j's mental scraps

mars hill graduate school

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:47:00 +0000

one of these days, i'll actually take time to blog again.

in the meantime, here's a new video about my school.

mhgs what no. 2 from blaine hogan on Vimeo.

this is why i am at mars hill graduate school.

Organizing Solutions

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:04:00 +0000

i was in barnes & noble the other day hoping to find some books geared to helping people with ADHD get through post-secondary school. it seems though that virtually every book about ADHD spends the first half defining the disorder and talking about symptoms. when every single book starts with that, it gets very redundant very quickly, and leaves very little space for new material in each book.

after grabbing a stack of a dozen books about ADHD, i walked out with two books, once i realized that the majority of the books had only 20-50 pages of unique material. one of the books is specifically about ADHD and school (College Confidence with ADD by Michael Sandler), which i'm hoping to at least skim through before classes start in 2.5 weeks. the other, Organizing Solutions for People with Attention Deficit Disorder by Susan Pinsky, is a general organization book geared more toward the home.

The layout of Organizing Solutions resembles a magazine, having glossy pages with lots of images and little text. the layout simplifies finding ideas and makes it particularly easy for those with ADHD or other learning disabilities to find tips quickly without getting lost in a jumble of text. it has sections covering each room of the house plus ideas of how to handle specific items or tasks that occur in those rooms (paying bills, folding laundry, etc.). as a basic intro for those who have not figured out how to organize many parts of their homes, or certain areas in particular, this could be a helpful book. but, for me, the flaws outnumber it's usefulness.

Pinsky spends too much time arguing for efficiency at the cost of beauty and frugality, which essentially means you need to have some money to implement her ideas. yardwork a hassle? hire someone. can't get your room organized? buy more furniture. there are a lot of helpful tips, but the wastefulness ("it is quicker and more efficient to use paper plates as your "china" of choice at everything but your most formal meals.") was too much for me to handle. in talking about efficiency, she frequently suggests using open shelves and open storage bins so it's easier to just toss (or, to use her term, "wing") things into the containers instead of wasting time with doors and lids. the problem with that system that she never addresses is how to handle the amount of dust that will get on everything and inside those containers, creating a new problem altogether (but i guess you just hire a housekeeper to handle that, as she suggests hiring one to clean other parts of the house).

if you're having trouble getting a particular part of the house organized, skim through that section of the book (they're nicely labeled and color coded) at a bookstore or library to get some ideas, but leave the book behind.

summer of fiction

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:56:00 +0000

looking through the list of books i've recently read, i realized that i read a lot more fiction this summer than usual. i used to read one or two novels a year, but have taken to reading more fiction in the last couple of years. since i'm between ideas as to what to post on, i figured i'd do a quick rundown of the fiction i've read in the last few months.

1. most recently, i read Feed by M.T. Anderson. i read about Feed somewhere a few months back, and thought Jak would enjoy it, so i picked it up for him. of course, he had to go to work the next day, so i read it first. it's young adult fiction, so it just took a few hours to get through. it's based sometime in the relatively near future, when air is manufactured, steaks are grown on farms (not cows, just steaks), and everyone has an advanced version of the internet plugged into themselves called the 'feed.' the feed plays on the idea of personalized advertising and banner ads that we're getting more and more of these days, but taken to a whole new level as all of that goes straight into people's minds. advertising, education, instant messaging, and shopping all take place simply by interacting with this implanted device.

as someone who has rarely read YA fiction, i was somewhat surprised with the portrayal of the characters. Titus, the protagonist, is a portrayed as an immature and self-centered teenager, who has to wrestle with questions about life and death and reality that push him beyond his abilities to cope. while living in an era where even the adults sound like idiots (since they've received no true education and are also bombarded with the constant advertising) and a popular show is called "Oh? Wow! thing!" he is challenged to experience and imagine a life beyond the propaganda of the feed and figure out if the reality he's lived with is truly real.

2. On the edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: Adventure. Peril. Lost Jewels. And the Fearsome Toothy Cows of Skree. Andrew Peterson, a ccm musician, released a children's book in march. i read some rave reviews about it, and picked it up for Jak as he tends to like fantasy. he enjoyed it enough for me to read through it a few days later. i don't really read much fiction, and up until this summer, i haven't read many children's books as an adult - so maybe my opinion on this comes simply from the limitation of not having much to compare it to. but i loved this book. it was so much fun to read, filled with crazy creatures and great descriptions. between the plot moving at a fast enough pace, and the names of people and critters (like Podo, thwaps, and Gnag the Nameless) this would be a great story to read to school age kids.

3. i'd only read CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia once before, nearly a decade ago. i wanted to reread them (or at least the first one) before the movie came out, but never did (our copies have been packed away for a few years). so i decided i'd reread them before Prince Caspian came to theatres. i didn't do that either. but, i did snag a copy from a friend just afterwards and read the series earlier this summer. i was surprised with how little i remembered from any of the stories, most of them felt brand new to me.

having remembered so little, it was a blast to read them all and to be drawn into the magical world of narnia. i'd forgotten - and thoroughly enjoyed - Lewis' brilliant humor and fantastic descriptions throughout the stories. these books ought to belong in nearly every home.

