I am having a hard time remembering why I blog. My voice feels so… empty isn’t the right word, but it’s close. It’s not even that I’m wondering why I write. I write because I like writing. I like ideas, and I think words, stories, and ideas matter to humans when other humans speak/write them. I’m feeling meaningless in my voice. I write about mostly theological stuff. I write about my own fears and failings and how they relate to my believing Jesus. But why do I write about it? The last thing I want to be is another stream of Jesus information and/or Christian self-help fluffy statements that sound cool but mean dick. So why do I blog, why do I think my voice matters about theology and spirituality? Here is a list:

I am angry. I’m pissed off that the church has become something that hurts so many. I’m pissed that the church has “theology” that amounts to superstition and folk legend. I’m angry that after growing up in church circles I still had a weak/distorted understanding about what the Bible says is the good news for humanity. I’m pissed that we spend so much time and energy talking about being a leader, dreaming big for God, becoming a better person, doing social good, but almost zero time talking about Jesus. Do you wonder why Christians are painted by the media as close minded, backward thinking, self righteous assholes? It’s because we ourselves don’t get the gospel. We aren’t willing to wrestle with the implications of a God who loves us so much he himself sacrificed his own life so that we could be forgiven of the way we hurt others, the world, and ourselves… a God who loves us so much he reconciled us to himself by getting up from the dead and offering us real, everlasting life… a God who loves us so much he is actively putting right all the wrong our brokenness has caused, and transforming us into the kind of human beings who can and do his kind of work. I am angry that we have traded this rich hope for a pop-theology of self help, egocentric, money hungry, bullshit.

I believe there is a better way. Things may be bad (over all), but it doesn’t mean things have to stay this way. I want to be part of the change. All that stuff that I’m pissed off about, I want to see it reformed, refined, and redeemed. I don’t want my son to hit his mid 20′s and feel lied to and betrayed by the church he grew up around. I want him to ask questions, find truth, and be a part of a Jesus community that is imperfect but striving to believe and be human. I want to give the next generation a better starting point. I want to pass a good faith on to them… and taste it my self. I don’t know what the better way completely looks like, so I process with these posts. I think that good conversation, good ideas, a good vocabulary and words can go a long way in helping us imagine what a better way can look like in our every day lives. I think that the best way we can pass on a better foundation to other people is to ask better questions now. Help our thoughts and feelings about faith have a better frame-work in which to grow.

I hope. I hope that my words will ring true with other people who feel as I do. I hope other people might find a good challenge to the status quo of church culture. I hope people might get shaken up, rethink and re-see our faith, re-see Jesus. I hope I can make more sense out of the feelings and thought I have. I hope I can find my “tribe” and maybe find a bit more home in the body of Christ. I hope Jesus can use my words in his mission of the redemption and transformation of human beings. I hope I can begin to believe Jesus better. I hope I can contribute to art, beauty, good words, good thoughts, and good times. I hope my voice matters because I feel the need to write about this stuff, to speak out and share what I see, think, and feel.

Days like today I may doubt my self, question why I blog, question if my voice matters. Days like today come and go. Either way, I need to remember: I have reasons for writing, for trying to say what I try to say. Even if I’m just writing for my self, I have reasons that  matter.

What about you? Why do you blog? Why does your voice matter?

I wonder what people see when they meet me.  What are the first impressions that turn out true?  What surprises people? What do they leave thinking and assuming about my personal, my life?

Earlier this week, my family had a couple of people stay a few nights with us.  I would like to think that these people have become some new friends. They were nice,  gracious guests… and I find my self so insecure about what they left thinking about me. It’s really a baseless insecurity, but it’s there.

At work, I just got moved to a new team with a new supervisor. So what do people think of this new guy? Is my supervisor looking forward to having me,  or am I an expected burden? Again,  all groundless insecurities but still there they are.

My overall desire is that people will end up glad they met me.  If I’m honest,  I do have good things to offer…  but that’s not what I want people to be glad about. I would really like to be respected and someone people want to work with…  but that’s not why I want people to be around me. Don’t get me wrong, I want people to like being around me because they think I’m great, full of great ideas and awesome things to offer others. Heck, if I’m honest (again) I can see that I’m a prideful ass in most of my grabs at attention. “Look at my and how great I am… VALIDATE ME!” Even though this arrogant pride is there, at my core I want people to think well of me for another reason.

