Keep This Going

The Parker Jotter, the Parker Pen Company’s first refillable retractable ballpoint released in 1954. This, to me, is like a pair of Levi’s. I could be using Bics, but the world’s a bit too disposable as it is. It’s nice to have something simple, not flashy, that’s meant to last.

not to steer us away from our jesus talk, because I totally want to get in to that, but here are two videos. One really funny. One a pump up in light of the Denver Nuggets, I’m totally on the bandwagon and loving it. For those of you that joined us at home on Saturday… BIRDMAN.

::a

Former Thieves finished up our EP “The Great And The Alleged Great” yesterday.  Here’s the final version.

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=fd05b65c9126d915d5a101cf914073b42458967b2ca1c3c8

Here’s a glimpse of where I call my community of faith, the people I wrestle over questions with, my home. This video is mostly just one person but it’s the people that make it. His book here is worth reading but more than that our community rests in the idea that me being a part of it means the whole community changes. That’s where I want all of you to be with the story of God

There was once an old man named Benoni who had known great misfortune through life, having lost his wife and children to poverty, disease, and war. The many lines on his face betrayed his pain, and his heart was filled with sorrow and regret. Indeed he barely had the strength to carry on.

But there was one who had drawn alongside him in his sorrow. His comforter was the village blacksmith, a strong but caring man who exhibited a gentle, humble, and charitable way of life. People knew very little about this blacksmith, as he was a quiet man who had moved into the town only a few years before. Yet he was well liked by the community and would often be found sitting on the porch of his workshop, enjoying the midday sun and passing the time by engaging strangers in conversation. His face was strong and full of character, betraying both a depth of spirit and a breadth of experience. But it was also a kindly face that was set alight by his compassionate smile.

When Benoni lost his first child, the blacksmith called round to his home, put his hand on Benoni’s shoulder and with great affection said, “I am so sorry that you have suffered this grave misfortune. If you will allow me, I would like to stand with you at this time of hardship.”

Ever since this first encounter the blacksmith had called round to Benoni’s house most evenings, sometimes to sit and chat, sometimes to listen, and sometimes simply to leave food and other provisions. As each new calamity befell Benoni, the blacksmith would be there to speak and cry with.

One day when Benoni was particularly depressed he went to visit a pastor who lived in the heart of the city, so as to talk through what had taken place over the traumatic years and try to make sense of it. The pastor listened to what Benoni had to say and then, after a little thought replied, “Well my son, in order for great fortune to take place one must first suffer great misfortune. The suffering you have faced is the price that has had to be extracted for strength of character, and a spirit forged in the fires of hell.”

So Benoni retuned to his home alone, lit a fire in an attempt to take away the evening’s chill, and contemplated the words of the ministry. Perhaps he is right, thought Benoni, maybe I should take some comfort from these words. But it is cold, I am alone, and words can offer no shoulder to rest on.

Just then the blacksmith knocked on the door and Benoni, as always welcomed him in. As they sat together they drank whiskey and talked long into the night. That evening Benoni shared the words of the pastor with his friend, adding, “Perhaps now that I have been given these words to comfort me, you no longer need to visit as you have done this last year.”

The blacksmith simply looked at the floor for a few moments and then replied, “My dear friend, if what the elder has said is true then I am needed all the more, for if you had to suffer such great misfortune in order to find strength of character and wealth of spirit, then this is in itself a great misfortune.”

And so they sat late into the night bringing comfort and warmth to each other through the sharing of their lives.

From Peter Rollins, an Irishman

Andy, thanks for the start of a dialogue that is lived and breathed.

*I’ve included links to some of the Wikipedia definitions of these topics which give the concise historical definitions of these vastly sweeping themes.

*Also I know this is much longer than many of you are probably willing to read. I love sharing these thoughts though – I hope they spur on more questions, prayer and conversation

Two words in Latin that may have a greater impact on this “QUESTION” post conversation:

Sola Scriptura

Translated literally to “by scripture alone,” these two words were drastically changed during the Reformation of the Western church and Western culture. Prior to the people who changed the church through the Reformation you can see a series of changes that happened starting around 1050 B.C.E. that changed a whole lot of the way people believed and interacted with God.