4. i heard a local pastor bash The Shack by William Young, which of course drove me to buy it immediately. i didn't think i'd actually make it through the book once i started it. the absurdly excessive use of metaphors and weak editing at the beginning of the book made it hard to read more than a few paragraphs at a time. i don't know if the story eventually picked up enough to make it easier to ignore the glaring literary deficiencies, or if the writing improved later, but after the first few chapters, the book read much more fluidly.

of course, this book has been riddled with controversy, as some have accused Young of goddess worship and modalism, among other things. i felt it was a very bold move to dare to write a dialogue with God, which i give him props for. i didn't agree with everything he said or how he said it, but it's a novel - not a theological treatise. it's a story of grace, mercy, and forgiveness, written in the framework of one man's meeting with the Trinity for a weekend. it seems that those caught up in accusing Young of heresy are missing the fact that it is simply a story. though it definitely could have used more editing and a bit more clarity at times, it does pose an interesting read to challenge many of the assumptions about God, church, theology, and christian living that tend to exist in many circles.

new pixar short

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:43:00 +0000

like all the others, the newest pixar short is brilliant. i've loved all the pixar movies so far, but have stalled on going to see Wall-E as i figure we'll buy it on dvd once it's out - but it's hard to resist. if you've seen it, would you say it's worth catching now on the big screen even though we tend to buy all the pixar films?

[ht to ysmarko]

mhgs

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:33:00 +0000

Jak and i moved to seattle two years ago. the trek across country was for us to go to mars hill grad school. Jak wanted to do the spiritual direction certificate to balance out his mdiv degree, and managed taking several sd classes before his work schedule made it impossible to continue (but he at least got to take enough classes to let him feel a bit more balanced in his education, and still plans to take more as he can squeeze them in). i wanted to get my master's in counseling at mhgs.

when we first decided to move, it was mid-summer and a bit late for the application process. so when we arrived, i began taking classes with plans to apply for the following year.

i loved my classes that first year, but life got in the way of my plans to apply, and i never did. after all, by the end of the year i was doubting i'd even take more classes. but i did take more classes all of this last school year, and completed about as many credits as i could as a not-real student there.

at the end of spring term, i finally applied - and got in! so i'll be starting my master's program this fall. the counseling degree at mhgs is usually considered a 3-year program, but since i've already taken a bunch of classes, i'm hoping those credits will allow me to finish in another two years.

anyway, i do hope to take time to blog about my classes (as i've failed to do for the most part these last two years) and my experience at mars hill - which will hopefully have me posting here more often.

last egg standing

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 07:03:00 +0000

to break up the monotony after so many book reviews, here's something fun: last egg standing. i can't managing beating level 8, but it's an amusing little game.

Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches, pt. 6

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 12:19:00 +0000

last chapter, finally.

i'll admit some bias right at the start: Karen Ward, the author of the final section of this book, is the abbess/vicar of our church. i originally picked up this book a few months after we'd begun attending church of the apostles (COTA), moving it from where it had sat for months on my amazon wish list into the cart once i realized that she was one of the contributors.

Karen's chapter, "The Emerging Church and Communal Theology," is very different from all the others in three key ways. first, she uses a metaphor of cooking to describe theology and the metaphor runs throughout her chapter to describe the communal aspect of theology. second, a good chunk of her chapter is actually taken from blog posts and comments written by members of the community, thus actually incorporating such communal theology into the very fabric of the text. "This chapter has been written in communitas (in community) as that is how we operate at COTA." third, while the other chapters mention the authors' communities, they are primarily about each individual author's views, whereas Karen's chapter centers on the communal theology to the exclusion of her own, therefore even the responses to the chapter must be read as a response as much aimed at the community as to the actual content of her chapter.

there's a huge shift to move from the beginning of the book, where Mark Driscoll emphasizes scripture through the quoting the bible endlessly to reading Karen's chapter where she describes the difference in how scripture is approached in mainline churches: "In some ways we are being so immersed in Scripture within liturgy that we are like fish in water. It is all around us, and so we often seem unaware of it."

in true emergent church/postmodern fashion, the section on the atonement begins with, "First we are a bit weary of words. Somehow we don't expect that the latest framing of the atonement will help us any more than the last one did; instead, we are looking for nonpropositional ways of coming to understand the atonement, ways that involve art, ritual, community, etc."

"The closest image or analogy I have for how we do everything ("preaching," community, and theology-making) at Apostles is the "potluck," as this is how we function at our Abbey community kitchen meals, at our theology pubs, and in our weekly eucharistic gathering and other forms of community life." she explains how potlucks are not "quick or neat," yet they are nourishing and rich.

she describes the Abbey's kitchen as a constant mess (which after cleaning it once myself, i can attest to), but says that the mess is necessary as "you learn best by cooking, and it seems we learn Christian faith and life best by living it, so let the mess and the glory of community and kitchen living go on."

