Yes, I am aware this isn’t the only reason that the internet was created. But I have to believe, somewhere towards the back of Al Gore’s mind… was a waterfall with Tom Selleck in Native American clothing, and burgers.
He may deny it, sure it might be an inconvenient truth to him. But we know. We know.
Enjoy this useless but still awesome post.
Peace, Jim
Having a daughter that is 10 1/2 and is already very much aware of body sizes of her classmates and is already lamenting the fact
that she doesn’t look exactly like the most popular girls, I get this. We have avoided, what I would consider, the gross excesses that this article brings out and have discouraged the boyfriend/girlfriend jokes that can fly around everywhere. We consistently emphasize to our daughter the value of her humor, her intellect, her kindness and artistic ability. But these statistics and cultural realities still turn my stomach when I think of her entering her teens all too soon.
Overall, there is content in this from that I agree with and some that I personally disagree with, but I especially was grateful for their description of “sexy” vs “sexualized.” That was a great distinction for Rachel Combe to explore.
I usually sign off with “Peace,” but for this post “Vigilance” seems more apropo. :/
Jim
and I really could have ended up one another’s arch enemies. If you know J.R. and I, then you immediately get why.
He and I might be the two best looking men that are a part of the missional movement of the church. I know for a fact that he and I are the two best looking men on the board of .
But do we fight? No. Do we try to bring the other down to raise ourselves up? Not recently.
Instead, we took the road less traveled. We got to know the person behind the beauty, and (at least I) discovered, he is a great guy that I respect a great deal.
So, I am very excited to let you know about a conference that J.R. has guided into being. It is called, . Let me share an excerpt from the conference site…
The idea for this conference came from two sources: A post from J.R. Briggs, a pastor at Renew Community in Lansdale, Pa and the wildly popular site .
A few dangerous questions were asked:
-What if we offered a space that is gutsy, hopeful, courageously vulnerable for pastors to let go of the burden to be a Super Pastor?
-What if we could hold an event that was free from the thrills and frills of other pastors conferences?
-What if we came together as epic failures and sought not successful models or how-do’s but instead celebrated faithfulness in ministry because of the reality of Jesus?
-What if we were reminded that we’re not responsible for being ‘successful’ in ministry, but we are responsible for being faithful to the calling that God has laid out for us – regardless of the outcome?
-What if we had a conference that was not led not by famous pastors who are household names, but by scandalously ordinary ministers and leaders who are faithfully attempting to join with God – even in the midst of glaring obscurity and anonymity?
I love those questions!
In my experience I have run into countless examples of two extremes. I have been to many events 
where either those that are speaking or those that are attending find ways to let everyone know about the numeric success they have experienced. Sometimes this is subtly done, and other times, less subtly so. I have also seen examples of those that are so broken, usually by their reletive lack of numeric success, that they become bitter and ultimately frustrated with the very group they were trying to reach.
I can say that I have been in both of those camps. During my time at [nlcf] I have experienced multiple seasons of numeric growth and also multiple seasons of having lower numbers. Times where I have given in to the temptation to let others know how “well” we are doing and others where I have grown frustrated that the people I am trying to reach don’t want to be reached!
The thread that runs through all that, is that it is primarly about me. My kingdom building, my success.
Yes, we get that numbers matter. Each of those numbers is a person who matters a great deal to God. To that extent, there is an important place for hearing from people that have seen God bless their efforts. So, this conference doesn’t deny the value of that. Rather, it honors the fact that the life of faith is a challenge. That living our lives in an honest way before our Messiah will mean that at times we will face frustration, confusion, difficulty and failure. And in a culture that so highly values numeric success, not demonstrating that success; while not a failure, can certainly feel like it.
So, having a space where men and women can gather and be honest about what hasn’t gone right, what hasn’t shown results and what hasn’t been pleasant, could be a great thing. A space that doesn’t worship failure, but one that worships Christ in the midst of it; a space, not to be cynical, but honest, is necessary.
So, go if you can and encourage friends in the ministry to do so as well.
I like the idea so much, I am going to encourage all 2,000 people that attend our church to consider it as well. Wait, did that just drop out? 
Peace, Jim
“I didn’t fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong” Ben Franklin
Late last year we started a conversation about some of the more difficult issues that can come up when you are trying to read,
reflect on, and live in light of the bible. It is beautiful, powerful, transforming. But it can also be confusing, frustrating and strange.
How do we handle that tension? We know that even those (myself included) that believe that the bible is God’s word to us don’t follow all of it word for word. So what do we make of that?
How do we walk through the many tricky issues that living life through the bible brings up?
What do we make of the writers who claim the bible we read is so inaccurate and wrong that it likely serves no purpose at all other than to make us feel good?
I have heard from many people that they would like to pose some questions and interact over a few of these issues, but that the end of last year was too busy to do so. So, let’s get this party started up again!