As church cliché as it sounds, I want people to see Jesus in me. At the very least, I want them to see someone who longs for Jesus because I know that without him I really am full of bullshit and amount to nothing. I don’t want people to feel evangelized to after meeting me. I don’t want people to feel bludgeoned over the head with Church. I don’t want people to feel weird because I’m obsessed with Jesus. I want people to intersect with me and leave thinking more about Jesus, questioning more, wanting to be like Jesus because they met someone who wants to be like Jesus. I don’t want to be a Jesus douche, but I do want to be a witness with my being… a witness to the hope of humanity… a witness to love.

So, I think about my new friends, about my new team at work, about the people I share life with, my old friends, the people I don’t talk to enough, the people in our church community… I wonder what they think about me. Do they think about Jesus because of me?

Other posts you should check out:

1. Glory on the Mountain and Sleep in our Heads
2. Personal Rant: Hope and Theology

In the beginning, the earth was formless and void. The Spirit of Yahweh brooded over the waters of chaos. With a voice like thunder, Yahweh spoke into the formless, into the empty, into the chaos.

“Let there be… ”

With poetry, song, and free style, Yahweh set the dance of life in motion, first building then filling the dance hall with all the dancers, decorations, and drop beats of his imagination. Into the formless and void, the brooding God gave shape and definition to what we call created reality. The final piece of creation was the glorious crown of humanity. God came near, got his hands dirty. Instead of speech, he breathed. The breath of God rushed into a muddy husk and humanity became a living soul. Then God took his seal, his very image, placed it over creation, and called the whole thing very good.

Evening and morning came; six days of creating were done. On the seventh day, God declared Sabbath. The act of creation was complete, it was as good as it could get. Adding anything else would just be ornate and bothersome. Everything was as it should be. It was finished. So, God rested from all the work he had done. The seventh day was blessed and made holy because on it God was finished and he declared everything very good; perfection.

This seventh day rest, this Sabbath gives us our base line for defining rest. God finished his work of creating an ordered, rhythmic, dance of life, and he rested letting the dance run it’s course. He sat back and enjoyed the work of his hand. He delighted in the growing grass, the swimming whales, the flocking birds… he was pleased at how very good everything was. Yahweh did not passively watch creation; this wasn’t his snow globe on a shelf. He chose to engage with  creation: planting a garden for humanity to enjoy, establishing human community and companionship, walking with man and woman in the best part of the day. In the Sabbath, the rest after finishing the action of creation, God remained active, engaged, and fully present to his new creation.

Even though the creation even was complete and very good, Yahweh also entrusted humanity with work. If we are to correctly bare his image, be his stamp on creation, to be like him, we have a purpose to our existence. Rest doesn’t mean we lounge about in pj’s and eat fruit from low hanging branches. Resting in the Sabbath of God means we enjoy created reality as it should be, including doing the work entrusted to us.

Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and shepard over it; have authority over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth… Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

Genesis 1.28-29

Sabbath; when we rightly express the image of God that we are created to be we find our place in the rest of God.

How do you find rest in doing what you are created, called, and entrusted to do?

Other posts you should check out:

1. Salvation as rest: pt 1 or an introduction to the idea that salvation means we stop trying so hard to make ourselves better
2. The Hope of Salvation 1.5: an apologetic interlude

Lately, my thoughts have drawn towards the end.  Realities of death have recently come close to home, and I’m reminded none of us get out of here alive. Yet,  death is not the end.  As christians,  we believe in life everlasting and a world eternal; because Jesus is resurrection is coming.

We hope…  but for what? We say we are saved,  but what does that mean if we are all doomed to die?  Is Christianity a viable hope for this life or is it just for some vague time still to come?

In short,  what can Jesus offer to a poor soul like mine?

I think finding the answers are wrapped up in the idea of rest.  All throughout the bible,  salvation is tied to rest. I would go as far as saying rest is the overarching biblical motif of salvation. From creation to the apocalypse and every promise in between, God is trying to get humanity into his rest.

I know some people might push back, saying salvation is about being saved from sin, from the wrath of God, from our own brokenness, from this evil up world, or even that we are saved so that we might do the works of God. Let me put forth that the idea of salvation as rest encompasses all of these topics and more. I think part of the problem is that we don’t understand what the bible means by rest. Sure, we could grab the dictionary and give a scientific definition, but remember that  here we are talking about one kind of rest: the rest of God. The rest of what it means to rest is embiggened and clarified by that caveat. To be inside the rest of God, his Sabbath if you will, is what we mean when we say biblical rest.

I want to start at creation and end at Revelation, a walk through the story of scripture with attention to the detail of rest. I want to learn how to rest. I want to learn what it means to rest. I want to find hope in God’s rest. I need this.

So, what does rest mean to you? 

