You are being redirected to JoshuaGraves.com

New blog posts at JoshuaGraves.com

2009-09-03T16:21:00.002-05:00

If you have not already, please update your RSS feeds and bookmarks to JoshuaGraves.com

The Feast

2009-08-27T09:47:00.002-05:00

The Feast is now available on Family Christian Bookstore's website. Click here to order. If you are an Amazon/Barnes and Noble loyalist, I'll update when it's up there. If you are not interested in the book, please forgive my passion..this has been a work in progress for two years.

www.joshuagraves.com

2009-08-26T22:31:00.005-05:00

In a few days, this site will become part of a new website (www.joshuagraves.com). When that happens, please change your rss feeds and bookmarks. I'm late to the game but I will also begin living in Twitter land (http://twitter.com/joshgraves) on a somewhat regular basis-- if you are interested.

The Feast is scheduled to be available next week through Family Christian Bookstores (in store purchases are highly appreciated). LifeWay, Books-A-Million and some other regional stores will carry the book along with traditional avenues (Amazon, Barnes & Noble). These other carriers will have the book at some point during the next few months. I'll update the new site as that information is available.

MEET YOU FURTHER ON UP THE ROAD

2009-08-25T10:19:00.004-05:00

Sunday night, friends and family came together to "send the Graves family off Nashville style." For Michigan folks, it was pretty convincing. It was quite a scene. I told Kara, on the way to the gathering, that "there's little chance I'll cry tonight." When I walked into the room to see everyone who'd shown for the event, I made myself a liar almost instantly.

The room consisted of cowboy hats, boots, sweet tea, great country music from Mitch Washer and Paul Bobo . . . Ashley Harrison, childhood friend, brought out tears with his remarks and slideshow/video at the end . . . but the Barton family stole the show.

Not known for their musical abilities, the Barton Family caught us off guard.They took classic Motown music (Seger, Motown, Madonna) and turned them into country songs about Josh and Kara. The highlight for me was John Barton's remake of a well-known Marvin Gaye song. The lyrics will give that song away.

When Josh gets to preaching, we get spiritual healing . . .
Makes us feel so right . . . eous
Helps us walk in the light
Spiritual healing in the body (that's Christ's Body),
it's something that's good for us
Get up . . . Get up . . . lets all go to church
Wake up . . . wake up . . . cause Josh's preaching works.

A close second was Barton's re-do of a Madonna song called, "Like a Theologian" . . . here's an excerpt:

Like a theologian (oooohh), preaching for a really long time
Like a theologian, quoting Brueggemann and N.T. Wright,
quoting Henri Nouwen, Barbara Brown Taylor,
Did I mention Brueggemann?

We're heading down the road in a few days for a new journey. We're taking the friendships and memories from Rochester Church with us to cherish every day. Ministry is a job almost impossible to explain. Because, in most ways, it's not a job, it's your life. It's people. Stories. Difficulty. Joy. Celebration. Disaster. And in the midst of all if it you forget that as you've been giving yourself away week after week after week, others have been doing the same for you and your family.

Mysterious Ways

2009-08-21T12:35:00.003-05:00

When I catch myself staring at Lucas (which happens a lot), I can't help, at times, but feel a deep sadness come over me. Don't get me wrong, I love every moment of fatherhood. Especially the ones where I'm exhausted, he's crying and then, all of a sudden, he stops, pauses, and smiles at me. Yes, he's now old enough that I can say, with full biological confidence, he's smiling (it's not just 'gas' anymore).

The sadness comes from knowing how temporary (frail, the poet Shelley would write) life is. Lucas will be 18 before I can say "Gerber baby food." I'm going to wake up one morning and realize I am not nearly as young as I perceive myself to be.

---

Some day, maybe later than sooner, Lucas is going to ask me about the mystery of the Spirit. I'm going to do three things. At least, today this is what I'd say.

First, I'd talk about Jesus's conversation with Nicodemus in John's gospel. What an interesting conversation. Of course, I'll save him all the academic interesting tidbits like the difference between Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic (I'm guessing he won't be interested in that in a long time). I also won't bring up the literary point about when Jesus stops talking and John (the writer) picks up. After all, John's Gospel is a series of conversations. Here's what I'll say: Lucas, do the trees move the wind or does the wind move the trees ("The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, buy you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going")?