What issues do you have with the bible or living a life of obedience to it? What questions? What makes you angry or sad? What do you love and appreciate?
Looking forward to the conversation.
Peace, Jim
Every now and then there is something that is truly creative. Either it brings something to the table that hasn’t been brought before, or it casts something in a new light.
seems to do that. Not only is it funny, it is an interesting reflection on how we interact with important events today with, and through, technology. So, again, for the two or three that haven’t seen it yet… here you go!
This is a part of a discussion called Sticky Issues. In this particular topic thread we are talking about what to do with some of the more odd commands in the Old Testament. The last post that this builds off of is here.
One of the key descriptors God uses for himself is that of father. He seems to see himself as our Father, our Dad. He calls us his children. When he discusses the idea of our being reconnected to him, he uses the term adoption. He could have used any terms he wanted, he chose those. He sees us as family. It is by far the most common descriptor set he utilizes when he is describing his relationship to us.
So, let’s turn that thought over a bit and see if it is helpful.
As our Father, he looks at us both as individuals and as a holistic group. It isn’t that he cannot handle just giving us the individual treatment, as if he didn’t have the processing power to be up to the task, the RAM. It would seem that he actually looks at us differently than we look at ourselves, as much more interconnected with one another than we, as post-Enlightenment Westerners would.
So, as our Father, let’s consider the situation that God was in. Just to start, let’s consider how things were going for the Jewish people starting in the period starting in Exodus. It is the second book of the bible. The Hebrew people had been in captivity for at least a couple hundred years. After some very wild and miraculous interactions with the Egyptian leadership, they find themselves free. (If you would like to discuss the plagues, let me know. That is a whole other conversation in itself.) They would have likely known nothing about being a free people and likely just as little about the God that freed them. The false gods the Egyptians followed would have likely been much more understood. So, if God sees himself as a parent and sees his children as not knowing how to interact with their environment or himself as their parent, he would likely do what most parents would do in that situation.
He would parent his children.
The best parenting stage that would seem to describe where the Hebrews were in terms of being able to operate in their
environment as it was, would likely be that of the toddler stage. This isn’t an implication of the Hebrews’ intelligence, as the toddler stage isn’t indicative of intelligence in kids. Just awareness of the world they are in and how it works. Among other things, it is a the stage where danger isn’t understood. Simply put, many toddlers do not know the difference between the shiny mirror they have seen on playmats and the shiny edge of a knife. They see shiny and think fun.
The response of a parent to a child in that stage isn’t terribly nuanced. There is a lot of “no touch” when they get near things that are dangerous and big smiles when they do the right thing. Messages are very obvious. You don’t expect an infant to grasp subtle details, even their toys have bright, high contrasting colors. During this stage, the parent isn’t just protecting the child from themselves, they are helping to set up neuronal connections within their child’s brain that help them to understand what is going on. This isn’t a stage that you would expect a child to stay in. In fact, if they do, it is a signal that something abnormal is going on. It is just that, a stage.
Again, during this stage there isn’t much nuance. The world is ordered in very specific ways. We never cross the street without holding mommy’s hand. You don’t ever take candy from a stranger without asking daddy first. You are showing them how the world works in a manner they can understand. You are showing them what is good and what is bad. What is safe and what is not. Of course, none of this means you don’t want them to explore their world. It is essential that they do. It is more an issue of how they explore it.
It is interesting that it is during this “toddler” stage of the Hebrews’ experience with God where the really wild stuff happened. Water was pushed out of the way. They followed a pillar of smoke during the day, and a pillar of fire when God wanted them to move at night. Not super nuanced, eh? The question of “where is God leading me?” was a simple one. Just look for the pillar. Food is miraculously provided and if you don’t handle it the way that God said to, it became unusable for the rest of the day.
But just like the toddler stage in parenting, they were absorbing an incredible amount about God. He would protect them, he would guide them, he was aware of them; both individually and as a nation. He both wanted and could communicate with them and it was important that they listen. He had expectations for them and he was doing things on his end as well. This was a real, two-way relationship between themselves and God. He had made promises to them several hundred years earlier, and he was keeping up his end.
There are some people that I like quite a lot that have planted and are helping with a church plant in Charlottesville VA,
called . They are a part of with and a great group of people.
And they have had a great idea. I would like to extend it to you.
If you are like me, the holiday season can get so hectic that before we know it Christmas Eve will be upon us. Without wanting to, we can easily succumb to the cultural focus on getting the gifts, sending the cards, hitting the parties, the lines, the budget busting… the whole thing.
What can get lost is our focus on Jesus. It’s easy to do. It happened to me last year and I am a pastor!
Yesterday, as I was sitting in our Downtown Gathering I thought about [nlcf] doing something that would help our members to daily reflect and refocus. I saw this, and realized we didn’t need to. It has already been done.