Other posts you should check out:

1. The Hope of Salvation
2. First Word

He was given over to death because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification. Therefore now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will happen,

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

I was looking for something today, and I came upon some old notes of mine. Crammed into this leather notebook were old thoughts I had about God, the bible, church, and ultimately my self.

At the top of the papers, I found my old “manifesto” about a way of planting and doing church. I called it “the scatter church”.

I was a sort of intern at an EFCA church around the age of 20. Mostly, I did stuff with the youth group, some teaching, leading music, hanging out with a bunch of junior high boys. Once a week or so, a couple of us young adults would sit around with the pastor and talk about stuff. We worked through some books, talked through some scripture. It was an experiment for us and for him. I ended up being friends with the pastor for a long while. I used to bug him with questions about theology and scripture on a fairly regular basis. We still chat on Facebook once in a while.  Good guy.

Around this time, he asked one of the most formative questions to the shape of my spirituality:

If you could make a church, what would it look like?

This one question has haunted me, pushed me to re-think spiritual communities, forced me into a constant critique of American church in general,  made me dissatisfied with my own answers, and generally put a hunger in me to see the kind of Christian community I want to be part of grow somewhere. The core of this manifesto has actually stuck with me over these years, calling out to me, urging me to dream of a better life of faith. In my bones, still I want to see this kind of community real and alive.

Years ago (before it was hip to be missional and authentic), if you wanted to succeed in the church you had to create a mission and/or vision statement; something that gave definition and meaning to your actions, direction to your steps, and something that others could read and “get” you. This was the defining document about what you felt God had created and called you to do.

I found my old mission/vision statement in this notebook. I’m gonna share it here. Judge as you will.

In full and utter dependence on the one true God, I will pro-actively impact my culture with the true Gospel of the love and grace of God the Father (made fully and ultimately known in God the Son, Jesus the Christ) and the abundant life that God the Spirit lavishes on me as he dwells in me. All the while, I shall never give up my pursuit of the depths of God with live changing study, prayer, and worship.

I long to see all humanity full of the Spirit and in search of God’s depths, so I will personally introduce people to jesus on their personal level. I will disciple believers that they in turn may impact their culture, pursue the depths of God, introduce others to Jesus, and lead people in discipleship.

To this mission I recklessly devote my all to, counting myself as a sacrifice, crucified with Christ that he may now live abundantly in me. By doing this I hope to bring a smile to my heavenly Father’s face as I try to be his glory.

Funny, as I read it now I realize that it really is me. This is what I’m about, my heart. The words I choose and the way I may articulate things may have changed over this last decade, but the heart beat is still the same. Is it weird that part of me feels embarrassed to admit that? The enthusiasm, the determination to change the world, the youth captured in those words… part of me is far too cynical these days.

The rest of the notebook has various notes: a Bible studies on 1 and 2 Peter, a 21 page commentary on the first 17 verses in Romans, re-thinking Revelation 1-3 as a the key to understanding the book, thoughts about a church plant I was part of, and a bunch of notes about the hope of salvation. Pretty much a written snap shot of my life at the time. The bible fascinated me. I wanted to get it and help other get it better. Still do.

It’s crazy to come across something from a time in my life that feels so far removed from now. My life was so very different back then. Part time jobs, hours spent studying, dreams and no compromise. I was a coffee fueled dreamer. Still am in many ways.

I am glad to find that I haven’t change too much in these past 10 years. Sometimes I worry that my dreams are fading out. I worry that my heart isn’t in it any more, that life is just going along. Sometimes I need a reminder that I still dream the same dreams. Sometimes I need a reminder that my dreams aren’t crazy, they can last over time. Sometimes I need a reminder that I can think thoughts that will impact my life 10, 20, 50 years down the way. Sometimes I need a reminder about what I love, what makes my blood pump and my breath heavy. Sometimes I need a reminder.

We live in a world of sound bites. Viral video’s will often be short (5 min at most) in length. Facebook is flooded life statements printed on a nifty instagramed photo. If it’s not digested quickly, we tend to move along.

No matter what we think about a world like this, it’s the reality of our “plugged in” life.

Theology has historically been the discipline of thinking well about God. Often times that “thinking well” was expressed in lectures, big books, and other generally non-sound bite friendly ways. While I think that we need more than a 60 second video to talk well about theology, I’m wondering if there are phrases we can craft that invite us to unpack the thought and talk about theology. I don’t claim to do this well… heck, I tend to ramble on like a hyped up 2-year-old. But it is something I think is valuable to do.

So, here is a short list of theological statements that I think invite people to have a good think/conversation about.