If that doesn't satisfy, I'll talk to him about U2's song "Mysterious Ways." If you are not familiar with this song, which I'll assume most of you are, you can click here to read the fascinating lyrics. There are three ways this song is interpreted by U2 experts like my friend Greg. 1) This is a song about a boy falling in love with a girl (and the mystery that lies within this roller coaster ride) 2) An explicit ballad written to describe the role of the Spirit in the life of Jesus follower OR 3) A midrashic commentary on the life and death of John the Baptist. Which one is right? The answer is probably "yes."

If Lucas is still awake at this point, I'll tell him what I should have told him all along.

When your mother and I were newly married, your mother had a dream. She dreamed that she was in a huge building. While walking near the top of this large sky-scraper, an enormous wall of water came crashing over the top of the building. Immediately your mom awoke and told me, in an urgent voice, of the dream.

The next morning I woke up to the news on CNN that a large tsunami had devastated parts of Asia, leaving thousands of people dead, many more without food, water or shelter. One of the worst tragedies of my lifetime. I'm guessing hundreds of people had similar dreams that night.

When you were just a baby, your mom had a dream that she was pregnant with a girl (which was not true). The nurse in this little dream was Kara's friend Sara Whitten. Random. Totally random. She does not work in the medical profession.

The day following the dream, Kara learned that Sara Whitten had herself just learned of her unexpected pregnancy (in real life).

There are other stories. Stories for other days.

The wind moves the trees.

Talk about the things you can't explain.

You hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it's going.

HOW MOVIES HELPED SAVE MY SOUL

2009-08-17T10:21:00.004-05:00

I read Gareth Higgins's book How Movies Helped Save My Soul over the weekend. Fantastic work. If this interests you, I also suggest Reel Spirituality and Eyes Wide Open.

While reading How Movies Helped Save My Soul, I made a list (without too much analyzing on my part) of movies that have deeply impacted me over the last several years. In no particular order, here's my list:

Glory, Places in the Heart, O Brother, Ray, Losing Isaiah, Shawshank Redemption, Bella, Slumdog Millionaire, Field of Dreams, Cold Mountain, Freedom Writers, Malcolm X, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Apostle, Chocolat, Life is Beautiful, Seven Pounds.

NOTE: I am hoping to teach a class at Otter Creek in January on the relationship of film and scripture. It should be fun!

Flags for Jeremy

2009-08-13T08:32:00.003-05:00

I am constantly wondering how our churches can minister to military soldiers (both foreign and domestic). Mostly because both of my brothers-in-law have served in the U.S. military. My friend Andy recently shared something that happened in his neighborhood. I can't shake this story. I think you'll like it.

Jeremy has been in the military for a few years . He's newly married (I performed the wedding incidentally) to a wonderful young woman. Military life's been hard on him. Without going into unnecessary detail, his stint serving Uncle Sam has challenged his core identity, outlook on life, and close relationships.

Andy wanted to do something life-giving (first century Christians might call this "gospel") for Jeremy. In the midst of this burden a brilliant idea was born.

Fresh off of a military tour in Afghanistan, Jeremy returned home to Midvale street in Rochester Hills--the house he grew up in, the same street where Andy lives. Andy got word of what was about to go down. So he got his three kids together and hatched a plan: They would hunt local dollar stores in hopes to find as many tiny American flags as they could get their hands on.

They ended up with hundreds of flags.

The next day, Andy and his family walked up and down the street telling neighbors about Jeremy's return from war. Every single neighbor agreed to honor him (I'm guessing . . . even some of those who oppose both the war in Iraq and Afghanistan) by placing flags in their yard.

I walk in the tension of nationalism and patriotism. Nationalism is blind loyalty to the country one lives in over and above all other value claims (like Christianity). This breaks my heart for I am convinced some Christians are more influenced by Rush Limbaugh than Jesus's own teachings in The Sermon on the Mount.

Patriotism is not nationalism. Patriotism is different. Patriotism honors what is good and just about a particular country (e.g. The Allied Forces liberating Jews from Hitler's concentration camps) without handing over one's identity to said country.

I am not a nationalist because I've given my life over to the life and teachings of a rabbi, God-ordained prophet from Israel. I am a patriot however. There are so many beautiful things to love about this country. Equally, there are so many skeletons yet to have been fully brought out of the closet. Patriots talk about the good and the bad . . . the blessings and the curses.

