What are the ups and downs of communicating faith in a Web 2.0 world? Where do ethics fit in, and how might this affect our communications and the future of the church? We will learn some of these answers from Adam who blogs regularly at Pomomusings.

As I begin to prepare my presentation, is there anything you think I really need to hit on, based on the description? What burning questions would you have on this topic? What do you think Presbyterians need to focus on, related to faith in a Web 2.0 world?

Hopefully, we’ll find a way to get my presentation up on Ustream.tv and maybe we’ll get a live-blog up during the presentation, as long as everyone promises to be nice (especially some folks).

I have a good friend who I have given a tribute to here on the blog before: Jamey Heit. He helped get me in shape a few years ago, was a faithful companion in a guys group I was a part of during seminary, had provided me with endless hours laughing, and is an all around great guy.

Well, he’s recently published a new book - “The Springfield Reformation: The Simpsons, Christianity and American Culture.” I want to mention it here because Jamey is a brilliant guy - he’s currently studying Religion and Literature for his PhD at the University of Glasgow. Jamey has gotten some good reviews for the book, one from Craig Detweiler, director of Reel Spirituality at Fuller Theological Seminary:

“The Springfield Reformation is as smart, searing and timely as The Simpsons! Jamey Heit demonstrates how The Simpsons holds up a cracked and crucial mirror to American civil religion and particularly Protestant Christianity. He highlights Homer’s comedic misunderstandings of God and Lisa’s sharp, spiritual insights. The Springfield Reformation points out the gap between Americans’ beliefs and practices (just like the show). Heit’s masterful survey of 400 episodes (and the movie!) make it an essential addition to the growing field of theology and pop culture.”

I’m currently swamped with life, searching for jobs, etc., and haven’t had a chance to read through the book, but I will post more about it after I’ve read it. Until then - you can pick up your copy here. You should also check out these links:

JameyHeit.com: I recently finished this site for Jamey. You can read more about Jamey, as well as learn more about his previous books. Check it out here.
Fan’s of The Springfield Reformation Facebook Group: Here you can join the Facebook group and keep updated with everything related to the book.

So here’s how it’s done: To become eligible for an upgrade, grab a friend who already has a first generation iPhone. Remove the SIM card from your friend’s iPhone and replace it with the one from your own phone. Plug the iPhone into a Mac or PC running a recent copy of iTunes. iTunes will recognize that the iPhone is loaded with a different SIM and begin the activation process. You’ll literally need to sign up for an iPhone plan at this point, sign a new two-year contract, etc. But hey, that doesn’t matter since you’ll be signing up for a new contract when you get your iPhone 3G. Any charges you incur will be pro-rated. It will certainly be much less than what you’d pay to get it unsubsidized [Keep reading]

Seems like it should work. Good luck!

Media Temple: I joined up with Media Temple in December of 2006 and I’ve been really enjoying their services so far. I use the (gs) Grid-Service, and besides the normal hiccups along the way, I’ve really been pleased with both the service and the customer-service when I’ve had to call for any reason. If you’re interested in switching hosts, or are just now thinking about getting a webhost so you can host your own site, check out Media Temple.

Revolution MoneyExchange: I’ve blogged about this before, but feel like it’s worth mentioning again. Revolution MoneyExchange is like PayPal, but they don’t take any fees when you send money to people. It’s a very handy way of sending/receiving money between people - and they still have an offer currently going where if you sign up with them, they’ll automatically put $25 in your account for you. Everyone I’ve talked to that did this had the $25 credited almost immediately - so, if you feel like getting a free $25, sign up now.

Text Link Ads: I’ve been making about $120/month since December with Text Link Ads, and have found it to be a very helpful way of making some money with my blog. It’s extremely easy to use and I find them to be some of the most unobtrusive type of ads that I’ve seen on blogs. Just click on the Text Link Ads button on the right, and apply to become a publisher and you’ll be on your way to making money with Text Link Ads.

Disclaimer: I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be able to write about Apple once I am officially hired to be a Specialist at the Apple Store in Emeryville on Monday, so I thought I’d post this now. Please keep in mind that I am a huge Apple fan and it will take a lot for my opinion of Apple and their products to change, and this does have more to do with AT&T than Apple, but…it’s still something I find irritating.

I want an iPhone. My friend who is an assistant manager at an Apple store was recently very surprised to find out that I don’t already have one. Despite the fact that we really can’t afford the voice + data plans right now for two iPhones (Sarah really wants one as well), I was shocked and irritated to find out that the $199 price that I’d heard from Apple for awhile now is not entirely true. Rather, it is true that you can get an iPhone for $199 if you’re eligible for an upgrade or are becoming a new customer. But for people like me - who needed to get a new phone last year because our old phone was having problems - and aren’t eligible for another upgrade yet, we have to pay $399 for the 8gb model.

I don’t get that. A new AT&T customer can get a 16gb iPhone, while starting a new 2-yr contract, and only pay $299. But, even though I’ve been an AT&T customer for 4 years, and even though I’ll be paying an additional $30/month to get the data plan and AT&T will be getting more money from me, and getting me to extend the contract I already have for another two years - they are going to charge me an additional $200 just because I’m not technically eligible for an upgrade.

