Wayward Son

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.

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The Wild One part 2

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Categories: Broken machine, Rantings, Wild One

Yesterday I wrote about my wife, Shelby, who loves Jesus very much but has never done well in the context of institutional church. She tried very hard to fit in because it was the only expression of the Christian faith she knew; but when God led us away from institutionality, it was one of the best things that ever happened to her spiritually. I’d like to pick up the thread from here. (Read the previous entry first if you missed it yesterday.)

This is a preview of The Wild One part 2. Read the full post (548 words, 1 image, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

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Why I’m blogging

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Categories: You need to read this

If you are new to this blog, thanks for coming. I’m glad you’re here.

I’m new to blogging, and I already find it addicting–not just the writing part, but looking at other blogs, commenting, receiving comments–the whole little online culture that comes with it. I notice other blogs, though, have quite a variety of content–funny pics, personal journals (“I went to the store today to buy some Comet…”), cool, quirky stuff–while mine seems a bit focused and serious at times. While I get the hang of this blogging thing, I thought I’d let you know why I started this in the first place.

This is a preview of Why I’m blogging. Read the full post (375 words, 2 images, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)

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Constipated anointing

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Categories: fun, Meanderings (look it up), What the heck was THAT?

I’m about to get a bit irreverent and share a funny, sad, true story. ::Inserts tongue firmly into cheek…::

A number of years ago I was invited to lead worship for a week-long campmeeting at a church in Bakersfield, California. Right away I noticed that the pastor of this charismatic Word-Faith church had a distasteful beat-the-sheep leadership style, and that he had something to prove. Anyway, he announced that the last night would be an anointing service, where he would lay hands on and pray for anyone who wanted it. He pumped this up as the climax of the campmeeting, and that last day he went into seclusion to pray and fast, denying his flesh and all distractions so the Holy Spirit would honor his faith and move upon the people.

This is a preview of Constipated anointing. Read the full post (796 words, 1 image, estimated 3:11 mins reading time)

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Superhero Christianity

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Categories: Rantings, What the heck was THAT?

(I found this awesome picture here.)
Today I’d like to introduce you to one of my former favorite superheros. If you’ve spent much time in church circles, you know this person, although you’ve probably never really met him/her. I say “him/her” because this superhero takes many forms and versions, but the gist is about the same no matter how you view him/her. (Being a male, I see him as a man, so I’ll use “he” from now on.)

This superhero is a man of mythic spiritual proportions, even surpassing Jesus Himself. (I’ll unpack that seemingly blasphemous statement in a minute.) I call this person….SUPER-CHRISTIAN.

This is a preview of Superhero Christianity. Read the full post (690 words, 2 images, estimated 2:46 mins reading time)

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Pastoral Manipulation

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Categories: My Story, Rantings

Oooh, now that’s a provocative title. 🙂

Church pastors can be the most co-dependent people in the world. (Being a recovering co-dependent myself, I ought to know.) I don’t say this to slam well-intended men and women of God; I say it because I believe the institutional church system promotes codependency among its leaders.

This is a preview of Pastoral Manipulation. Read the full post (671 words, 1 image, estimated 2:41 mins reading time)

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Labels, labels and more labels

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Categories: Meanderings (look it up)

I read a post last night that I’ve been chewing on ever since:
http://http//www.jordoncooper.com/2008/01/collapse-of-emerging-church.html

Until early last year, I had not even heard the terms “emerging church” or “emergent”, and now already the emerging church is collapsing?? Actually, the post is more about people within the movement growing weary of the term and what it stands for; some may already be starting to look for something else.

This is a preview of Labels, labels and more labels. Read the full post (460 words, 1 image, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)

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The Chocolate Button part 2

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Categories: My Story, Rantings

Okay, time for true confessions…

I spent most of my childhood and adulthood in the institutional church system. I was a proponent of it, and ::wincing:: I looked down my nose at those who had a problem with it or abandoned it. I passed them off as anomalies, as people who fell through the cracks, as people with issues of their own, predisposed to being negative, etc., etc. I blamed the devil for it. All sorts of denial.

This is a preview of The Chocolate Button part 2. Read the full post (417 words, 1 image, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)

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The Chocolate Button part 1

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Categories: Rantings

Ever have one of those random things you read/watch/hear end up sticking with you to the point that it flavors your vocabulary? Years ago I read a newsletter from a well-known ministry in which this guy was talking about going to a fast-food place and ordering a chocolate shake. The teenage cashier went to the machine, pushed the chocolate button, filled the shake cup and gave it to the man–but the shake was vanilla instead of chocolate. The man returned the shake and explained that it was the wrong flavor. So the teenager went to the machine again, pushes the same button, and out comes the same shake–vanilla, not chocolate. Then it happened a third time the same way.

This is a preview of The Chocolate Button part 1. Read the full post (474 words, 2 images, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)
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