power of the resurrection? is it possible to not know what real love looks, feels, IS like?

do we live in the death of Christ and remember His resurrection instead of remembering His death and living in this new resurrection life?

do we even want to come near these questions?

be good to each other. look at Christ. peace.

mars hill evening service

last night, some buddies and i went up to mars hill to experience their evening service. what a great decision.

their worship space is set up in the round, and in the middle, on the stage is the band. each of the band faces inward, looking at the screens that you are looking at. it hit me during worship, they're taking the posture of worshiping with us. of actually leading us into worship. they are not leading to us. they are leading with us. the song selection was as follows:

Come Thou Fount
Ancient of Days
Maker of All (song taken from the Nicene Creed)
For the Beauty of the Earth
Blessed be Your Name

Benediction: Blessed (taken from Numbers 6:24-26)

rob bell did not teach. ed dobson did. he was the senior pastor at Calvary Church when Mars Hill was planted from there around 7 or 8 years ago. He spoke on the story of Zaccheus, which is recorded in Luke 18 right before Jesus goes into Jerusalem in a procession of palm branches.

the message was great. i won't get into it much. if you want to hear it, download it from itunes podcast or from their website(again, click on the title for the link).

what struck me was that he was diagnosed with ALS 7 years ago. and the man looks just like tommy paino. hair, beard, body, his voice even. he talked about greed and how he wants 7 more years. how we're all greedy. how we all want more.

the beauty is that he recognizes how blessed he is to be standing at Mars Hill 7 years later teaching.

the beauty is in the tension.

be good to each other. look at Christ. peace.