Michael D. Bobo

Where is the Church going?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:23:00 -0800

"Where is the Church Going" Panel Discussion from Claremont on Vimeo.

It was an honor to attend this in person. It captures so many questions, concerns and expectations for the future of our faith.

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Now on Emergent Village: "my broken family"

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:08:00 -0800

A personal reflection on the rift between the Church and the Arts is now on Emergent Village Voice. Please read and comment there.

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In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:30:00 -0800

This is as relevant today as it was in 1963. Here's the entire text. Powerful. Where are the Dr. Kings today? We've lost the art of Christian public oration that is seen in this beautiful moment of U.S. history August 28, 1963.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

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Now on Emergent Village: "Emergence and Indie Rock"

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:47:00 -0800

I've just published a few thoughts on Emergent Village Voice regarding the parallels between emergent thinking and indie rock. They are remarkably similar and inviting in my opinion.

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Now on Emergent Village: "World Religions and Ecumenicism"

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:10:00 -0800

Having taught Humanities for the past year, I've learned a lot along the way. Here's a few of those insights that I've shared on Emergent Village Voice. I suggest the global body of humanity is a healthy perspective to relate as Christians to other religions. Listening and sharing can best happen as we consider our commonalities as people before delving into the uniquenesses.

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Now on Emergent Village Voice: "My Spiritual Path to Virtual Community"

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 09:19:00 -0800

Much to my surprise and gratitude I've been welcomed by Doug Pagitt to write with the Emergent Village bloggers. My first piece is an introduction to my story and a sign of appreciation for the opportunity to explore the life in Christ together with such a great group of fellow Christian writers.

Please read, share and comment there.

Here's the permanent link to my author page on Emergent Village Voice.

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Now on Burnside: "Waiting for Baby Jesus"

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:23:00 -0800

Please read my Advent reflections upon the coming of Jesus on Christmas day on Burnside.

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2011 INSPY Award Winners

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:30:00 -0800

The second annual INSPY awards have been announced today. This has been another great year of promoting Christian writing by the ardent team led by Amy Riley. The INSPYs passion for quality Christian fiction and creative non-fiction is truly commendable.

I have been honored to participate as an Advisory Board member this year. Thanks to Amy, Hannah, Rel, Deb and Lydia for making this a pleasurable and successful venture. I appreciate your many labors as writers and connoisseurs of finer Christian writing.

Congratulations to the INSPYs 2011 winners.

Read the Shortlist of Finalists

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Now on Burnside: "God's Jury"

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:25:00 -0800

It's been a little while since I've updated this. The following posts have been on Burnside Writers for the past couple of months. I'd love to read any comments there as always.

"God's Jury" - Read a revelation I received about the nature of church while sitting in jury duty

"Losing My Religion" - My thoughts about R.E.M.'s calling it quits

"Forgiveness" - A meditation on Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal Son

"An Interview with Aimee Maude Sims" - My discussion with the editor of RAW: A Poetic Journey

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Now on TheOOZE.com: "A Super Sized Lesson"

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:56:00 -0700

Read my retelling of my son's fascination with super heroes now on theOOZE.com.

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Return of the Invisible Girls

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 22:59:00 -0700

Last year Sarah Thebarge chronicled her relationship with a Somali family. Just as she started making inroads, the family packed up and moved from Portland to Seattle. The story abruptly stopped.

I reviewed the story for Examiner.com earlier this year. Please read this in order to get a better perspective on how compelling this opportunity was for Sarah to befriend an African immigrant family struggling to make it's way in the Pacific Northwest. It's compelling nature gripped me from the start and I hoped to hear more from Sarah once she figured out how to reconnect with them.

I'm delighted to share some recent good news! Sarah continues the journey. Visit The Invisible Girls to read about her recent visit to Seattle.

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Now on TheOOZE.com: "Pancake Devotions"

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:43:00 -0700

I am delighted to share my recent success with TheOOZE.com. You can now read me there, too. I'll be posting works on family and fatherhood in the coming weeks there. My first piece is a contemplation of my devotional life after fatherhood that includes the spiritual discipline of making pancakes!

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Multiple Personalities

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 19:30:00 -0700

One of my many problems is my online split-personality that have not easily melded. I realized this even more through a tool on Klout.com. I've called it a Meyers-Briggs for internet personalities. Fascinating.

I've been graciously labeled an "Explorer." I like that. Discovering new online tools has always been a fascination of mine. So now, I embrace my new label: Michael D. Bobo the Explorer.

Rest assured, I'll continue to share and to observe what's next online.

If you are interested in finding out about your web personality, visit Klout.com and sign in with your Twitter or Facebook accounts. Your analysis will reveal whom you've influenced and how wide your web personality extends.

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Now on Burnside: "Art & Faith: Spare the Son"

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 20:33:00 -0700

Last week presented a debate over masculinity between Pastor Mark Driscoll and author/blogger Rachel Held Evans. My latest post on Burnside examines this from an artistic lens. Rembrandt's Sacrifice of Isaac has particular poignancy when seen in its historical and contemporary contexts.

Please read and comment there.

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Damn You George Lucas!

