It's a green new day

I was driving back to Georgia yesterday, and I caught a portion of the Fresh Air broadcast on NPR. Terry Gross interviews people from pop culture in a distinctly intelligently conversational way. I highly recommend Fresh Air. She was interviewing Billy Joe Armstrong, the frontman for Green Day about the adaptation of their album American Idiot into a Broadway play. I am a nominal fan of Green Day, but I was intrigued by the concept of a punk album turning into a Broadway show and how insane that felt to me. I remember hearing him talk about the back lash they got from the punk community for their fame. He said that he viewed their willingness to participate in that system as being the most punk thing they could do. They were going against the machine of what punk had become. I've always considered his perspective to be interesting, and so I listened.

Terry asked Billy Joe to describe the source of the apparent anger in his music and what generated so much anger in his teen years. He says, "Feeling lost. I always say that in every song I write whether it's a love song, a political song, or something, or a song about family, the one thing I find is that feeling lost and trying to find your way. I think a song like American Idiot is a series of questions, ya know. I think Holiday is a series of questions. It's like you're trying to battle your way out of your own ignorance. And that's where it gets personal. It's like I don't want to be an American Idiot. What I want to be is, I'm not sure. I just want more, and I'm willing to take the risks to try to get out of that, ya know, or try to find something more."

America... Church, this is a perfect description of the mind of a teenager. They feel lost. What are we going to do?

http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=5-27-2010

Soundtrack: Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Green Day

Furious Love

Furious Love, sequel to Finger of God, is the story of one man’s journey into some of the darkest spiritual climates on earth to test the limits of God’s love. Watch his discovery and witness God’s response to the demon possessed in Africa, the heroine addicts of Madrid, and witches in Salem, Massachusetts. See this love in relentless pursuit of the persecuted church in India and the oppressed victims of sex trafficking in Thailand. This journey of LOVE will leave you undone and must be experienced to be believed. (Taken from the website)

A friend of mine stopped me in the door to tell me that a group of people would be watching a movie in the fellowship room that evening. She invited me to join them. "A movie in the fellowship room" could range from something as ridiculous as The Men Who Stare at Goats to the intensity of Black Hawk Down.

This movie, however, was a different kind of movie watching experience. This was not just for escapism, but instead for spiritual growth and greater understanding of the spiritual realm. Furious Love is not propaganda; it is intentional.

One young man in the movie was describing a time when he was among refugees that were under persecution. Christians were being slaughtered left and right. He was afraid for his life, and he was asked to speak to those worshipping God in the midst of the most horrific circumstances. He didn't know what to say to them. He recounted the internal struggle of discerning what to say like this: "I felt because in a place like that you can't say cheap stuff. You can't just say, 'Just have faith. God will protect you...' after families are slaughtered. It's not that simple." I don't recall if he told us what he did say to them. I don't know if that is the point. The desperation of that moment speaks for itself. The depth of the assurance of God's pressence regardless of the brokenness and darkness of their current circumstances speaks more than anything this young man could have said.

Why are we satisfied with cheap stuff? Are those in persecution blessed to endure that kind of suffering? What would it take for the Western Church to be dissatisfied with cheap words? I don't have answers for these questions, but I am assured that these are the questions we should be asking.

http://www.furiouslovethemovie.com/

http://wanderlustproductions.com/

Soundtrack: Perseverance of the Saints, The O.C. Supertones

i heart that little man

"I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist, either in Europe or America. But I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case, unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit and discipline with which they first set out." John Wesley

Wesley - duh

Soundtrack- Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, Charles Wesley

loves like a huricane

"The love I'm singing about in that song is really... is not a pretty/clean... it's not a Hollywood, hot-pink love. It's a kind of love that's willing to love things that are messy and willing to love even the difficult and sort of kinda gross kind of things." John Mark McMillan on his process of writing How He Loves. He wrote this song in response to his honest feelings about the Lord during the tragic death of a close friend. He talks about his anger and how God can love us through that. How beautiful. "He wasn't offended at the fact that I was angry at God." For those of you, for those of us, who have lost someone significant in our lives, hear the good word that God is with us in that moment. He is a part of our pain. Praying for the Swaneys. I continue to share your loss. He continues to share your loss.

I remember a sholder in college that I got snotty in unashamed weeping.

I am thankful for the cross.

May you remember the love of God that is willing to love things that are messy and difficult. May you not be confined to a hot-pink Hollywood love from the Lord.