Karen's chapter (as do the others) covers much more than I quoted here, but the general gist is the idea that community is where faith and theology are discovered, learned, and lived-out.

responses:

Driscoll: "For the sake of pleasantness, I will begin with what Karen and I hold in common and then explain some of our more significant differences. First, Karen holds to the essential tenets of the Christian faith as articulated in . . . [the] Creeds. Second, Karen planted her church, something that is the logical outgrowth of a truly missional theology." he then goes on to his criticisms: 1. her role as pastor because of her gender; 2. her use of Scripture (because she has three scripture references - which tend to be passages as opposed to the 700 out of context verses he quotes) and use of non-scriptural (read: cultural) texts; 3-6. continue along the same vein (but i'll spare you the length this post will become if i continue).
Burke: likes her creative chapter "as a reminder that God invites all willing guests, both good and bad, to his party. Not all will reply, not all are suitable to stay, but his church's theology must pragmatically be lived out with this open party invitational approach."
Kimball: found her creative approach refreshing, and allowing "the other "cooks" in her church to contribute. . . obviously lines up with what she is saying about how her church approaches theology." he continues, "I was refreshed and happy to see that a church doesn't just teach theology in a one-way format, but allows people to be in dialogue and discuss it and "cook" it together."
Pagitt: "[within the context of her denomination] Karen is effectively seeking to bring change from within, which active theology ought to do. "

Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches, pt. 5

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 09:13:00 +0000

it's been a long time since i've posted. i wanted to finish posting on this book (Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches) before continuing on with other things. fact is, i found Pagitt's chapter went a bit over my head at times, so i was going to have Jak guest post for me on this chapter. but since he hasn't, and i'd like to resume blogging regularly, i figured i'd skim over the chapter (as it's been ages since i read it) and jump back into the blog world.

it's been said that this book was ordered from start to finish by most 'conservative' to most 'liberal,' and though i hate that those terms don't really tell us much, i'd have to disagree. i think if that order were true, i'd have to put Pagitt at the end. of the five authors, he tends to lean furthest from classic christianity (particularly as defined by evangelicals).

(btw, i recently heard Pagitt speak at the church basement roadshow and felt that what he said seemed pretty wild, but very cogent. he definitely strays from typical views of the gospel, but in ways that are refreshing. though i can't say i agree with much of what he says, i appreciate the breath of fresh air that he breathes into the church and the fact that he pushes people to think and challenges their assumptions.)

Pagitt states towards the beginning of the chapter that he is a contrarian, and that is clearly seen through many of the statements he makes. but i'll just pick out a few things he says that struck me.

in the section, "Theology is meant to be temporary," he says "Theology is the living understanding of the story of God in play with the story of our lives."

"There are far too many people inside Christian faith who feel the need to "give a nod" to the theology of their church or tribe, but it really has nothing to do with their lives. . . . In my views, this kind of disconnected theology is not useful nor should it be encouraged."

he writes a lot about the need for theology to be contextual, saying that we aren't to simply restate ideas of the past, but actually figure out what the gospel means - that we actually rethink the gospel not only in how it looks in our situation but to make sense of it in new ways.

overall, i'd say Pagitt would bring a bit of a shock to those from most 'traditional' backgrounds, but primarily because he realized that each of those 'traditional' backgrounds excludes a variety of other traditions: "When those from the Reformed tradition spoke of "traditional views," they were often not including the Anabaptist or Eastern Orthodox traditions (and the same worked the other way around). " it's easy to see our own theological lens as the correct one, and Pagitt shifts so far from all of them in so many ways, that it offers the corrective of reminding us that christianity exists around the world in different times and cultures through many different expressions - so much so that isolation in a particular tradition can cause the others to seem completely alien.

responses:

Driscoll: finds Pagitt's chapter the toughest to respond to, "One. . . I remain uncertain of his position on these issues (Trinity, atonement, Scripture). Two, his chapter is highly conceptual on how theology is not to be done." (then he spends a lot of time critiquing an author Pagitt quoted.)
Burke: "I find so much I agree with in principle, and yet I do not agree with how it appears he is applying some of those principles." (somewhat expected when responding to a self-professed contrarian.)
Kimball: "Every single time you talk to Doug, you'll generally have a new theological discussion of something he has been thinking about. I suppose that is why the basic theme of his chapter is that theology changes rather than being stagnant."
Ward: ". . . I really resonate with Doug and his views of theology as temporary, professional, contextual, particular, Spirit-led, and taking place in times of change." "So theology is not a done deal and a sealed canon written for us by others, that we need to swallow whole and espouse, but instead it is a living "art form" to which we as Christian practitioners are all given a brush."

Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches, pt. 4

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 05:25:00 +0000

i'll return to the blogosphere now to finally finish up this set of posts on Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches.

Dan Kimball fits neatly in as the middle author of this book with his chapter on missional theology.

(though, before getting into his chapter and theology i must point out that as much as he's known for his speaking and writing, he is most well-known in emerging circles for his wild pompadour hairstyle: see picture.)

while Kimball says that he would still consider himself a "conservative evangelical," he is concerned about the reputation of that term in our society.

in practice, his interpretation of being emergent consists of rethinking how we do church in light of cultural changes. "We must rethink leadership, church structure, the role of a pastor, spiritual formation, how community is lived out, how evangelism is done, how we express our worship, etc."

theologically, he focuses on the nicene creed, believing that there are a few basics beyond the creed that are standard orthodox beliefs, but is "comfortable in saying both 'I don't know' and 'this I know'" to most issues beyond the creed.

his church's (vintage faith church) tagline is 'a worshiping community of missional theologians,' as a community that comes together for worship, steps out into the community to serve (instead of remaining isolated), and where all are seen as theologians (not just the academics).

i like Kimball a lot, especially his passion for working to make the church a more approachable place for folks who don't usually go to church (i posted previously on his book They Like Jesus but not the Church), as well as his emphasis on core beliefs (like the nicene creed) instead of 'majoring on the minors.'