Davidic Dynasty (historically starting around 1007 BCE David was the man and put into place a dynasty of Jewish belief, freedom of practice, prosperity – this is what people were waiting for since making bricks in Egypt. After God asked his people to live out in Jubilee or sharing everything they had as a communal people trusting in God they wanted a king. God gave them one in David and he was the friggen man to them)

Babylonian Captivity (starting in 587 BCE Jewish culture ended and was put into slavery from a guy in Babylon – not the David Gray song. Jews felt they had already been freed from slavery in Egypt and it happened again b/c people had become “comfortable” and were worshipping other God’s and their wealth and comfort. In exile it was so bad that the Prophet Jeremiah wrote in a book he called Lamentations that people would rather “scrape their faces on the gravel.” After this there was no longer a leader or king or huge prophet – put more on the people again who made lots of rules until…)

Christ (an overturner of tables and lived within one of the most dynamic political & religious climates ever. He wasn’t like any king/leader that had come before. According to Isaiah there was this person coming who would be their King. Jesus was not at all what they were expecting. People movement began – spread throughout Western Asia and because of Paul made it all the way to Rome. Martyrdom became a regular occurence – who were these people?)

Counsel of Chalcedon/ Fall of Rome(4th and 5th century A.D. – completely radical perspective that Christ is both God and human, divine and man – this really got things going. Before this there was God, there was Jesus – the both could be sweet but Christ as both – these men in this counsel changed the course of human history with this conversation)

Great Schism (1051 – Divided the church into West – Latin and East – Greek. Later Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox. For Catholics or our roots, all the power was put into a few, for the Eastern Orthodox tradition everyone in whatever role constituted the whole church, not just a pope)

Reformation (1517 – Luther’s 95 Theses, getting pissed that we have to pay the church to learn about God and only a few people tell us what to think and educating others to read so we can all read the WORD OF GOD and have the one perspective on it or Sola Scriptura as mentioned above)

Now????

Why do I write this narrative history? Merely to point out that others have been living this history for some time and have also been asking questions that changed the way people raised their children, sang their songs, worked, communicated, viewed the opposite sex, experienced education, created written work, traveled, spoke, etc. etc. etc.

So what has happened since Sola Scripture 500 years ago. Well lots – for one we communicate entirely differently, the greatest world power to ever exist is what we call home, democracy developed, middle class became a common place term, violence and death has existed on a much broader scale, we consume more than ever before and everything is accessible for the developed world while the divide grows ever more expansive between the rest of the world who has less and less.

While much has changed much remains the same. People in the story of God are trying to figure out how to live it out. That is my narrative. It is shared but it’s also individual, local and organic. So that narrative that you mentioned Andy may not rest upon “what the Bible says” as was put into place 500 years ago through sola scriptura. In fact I believe that’s already changed and we don’t even live that way anymore. I once heard someone say it’s more like “sola Christ.” In other words we don’t base our decisions upon the text of people of God but we read them now together and then we attempt to live them out together.

How does this change things? Now Jesus is a skateboarding brand, a hardcore band, a twitter, a blog of home-town friends, a small community of people in one place for one common purpose – not church as one way, one place, one purpose – it’s more messy, less determined and it’s emerging. I mean – what does it mean that some of you may read this and then put back in your pocket the thing that you read it on and others can do the same thing anywhere in the world?

Much of this thought is not my own – I can’t emphasize enough the importance of a number of people, conversations, and experiences in my life that have led to these words now part of the blogosphere. Equal to this is a book that I believe will be looked back on as part of history. The author is a friend of a friend and my time with her has been blessed, challenging, very southern and humorous. Please consider reading The Great Emergence

So some of you have heard but Cecka and I work together at a place called YouthWorks. We’re going to San Francisco with them this summer then we’re not renewing our contract in the fall. So we’re jobless come August 31st.

We’re excited, anxious and expectant. Apologies for my lag of posting. We’re saying lots of good-byes, getting some of the ducks in a row then finding out that’s pointless, seeking courage and getting ready to head westward

just commented on Andy’s post about this but thought it’d be worthwhile to post this – I’m so pumped

Hey dudes I have a faith and beliefs question for you all. Don’t answer if you don’t want to although I cast no judgement or condemnation no matter what. I am just curious as to what you all believe as that you are all my friends.

Do you still consider yoursel a Christian if you have before? (ie you believe that the bible is the soverign Word of God, Jesus is his only son and the only way we can obtain forgivness from sin and come to God… You know the basics.)

Why do you or why don’t you?

If no or not really, what do you believe?