2005 January « bald man blogging

Books: Brian McLaren: a Generous Orthodoxy

27 January, 2005 at 5:19 pm (General)
Tags: Reading

A Generous Orthodoxy is one of the two free books I received from Zondervan just before Christmas. They invited me to post something on my blog about them, and it seemed a reasonable request. A second post will follow once I read the second book.

Having just finished AGO, I thoroughly enjoyed it. As promised it was in places “provocative, mischievous and unclear;” but in no way did I find it offensive or heretical. Perhaps this is because I’ve been in and around the emergent conversation for a little while now. My judgment may be skewed; so be it.

I most enjoyed McLaren’s tone. As I have found in other books by him, he is honest and sincere in his faith and his pursuit of God. There is no arrogance or haughtiness. Rather, I find humility and gentleness. He seems to be a man with a fair grasp on a wide variety of topics - history, theology, philosophy, etc. - and the rare ability to interweave these threads and express the tapestry he sees. When I read his works I find a man willing to ask difficult questions whether or not answers are available. I have always appreciated McLaren’s writing, and AGO deepens my appreciation.

My recommendations: If you one who feels called to stand firm and defend the traditional values, theologies, etc. of the faith, then I would urge you to consider avoiding the book. At best it will pull the rug out from under your feet; at worse it will infuriate you. You take your chances by reading. If, however, you are one who feels called to explore, shape and direct the leading edge of history, then I would unwaveringly recommend AGO. I think that your soul, like mine, will resonate with the chords McLaren strikes. Some tones are harmonious; others are countermelodies; but all enrich the song.

Links

A Generous Orthodoxy: the Blog

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Real Live Preacher Meets Cincinnati Chili

27 January, 2005 at 5:11 pm (General)
Tags: Reading, Weblogs

As one who appreciates and enjoys both styles of chili, I had to share this from Real Live Preacher, who hails from Texas. An excerpt:

So when Miss Amy started in to tellin me about this here Cincinatti Chili, as she called it, I couldn’t hardly believe what I was hearin. She said it ain’t hot at all, nary a jalapeno in sight. Instead they fill it with nutmeg and all kindsa other spices and even beans. Now she was as cute as a baby bunny in a pea patch when she was telling me about it, but I couldn’t keep from laughing at the thought of nutmeg floatin in a steamin bowl of Texas red.

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The Corner: Lessons from The Four Corners

26 January, 2005 at 5:23 pm (General)
Tags: Reading, Thinking

Bob, from The Corner, shares a few Lessons from The Four Corners. This bit caught my eye:

All the trapping that we use to somehow capture God - the liturgies, the theologies, the doctrine and dogma - are more like sand paintings than they are like granite monuments. Traditionally most sand paintings are destroyed shortly after their completion, as a metaphor of the impermanence of life. The sands are swept up and placed in an urn; to fulfill the function of healing, half is distributed to the audience at the closing ceremony, while the remainder is carried to a nearby body of water, where it is deposited. So much of the strife and battles among peoples of faith tend to be about maintaining the myth of permanence.

We would do well to remember that our traditions are not our God. By traditions I mean the whole ball of wax: our theologies, our methodologies for Biblical interpretation, our rituals, our systems of doctrine, all of it. All of these are useful when - and only when - they reveal God. If at some point they cease to be windows and instead turn into walls, then we put destroy them and build new ones.

There’s no need for undo haste. Let us be certain that the windows have indeed transformed into walls. It could be that we’re just looking at dirty windows. Regular, ordinary use can lead to a build up of grime. No reason to toss the whole thing out when all we need is a little soapy water and elbow grease.

I find it interesting that even Jesus maintained a certain amount of mystery when he spoke about God and the Kingdom of Heaven. “The Kingdom is like…” he would say. Here we have the one person who best knows God and is best equipped to communicate this to people, and he still choses (or perhaps must) speak in simile. If the first Incarnation occurred today, or in any setting other than first century Judea, how many of us think Jesus would complete these sentences - “The Kingdom is like…” - in the same way he did then?

So then, let us maintain perspective. God is eternal; our sand paintings are not.