a quick run-through the responses:

Mark Driscoll: Driscoll starts by saying that he met Kimball, "when he and his very cool hair picked me up at the airport," and says that he appreciates Kimball's emphasis on Jesus but that a nicene creed Christianity is not enough because it doesn't answer certain "current issues." he goes on to outline a computer-speak concept of christianity, splitting into different 'versions' from 1.0 to 4.0 christianity, saying he "fear[s] that less thoughtful Christians will agree on the need for the kind of Christianity 1.0 that the Nicene Creed provides, but will refuse to also upgrade to the Christianity 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 as needed." [comment: i won't even begin to post my thoughts on his various upgrades to christianity.]
John Burke: Burke agrees with Kimball throughout his comments, and commends his focus on core theological questions answered, "so that we can decide if we will truly follow Jesus, not just in profession, but also in practice," leaving the rest of the issues as ideas to wrestle with after we've got the basics covered.
Doug Pagitt: Pagitt and Kimball are longtime friends, yet Pagitt disagreed with Kimball's view of the creed believing that the creeds are "cultural theological responses," and even the core issues as defined in the creed are ones that we should still struggle with. "To suggest that these creeds constitute some sort of timeless doctrine of the finality is to put a pressure on the creeds they were never meant to withstand."
Karen Ward: a large part of her response is quoting things Dan said that she agrees with. the first that stood out was how he defines the emerging church as "those who notice culture is changing and are not afraid to do deep ecclesiological thinking as we are on a wonderful adventurous mission together for the gospel of Jesus." the other one that felt very true to what i know of Karen was "his view of his role as 'a pastor and leader in a local church community, on a mission striving to be true to Scripture, but also engaged in the culture and thus enjoying wrestling with theological issues our culture raises.'"

Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches, pt. 3

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 11:50:00 +0000

the second author in this book is John Burke, the founding pastor of gateway community church in austin, texas. in reading this book, particularly Burke's chapter on incarnational theology, i find it helpful to recall something Webber wrote in both the introduction, and again in the conclusion. in the intro, Webber writes:

These five contributors are not scholarly theologians, but practitioners. All are currently engaged in ministry at the local church level. The question of this book is, "What kind of theological reflection motivates your ministry?

and in the conclusion, repeats the thought by saying:

First, and very importantly, the contributors to this book are pastors, not professional theologians. They are not called to the classroom, but to the pulpit. Therefore, we must read them as pastors reflecting on how theology forms and shapes their ministry. We should not look for insights into biblical, historical, philosophical theology, but for applied theology.

in light of Webber's words, Burke's chapter fits in perfectly.

Burke has found that in his ministry setting, he faces many questions regarding the exclusivity of christianity and about the differences between christianity and other religions. these sorts of questions shape his ministry and the way he communicates the gospel.

three things that Burke emphasizes are how we represent Jesus, the veracity of scripture, and acknowledging commonality with other religions. he points out that christians "proclaim that Jesus is the only way and the right way. . . yet following Jesus makes no difference whatsoever in the way these so-called Christians live and treat people, except that it makes them more judgmental and hypocritical." thus, Burke says, "We need a new job description as the church. . . we're misrepresenting Jesus if the world hears our message as a message of judgment."

for Burke, the prophecies fulfilled in scripture stand as proof of its truth, and scripture serves as an authority and anchor to theology, though "we must subject our interpretations to a broader community."

in writing about other religions, Burke balances a respect for other belief systems while holding to the uniqueness of Christ. he explains, "Some truth can be found among the religions of the world. . . . [but they] do not say the same things about God's identity." like the apostle Paul when in Athens, Burke emphasizes truth in various religions as arrows pointing to the truth of scripture and the gospel.

key ideas from the responses to Burke:

Mark Driscoll: Driscoll disagrees with Burke's interpretation of how christianity interacts with other religions in light of a transcendent moral law. "But Jesus stands against religion and morality as enemies of the gospel because, as Martin Luther said, religion and morality are the default mechanisms of the human heart to pursue righteousness apart from him." and ". . . all religions do not have in essence the same morality."
Dan Kimball: "I really don't disagree with anything John wrote. I can only admire his missionary zeal. But more than just having zeal, John then puts this zeal into action as he is involved in lives of people outside the church. And. . . has been forced to grapple with the[se] theological questions. . . [and] admit that we need to do some deep theological thinking."
Doug Pagitt: "John makes a persuasive argument for making important the uniqueness of Scripture and Jesus. But i wonder if that emphasis is not a result of a culture that finds value in distinction, thinking "We are better because we are different from the other.""
Karen Ward: ". . . I especially appreciate his acknowledgment and willingness to take on and examine the problematic tendencies of evangelicalism (harboring parochial cultural perspectives, seeing divine truth as totally knowable and "locked in" by human beings, and clinging to forms of unexamined biblicism that often come off as arrogant and patronizing).

Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches, pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 10:52:00 +0000

each chapter in Listening the Beliefs of Emerging Churches is titled with a descriptor of that pastor's theology, in the case of the first chapter - by Mark Driscoll - it is "The Emerging Church and Biblicist Theology."