Back to the flags for Jeremy.

When he returned home for this brief visit, he pulled onto the street he knew best: Midvale. As he drove slowly he noticed hundreds of flags lined up and down the entire street on both sides. He realized, in that moment, the flags were for him. I have not talked to Jeremy but I'm willing to bet that it was the first time in a long time he felt as if his life mattered. People noticed. He was a human after all, not a mere killing machine. Jeremy knocked on Andy's door and said, in genuine gratitude, "Thanks."

The flags for Jeremy are one way to make someone feel whole, complete. Whether you are for the current wars or against them, never let your passion for your side supersede your conviction that soldiers are often the pawns of a much larger war.

The church stands poised to expose this truth. One flag at a time.

If this subject interests you, this is a thread that runs throughout my book, The Feast (coming September 1).

Spiritual Food in the Fall

2009-08-11T07:59:00.003-05:00

If you are looking for ways to sharpen your thinking and experience as it relates to God's work in the world, let me suggest three conferences for you coming in September and October.

1. Abilene Christian University's SUMMIT. Brady Bryce has done an excellent job in putting together a conference that blends the conversations in the larger Protestant world for the college campus.

2. ZOE Nashville. One of Kara's spiritual highlights, ZOE Nashville promises to be nourishing this year. We have a new format and some other surprises in store. I believe this conference will bless those present. Eric Wilson, Randy Gill, Greg Taylor et al have creatively put together an approach that will challenge and minister to people from a variety of perspectives.

3. Lipscomb's Conference on Preaching. Pound for pound, this is one of the best conferences on preaching/teaching in the evangelical world. David Fleer has put together another outstanding line-up (save me)--diverse in perspectives and background, unified in commitment to the ministry of Jesus.

I know these conferences well and am confident they will give you more energy in your pursuit of God.

Tent City

2009-08-08T20:03:00.004-05:00

One of the many reasons I'm excited about my new role with Otter Creek Church (beginning September 1st) is their emerging passion for "invisible people." Check out this short clip in preparation for a special concert by music legend Phil Keaggy. Doug Sanders' passion for the 'least of these' is contagious.

Check it out.

A Night for Tent City - Ministry Moment Video from David Woodard on Vimeo.

The Feast

2009-08-03T12:45:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my friend David Woodard for working on this project with me.

SPORTS

2009-08-01T20:07:00.003-05:00

After watching my twin brother complete a half IRON MAN (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) I don't feel quite as tough saying I've run a marathon. In addition, I thought about all the different sports played between me, Jason, and sister Kelly (through the years): soccer, basketball, football, tennis, golf, softball, volleyball, track, running, swimming, biking and baseball. Because our family has been so "into" sports over the years, I feel qualified in adding this editorial note: The religion with the most adherents in America is not Christianity--it's sports.

Best Athletes

1. Basketball (a 6'10" man has no business being able to dribble a basketball)

2. Football

3. Track and Field

Toughest Performers

1. Rugby

2. Triathletes

3. Football/Hockey

Most Endurance

1. Soccer

2. Marathoners

3. Hockey/Swimmer (that was for Kara)

Toughest Thing To Do in Sports

1. Hit a 90 mph fastball.

2. Golf (if you've ever played, you know what I'm saying).

3. Catch a ball over the middle in football while a stud is about to drop you flat.

CALLING ALL BOOK WORMS

2009-07-28T09:35:00.004-05:00

Here's a list of books I've read over the last six weeks or so. Some I've mentioned before on this blog, some are new. I wish I could write a blog about each book.

---

Blood Done Sign My Name. Timothy Tyson’s story of growing up during the height of tension in the Civil Rights Movement. His father, a Methodist minister, stood for equality and dialog when it wasn’t popular or kosher.

The Elements of Style. A classic on the basics of writing well. It’s stood the test of time.

Writing to Change the World. A little bit of everything, this books dares you to imagine writing as a form of changing hearts and minds.

How Not to Speak of God. Written by a new favorite author (Rollins)—I love the way in which he holds the world in one hand, and the story of God in the other. If you are not into philosophy, don’t touch this book.

On Writing Well. Another classic, this is the gold standard for the basics of writing.

Bird by Bird. This book is written by Anne Lamott, need I say more?