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Church Hopping: Week 2 & 3

26 January, 2005 at 5:22 pm (General)
Tags: Church Hopping, Happening

It’s a bit late, but here’s the update.

A week ago Sunday we visited Beavercreek Christian Church. My good friend, Ben, was recently hired on as “Minister of Celebration and Service.” I think that’s his official title. The church is just shy of a score old and fair sized, 300-600 in two Sunday morning services.

How was it? Well, nice.

I’m really starting to hate that word.

It was, like so many churches, a variation on the theme. Big or small; new or old; rented space, historic building or brand new gymnasium - it doesn’t matter too much. They’re all fundamentally similar. (Hell, even Harvest was just one more iteration in a number of ways.) I imply nothing negative. These churches are all, watch for it, nice. I liked my morning at BCC. Here are a couple reasons why:

I felt good about my kids. BCC was well organized and well staffed. Having a Monday thru Friday pre-school gives them experience that is well used on Sunday morning. The servants were all cheerful. Also, they were large enough to have separate areas for toddlers, like Jacob, and pre-schoolers, like Samantha. As a parent, I felt better knowing my kids were well cared for.

Second, I love Ben.

(Extended Parenthetical: I’m not going to beat around the bush. There aren’t to my knowledge very many in my local circle who check out my blog, (If there are they should leave a comment a little more often - hint, hint.) so I feel safe gushing about Ben. After all, if a mother shows naked baby pictures in the forest (I’m guaranteed to get a couple random google hits.) and there isn’t a girlfriend around to see them, does anyone get embarrassed?)

Where was I? Oh yeah. I love Ben. I love to hear him sing. I love to hear him play guitar. I could attend BCC for no reason other than to hear him. Last time… this post: I love Ben.

Finally, unlike Week #1, I didn’t have that feeling of surrender. Even though BCC was in so many ways the same, for some reason I still felt like I would have the space to explore and experiment. I’m sure some of that has to do with Ben’s presence on their staff.

*****

Last week brought us to The Bridge, an eighteen month old plant in Fairborn. Again, the word that comes to mind is nice. I appreciated the fact that this one felt more blue collar than white collar, though it’s style was less to my liking. Style can’t help but be a factor, though hopefully a secondary one.

Regardless, I can rule it out because I didn’t feel great about my kids. Children remain with their parents during singing. Possible if the session is brief. There’s was nearly an hour, more when you include the special song, offering, and community prayer. Frankly, my kids can’t sit in a pew and cooperate for that long; and I don’t want them to.

So, while I don’t have anything negative to say, I can say that it’s not the place for us.

If I had to put down roots today, I’d pick BCC. I don’t, however, have to pick today. We may very well wind up back at BCC in some capacity. (Have I mentioned that I love Ben?) Until then, we have several other places we want to hop over to including:

Westminster Presbyterian

St. Anthony’s

A house church start up

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Indie Allies Dayton: February Meetup

26 January, 2005 at 11:05 am (General)
Tags: Emergent Cohort/Indie Allies Meetup, Happening

February’s Indie Allies Meetup is on, and we’re taking a road trip. Well, I’m taking a road trip and I hope a few others come along.

Where to?

To the Map Room!

Map Room is a monthly alt.worship gathering. They meet at Old St. George’s near University of Cincinnati. Conveniently, their next gathering is the same day as out Meetup. 1 + 1 = ROAD TRIP!

Here are a few related links:

January Map Room Promo
January Map Room Review & February Tease
Directions to Old St. George from McDonald’s (Edwin C. & I-75)

Map Room starts at 8:00. For those who want to caravan, meet 7:00 at the McDonald’s on Edwin C., just off I-75. I’ll have directions to OSG.

Please RSVP at Meetup.com so I know who I’m looking for.

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Blogger Idol - 5 Reasons Why Stay-at-Home Moms Should Blog

20 January, 2005 at 8:43 am (General)
Tags: General

To anyone unfamiliar with the life of a stay-at-home mom, it can be a mystery of great depth. On the one hand it seems idyllic: no commute, no heels, no unreasonable bosses, no scraping the ice off the car in winter, flexible hours… it’s better than telecommuting!