• Theology is everywhere
•  Fools and asshats: we will all get a seat at the table
• Jesus is our gospel
• Sin isn’t what you do; it’s how you are
• Salvation is the rest of God
• We aren’t saved yet
• All will be well

I’m curious, what do you think about when you hear these statements? Do they make you want to hear more? Do you write them off? Are they just a sound bite to pass over? What would you add to the list?

Help me re-think how we can invite people to talk seriously about Jesus, gospel, and theology in an instant age.

Other posts you should check out:

1. Random thoughts on the need for theological reformation
2. Theology Questions

What if we stopped being on mission and instead were in mission?

This thought has been baking in my head since Sunday. Over the weekend, I received a support letter from a good friend. I firmly stand behind what he and his family are doing. The one thing that struck an off chord with me was the use of the phrase, “on mission.” It’s not that this is a bad phrase. It is one that is used in many church/Christian groups to describe a mindset and life style that is intentional about what God wants to do in cities, neighborhoods, and personal lives. “On mission” is an identifying phrase, a rally cry, a way of being church.

I’m all for what I hear people talking about when they kick around “on mission.” I’m not against it at all; I just think there is a better phrase, a better vocabulary, a better way to describe and imagine working with God. I want to replace “on mission” with “in mission.”

On mission implies something we are doing. On mission implies something we are sent to carry out. On mission charges us with a responsibility. All of this might be good, but it also places us outside of those we are “on mission” towards. On mission paints us a picture of being sent to those in need. While that is a great thought, it’s not the reality of life. We are not the holy body of servants sent to work at what God is accomplishing. We are the broken who are being made whole. Our story is part of Gods mission: making all things right and well again.

That is why “In mission” makes more sense to me. Our redemption is part of God’s mission. Our stories are wrapped up in what he is doing. We are not sent from a perch of “good enough” to help others achieve a level of good so that they can finally get with the program and do mission. We are all busted and broken. We are all in need of restoration and reconciliation. We are all in need of salvation. Inside or outside the church walls and community, we are all part of the focus of God’s mission. So when we begin to believe, we find ourselves in the middle of the mission of God. We get to do good and show people that God is at work in us, them, and the whole of creation.

This might seem like a pointless change or splitting hairs. Maybe it is… but I think this shift can to help us all dream better about what it means to be involved in what God is already doing.

What is the best answer you have to the question, “what is the gospel?”

Do you think our gospel statements are trinitarian enough?

Other posts you should check out:

1. What is Gospel?
2. Theology Questions

Lent is a story of ashes and bread.

During lent we remind ourselves we are made of dust and to ashes we return. These molecules of ash were fused together by the hand of God, breathed into with the Spirit of God, and thus humanity came to be. Beings of ash and divine wind. We live on bread, and to dust we return… and into the dust the Son of God came.

The idea that the Bread of Life chose to come and be made up of the ashes and dust of humanity speaks loudly of what compassion is. The Son of God became one of us, entered into the wilderness of  our daily lives, was crushed and spent on our behalf… so that we might have life. The bread of heaven becoming nourishment for the people of dust.

Lent won’t let us forget that into our wilderness God became man.

We fast because we want to remember that God is our sustainer and we are not yet in the promised land. We fast because Jesus did.

At lent we remind each other: the Light of the World suffers with us – we who are made of ash and dust – bringing us into the promise of a better land, the very wilderness of sin refined into God’s garden.

Talking about gender issues in Church typically gets one of two responses: either it is declared a “secondary issue” that is a matter of personal opinion and interpretation, or the very idea of “women in ministry” is viewed as a threat to the underlying fabric of the Christian faith. Both of these responses are wrong. after reading Pam Hogeweide‘s first book, Unladylike: Resisting the Injustice of Inequality in the Church, I am convinced that the place women occupy in our churches is a deep issue of justice and not (primarily) a doctrinal issue. I appreciate that Pam shares her story with passion. It is the story of a journey from an egalitarianism to polite complementary and finally to a place of advocating for equality in word and deed. Through her story, Pam begins to discuss topics like women in church leadership, the way we view girls/women in the church, patriarchy, and over all our idea of what it means to be created as man and woman in the image of God.

Honestly, this book has given me much to think about… and I think that’s the point. Women do deserve to have a voice along side their brothers. If we are going to see that happen in our Churches today, we have to think, talk, and act deeply about these complex issues. While it may not be a quick fix or an easy “new fad”, it is a reformation that is happening in hearts and minds. Don’t read this as a feminist book; read it as a call to equality in Christ for everyone who shares the Imago Dei.