What All Souls is doing is putting up 10 minute reflections on advent and on preparing our hearts for what is centrally important in this season. The reality that this is our time to celebrate God coming back for us in the person of Jesus and his promise to come back for us again. So, each weekday, there is a 10-minute reflection. Just 10-minutes to start our day, to adjust our focus. To align our thoughts and hearts with what is most important.
If you would like to join them in this, . I am looking forward to the journey.
Peace (I truly mean that), Jim
Probably for all of you, as for me, one of the biggest events of Saturday was the Va. Tech / UVa game. Okay, I realize that is not likely true, especially from my regular readers from Eastern Europe and Asia. But for those of you who regularly read this blog, AND live somewhere around Virginia, AND like college football, AND don’t have some sort of weird “I have always lived in VA but I just LOVE Ohio State football” thing going… It’s a big one.
Sports columnist for the Roanoke Times, Aaron McFarling, and I don’t always see eye to eye. But I recently discovered a gift that has, up to this point, remained hidden from my view.
Aaron may be my new favorite poet. And looks a bit like my friend, Mike Snow.
I would like to share his gift with you so that he can be your new favorite poet as well.
You can check out his article and from there take a look at his blog and other columns. I recommend doing both.
But today isn’t about other columns. Today isn’t about his thoughts about other important issues in the world of sport. Today is about poetry and the Tech/UVa game. So grab a pipe, light a fire and let this wash all over you…
They showed up on schedule
Saturday, noon,
One team was streaking
The other? Full swoon
Every statistical break-
Down would say
This game favored Tech,
And not UVa
Yet still they must play it
Proceed with the show
For after James Maddy
You simply don’t know (more…)
It’s the classic love story. 
Boy meets girl, they fall in love.
Boy decides to get girl’s name on his tattooed on his neck.
Sadly, boy breaks up with girl – but, don’t worry, he meets another girl. Likely with a different name than the former girlfriend.
Girl takes issue with the tattoo. Then takes something to the tattoo.
I will let the Lincoln Journal Star take it from here.
LINCOLN, Neb. – Lincoln police said a woman tried to slice a tattoo of her name off her boyfriend’s neck. Capt. Anthony Butler told the Lincoln Journal Star that the 19-year-old woman and her 30-year-old boyfriend had gotten into a dispute around 6:40 p.m. on Friday. That’s when she tried to cut off the tattoo.
Butler said the boyfriend suffered only minor injuries, mostly scratches.
Tomorrow, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, as we reflect on all that we have been blessed with, let’s remember this young couple… and be glad we aren’t them.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I have shared before that I am a fan of the orthogonal approach, especially in debates that can get intense, that trigger strong emotion and call on deeply held beliefs. For those who aren’t familiar with that term, it applies best to issues where there can be a strong “you versus me” mentaility. I win or you do. It becomes about voicing your opinion more effectively than someone else might be able to. If you do, you win. If you don’t, they win.
The orthogonal approach would suggest that instead of letting it go that route, a tug of war if you will, you put a right angle in there
somewhere and take the discussion a new direction. Approach the interaction differently.
This approach doesn’t mean that both sides give up what they believe, that isn’t the case at all. It just means we seek to reframe the discussion in a way that gives it some hope of avoiding the typical roadblocks. This approach also isn’t new. We are reminded in scripture to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. This isn’t suggesting we don’t share truth, not at all. It is more how we approach the interaction. We are told that we can be absolutely right, but if we don’t communicate our views with love and respect, we drastically reduce the impact we can have. So, this isn’t new.
As I have sought to apply this approach in the myriad of discussions about intense issues I find myself in I have learned a critical step in navigating them. Not only should I seek to understand before I am understood, but I should take the additional step to reflect carefully on what about my life and my experiences would make it harder for me to truly understand where the other person is coming from. I try to look at my filters and see if they are making things more difficult.
Hear me again, just because I look at my filters and reflect on them, doesn’t mean I drop them. Our filters are born out of who we are; our beliefs and experiences, the aspects of our world that we understand, the things we have learned. So, we don’t drop them, we simply ackowlege them and look to see if they impact the discussion we are in.
So… [nlcf] has been involved in a series called . The idea is that most people in our culture today, if asked, would say some semblance of this statement: I would be closer to God/Jesus but… this keeps me away. Whether the issue of God’s reality or presence is a central one in their life, or a very distant one,research shows most would have some version of this phrase somewhere in their mind.
On October 17th, [nlcf] dealt with this but… I would be closer to God but… He allows far to much suffering.
When we asked the members of [nlcf] and others to contribute their ideas for what we should cover (and over 250 people did) the issue of suffering was one of the highest requests on the list. And it was one of the most intensely emotional categories as well.
So, how does the orthogonal approach impact the issue of suffering that God allows?
It would cause us to take a step back and look at our filters. Honestly there are many, but let’s start with this one.
Ready?
We expect those with great power to use it to help those in need. (more…)