This I Believe. A collection of short essays, This I Believe captures core principles people live their lives by in five hundred words or less. Excellent stuff.

An Altar in the World. Part-mystic, part post-modern description of spiritual disciplines—BBT has written another provocative book.

Justification. N.T. Wright’s latest work in which he responds to John Piper’s critique of his overall theology. Why Piper wants to spend his last best days of ministry going after Wright, I can’t understand. Piper represents a group of neo-Calvinists (which includes Marc Driscoll) who want to take on the emerging church and other post-modern expressions of Christianity (as if you can do church outside of culture). Scot McKnight sums up Wright’s work in a powerful way: “Tom Wright has out-Reformed America’s newest religious zealots—the neo-Reformed—by taking them back to Scripture and to its meaning in its historical context. Wright reveals that the neo-Reformed are more committed to tradition than to the sacred text.”

The Unlikely Disciple. The best surprise read of the summer, this memoir chronicles an Ivy League students’ journey to Falwell’s Liberty University. Fantastic read. A must for any young adult serious about their faith. Or any person seeking to minister to the young adult demographic. There's enough in this book to offend you, no matter where you find yourself on the political spectrum of church doctrine.

Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus. Interesting book (in a line of other books put out by Zondervan) providing rich historical background per the Jewishness of Jesus. There are others, better written, but this is excellent popular level reading.

Powerful Preachers

2009-07-24T19:25:00.004-05:00

Over the next four weeks I'm working on the final stages of a short film for the Lipscomb Preaching Conference. I'll write more about this project later. For now, I'm curious to know from people of different "perspectives"--who has been the single most influential preacher in your life? It could be a local minister from the church you grew up in . . . or a preacher you listen to or read from long distance.

Help me out. Who rocks your spiritual world?

P.S. You can vote for Jesus but that's not what I'm after here.

Coach Meyer, Cass Park

2009-07-21T08:56:00.003-05:00

If you have not seen this clip, you need to watch it. Coach Don Meyer (formerly from Lipscomb) was honored at the prestigious ESPY AWARDS Sunday night. This is vintage Coach Meyer.

---

The Detroit News did a little story on the work we've been doing in Cass Park for the last four years.

Wow

2009-07-19T08:53:00.000-05:00

LET'S SAY YOU'RE IN A DITCH

2009-07-19T08:14:00.004-05:00

I'm teaching today on Luke 10:25ff--one of the most popular stories in all of Scripture: The Good Samaritan.

Some who study this story say that the priest and the Levite are in a bind. They are men of God, but the law of God binds them from helping lest they become “unclean” by touching a dead body. Corpses, in this interpretive framework, are as welcomed as a preacher going to Vegas on Christmas—they just don’t go together. Out of this understanding, some believe that Jesus is challenging their love of keeping the law versus love of people.

Others who study this story say that the Samaritan in this story represents the minority person/group in a given culture. The Priest becomes the “conservative Christian” and the Samaritan becomes the “gay man some love to hate.” Or the Levite represents the “rich” and the Samaritan is the “homeless woman in Cass Park.” Or, the Religious represent “angry citizens” and the Samaritan is the “illegal citizen among us.” While all of those are challenging social constructs to consider, I don’t think they finally get at what is going on in the story.

Something deeper is going on in this story. One Jewish thinker has opened up this parable in drastic ways for me. She writes, “To understand this parable in theological terms, we need to see the image of God in everyone, not just members of our own group. To hear this parable in contemporary terms, we should think of ourselves as the person in the ditch and then ask, ‘Is there anyone from any group, about whom we’d rather die than acknowledge, She offered help or He showed compassion?’ More, is there any group whose members might rather die than help us? If so, then we find the modern equivalent for the Samaritan,” Amy Jill-Levine in The Misunderstood Jew (149).

Kara Kaleen

2009-07-17T14:10:00.003-05:00

Today is my wedding anniversary. Kara and I have been married for five years now. I can close my eyes (which I'm happy to do right now since I'm stuck in the Atlanta airport on my way home from Columbia Seminary) and see her beautiful face walking towards me. The Highland Cathedral is playing in the background . . .

The planets were aligned just right that perfect Saturday in July five years ago. My closest friends and family were there to witness the promise Kara and I made to live with each other in times of blessing and times of want; times of excitement and times of boredom; when the doctors report comes back good and when it comes back with a devastating bite.