What sense does that make for AT&T? All that is going to do is make them deal with a lot of angry people this Friday on June 11th. Not only will AT&T be dealing with people who are upset, the Apple store is going to have a ton of people who have waited in lines for hours find out that they have to pay $399 for the 8gb iPhone.

I heard about the $399 price from someone, and this video on the AT&T site explains how it will cost you $399 if you aren’t eligible for an upgrade. It doesn’t make any sense to me, and I think AT&T and Apple are just going to have a lot of frustrated people very soon. Even though I just got hired by an Apple store, I don’t think that will help me in my pursuit for an iPhone - and I’m not eligible for an upgrade until March 27, 2009.

Does anyone know if there is any way around this for people who aren’t eligible for an upgrade? I’d threaten to leave AT&T, but it’s the only provider that even has the iPhone, so…any ideas out there?

Sarah tells the story very well here (and yes, it appears she may be blogging again…), but we are in La Misión, Mexico right now. We came down at the invitation of our friend Erin, who we got to know better at GA last week in San Jose. We’ve basically been spending the days reading, relaxing, walking on the beach, laying in the hammock and avoiding all the other things in our “other life” back in Oakland that we probably should be doing. But it’s been good. I think it’s funny that we’re spending the 4th of July in Mexico, but neither of us are overly-patriotic people, and perhaps it’s a political statement that we choose to do so. Who knows. But it’s been very refreshing to be down here. You can see some more photos here.

But we go back to Oakland on Saturday, so we can lead worship at Macrina. That has been going well and we’re thankful to be able to be a part of that community, as well as have that job and the income to help pay our rent. In order to pay for everything else, we’ve both been looking for jobs. I was recently hired to work at the Bay Street Apple Store in Emeryville (which is 1.7 miles from our apartment) - which is only part-time, but of course, the discounts will come in handy. I also have a second interview at Starbucks (though getting up at 4am doesn’t sound too exciting to me) on Monday and Sarah has a second interview at Kaplan next week as well.

We think we should definitely get a house in Mexico - and we debated coming back - but alas, work calls. Sadie has also been enjoying herself immensely.

It was a really great opportunity to be able to be the Official Blogger for the Presbyterian Outlook at the 218th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Working with the Outlook staff was great, and they did a truly excellent job of reporting throughout the week. You can read their GA news here, and you can read the archives of my blogging here. Below are the blog posts I wrote during the week, the ones in bold being posts I enjoyed writing the most or ones that stirred up some controversy.

• Post GA: There is Hard Work to be Done
• A Battle-Cry of Fear
• YAAD Haikus
• Sexuality Issues at General Assembly
• Youth from Atlanta Disappointed with Assembly Vote
• DAIO Podcast Interview with Moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow
• Hope for the PC(USA)
• Who cares what the PC(USA) thinks?
• Youth Provide Much-Needed Perspective
• Open Hearing Concerns G-6.0106b
• Committee Meetings
• The Presbyterian Coalition and First-Order Things
• Ecumenical Dining
• Bruce Reyes-Chow Elected Moderator
• Top Ten Issues at GA
• Some Photos from GA
• Hopes for GA
• Who’s Blogging at GA
• Presbymergent at GA

Bruce Reyes-Chow has just been elected as the new Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008). Bruce is the techno-savvy pastor of Mission Bay Community Church in San Francisco and has been very active in the church. I’m sure he will lead us well this week as we negotiate the business meetings of the General Assembly. However, more importantly, I believe he will lead us well in the next two years, as he has a great vision for the future of the Presbyterian church (which is more important than being able to negotiate Robert’s Rules well).

To learn more about his journey toward being elected Moderator, or to learn more about Bruce, be sure and check out both his Moderator blog and his personal blog.

I just got back from the Church Basement Roadshow in San Jose. If you don’t know what the Church Basement Roadshow is…you should. Go check it out. The above photo alone should make you want to go and see why Doug and Tony are dressed like that. Doug Pagitt, Mark Scandrette and Tony Jones are going on this tour all summer to promote their new books - and it’s definitely worth checking out (besides, where else can you get a NOT-SOLD-IN-STORES “Trucker Frank for President” t-shirt like I did…?).

In addition to simply being a time of book promotions and craziness and zany antics (all of which will keep you laughing), there are moments of beautiful poetry, autobiographical reflections and being challenged theologically. Doug shares about pursuing a Christianity that makes sense with your own lived experience, a Christianity that doesn’t make you check your heart or experience at the door. Tony shares about Christianity’s naive embrace of Platonic philosophy as gospel, and reflects on absolute truth and Jesus as living truth. And Mark shares some powerful stories about the gritty compassion of Jesus and how he’s experienced beauty in unexpected places.

It’s definitely worth checking out - you can see the tour dates here. And you don’t have to take just my word for it - here are other fan reactions to the Rollin’ Gospel Revival.

A friend of mine described GA as a “family reunion” - and I generally like my family reunions. Sure, there are members of your family that you’d rather not be stuck talking to for an entire afternoon, and everyone has their own quirks, but I enjoy getting back together with family. However, I’m afraid that I may leave GA more cynical than I already am about our denomination, particularly the bureaucracy that exists within the Presbyterian Church (USA).