Other posts you should check out:

1. Book Review: Steeple Envy
2. One Book Down!

Today we celebrate the birth of theology; the light of the world built a home in out shadow lands. This is the fulfillment of advent. We give gifts because we have been given much. We feast because the bread of life calls us all to the table. We share life because the darkness is being pushed back and life is teaching us love.

“Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee o Israel.”

Other posts you should check out:

1. Light
2. Proof positive that I am not a heretic…

As the church, we tend to organized our selves around a form while trying to retain an identity. What if we organized our selves around our identity and let the form change to fit the rhythms of our life?

What do you imagine Church gatherings and activities could look like if we focused more on who the Church is and less on what the church looks like?

Other posts you should check out:

1. Why I’m a catholic// I gave up on your “church” and got into the communion of saints
2. Scattered thoughts on Driscol's final thoughts, or don't spend your crazy weather on self recognition.

I think most of us are burnt out on religion, tired of bigger and better being the church mentality. We are sick to death of the Christianity we see on Sunday not matching up with what we see in the pages of scripture. This is why I really appreciate Victor Cuccia‘s book Steeple Envy. Primary, this book is Vic’s story of finding himself sick and tired of a Christian religion and his ongoing journey to rediscover the Church and Jesus.

Through out his story, Vic openly and lovingly questions practices and underlying motives  we have in our evangelical “super star” church mentality.

“The whole reason I’m writing this book is the share my mind and heart without being influenced by what people think or how they’ll react.”- pg 79

Steeple Envy wasn’t written to toot one man’s horn. The main thrust behind this book is to share the story thus far of Vic, Journey Church and their journey to re-think what it means to be the church. It’s filled with honest questions, and opinions about what Jesus started. It’s also got some crazy cool stories about stuff that God has done among and through Journey Church. Check out the stories behind the 12×12 Love Project. Testimonies like this shout at us all that God is at work and we can be a part of the good things he wants to do. Things don’t have to be status quo; we can live in a sacrificial way and show the love of God to the world.

It’s a great read. If your feeling that discontent with the Sunday show and questioning some of the priorities of Churches, I think you will resound with the book. I found it engaging, easy to read, and a great addition to the ongoing conversation of what the heck it means to be the Church of Jesus.

Other posts you should check out:

1. Book Review: A Question of Faith
2. One Book Down!

This is a recreation of a post I lost due to a database crash. So if you saw it previously and are wondering, “What the heck?” that’s what’s up.

Something occurred to me recently. I’ve blogged in some form since 2004(ish). I registered my domain in 2008, and have written at CulturalSavage ever since. In all that time I have never had the foggiest idea of who is actually reading my ramblings. I figure now is as good a time as any to change that.

So, here is your chance to tell me all about you. Do you blog? Do you like bacon? How much coffee do you drink? Do you have a family? What are your ideas on double predestination? Where are you from? What are your spiritual beliefs? How awesome are you? What is your name for crying out loud!?

I’ve said enough on this blog  already. Now it’s your turn. Who the heck are you?

Read Part 1 here.

I think we often forget that 1 Corinthians 12-14 is part of a larger letter that was addressed to an entire community of believers. We tend to take this passage and apply it (or at least large parts of it) to our personal faith expressions and not see it in its community context. Paul’s words here are to an entire community who had apparently written him with some questions they would like to have addressed (as well as some correction that Paul felt needed to happen). This is important to remember. Too much (I feel) of our talk about the subject of “miraculous” spiritual gifts has begun and centered around personal experiences. While experience should never be ignored, it cannot be the litmus test and compass by which we navigate this topic.

Paul’s first words in this passage steer us away from blindly following experience. The people of Corinth may have been familiar with ecstatic expressions of worship to various idols and gods that created the Roman pantheon.  As real as those experiences might be, there is something distinctly different about spiritual gifts incited by the one true God. No longer are we led about by mute idols. There is an active, living God that is at work in our community of faith, indeed in our very persons. When the Spirit of God is at work in the lives, hearts, and minds of people will bring out the confessional proclamation ”Jesus is Lord!” This confession is a litmus test of sorts, as well as ties together the individual and the community of faith. So, right from the start, we are faced with the communal nature and purpose of the various gifts the Spirit activates in each of us.

The metaphor of a body made of various parts strengthens this idea, as well as points out an important fact: we are not all the same. Not all are given the same spiritual gifts, and this is ok. In fact this is essential. To use Paul’s metaphor, we can’t all be a hand or an eye. The entire community suffers if we all are seeking the same gifts and functions. This is one of the reasons Paul then admonishes us all to seek love above all. If we are loving each other, there is not going to be a scramble to prove our spiritual prowess with spectacular displays of majestic power. When we love, we are patient, kind, not boastful and full of envy. A community that is in love functions with the harmony of a healthy body. Love is the reason behind the gifts, it is what will last into eternal life, and it is the greatest of the things that make up a believing life.