Just because two people have a wedding license does not mean they are married. Just because you wear a ring on your finger does not mean you are husband or wife.

It's a daily choice. Love is much deeper than a feeling or a motive. It's a daily decision to believe that God is working in the midst of your shortcomings, her shortcomings, and both of your differences.

I've been choosing Kara every day for the last five years . . . and I will for the next fifty to come.

Destruction

2009-07-13T12:11:00.001-05:00

Tiger Stadium sits at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull in downtown Detroit.

It’s old.

Old as World War II, worn-down tennis shoes and my grandfather’s nylon mesh General Motors hat. In America, we know what to do with old things. At least we think we know what to do with things that pass their prime. We destroy them. We abandon them until they look shabby enough to justify our destruction.

“Build a mall,” we scream. “Some condos would look nice.” “We could put a highway right there,” says another. “What this city needs is a new skyscraper.”

The wrecking ball rips through the right field wall where all of baseball’s greats once stood. The ground near home-plate—where Cobb, Horton, Greenberg, Cash, Kaline, Gibson, Trammel, and Fielder planted themselves before launching little white balls to the moon— is desecrated because of a city council plan to make condos.

Something’s missing in Detroit. Life is concentrated around work and home. Mundane universes often revolve around job titles, salaries and what’s happening with a son’s third grade science project. This is not bad. Having a job that is meaningful is life-giving and increasingly rare in today’s economic climate. Focusing on one’s family is also good because it’s a core responsibility.

But we don’t have a lot of other places. Church used to be an other place. Starbucks poses as one though I doubt its longevity. Tiger Stadium is a sacred space to so many not merely because of the games won (and lost), the athletes, the drama, and the great hot dogs. Tiger Stadium is a space where, for a few moments on a warm summer afternoon, men not known for their ability to share hopes and dreams were able to hope and dream together. Something to cheer about. Something to grieve. Something to look forward to next year.

The wrecking ball tears the walls, fences, cement, structures of Tiger Stadium. They not only tear what is visible. They also tear the things that are invisible. And, of course, it’s the invisible that is often more real than the visible. It’s the invisible that lasts beyond any of us.

I don’t know the answer. I only know that when our other spaces go down, we are never the same. The park, the library . . . or even Tiger Stadium. When we destroy—whatever it is we destroy—we are never the same. Today, that’s what I believe.

Humble Pie

2009-07-09T08:34:00.003-05:00

Tiger Stadium. As I write this, Tiger Stadium is slowly evaporating.

I remember sitting in the right-field bleacher seats with my grandfather and twin brother when I was twelve or so. The Yankees were in town to play the beloved home team, the Tigers. Throughout the course of the game, my brother and I derided the Yankee right-fielder wearing the number twenty-one which had been stitched into the back of his jersey.

“You’re not good enough to have your name on the back of your jersey,” we repeated over and over again. Passionate we were, knowledgeable we were not. It would be at least three more years before I learned of the Yankees tradition to omit last names on the back of jerseys as a nod to the significance of the name of the front of the jersey over and above the name of the back of the jersey. This is a lesson almost completely missing from the modern professional landscape in which baseball players have their names on their jerseys, gloves, and even (depending upon your status) engraved into the wristbands resting on one’s forearms.

On the way home, my grandfather delivered some important news. “Boys, do you know who plays right field for the Yankees?”

“No. All we know is that he does not have his name on his jersey so he must not be that good.”

“His name is Paul O’Neil. He’s one of the best hitters in the game today.” A silence fell over the car. A silence not too different from the silence of a principal entering a classroom in which the substitute teacher has had it, relinquishing all authority to The Principal.

“Oh,” was all I remember offering in response to my grandfather. I made a mental note to myself that I would, at least when it came to sports, do my homework before I would make grandiose claims. By the way, I recently went back and looked up O’Neil’s stats from this year—he won the A.L. batting title.

Humble pie. A big ol’ slice of it.

The Writing Life

2009-07-08T13:05:00.006-05:00

I have the luxury of taking a few elective courses in my doctoral program at Columbia Seminary. I've had this class circled on my calendar since the day I got my acceptance letter into the program: Pastoral Writing with Barbara Brown Taylor. I am a student of good writing because a) I love to write b) better writing makes for better speaking and better speaking makes for better preaching and c) writing is a discipline that helps me slow down when I slip into the messianic tendency that plagues many ministers/religious leaders.