In addition to blogging for The Presbyterian Outlook, I’m also going to try and get over to man the presbymergent booth in the Exhibit Hall, and hopefully participate in the Face-to-Face “job fair” that happens at GA. I’m still looking for a ministry position in the Bay area. Anyway - when I have more information about the blogging, I will let you know. In the time being, I think you can look for my posts here, and I’ll be live-blogging (if I can find wireless) the General Assembly from June 20 - 28th.

I wanted to give you a short update on our time here in the Bay area. We arrived here, got into our apartment, and had some friends and new friends stop by to help us unload our Penske truck - which we did in 45 minutes. Pretty unbelievable. Which was great, but then meant that our place was filled with boxes. I think the first day or two Sarah and I were both completely overwhelmed, both with a new place, new people, new surroundings, our apartment (it was a little bigger in our minds than it actually was when we first got here)…too many new things for both of us.

One image that at least captures how I was feeling involves Sadie. She did amazing the whole drive out here - had no problems in the car - and was just great. However, when we were unloading the truck, we had to put her in the bathroom so she wouldn’t be in the way. So she saw an empty apartment, then was locked in the bathroom for an hour - when she came out, the place was filled with boxes. She also met 3 new people right then as well; so after she came out, saw the people and all the boxes of our stuff, she just puked.

Now, neither Sarah or I have puked since getting here, but…I think Sadie’s act was at least in some ways what I was feeling emotionally. Since then, things have been better; we’ve met some of our neighbors who are really friendly, gotten a little better feel for the area and are starting to get more settled into our apartment. We’ve made a few trips to IKEA and yesterday, we put together a Bjursta dining room table, some Stefan chairs and two Expedit bookcases. Today we have three Billy bookcases to put together and a lot of other random stuff.

Slowly, our place is coming together and starting to feel like a home for us. We still have a lot of work to do, but it’s coming along. Tomorrow we start at the Macrina Community, and then we have the rest of the week to get the place together before I head off to San Jose for the PC(USA) General Assembly. We will put up some more photos of how things are coming, but for now, you can see the progress we’ve made here on Flickr.

Finally - back to the West coast.

• First night was in Rochester with Sarah’s parents. When I tried to update our new TomTom One 130, it broke. So, I was up trying to fix it that first night and then had to wait until the morning to have tech support fix it for me - but we had a good night with the Walkers, including a great meal and Sadie eating an entire bowl of chex-mix (unbeknownst to the rest of us).
• Our second day was a long drive to Chicago to stay with Tony. We had some very tricky Penske truck maneuvering to do, since he had an apartment a block away from Lake Shore Drive - but in the end (amidst all of my skepticism and cynicism) - everything worked out just fine, and we had a fun, albeit short, visit with Tony.
• Our third night was spent in Kansas City with a Presbyterian pastor, Brian Ellison. There were dogs for Sadie to play with - which she loved(!!) - and we also got to connect with Landon Whitsitt, who puts together The Phoenix Journal. It was great to have some home-cooked food (Copper River Salmon!).
• Tonight we pulled into Colorado Springs and got settled in at the hotel. We had a great recommendation for a place to eat dinner, and we headed off to The Blue Star. Sarah and I both had amazing meals there, the atmosphere was great, and staff was really friendly. Sarah said we’ll have to come back to Colorado Springs if only to eat there again. After that we went to Poor Richard’s - a great bookstore and cafe. Add to all of that the beauty of mountains surrounding us - and finally feeling like we’ve made it to the beginnings of the West…it was a good night. We’re about to settle into an episode or two of The Office and then it’s time for bed before heading out to Winslow, Arizona tomorrow.

So I’ve been thinking about starting a new blog (I’d still keep pomomusings) as an experiment to see if I could make better ad sales (and thus, make more money) on a site that was focused around just one topic. I’ve mentioned this idea to a few friends to try and get ideas on what that blog should be about. Sarah has her preferred choice, and she would like me to start a cooking blog because that would be a good topic and it would get me cooking more often. So….while it may be that the cooking blog might happen….I’m still soliciting ideas from others about what a good topic for my next blog would be.

If you could choose what my next blog would be about - what would it be? What do you think would be an interesting choice but also one that would grab a huge readership that would help with ad sales?

So, it worked out great because they had a new truck for us (11,000 miles, great A/C, CD player with mp3 hookup) in about 30 minutes. And so our total price - for the truck, tow-dolly for the car, two dozen furniture pads and the dolly - is now $760. $760 for a cross-country move.

We also had the truck loaded up in just a couple hours - it went very quickly thanks to friends like Nate, Elaine, Will,  Becky, Jamey and Bowers - and we were surprised by how little we actually have. We may have even been able to fit it all in a 12′ truck. So, if you’re in the Bay area and want to help us unload the truck - we’d love help. We’ll be unloading the truck in our apartment in Oakland around 3-4pm on June 10th. If you’re interested in helping - please email me and I’ll give you the address.

That’s all for now - I may be doing some twittering from the road…especially if anything unusually exciting happens.