Driscoll is the pastor of mars hill church here in seattle, a church he planted in 1996 that is now close to 5000 members. we live just minutes away from mars hill, but and i have yet to go there, though many things have certainly piqued my interest in going just to see what it's all about.

i've heard a lot about Driscoll since we moved here last year, and i've read some of his blog posts and seen some of his videos. so before reading his part of the book, i knew that there were many things that i wouldn't agree with. though i agree with a lot of his theology, we do part ways in a number of places, but most of all i take issue with his presentation (in general, not just this book).

in Driscoll's fourteen pages, he clearly and succinctly lays out his calvinist views of scripture, the Trinity, and the atonement (and he references 700 bible verses) often using bullet points to refer to the bible as much as possible in a small amount of space. now, i wasn't reading this book as some sort of bible study, so i didn't check on each and every passage he quoted. but i did look up several that seemed unfamiliar by the context of his quotes. the response i had after reading some of them was that he was prooftexting (taking things out of context to make a point) quite a bit in certain parts. i found that even in some of the points that i agreed with his conclusion, i disagreed with how he got there, i just didn't find them in the context or content of some of the verses he quoted. by far, most of the scripture he used did back up what he was saying, which seemed to make the prooftexting unnecessary.

as i mentioned previously, my usual problem with Driscoll is his presentation, and once again his presentation frustrated me. Driscoll wrote with great passion, but honestly it felt as if his passion was less about his theology and more about being right and showing how much he knows.

to save space here, i'll just give a key quote or idea that stood out to me from each of the other authors' responses to Driscoll's chapter:

John Burke: "This is why it is important that we provide space and room for questioning theology. . . . assenting to the correct doctrinal beliefs along can create that stench of the Pharisees if we're not careful, because what people say they believe is not always what they actually believe. . . . Ultimately, how we live reveals what we truly believe."
Dan Kimball: "He is reformed to the core. . . . when we take extreme theological positions on anything, the extreme part of it actually is the weakest part of the theological system."
Doug Pagitt: "At times I found it difficult to read Mark's chapter. . . . I am troubled by Mark's use of the Bible in what seems to be reference approach. Placing Bible passages in and around an argument is not in and of itself a proper way of being informed by the Scriptures. . . . Laying claim to part of the Bible as support for one's theological perspective needs to be done in a careful manner."
Karen Ward: "When I read his words, I think "Wow, if Gold's Gym were a Christian church, then Mark would be the lead manager, nutritionist, and personal trainer."

Listening to the Beliefs of Emerging Churches, pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 10:18:00 +0000

i'd been curious to read this book for some time now, and got quite frustrated with how long it took amazon to deliver it. but it finally arrived last week and it read it in just a couple of days. part of the reason i was so intent on reading it is because our pastor is one of the five authors and i was itching to know more about where she's coming from theologically.

the book has five sections, each with a chapter written by a different pastor of an emerging church (in this case defined as a church that has a young congregation). each of these chapters is supposed to cover that person's view of theology and how it's practiced in their church (primarily their views of scripture, atonement, and God/the Trinity). after each chapter, the other four authors take about two or three pages to respond to that person's chapter, making the book much more conversational than the typical book (although it is something that has been done in a few other books about the emerging church).

i really enjoyed the format, it was refreshing to switch between the different authors voices and perspectives. since the authors' views vary so much from one another, it was also fun to wonder and anticipate how the others would respond to each chapter.

the book is edited by the late Robert Webber, who introduces the book with a discussion about historical trends and closes the book with a reminder that we live in a very different age now than the modern era and how it's important to listen to these pastors even if they seem to be speaking a different (theological) language.

it's been pointed out that the authors names on the cover somewhat reflect their theological orientations, from left (liberal) to right (conservative), though i would argue if that's the case that Karen Ward and Doug Pagitt should switch places as she seemed a bit more conservative. but, i would argue that cautiously, as i would agree with comments made a couple of times in the book that labels such as liberal and conservative should be avoided (at least in some situations).

for the sake of clarity, and to keep my posts a bit shorter, i'm going to talk about this book over the course of a few posts.

A Deeper Shade of Blue

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:39:00 +0000

A Deeper Shade of Blue by Ruta Nonacs is one of those books that was in my stack of current-reads for at least six months. i started this book months ago but took my time getting through it, often putting it aside for weeks (or longer) at a time as i read other books.

Nonacs is the associate director of the center for women's health at massachussetts general hospital. part of the reason this book took me so long to finish was due to a recurring regret that we'd moved away from boston, each time i picked up the book i longed to be in boston.

through her writing, it's clear that Nonacs does not only possess a vast amount of knowledge and insight, but compassion and a true understanding of what depression is like for women.

since it took me so long to get through the book, there's a lot that i no longer remember well enough to comment on. but the book gives a ton of info on depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period, including how depression affects the family, causes and treatments, information about various medications, and ways to minimize the effects of depression.

as the content is not fresh in my mind, i'm certainly not doing this book justice. this book has a ton of excellent information for women in their childbearing years who suffer from depression and is an excellent resource. the amount of inormation may be overwhelming for someone in the midst of a depressive episode, so it's definitely a book to read while you're feeling well, and to have on hand as reference for the more difficult times.

i'm back. sorry for the confusion.