BBT (my shorthand for her) is arguably one of the more influential voices in Christian spirituality. Her books, which include, The Preaching Life, Leaving Church, An Altar in the World, find their way into virtually every nook and cranny of American culture. She is read by Buddhists, atheists, Christians, liberals, conservatives, and everyone in between.

Yet, she writes from an unapologetically Christian perspective. She might apologize for the church (and some of its hypocrisy) but she never apologizes for the conviction that Jesus is God's embodied word in human flesh. The way she goes about doing this is pure genius.

I first read Barbara Brown Taylor when I was nineteen. For many reasons, which I won't go into, she has helped me to see, God, neighbors, and myself in a way I would have never would have come to if not for her careful eye, precise pen, and ability to tell the truth, even when it hurt.

BBT's writing is water to the soldier who's been wandering lost for days without drink; the arms of a mother to a crying infant in the middle of the night; the power that comes out of the mouth of a teenage Michael Jackson (Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson both agreed that Michael had sung one of Smokey's songs better than Smokey . . . and Michael wasn't even a teenager at this point).

So far, in this class, we've discussed: the stages of creativity, embodied language, poetry, disciplines, and creative writing exercises to stimulate the imagination. And this is only day three.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite BBT lines: "Humans do no lose control, we lose the illusion that we were ever in control in the first place." I know I'm not in control of my life. I fool myself from time to time. We're just witnesses. Partners? Yes, but we are not the ones making the first move. After all, it's not our story. It is our story to live in. But it does not belong to us.

The Feast

2009-07-06T15:36:00.005-05:00

Things change. Things never stay the same. That's the one thing that you can count on. It's the one thing that stays the same. Make sense?

I got a call from my book publisher recently, "Josh, after talking with the marketing team and evaluating the book market . . . "

Of course I'm thinking, "They're about to pull the plug on my book. At least I'll get the contract money they've promised."

He continued, " . . . We've decided we're going to change the cover, title, and subtitle." After a carefully reasoned explanation was offered, my hear rate went down to somewhat normal levels. I actually agreed with the editor, told him, "thanks" and became excited.

So, the title is no longer Jesus Feast. The subtitle is no longer Spirituality for the Hungry. The cover is different. I still have not seen the new cover, but I'm patient.

I'm passionate about the content more than I am the look or vibe. If they think changing the book's title to The Feast: How to Serve Jesus in a Famished World will help the overall message, I'm all for it. Working with Leafwood Publishers has been outstanding thus far. I trust them a great deal.

We're a few weeks away from the book being printed. Release date is September 1st. Buy the book. That you read it is secondary (he wrote with a wry smile).

Roots

2009-07-05T08:25:00.004-05:00

I sat in a Jerry Rushford class (at Otter Creek Church) recently in which he talked about the need to maintain some of the great hymns of Christian faith in the repertoire of in-and-out Sunday worship gatherings. By "great hymns" he is not referring to hymns locked into the 1950's rhythm and verbiage (though not all of those are necessarily bad). He's referring to the hymns of John Wesley et al. Hymns that give the contemporary church deep roots. Hymns that remind us of the many men and women who've set out to follow the teachings of Jesus for almost two thousand years now.

During his class Rushford traced the history (Paul Harvey style) of well-known hymns. We followed his teaching by singing stanza's from each hymn.

I've noticed a shift in many of our students at Rochester College over the past few years. The ones who seem to be engaged on deep levels with the teachings of Jesus and his mission for them in the world--they are not satisfied with simply grabbing an emotional experience on Sunday morning. They view worship as part of their lives of confession. When they sing, for instance

O to grace how great a debtor.
Daily I'm consigned to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wonder, Lord I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for thy courts above!

. . . these students are connected to all the lips who confess God's presence in the precise incarnation of these words. If the church forgets where she comes from she will be a widow in the present and an orphan in the future.

Rushford ended his class with this remarkable line, "When the church flaunts here contemporaneity and disavows her roots with the past, she often limps when she was called to run."

Highlights of the Weekend

2009-07-01T09:04:00.005-05:00

Kara, Lucas and I have been in Nashville recently, getting ready for our big move to Nashville to work with the Otter Creek Church. Here are some of the highlights from our recent trip.