The community and the way of love: these form the back drop for the expression of spiritual gifts. With this context, are we surprised at Paul’s words:

Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, seek to abound in them in order to strengthen the church. (14.12)

The concept here is spiritual gifts are given by the Spirit for the purpose of building up a community of believers so that the confession “Jesus is Lord” is professed and proclaimed by all. Spiritual gifts are not a spectacular showcase of things to be amazed at. They are not designed to bring glory to an individual. Spiritual gifts have one (two-fold) purpose: to manifest the grace of God in the midst of his people and to grow us all up into the kingdom of God.

So then, what about tongues? I mean, how does an ecstatic utterance of prayer or doxology serve that purpose?

While I believe that in the proper expression, the gift of tongues has its place in the body, I think that some “experienced based theology” about the gift that needs to be addressed

First of all, we have to understand that tongues are not some divine seal, proving that the Spirit is working through an individual. Tongues are not proof of some divine authority. Neither are tongues proof of some sort of second blessing, an extra dose of salvation. Paul simply does not treat the gift this way in the passage.

Second, the gift of tongues is not a more intimate or direct communication with God. Every believer has the exact same access to God the Father through God the Son, empowered by God the Spirit. Since we have already seen Paul state quite plainly that not every one is given the same spiritual gifts, it would be wrong of us to assume every believer should have the gift of tongues. Since it is not for every believer, why would God give a more intimate or direct communication to some of his people? That doesn’t add up. Hebrews 9-10 makes it pretty clear that Jesus’ sacrifice alone makes way for our direct access to God.

Third (and perhaps the harshest), an expression of ecstatic utterance doesn’t automatically mean someone has the gift of tongues. A wide variety of religions and spiritual practices have a practice of ecstatic utterances. A miraculous sign (such as tongues) does not prove God is at work. Again, we look back to the litmus test: is the gift bringing out the confessional proclamation, “Jesus is Lord!”?

In the interest of honesty and full disclosure, I want to share my experience with the gift of tongues. I grew up around a strong Charismatic/Pentecostal influence. Speaking in tongues was always understood to be the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” and was thought to be a normative part of the Christian journey. My views on the gift have changed (I no longer equate it with the baptism of the Spirit, nor do I expect every Christian to have this gift), however it is still a part of my life with Jesus. One night in ’89 or so, I woke up at about 2am speaking in tongues. Ever since then, I have used this gift at various  times in my life for prayer, praying for others. In my personal experience, it has led me to praise and proclaim, “Jesus is Lord!”. Every time I have seen it used to build up the body of Christ, it has led to this confession. When I have seen it abused, it has been about personal glory, jockeying for authority, and/or harmful theology.

Yes, I believe the gift of tongues has an important role in the modern (or even post-modern) church… but I believe that every gift should be rightly expressed and lead us to proclaim to the world “Jesus is Lord!”

Other posts you should check out:

1. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels… (part 1)
2. Charis and Action: some thoughts on spiritual gifts

Advent is the time we wait for this coming and all it’s implications. Advent is when we wait for the dignity of humanity to be restored. Advent is when we wait for shalom (the overarching peace, harmony, and health of all things in the cosmos) to be renewed. Advent is when we wait for the culpable violation and rape of shalom to finally be judged and for all to be once and for all set right. Advent is when we wait for Jesus who came in a manger and is coming again in majesty, glory, and power.

Why waiting though? Why does the Church year begin with this season of waiting, unfulfillment, longing? Why not begin with Christmas time, easter, something more joyous that the haunting emptiness of waiting?

Read the rest…

Other posts you should check out:

1. Advent: what it is and why we wait
2. A good Advent resource

Jason Vana is this random dude on the internet that I met and have come to consider a friend.  He heads up a group called Ignite. He also is one of those design type people.

For advent (which starts tomorrow FYI) he has put together a devotional book/calendar that is defiantly worth your time and energy to check out. You can down load them free here. I’ve looked over the book, and am very excited to walk through Advent with this resource…well, try to anyways. I usually get about a week in and then suddenly it’s New Years. Like three or four weeks just disappear in a blink of an eye.

So, what resources are you using to celebrate and explore this Advent season?