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:20:00 +0000

i got frustrated with blogger and made a rash move to wordpress.

wordpress has some great features and a better variety of themes/templates. unfortunately, wordpress doesn't allow for javascript or editing of html, and to change anything in the css requires a paid account. not allowing javascript kills most of my widgets, and though they have quite a few to choose from, they didn't have ones i wanted available on templates i liked. so even though they have a better selection of templates, the ones they have aren't as flexible as the ones here on blogger, at least not without a paid account (and i don't want to pay for it).

i've spent way too much time over the past few days trying to adjust to wordpress and see if i could make it work for me. so instead of wasting so much time, i'm back to user-friendly blogger and will simply hope they keep making more options available.

They Like Jesus but not the Church

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 21:14:00 +0000

i finished reading Dan Kimball’s book They Like Jesus but not the Church the other day. this was the first time i read Kimball beyond his blog or his comments in others’ blogs, and more than anything i was struck by his passion and compassion for the church and the world.

this book is geared mostly towards church leaders and others in ministry, while his follow up book I Like Jesus but not the Church (which is due for release in February 2008) is geared towards those who resonate with the title.

In They Like Jesus, Kimball gives several examples of positive views that our culture and those within it have of Jesus: as a man of deep spirituality, good teachings, and charismatic attractiveness. he focuses on emerging generations (essentially those in their teens through 30’s) and their criticisms of the church of today. he gives a lot of weight to those criticisms, explains the reasons for them, and makes suggestions towards correction. to make his points and create suggestions he interviewed several people both in and outside of the church and quotes them extensively.

the criticisms of the church that he focuses on (both in this book and the next) are:

the church is an organized religion with a political agenda
the church is judgmental and negative
the church is dominated by males and oppresses females
the church is homophobic
the church arrogantly claims all other religions are wrong
the church is full of fundamentalists who take the whole Bible literally

in each of his responses he describes why people view the church in these ways, why it’s problematic, and how the church can respond in a positive way (read: change), become welcoming and honest, while not compromising core beliefs or biblical principles.
i felt that Kimball wrote with integrity, being honest about how the church is seen in this culture, while writing with love and passion for both the church and those who find themselves outside of the church because of those reasons.

towards the end of the book he has a chapter specifically on what the people he spoke to wish the church were like, emphasizing the importance of listening to those ideas, and making suggestions for implementing them as a way of staying true to the biblical view of the church.

another thing that impressed me was that he included an appendix responding to the criticisms he received from christians regarding the content of the book, answering questions addressed to him concerned with the idea that listening so intently to those outside the church would dilute the church’s mission and message.

Kimball’s book is an important one for those who truly want the church to be the community of God on earth and who want to see the church move from being an obstacle in many people’s path to God towards becoming a place of invitation and authenticity.

i've moved

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:26:00 +0000

the other night, after i accidentally changed the look of my blog, i went through and made some adjustments to see if i could like a slightly different look. i wasn't thrilled with the results and didn't want to make it look just how it used to either.

so last night, i wandered over to wordpress to see what they offered. if you pay attention to blogging platforms at all, you probably know that wordpress certainly offers much more than blogger, though at the loss of some of the user-friendly simplicity, i might add.

i went ahead and created an account to see what i could do with it and how it would look and all that, and so far i'm pretty pleased with it.

i know the font is kind of small, and i'm not too into the orange for the titles, but i liked that i could import an image for the header(and that it doesn't have the same issues it did in blogger) and i'm still messing around with the widgets and the overall look.

so, unless wordpress drives me crazy or something, i expect this to be my last post on blogger. so come visit me at my new address: http://jpx2.wordpress.com/.

some changes in blog scheme

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 11:12:00 +0000

i was updating my lists of books and the order that the widgets and lists in the sidebar are in, and i decided to take a look at the other templates that blogger offers. well, it was late, and i was tired, and thus i accidentally clicked on a save changes link when i didn't mean to, thus undoing the entire color scheme and much of the layout of my blog. it was enough to nearly send me running to wordpress or some other blogging program. but as it was late, and as i like the convenience of blogger as another google product, i stayed put and just made a few modifications to a similar template as my old one to personalize it just a little.

i'm not loving it, especially the blue i currently have selected for links. so i'll make a few more changes soon enough. if there's anything you love or hate (or that isn't showing up right in your browser), let me know before i go fiddling around with it again. while i'm at it, ~~is the image at the top stretching the whole way across the box and staying in the frame in your browsers~~ does anyone know how to get the image in the title bar to stretch to the right size for different screens and browsers? i like that blogger now lets you put images up there, but it only seems to upload it as a static image that doesn't conform to the size of the frame~~getting it to the right size was quite a challenge (or at least a lot of repeated effort)~~.

and just for fun, if you're on blogger as well, let me know if there's another template that you think suits me better than this one.

on my bookshelf

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:46:00 +0000

as i was updating the lists of books i'm reading and that i've read recently on my sidebar right now, i glanced through them and realized that i have nearly a dozen books that i am somewhere in the process of reading. three more books i ordered from amazon just arrived today and another is still on its way. not only do i have way too many books on my list of what i'm currently reading, most are staying on that list way too long. many of those books have been there for about six months. in the last month or two, i finally finished about five books, but instead of moving through the rest on my list i simply added more. they are all books i've begun, but haven't quite made my way through the end.

in general school has a detrimental effect on my reading. i always get behind in my reading for classes, and in my guilt, i then avoid reading other books for pleasure. this time through though it took me a bit of time to get past the effects of school and back into reading. last summer i read three or four books a week at times, and this year now that it's august, i've just started to read about that many in a month.

hopefully in the next week or two, before classes start back up again, i can post about the ones i've recently finished and maybe get through at least three or four more.

random things meme

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 10:45:00 +0000

dr. blaze tagged me again. for this one, i'm supposed to list seven random facts about myself. while dr. blaze went ahead and explained each one of her facts (even gave stories!), i'm going to keep mine brief:

1. i have dual-citizenship.

