Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo. I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.
Categories: things that don't fit in any category in particular
In trying (against all odds) to catch up with my blog reading this morning, it came to my attention that the day after Easter, Michael Spencer (aka Internet Monk) passed away from cancer. I was aware that he was ill, but unaware of how close he was to the end. His struggle with cancer apparently lasted only four months. He was 53 years old.
Categories: faith
If you’re a long time reader, you might get a chuckle at this obvious understatement…but I’m the kind of guy who likes to figure stuff out.
š
One of the main reasons this blog even exists is that it becomes a processing point for my thoughts, as my logical mind tries to make sense of my spiritual journey and tries to draw conclusions from the evidence. I often question myself as a creative person, because I’m probably one of the most left-brained creative types I know. (The Director and The Wild One are decidedly not so.) š
Categories: evangelism, food for thought, love
That title might sound like a bit of an oxymoron to some. š After all…doesn’t all evangelism have an agenda?
Maybe. But lemme splain. š
Have you ever had a friend that got involved in multi-level marketing (MLM), like Amway for example, and after awhile every time you talked to that person, you felt like they saw you as a marketing prospect? If not controlled, it can affect the very fabric of the relationship, because you feel like that friend has an ulterior motive–an agenda for being friends with you. And if that person really gets sold on their product and scheme, if you don’t bite after awhile, you stop hearing from that person. You aren’t seen as a productive prospect anymore.
Categories: theological questions
Excerpt from my post earlier today on Communitas Collective…
It seems like the past few months have been āearthquake seasonā for this planet. First there was the horrific devastation from Haitiās quake in January; about six weeks later, Chile suffered a quake nearly 1000 times as intense as Haitiās. And just yesterday, Mexico registered a 7.2 quake that was felt in California.
If youāve never been in an earthquake, itās hard to describe the sense of helplessness and of time standing still. It really does shake you, in more ways than one. Growing up in California, Iāve felt quakes as strong as 6.2; I donāt ever care to feel one stronger.
Categories: food for thought, Things I Should Probably Not Be Telling You
Today is Good Friday on the church calendar–which means, of course, that Sunday is Easter (or Resurrection Day, if you prefer). This is the time of year when we observe and celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ.
I’ve been thinking about this lately (and you know what THAT means)…mainly because I’ve been helping out a congregation with worship, which means it’s the first time in a number of years that I’ve been in an environment where Easter preparation is important. After all, lots of people attend church meetings on Easter that never do so any other time of year. It’s natural for us to want to put our best foot forward.
Categories: food for thought
Categories: Sunday meditations
The voice of the Lord is powerful,
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon…
The voice of the Lord hews out flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the deer to calve
And strips the forests bare;
And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”
–Psalm 29:3-9, NASB
Categories: changing mindsets, church, community, food for thought
So read parts one and two to catch up…
With my changing views on community, I think what I’m about to share here is the most significant factor–because it really demonstrates what can happen when we let community happen instead of make it happen. (And this is just what our journey looks like–not an inference as to what yours should look like.)
Categories: what I did today, What the heck was THAT?
Categories: community, food for thought, Meanderings (look it up)