Other posts you should check out:

1. Advent: what it is and why we wait
2. It's just too good not to share

I found Tor Constiantino‘s book A Question of Faith a refreshing change in the comparative religion discussion. Too often no meaningful conversation comes from these attempts because of mischaracterization, vilification, and this weird need to empirically and definitively prove that “my religion is right”. I’m not against apologetics, nor do I think that all religions can all be right. However, if we are going to have an honest discussion, we need honesty about both sides. Too often people load the dice when talking about religion. What kind of honest talk about religion can come from that?

The entire book revolves around one question:

Q: Which of the major world religions listed below is the best for someone to believe?

• a. Buddhism
• b. Christianity
• c. Hinduism
• d. Islam
• e. Judaism
• f. Sikhism

Other posts you should check out:

1. On the Verge: Review
2. Grace Through Faith

A few days ago, Marc (@_MarcCortez), Julie (@InciteFaith) and my self got into a little discussion about speaking in tongues. I quickly decided that 140 characters was a bit too limited for my thoughts, so here’s a blog post about it. Strange how that works.

Julie’s original question (which I admit I kind of busted in on… but hey, twitter’s great for over hearing conversations you really want to jump in on) was simple enough,

“ Speaking in Tongues. For or against? Why? or Why Not?”

This question however opens a big ol’ can of worms for us theological types. Smart men have discussed, debated, decried, demonstrated and other “d” words the gift of tongues for many years now. To put it mildly, the spiritual gift of tongues is one of those crazy parts of the bible that is really hard to wrap our understanding around. People lots smarter than me have said much more than I will about the topic, but I did want to share my experiences and understanding about this in hopes for some good, open conversation about such a weird topic.

Before we go any further, I think that it is highly germane to this discussion to briefly discuss what the heck a spiritual gift is? I mean, are we talking like super powers that we get for believing in Jesus? Are these things everyone experiences? Are they just for the super spiritual/ultra crazy charismatic Christians? This in its self is a large topic worth many words in its own right. In order to not follow the rabbit trail too deep, lets say this for now: Spiritual gifts are a short hand way of talking about various ways that the Holy Spirit empowers all believers to manifest and display the grace of God for the common good of the community and the world. The Spirit of God does something in the person/heart/mind of a believer to creates a perfect storm of personality, abilities, and passion. The Spirit of God then supernaturally empowers and uses all of that to manifest his person and mission to the believer and the people in the believer’s life.

No matter how uncomfortable it makes us or how weird it seems, according to scripture, one of the ways the Spirit manifests the grace of God through some believers is the gift of “various tongues”… but what is the gift of tongues? Right from the get go, we encounter part of the controversy. the gift of tongues is either a) the supernatural ability to speak in an existing language that is currently unknown to the speaker (like if I suddenly busted out some Russian Jesus talk to some Russian dudes) or b) a language that has been divinely granted to the speaker for the sake of prayer, self edification, and possibly (if there is interpretation) teaching/exhortation.

Like I said, this is a weird topic. I mean, if we have such a hard time defining what this gift is, how can I even say if I think it is still an active gifts in the Church these days? How can I decide if we can’t even nail down what we are talking about?

The primary text for our discussion is 1 Corinthians 12-14. I do want to dive into this text in (relative) depth and find some biblical answers to help shape our thinking… but first, there is a nagging question I have. I really hope no one takes this the wrong way, but why does this even matter? I mean it’s not like we are talking about the nature of Christ or the trust worthiness of the Bible. This passage is relevantly small and obscure, and many churches don’t ever talk about it. Why should we spend time thinking about something that seems to only cause arguments and division, not to mention confusion.

To wrap up my first entry on this topic, I would like to say a few things to address this last question:

This topic, as weird as it is, matters because it involves who we are as the Church of God. If spiritual gifts are (as I mentioned above) given so that the community of believers is built up, and if tongues are a valid spiritual gift, we have to look at the implications for our Churches today. There are also many believers (myself included) who have had personal experiences with this gift. While we never want to build an understanding  solely off experience, experiences do shape how we understand things. Maybe there is a reason people still have these kind of experiences.

On the other hand, it may not matter. Truly, this could be nothing more than a theological exercise in thinking about weird,  things from the Bible… but it is in the Bible. That leads me to believe that there is a reason God has seen fit to record these words and pass them down to us. I think it is also important to remember that these words about tongues and spiritual gifts were not given to us apart from the larger context of God’s self-revelation and his story of redemption. These words are in the Bible. They are part of the Bible, which means they have a proper place in pointing us to Jesus and helping us to become like him and be a part of the Missio Dei.

I hope this conversation ultimately points us to Jesus. If it doesn’t, I have a feeling we are probably doing it wrong.