2. i once had a pet squirrel (she was named andy). and i used to have pet chickens.

3. i've driven across the country up and down (a few times) and right to left (once, so far), and have essentially lived within three of the four corners of the country (SE, NE, and NW).

4. i have two phobias, one major and one minor (if they can be categorized as such). the major being cockroaches (even typing that gave me the creeps) and the minor one, which comes and goes, being telephones (my anxiety level rises dramatically when one rings that i might have to answer or when i need to make a call).

5. i like nuts. i love chocolate. just don't mess with my chocolate by putting nuts in it, i find them far too distracting from the pure pleasure that is chocolate (though peanut butter is fine).

6. i've never broken a bone. i cut through one once, and i've had a couple of hairline fractures, but after plenty of injuries that should've resulted in a break, i've never actually broken a bone.

7. i have no rhythm. seriously, none. when people are clapping along to a song, i'm that person you hear who's nowhere near the beat everyone else is on. this lack of rhythm has kept me from ever learning to successfully play any instrument.

ah, now for the tagging of others. yellowinter, since the last one i tagged you with was a bit much to handle with a baby around, how about giving this one a shot (and i still owe you a phone call, when i get past my current phobia)? and rilina, since we've been out of touch for a while and i don't think i've seen you answer this one, wanna give it a shot?

arriving at church

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0000

Jak and i started attending a new church a few months ago (right around easter), and in the last few months have made a few decisions and changes regarding church and stuff like that. i won't go into all the details here, but just the most recent part.

i've spent over a decade feeling too catholic for protestants and too protestant for catholics. i think i've (hopefully) found a place where i can be just enough of both. a church with catholic liturgy and protestant theology. a church where theology is found through liturgy and prayers instead of dogma. a church that affirms the historic ecumenical creeds (nicene, apostolic, and athanasian) and whose catechism is just skeletal enough to allow for conversation about just about everything beyond the creeds. a church that has a lot of room for lay ministry and doesn't discriminate by gender.

no, i don't agree with everything within the church, but it's a community that's open enough to have room for people like me who disagree with some stuff.

so this last sunday, i was received into the episcopal church. a church that lets me be anglo-catholic, enjoying catholic liturgy and practices while believing protestant theology.

Leaving Church

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:20:00 +0000

it feels strange to post about a book titled Leaving Church (by Barbara Brown Taylor), just when Jak and i are returning to church after a quasi-hiatus (but i'll post more on that later).

Leaving Church is writing in three parts, or movements if you will: finding, losing, and keeping.

in the first part, finding, Taylor - an episcopal priest - talks about her call to ministry and her move from a church in the city to pastoring one in a rural town in north georgia. ministry, and ministry in that church, are clearly a vocation she loves and feels called to. in part two, losing, she tells of the loss of the call to that ministry and that church, a call to come out of the work she has loved and into a different life altogether. in the final part, keeping, she pulls the previous sections - finding and losing - together as she writes about why she needed to lose what she'd found, how her life has changed, and what she has kept through her learning and experiences.

it's a beautiful book. i really enjoyed Taylor's writing, but since i actually finished the book almost two months ago, i'm short on details right now. i've had this post hanging out half writing for a more than a month, and figured that since i haven't posted anything in so long, it'd be better to get this up rather than worry about figuring out the details.

simpsons meme

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:34:00 +0000

never been tagged before, and then twice in the same night, i feel honored. . . or something. dr. blaze tagged me again, this time with the mission to make a simpsons avatar. so, here it is:

for this one i won't tag anyone in particular, but instead just say to make your own simpsons avatar and post them with a link back here so i can see them.