Soundtrack: How He Loves, Kim Walker (kills it)

Kaiteur Coffeehouse

I got an email today informing me that Kaiteur will be closing. Kaiteur is a local owned coffee shop in Conyers, GA, my home town. I mourn this reality. For years I have taken a stance against Starbucks, and invested my time and money into local owned coffee shops. I have several friends that work at Starbucks, so I have been informed of all of the "great" things that Starbucks does for communities. However, I will never be convinced that any of the good they do justifies this or justifies the closing of Blue Sky or the closing of innumerable local owned places just like it. Moose is a good man, and his family pursued a dream. I will always champion the pursuit of dreams over the growth of a corporation. Long live Jittery Joe's, Gallery Espresso, Main & Maple, and Solomon's Porch. Thank you for giving me an environment to love, study, laugh, and cry. I would be a different person without you.

If you're going to drink coffee, drink local. Eat local. Buy local. Support your local economy. It's worth keeping the dreams alive.

http://www.kaiteurcoffeehouse.com/

Soundtrack: Falling in love at a Coffee Shop, Landon Pigg

you gotta have faith

I am writing a paper for Old Testament about the usefulness of the historical-critical method in understanding scripture. One of the articles I read includes the following quote, “The challenge should not be feared or neutralized by the generalization that the scholarship behind it is uncertain and never unanimous- that has always been so, but that does not free the Church from the obligation of using the best scholarship available. Scripture would not be the word of God if it always confirmed Christians or the Church, for the God who inspired Scripture is a God whose thoughts are not our thoughts.” (What the Biblical Word Meant and What it Means, p. 43-44)

What do we have to lose from embracing the historical-critical method but greater understanding of our transcendent God? Reluctance to use this method reveals a lack of faith in the presence of God among his people. I don't understand Christians that resist using a more academic/objective look at Scripture. If we truly have faith, then we have nothing to lose. We should seek truth over tradition. The Biblical-critical method enables us to get at the truth. If we hold to sola Scriptura, then we should give the text the authority that we claim to give it.

“Sometimes we spend too much effort in protecting Jesus from things Jesus might not wish to be protected from. We have spent too much time protecting the God who inspired the Scriptures from limitations that He seems not to have been concerned about. The impassioned debate about inerrancy tells us less about divine omnipotence (which presumably allows God to be relaxed) than about our own insecurity in looking for absolute answers.” (The Human Word of the Almighty God, p.18)

I must consider how it feels to confess as a church that we are insecure about our faith. We don't trust God to be the absolute answers, and so we seek to grasp the absolute answers, which if we were allowing God to be who he is, we would know that we can not know the absolute answers. What do we have to lose by using this method if we genuinely have faith? If we fear losing our faith by investigating the text, then do we really have faith? If you have it for real, you don't fear losing it because you would be crazy to let it go. It defines you. It is more real than anything discoverable.

Soundtrack: Show Me What I'm Looking For, Carolina Liar

the body of Christ

Ezekiel 37 The Valley of Dry Bones
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath [a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.' " 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.' " 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. 11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.' 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.' "

We are called the body of Christ, not the skeleton of Christ. This passage comes to mind following two experiences this week. In chapel on Tuesday I was struck by the fervor of the community. There was a tangible kind of buzzing excitement in the air. Maybe it is because the board is here. Maybe students are simply begining to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Who knows? But, there was something different. In reflection, I can't help but consider that the sheer volume of people in attendance must have contributed to the difference. There are chapel services when we feel like the skeleton of Christ, when we feel like just the remnint of the faithful. But, when the chapel is full, it is easy to believe that we are indeed the worshipping body of Christ.

Secondly, in Old Testament today we were talking about the contrast between the covenant at Sianai and the new covenant, particularly how Jeremiah and Ezekiel prophesy the hope of the new covenant. This passage in particular is the declaration that God is starting a new relationship with his people. He has brought us new life! Why do we try to continue to live as the dead, when we have recived the word made flesh and the breath of new life?

Soundtrack: Dry Bones, Onehundred Hours (OK, this might be cheating because this song is really just the Ezekeil passage read over some hard core music, but... technically it is a song.)

The babies are coming!

I can not contain my excitement! I anticipate the release of this particular movie in a special joy like I haven't felt in a long time. I remember being this excited about Life is Beautiful, Passion of the Christ, March of the Penguins, and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. Entertainment Weekly gave it a two page spread, and I fear many of you have no idea that its coming. So, let me be the first one to inform you about Babies!