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:43:00 -0700

My childhood obsession with George Lucas' creation has come full circle in my son. I never knew what I looked like at ages 5 through 9. Now I do. Here's a glimpse of my world through the battery of questions my son is throwing at me over the past few weeks. We watched Return of the Jedi once and a whole new world was opened to him. His brilliant four year old brain has to make sense of all of the intricacies. Mind you this particular line of questioning occurred during the two blissful hours of movie viewing. It took about one full hour for the barrage to stop and his eyes to just observe this new universe. Enjoy!

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Son: Dada, who are the furry little bears?

Me: Ewoks.

Son: Are they like Chewbacca?

Me: Kind of.

Son: Why is Chewbacca taller than the Ewoks?
Me: He is a Wookie.

Son: Are there other Wookies?
Me: No.

Son: Where are all the Wookies? Isn't Chewbacca lonely?
Me: They died in the Clone Wars. He is friends with Han Solo.

Son: Why did they all die?
Me: The Empire won the Clone Wars. Most of the Jedis died during the Clone Wars, too. Only Obi Wan, Yoda and Anakin survived.

Son: Who is Anakin?
Me: Darth Vader. He's Luke Skywalker's dad.

Son: Why does he have two names?
Me: His name is Anakin but when he turned to the Dark Side he was called Darth Vader.

Son: Does Luke go to the Dark Side?
Me: Just watch the movie. And, no he doesn't.

Son: Why does Darth Vader wear a black suit?
Me: He is burned during a fight with Obi Wan.

Son: But Obi Wan is dead, right?
Me: In Return of the Jedi he is already dead, but Obi Wan was Anakin's teacher. He helped Anakin become a Jedi.

Son: Why did Anakin fight his teacher?
Me: Anakin was going to join the Emperor and the Dark Side.

Son: Where is the Emperor?
Me: He's in the Death Star. Just watch. You'll see Luke will fight him and Darth Vader.

Son: Dada, does Luke die?
Me: No, please watch the movie. It's half way over.

Son: Dada, who is the hairy creature in Jabba's Palace?
Me: Please I'll tell you after the movie is over. Just watch.

Son: Dada, does Han die?
Me: No.

Son: Does Leia die?
Me: No.

Son: Does Chewbacca die?
Me: No.

Son: Who is the Ewok that dies?
Me: I don't know. Please watch the movie.

Son: Dada, I love you.
Me: I love you, too. Please watch the movie.

I'm in big trouble. Damn you George Lucas!

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RAW: A Poetic Journey

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 21:03:00 -0700

I did not fully realize what I signed up for when I submitted my work to a poetry contest. I failed to read the fine print. I'm glad I did.

My first two published poems are in RAW: A Poetic Journey edited by Aimee Maude Sims with a forward by Jennifer Knapp. My public writing journey began with a piece on Burnside that discusses Knapp's lesbian lifestyle entitled "Protestant Planks: A Lesson in Grace." It is divinely ironic that she introduces a book that has two of my poems. RAW is what I have been for a long time. My life has been truly unorthodox so when I read the contest guidelines for real prayers and heart cries, I knew that I needed to be among them.

A perusal through the list of contributors reveals a group of men and women whose faith has carried them through some very hard times. Despite the raw and unorthodox nature it possesses, they cling to a good God who loves. His love is so vast and variegated that it encompasses the fringes. Jesus came for the outcasts, and I believe he would be named among these, too. For his mission reaches into the broken places. And such are we.

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Now on Burnside: "I Write Because"

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:06:00 -0700

"I Write Because" is an edited version of a series I did on this blog about what makes me write. Please read and comment on Burnside if you feel compelled. This is a very personal piece since it touches on the primal urges I feel when I take up the keyboard and write. I am self-conscious of it, but I believe it might strike a cord with some of my readers who also write.

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Reannouncing Daily Burnsider

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:46:00 -0700

A recent idea I had sprouted and manifested as Daily Burnsider. I initially started it on my own, but Jordan Green liked it so it's been renamed and absorbed into the official Burnside Writers Twitter account. If you are interested in the contributors you can see the official list.

Daily Burnsider is a daily collection of articles and links shared by Burnsiders that is refreshed every 24 hours. I hope that it is a blessing to see what others are doing. I know that I lack inspiration often, so this is an easy way to know how and what others write.

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Art & Faith: Whose Banner?

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:48:00 -0700

The second piece in the series is now on Burnside. This one examines Peter Paul Rubens' work David Slaying Goliath and discusses the religious tension of contemporary Christian culture wars. The moment of tension remains just as Rubens depicts in his brilliant work. I appreciate your comments there.

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I Write Because I Hate

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:51:00 -0700

Sometimes the world is just not as I think it should be. So I write. My angst propels me to do something, but my virtual self is suffocated in the machine that I hate.

I hate the fact that it is less loving, less pure, less appropriate. My passion for seeing, loving, and hating propels me forward as a nameless, faceless hater of all that is indecent. I consider the world - its virtual trappings - and I hate that a phone call, or God forbid, a face to face conversation takes so much work.

I hate that I am who I am - part of the problem writing for solutions. How do we escape these virtual walls that shelter our virtual selves trapped inside of virtual profiles? Multiple personality disorders are rife in the postmodern, Internet mania in which we struggle to survive.

I hate these things and so much more. I write because I hate, and maybe I hate because I write. But my hope remains possibly one thing will motivate someone(s) somewhere(s) to change. Until it does, don't expect to see me shut up.

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