too many questions meme

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:41:00 +0000

Dr. Blaze tagged me with this meme. personally, i think 55 questions about myself is an absurd amount, but here goes:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? sort of. my mom read the name somewhere, and it's similar to a name in our family.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? i don't know, maybe a couple of weeks ago.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? depends. it's different virtually every time i write.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? since i don't eat ham/pork products or red meat, i'm not left with a lot of options for lunch meats (read: turkey and chicken). i like turkey well enough, but i really prefer cheese.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? nope.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? i've always thought that if two of me were in the same vicinity of each other the world would simply explode or something. so, probably not.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? not intentionally. people think i'm sarcastic more than i intend to be.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? nothing about getting bounced around like that really appeals to me. i'd go sky diving first.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? lucky charms, closely followed by captain crunch with crunchberries (yes, pure junk food).
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? is that what you're supposed to do with the laces? no. i just kick them off.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? physically or emotionally? physically, not anymore, i'm easily in the worst shape i've ever been in. emotionally, too much in certain ways, not enough in others.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? two, both ben & jerry's: phish food (thanks to Dr. Blaze for introducing me to it many years ago) tied with one sweet world.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? i don't know, i don't think i've ever noticed what i noticed, or maybe i don't want to think about how shallow i can be.
15. RED OR PINK? neither.
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? my tendency towards depression.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? our niece & nephew.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? nah, i'll just hunt them down and read it on their blogs.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? jeans. always wearing jeans. no shoes, just socks (but usually sneakers).
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? sushi (well, that was dinner. since then i've eaten nerds and a cookie, but i was trying to avoid admitting all that junk food).
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? our friend matt's cd (currently in boston, soon to be joining us in seattle), misplaced americans.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? indigo.
23. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SMELLS? cookies baking. forests.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my parents.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? yes. she's my oldest (as in amount of time, not age), and one of my dearest friends.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? ugh. i don't watch sports. i'd rather play. but if i watched any, it'd be soccer (futbol).
27. HAIR COLOR? these days, bleached blonde.
28. EYE COLOR? blue.
29. ARE YOU: OVERWEIGHT, UNDERWEIGHT, JUST RIGHT, OR NEVER RIGHT? i'd rather not talk about it. :)
30. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no, glasses all the time.
31. FAVORITE FOOD? silly question. chocolate. (but since this asks about dessert later, i'll say that as far as non-sweets, i like sushi)
32. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? depends on my mood, usually scary though.
33. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? apocalypto.
34. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? navy.
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? if it's snowing, then winter. but really, i love fall and spring.
36. HUGS OR KISSES? kisses, though i guess it depends who i'm getting the hug or kiss from.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? chocolate.
38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? book? haha. i'm never only reading one book at a time. so the three i'm most actively reading right now are: a deeper shade of blue by Ruta Nonacs; an emergent manifesto of hope by Doug Paggitt and Tony Jones; they like Jesus but not the church by Dan Kimball.
39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? laptop, no mouse pad.
40. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT? naruto.
41. FAVORITE SOUND? my niece & nephews voices and laughter.
42. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? not really into either.
43. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME/HERE? well, since i grew up in miami, and then lived in boston, and now live in seattle, i guess being in seattle in some ways is the furthest from both of those homes i've been.
44. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? i don't know, but i like making people laugh.
45. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? panama.
46. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION SPOT? toss up between costa rica and panama.
47. WHAT'S THE ONE THING THAT YOU'VE BEEN DYING TO DO BUT HAVEN'T DONE YET? have kids.
48. WHAT'S THE ONE SIMPLE THING THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? once again, chocolate.
49. HAVE YOU EVER TRULY BEEN IN LOVE? yes. still am.
50. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK/AUTHOR? anne lamott.
51. WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE? in the mountains.
52. WHAT'S YOUR PERSONAL THEME SONG? can't say that i have one these days. maybe i should go find one. . .
53. ARE YOU REGISTERED AS A REPUBLICAN, A DEMOCRAT, OR AN INDEPENDENT? independent.
54. WHEN YOU WERE A KID, HOW DID YOU SPEND MOST OF YOUR TIME? daydreaming or playing with g.i. joes.
55. WHAT IS THE AIR-SPEED VELOCITY OF AN UNLADEN SWALLOW? african or european?

and of course, since i got tagged with this, the only right thing to do is to tag a few others, but i'll keep my list short, so rilina, Becky, and yellowinter, tag, you're it!

Pregnancy Blues

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:04:00 +0000

it's been a while since i blogged about any books, mostly because i haven't been reading as much lately.

a couple of weeks ago, i read Pregnancy Blues: What every woman needs to know about depression during pregnancy by Shaila Misri, MD. over the last few years, postpartum depression has garnered more attention as a common and serious problem. unfortunately, there hasn't been much attention given to the subject of depression during pregnancy.

Misri begins with conceptions and misconceptions about womanhood, pregnancy, and motherhood and works her way through risks, causes, and types of depression, explaining treatment options and the risks of different types of treatment as well as the risks of untreated depression during pregnancy.

"One reason for my writing this book is to let every woman know that if she is feeling unbearably sad, guilty, or hopeless at any point during her pregnancy, these are not normal feelings, and she needs to address them as surely and swiftly as she would a rise in blood pressure or unusual staining or cramping. Just as she wouldn't endanger herself or her baby by waiting until her high blood pressure turned into preeclampsia or the cramping led to preterm delivery, she must not wait until her symptoms of depression become so severe that they threaten not only her own well-being but also that of the child she is carrying. . . psychological and emotional stress can ultimately be just as dangerous to both mother and child as any physical complication."

the hard thing about a book like this, is those who most need it, pregnant women suffering from depression, are not likely to read it. after all, it's hard to read anything while depressed. and unfortunately, the chapter that talks about the risks of untreated depression is towards the end of the book. i think that women struggling with depression while pregnant will tend towards fear of treatment because of the risks to the unborn baby, so waiting so long to get to the risks of not treating depression means that a lot of readers may not make it far enough into the book to find out why they should seek treatment.

overall though, this is a very informative and well-written book that i hope gains a large audience.

revved up

noreply@blogger.com (j.p.) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 21:14:00 +0000

i'm not sure when this blog switched from mostly book reviews to mostly posting videos, but that seems to have become the case in the last few months.

i know a lot of you don't bother clicking through to links, but this one is definitely worth it. revveduptv has a series of videos that are freaking hysterical. my favorite's are eternal darnation and lyrical punishment, but so far, all of them are funny.

[ht to Michael Spencer at the Boar's Head Tavern]