Yet, talk with any mom - particularly the mother of a preschooler - and you get a much different story: the surreal mixture of mind-numbing drudgery and nonstop activity, doubts over the worth of a job which garners no economic benefits, not to mention the exhaustion that comes with a job you have to take home with you every day.

So, why should stay-at-home moms blog? Assuming they could find the time, here are my top five reasons:

5. Understanding - Let’s be honest: unless you’ve done it, you can’t really understand what it’s like to stay at home with the kids all day… every day. A blog is a window. If one mom blogs about her life, every stay-at-home mom has a voice.

4. Time Out! - A moderated blogging habit allows - or forces - a mom to step away from the children for a few moments during the day. A few moments to yourself can make all the difference.

3. Sanity - You’re going to talk to yourself throughout the day, anyway; why not share those thoughts with others, since the baby isn’t much for conversation.

2. Income - At home businesses target moms who want to have a positive effect on their families finances. Some moms do it as consultants for Pampered Chef or Creative Memories. Why not do it as a professional blogger?

1. Community - Moms need the support of other moms. A stay-at-home mom blogger can provide much needed community and affirmation to other moms.

BONUS: Collect and share tips and tricks with other moms: easy recipies, Oprah’s next guest, what to do about teething pain, etc. The blog is an easy to undate, searchable reference book.

Blogger_idol1 Blogger Idol - Week 6

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Tsunami Blogathon

19 January, 2005 at 10:04 am (General)
Tags: General

Darren, of Living Room and Blogger Idol fame, (as well as the Athens Olympics Blog, the Digital Photography Blog, and a few others I didn’t know about.) is running a Blogathon today and tomorrow to benefit Tsunami relief. 24 hours of blogging. Head over and make a donation.

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Neighborhood Group Continues

11 January, 2005 at 9:06 am (General)
Tags: Feeling, Harvest

This was just the sort of encouragement I’ve been needing. Our Neighborhood Group is getting together this evening.

Three weeks after the last official Harvest service;

Nearly two months after we last met;

And, perhaps most importantly to me, without any effort or prompting by me.

Apparently something of what I was trying to start was valued. Or, perhaps they want to get together in spite of what I did to form the group, which is even better; because then I can only say that something of God is coming thru.

(BTW - A variety of family illnesses prevented us from hopping over to Beavercreek Christian Church last week. We’ll try again this Sunday, and I’ll blog about it next week.)

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Mincha - Whose Gift to Whom?

11 January, 2005 at 9:00 am (General)
Tags: Praying, Reading, Thinking

Let me direct you to this post from the Velveteen Rabbi, who blogs about a discovery in the Jewish daily prayers (services) and their names:

I recently learned a new Hebrew word: mincha, gift or offering. It’s also the name of one of the three daily services: ma’ariv (evening), shacharit (morning), and mincha (afternoon).

There is a similar tradition in Christianity known as the Daily Office or Divine Hours. Over the last couple months I’ve been drawn to it, something about its formality, its intentionality, its history, and its poetic pattern, resonating within me. I don’t yet have an old-fashioned paper and ink copy of the liturgy, so I’ve been using the one provided at the Ann Arbor Vineyard’s website. (It has a wonderful introduction as well, for those who are interested.)

Though I am drawn to the idea, I’m finding the practice difficult. I have ready access to the liturgy during the day, yet the simple act of stopping, stopping to perform the liturgy, eludes me. It doesn’t take a huge chunk of time or a monumental effort. It just takes a moment of decision.

So the Rabbi has me thinking. Mincha = gift. I like that attitude toward the Daily office, but it begs two questions. Who is the gift from, and to whom is it being given?

Is it my gift to God? It is a gift of my time and effort, my “good intentions” to borrow the Rabbi’s words?

Or, it is God’s gift to me (via the historic proxy of the church)? Is it a gift of interruption, meant to refocus and re-center me in my otherwise scattered day?

If you’ve read other posts of mine, you probably know how I’d answer this set of questions.

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