Other posts you should check out:

1. Charis and Action: some thoughts on spiritual gifts
2. Bob Hyatt: The Death of Preaching

First haircuts are so sad., a photo by Cultural Savage on Flickr.

First haircuts are so sad.

Other posts you should check out:

1. Self 365 1-5-08
2. Self 365 2-20-08

Angles and prophets carried a message of hope and God’s great deeds in ages past. Now, celebrity preachers write books, travel to conferences, and leave pulpits to further their ministry. Why do our methods of proclaiming the topsy-turvy kingdom of God now look so sleek,so familiar to our internet culture? Inverting the old ways just leads to something we are comfortable with, something like us, something devoid of prophetic life.

The value of a martyr is not that they are brave enough to die. The true glory of martyrdom is the life preceding the death, a life that by its very way of expression proclaims something so different, so other, so holy they powers that be deem it as a threat to their familiar, their safe, their way of wielding power.

So, why does a blessed christian life look so much like the American dream? Why do pastors we think successful look like CEO’s, motivational speakers, and entrepreneurs?

The danger of conforming to the world is not that we will end up looking like the unwashed masses. The real devastation comes when our life loses its prophetic voice because the home we point to looks exactly like the demon of success. Maybe we should sell everything we have, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus… not because poverty is more spiritually pure, but rather because that kind of action is so unfamiliar to our beautiful, savvy culture that shops at Ikea.

If our Message is Jesus and his new kind of life, should we really be telling people Jesus will give them everything they have ever day dreamed of?

Other posts you should check out:

1. Personal Rant: Hope and Theology

Bryan Allain wants me (and you) to blog better. Seriously, if you were to come upon him in a Starbucks, you could ask him, “Do you want me to blog better?” He would say, “Yes.”… and then be a bit creeped out from the awkwardness of the situation. Back to the point, Bryan wants people to blog better. Which brings us to this book he wrote, ”31 Days to Finding Your Blogging Mojo.”

Here’s the thing, I don’t really like most “blogging coach” talk. Most of it always makes me feel like there are catch phrases, buzzwords, and best practices, but not a lot of real substance. Not trying to knock anyone, it’s just how I feel. It seems that unless you’re a full-time blogger, immersed in the blogging culture, much of the lingo just doesn’t make sense in a “how the heck do I do this” way. Again, that’s my experience.

Bryan’s book is different, and not just because of his abstract sense of humor. Bryan has written a little book that is accessible to anyone with a blog. This isn’t a book about turning your blog into something it’s not. That would be lame. Bryan wants you to focus on what you are passionate about, and to connect with people who like what you have to say about that passion.

The book is divided into 31 chapters that are quick, fun reads. Each chapter ends with an action for you to do. They don’t take long, but they do give you some good track to run on to start seeing some changes in your blog. These are small steps, but added together it is a great plan to help you focus on your passion, make it accessible for people to read, and to hopefully gain returning, interacting readers.

I’ve had a blog in some form of another since the early 2000′s. As of late, I’ve been a spotty blogger at best. Honestly, this isn’t the kind of writer/blogger I want to actually be. While I alone am responsible for creating the content of this site, Bryan’s little book has helped me become proud of the fact that I am a blogger. I want to do this blog thing well; I want to do it my way, with my voice. I think this book is a great tool to help define what it means for me personally to be a good blogger, as well as help me build my blog into what I imagine it could be.

Plus, its funny. Like really funny. Bryan Allian is a funny guy.

Anyways, check the book out if you’re looking to get a little kick-start to your blogging mojo. It’ll do you some good.

Disclosure: I received a free e-copy of this book for the purpose of this review. The opinions expressed are my own, and were not solicited in exchange for anything. I really like this little book. I recommend it of my own free will. There is no check in the mail.

Other posts you should check out:

1. On the Verge: Review
2. Praise Habit: 21 days

This is how my son said good morning today: Lightning McQueen!

Other posts you should check out:

1. Morning Prayer

Here are a few questions I would appreciate any and all feed back on:

1. How important is theology to your idea of faith?
• what is your definition/concept of theology?
2. In your opinion, was Jesus more about theology/orthodoxy(right believing) or Orthopraxy (right doing)?
3. If someone calls them self a “theologian”, what is your snap judgment about them?
4. What would happen if we stopped talking about theology in Churches?
5. Does a good theology matter in your every day, rubber meets the road activities and needs?
6. Where in the Bible is our theology?
7. Do you care about theology?

Other posts you should check out:

1. Is mission the mother of theology?
2. All my theology summed up