Babies! is a documentary by "french filmmaker Thomas Balmes who spent close to two years tracking the everyday triumphs and discoveries of four babies, hailing from the far reaches of Namibia, Mongolia, Japan, and America. The story told without a single word of narration (or much dialogue beyond giggles, cries, and coos), slides from child to child, chronicling not only their journeys from birth to walking age, but also the unique culture of parenting and community that surrounds them. (EW, May 7, 2110)

Making a documentary interesting challenges even the best director, but doing so without narration is nearly unthinkable. That is the compelling nature of babies. They draw us into the wonder of their world. If you have seen the trailer, you will remember that the opening scene runs for 39 seconds. It ends with one of the babies biting his friend. Compelling.

To know me is to know that I love people and that a large portion of that love is directed toward children. I am blessed with six of the coolest nieces and nephews on the planet, and their lives and love have added to my life beyond measure. But even before I became an aunt I loved children. The innocence. The pure receptivity of love. The freedom of joy. It's contagious. We need children in our lives to remind us of the image of God within us. The older we get and the more broken we get we find ways to mask that image. What a better way to understand the unity and diversity of God than to see the breadth of his creation in its truest form across four different cultures?

Mark my words, it will win best documentary next year. It may win best foreign film. This is a movie ready to rock the world. It is only showing in 500 theaters. Find one near you. Go! Support a film that is about something of value, even if it never mentions the name of Jesus. What better way to celebrate the image of God within us?

http://www.focusfeatures.com/focusfeatures/film/babies/overview

Soundtrack: Jesus Loves Me

Pet Cannon

During class tonight Dr. Wood brought up the idea that many pastors preach from a pet cannon, that they preach from a selective set of scriptures. He used the preaching of hell by Billy Graham as an example. He was using this as an argument for preaching from the lectionary and the creeds. I think this is an excellent point. We may have verses or passages or themes that resonate more with us, but if we are believing Christians, we MUST affirm the doctrine that is ecumenical. It is unfair to the new believer, to the seeker, to the stagnant faithful to ignore the fullness of the gospel.

Soundtrack: Unchanging, Chris Tomlin

Theological Reflection

I am supposed to be writing a Theological Reflective paper about my own spiritual journey. (Why do I feel like I should cite this phrase because it comes directly from the assignment?) We are to use Oden's "Order of Salvation" as a guideline to discussion. And, I can't help but ponder how odd that is. And, I consider how good that is. And, how hard that is. It's odd because somehow it implies that my spiritual journey could somehow be wrong. What does it mean if my means of salvation, if my story does not follow the pattern set forth? It is good because it forces us to think about our own faith theologically. The next time I tell my testimony I am sure to include information about preveniant grace and label the seasons of sanctification as such. I will be sure to talk about my assurance of salvation, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It's hard because real life is messy, and we don't think in theological terms in the moments of our lives. This makes it difficult to reflect back and rename a moment "regeneration" or "Sealing of the Holy Spirit." For that matter, how do you discuss those things when you weren't paying attention to them, and all of a sudden, they were there. God often works in my life in a way that I realize an absence of a sinful attitude or there is a soft awareness of a change in my heart. But, it didn't happen in a "moment" which makes for difficult story telling. Plot is a useful tool in story telling. When the activity occurs in the spiritual realm, how do we describe it?

Soundtrack: Sing Like the Saved, David Crowder Band and Mighty to Save, Hillsong United

relationship frenzy

It's awesome and sometimes necessary to create an environment that intimacy is known and visible and overt with the Lord in a worship setting. It pleases him for us to expressively demonstrate our love for him. Sometimes we worship like we are in the frenzy of a new relationship. However, during a recent time of worship I noticed that the most spirit-filled person in the room was the least expressive. It was this older gentleman who has traveled the world on mission trips and has healed possibly hundreds of thousands of people. He no longer has anything to prove in his relationship with the Lord. His relationship frenzy was years ago, but the closeness remains. It's the second naivete. His relationship is so deep, so intimate that he doesn't need the outward signs to which we cling. I am reminded of the depth of love present between a couple that has been married for most of their lives simply sitting on the porch. That is where this gentleman was. He is in that place of intimate presence with the Lord all the time. He's been there, done that so much that simply shifting his gaze toward the Lord invokes memory of love and deep adoration beyond anything the rest of us can imagine. He knows abide. Do I? Do you?

On a side note, these are his words when he was discussing his healing ministry:

"I always ask the Father what to do. I tell him that if there's someone here that needs prayer, I will pray for them. It's that simple. I'm not a healer. He does the healing." And then he asked if anyone needed prayer. It's that simple.

Soundtrack: Made to Worship, Chris Tomlin and Faithful, Enter the Worship Circle (2nd Circle)