1. Time with Otter Creek Church. Between meals with staff and elders, worship on Sunday, we felt a great sense of peace about the family we are joining and the mission of being the church together. I still have important work to do in Rochester over the next six weeks, but I'm eagerly anticipating joining the OC Leadership Team. I will be writing much more about this new adventure in the coming weeks and months.

2. Lowry Family. The Lowry Family hosted us while we were in town. They truly embody the gift of hospitality. My favorite moments were the passionate times of story in the family room while we devoured ice cream. The Lowry's vision for Lipscomb is palatable and exciting. I can't wait to see what the next several years look like at DLU.

3. Christian Scholars Conference. In addition to spending time with Otter Creek and house-hunting (more in a moment), I attended and participated in the Christian Scholars Conference. I'm biased, because Barbara Brown Taylor teaches where I'm doing my doctoral work, but her presentation on "The Power of Story in an Age of Twitter" was incredible. I have a writing class with her next week at Columbia Seminary. Needless to say, sending the pre-course writing assignments was the toughest e-mail I've sent in a long, long time.

I presented on a panel tackling the topic "Theological Education as Spiritual Formation." The discussion was lively and challenging. I'm still processing the implications of what it looks like for professors, in the words of Earl Lavender, to shift towards thinking of themselves as "missional coaches."

4. Tokens. Thursday night allowed us the space to finally be a part of Lee Camp's creative genius known as Tokens. Part Prairie Home Companion . . . part social commentary . . . set to incredible blue grass music . . . I describe Tokens as unassumingly subversive. Lee's interview with noted historian Hubert Locke was one of the highlights for me (Locke is from Detroit).

5. House Hunting. Let's just say we saw 31 houses. The house we got was the 31st house we walked through. Sara Barton was our arbitrator through this process. It was exhausting but worth it.

Soon, I'll write a blog about Jerry Rushford's class at Otter Creek Church on the role of hymns in our modern church experience. Powerful material.

Dear Lucas

2009-06-22T09:20:00.009-05:00

My twin brother (Jason) holding Lucas
Kara's creative genius at work

His first Tigers hat

Kara made my first Father's Day a memorable one (as you can see from the previous two images). Here's part of the sermon from yesterday (Lucas's uncle Duncan held him on stage while I spoke this blessing over Lucas).

Dear Lucas,

You were born in a fascinating time, 2009. This is the year America swore in its first ever Black President. The Red Wings almost one another Stanley Cup and the Pistons learned how hard it is to replace a leader. North Korea is . . . well . . . being North Korea. Cold Play continues to dominate the music charts and television continues to put out better material than movies (when you are older I’ll tell you about a guy named Jack Bauer). Oprah still rules the world despite the fact that Al Gore invented the Internet. America is in the midst of two wars (Iraq and Afghanistan). Jay Leno is no longer the host of The Tonight Show. John Updike (famous writer), Chuck Daly (former coach of my favorite basketball team, the Detroit Pistons), Paul Harvey (America’s storyteller) and Hellen Suzman (Civil Rights advocate from South Africa) all died in 2009. It’s been an interesting year. What a time to be born!

---

Christianity on the whole continues to struggle in the U.S. while the faith flourishes in South America (Pentecostal Roman Catholicism), parts of Asia and Africa (which now has more Christians than the U.S.). By the time you turn twenty-five, there might be less than 50 million Christians in the United States.

---

I can’t wait to teach you to throw a two-seam fastball, how to defend someone who’s faster than you in basketball, the proper way to shave, the definition of a good book, the power of film, how to tell a story, and what it means to be dedicated servant. But more than all of those things, I have some specific prayers I bring to God on your behalf. These are the things that matter most to me. I hope this is a blessing to you as you grow in God’s Big World.

---

I pray you will know God as your abba father. The Psalmist tells us that you were “fearfully and wonderfully made” Lucas. The Psalmist also tells us that God knew you in your mother’s womb. God is so passionate about you he has your name, not your initials because God cares about the details of life—God has your name tattooed on the palm of your hands. “Father” is Jesus’ chief metaphor for God. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he refers to God as “father” (abba) fifteen times. In his day, that was as scandalous as describing God as our “mother” today. The point was not so much about gender as an all-loving God who is interested in the details of our lives. There’s nothing you can do to cause me to love you more. There’s nothing you can do to cause me to love you less. No matter where you go, or what you do, I promise that I will try to be the kind of father who points you toward the Father Jesus so beautifully embodied.

