Got it on Craig’s List:

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/car/289106986.html

Wanna buy it?

“Art is innate in the artist, like an instinct that seizes and makes a tool out of the human being. The thing in the final analysis that wills something in him is not he, the personal man, but the aim of the art.” Carl Jung

I think many young Christians, many emergent, think they are strong enough to be in the world and not be contaminated by it. They think too highly of themselves. Our pride comes before our fall. We have rejected “churchianity” and “christianese” in favor of diving headlong into the world. And maybe this is where Jesus calls us to be. But many of us are not ready to be there. We are over-exposed to the world and under-exposed to the voice, presence and power of God. And so, right and left, we are being contaminated. And instead of spreading the gospel, we are infecting the next generation of disciples with eight parts world, one part God.

Do we understand how much we allow culture, absent of God, to influence us verses how much we allow God’s influence in our lives? It is a question I often ponder.

“Christians should not embrace a postmodern worldview; we must not adapt to postmodernity . . . but we do need to incarnate the timeless in the timely.�

I think Jason is quoting Duffy Robbins here, but I am not certain. Still, it sums up in a catchy little phrase the whole of my post “Creating a Relevant and Distinct Culture“ from yesterday.
This post, called “Failings of Cultural Responses” balances out some of the statements Jason made yesterday.

“until recently, i had a “good” job. a “real” job. meaning a job that was turning me into a serious asshole, a cheater, a manipulater of people for my own “successful” ends, and a man abandoning his own wife and son for these demands that kept popping up. because, “hey, a man’s gotta eat”. i now think these thoughts and several like them about “responsibility” and “success” are lies of oppression that we should heed no longer. and in not heeding them, you will become a fool to the world to trust in your god alone to be your provider and protector.” – Jon Perez, from his “1 corinthians chapter three” post.

Viva la Revolution! Makes one wonder what the true opiate of the masses is? Was Karl right or have the we found a better drug for society, the American dream?

Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare. (Proverbs 20:12-14, NIV)

The bible tells use not to love our sleep but sleep is not a waste of time and sinful in and of itself. As I was looking for the above verses, I also ran across this one:

If GOD doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks.
If GOD doesn’t guard the city, the night watchman might as well nap.
It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don’t you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves? (Psalm 127:1-2, MSG)
Me, I can be lazy, getting enough sleep is not an issue. I need to listen more to the first two verses then the last one. But for some of you, my friends, I am concerned. You’re always on the go, always doing something, running yourself ragged with the concerns of this life.

I started thinking about this when I read a Relevant article called ‘Sleep: It Does a Body Good’, and reminded of the topic again with a podcast from IT Conversations called Tech Nation that had an interview with sleep and dream medicine specialist, Dr Rubin Naiman.

Read the article, listen to the podcast and take heed my friends

It’s not like I do not already have stacks of books that I have yet to read but I having a list like this to work from. Yay!

This portmanteau was coined by Reverend John Musick on Friday, February 3rd, in the year of our Lord, 2006.

I actually forgot to post this until my sister, jen posted about it.

Google and Dictionary.com say it isn’t a legitimate word… yet.

-Update- I did find the word compotator at dictionary.com ’cause I like potatos, but, as you can see if you click the link, the word has nothing to do with potatos… unless your drinking vodka… mmm, potatos…

My favorite quote that they use is from his book “Life Together”:

The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them. It is God’s love for us that He not only gives us His Word but also lends us His ear. So it is His work that we do for our brother when we learn to listen to him. Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of others, that this is the one service they have to render. They forget that listening can be a greater service than speaking.

Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking where they should be listening. But he who can no longer listen to his brother will soon be no longer listening to God either; he will be doing nothing but prattle in the presence of God too. This is the beginning of the death of the spiritual life, and in the end there is nothing left but spiritual chatter and clerical condescension arrayed in pious words. One who cannot listen long and patiently will presently be talking beside the point and be never really speaking to others, albeit he be not conscious of it. Anyone who thinks that his time is too valuable to spend keeping quiet will eventually have no time for God and his brother, but only for himself and for his own follies.

TPT channel 2, in the Twin Cities, will be showing a great documentary made about him on Monday and Tuesday at 9 PM. Well worth the watch. link

Subject: [Bluer Community] Bluer on Nightline…TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!

I just now received a call from the producer that barring in breaking news, that the segment on emerging churches will be shown tonight at 10:35!

You should check it out.

This is exciting!

UPDATE

Watch the video.

1> When I was really little, my mom had me in one of those carrier things that let you carry your kid in a picnic basket-like contraption… well she set me down on the kitchen table and went to put away some groceries or something. Now I don’t know how it happened, if the table was tilted or there was a mischievous gremlin, but somehow, when my mom’s back was turned, I slid off the table in my carrier and went crashing down… right into the trash basket! No physical harm came to me because of this, but it is true, I am the original “Garbage Pail Kid”.

2> I went to eleven different schools before graduating highschool in 1989.

3> In the 8th grade, I missed more days of school then I went to because kids are mean and I was unpopular, yet I still managed to get to the 9th grade the next year.

4> 9th grade saw me take my mom’s car to school regularly even though I did not have her permission or a driver’s license. She commuted using the subway since we lived in Washington DC at the time, that how I was able to get away with it.

5> My senior year of highschool I had a Pinto and was a bad driver. Sometimes I would lose control of my car on the dirt roads and spend time driving in the ditch. Apparently a neighboron the road saw me do this one day and weeks later ran out in front of the car as I was driving by. Wagging a finger at me, he said in this Dukes of Hazzard, Rosco P. Coltrane voice , “I said i’d gitcha and I gotcha!” and that saw he what I done did and that his eye was on me, blah, blah, blah. My sister Jen and I were in tears because of his chastisement… we just couldn’t stop laughing. “Ga, ga ,ga. I’m gonna git dem Dukes!”

Ok, now who do I tag? Most all my blogging buddies have been tagged.

So I tag…

Brad
Stephen
Kari, ’cause she has yet to respond to her other tag:)
John, same as Kari.
& Dan, same as John.

Sorry guys, but are it!

He called on the Church of England to revive its spirit of “wonder” and “adoration” and to rediscover the transforming power of the Gospel.”The scandal of the church is that the Christ-event is no longer life-changing, it has become life-enhancing. We’ve lost the power and joy that makes real disciples, and we’ve become consumers of religion and not disciples of Jesus Christ.”

Thanks to Andrew Jones for the link.

I read the words today of Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh which said “We are the loving adversaries of every regime”. As I reflected on this, I believe it encapsulates perfectly the challenge for the Christian to be “in the world but not of it”.

It is a challenging concept. What do you think?

Following are my sad results. I wonder if Hitler ever made any national security agruments for his actions?

The German Civilian Achtung! You are 46% brainwashworthy, 18% antitolerant, and 28% blindly patriotic

Had you lived in Germany in first half of the 20th century, you’d have probably just gone with the flow. Men with guns are surrounding the house next door? The bagel place on the corner’s gone? Hmm…whatever. The data show you’re a decent person who’s willing to listen to what people of authority tell you. That’s what most people are, and in most times and most places, that’s ok. But not then. The sad conclusion: You would’ve missed your Jewish friends, but you would’ve done nothing about it. Seriously. Rest assured, you would’ve forgiven yourself eventually.

Added Note: I have never, in the last twelve years at any rate, been told I am patriotic. This test is the first to suggest that I have some patriot in me… hmmmm.