---

I pray you will, as a result of knowing God as father, have Sunday eyes, loving people without conditions. You are entering a world that is drunk on division. We try to divide and create tribes for any possible reason. You will be tempted to allow racism, sexism; classism, elitism, and bias enter into your heart. Those attitudes are not from God for God has no “grandchildren” or “stepchildren”—only children created in his image. Friday eyes see people for who they are. Sunday eyes allow you to see people for who will one day become. Paul said that when we are immersed in the Jesus Story we are a new creation, therefore we see others in a completely new light. I will try to model this in front of you as I interact with others.

---

I pray you will be a risk-taker. If you want to be a concert pianist, be the best concert pianist you can be. If you want to build homes in Trujillo, Honduras, be the best carpenter you can be. If you want to practice medicine, do so with every ounce of energy. Whatever you do, don’t play it safe or give in to the societal pressures to “have it all” and live the “American dream.” Whatever you do, do it as if you are doing it for Jesus himself. I promise to not be the dad who lives my dreams through you . . . Even if that means I give up sports to learn the intricacies of concert pianists.

---

I pray you will possess a deep humility. You are entering a world under siege. Evil and sin do not reside “out there” among “them.” Rather, the Bible teaches us that evil runs right through the middle of us. As you grow older, you will make mistakes. You will make choices that will hurt yourself and others. The more you own your secrets and scars the less your secrets and scars will own you. Jesus teaches us to be the same person in secret as we are in public. His brother was so moved by this teaching he told a group of Christians that “confessing sins to each other” was vital in the spiritual life (James 5:16). I promise to emulate this by sharing my own shortcomings with you.

---

I bless you today with every ounce of fiber inside of me. As you grow in God’s big world may you come to know that you will only find rest when you rest in God. May you become the person God dreamed you to be when he gave you to your mother and I. God’s gift to you is your life. What you choose to do with your life is a gift back to him. I will never be the same because of your presence in my life.

---

Peace,

Dad

P.S. I know the "---" are not grammatically correct but it's the only way I could format the page for blogger. If blogger no longer exists by the time you are old enough to care, I tell you more about it.

Christian Scholars Conference at Lipscomb University

2009-06-20T16:05:00.005-05:00

One of my alma maters, Lipscomb University, is hosting the Christian Scholars' Conference in Nashville Thursday through Saturday. The conference's focus is "the power of narrative." Thus, the speaker line-up (Locke, Robinson, Taylor, and Collins) reads like Cabrera, Pujols, Fielder, and Jeter for baseball fans.

The largest newspaper in Tennessee did a fantastic piece on the conference recently. Click here to read the entire piece. Here's a snippet.

Those who equate religion with guilt and repression will welcome recent surveys that chart declines in traditional faith.

But religion's decline, if it happens, means other grand narratives must pick up the slack. What will emerge to infuse life and civilization with meaning if the old spirituality recedes?

Society flirts now with the removal of a whole set of ancient coordinates — belief in the soul, the power of blessing, the wisdom of the past, the mystery of an invisible God who oversees history, and a moral code that respects inwardness, practices courtesy and condemns cruelty.

If those fade, then what? The world scrambles to find replacements — conspiracy theories, anti-semitism, the dream of winning the lottery or becoming a high-maintenance celeb. Science becomes the new faith.

Writer Marilynne Robinson says that won't work.

If you think this focus sounds interesting, you need to make plans to attend another Lipscomb Conference led by David Fleer in October. I'm proud that my alma mater is taking the task seriously to incorporate the story of God into the emerging cultural landscape.

Life and Art

2009-06-19T16:17:00.003-05:00

Stephen King is arguably the most popular fiction writer in recent American memory. In his memoir/guide to becoming an effective writer, he warns the writer that might me tempted to shape their life around their craft instead of their craft around their life.

I suggest the metaphor works well for academicians, pastors, teachers, athletes, writers, and anyone else who tends to become addicted to their "craft" at the expense of those closest to them (something I regularly confess to . . . though I have to admit that since Lucas's arrival, I have done almost no serious writing and I'm perfectly content with that . . . for now).

King begins by talking about the massive oak desk that sat, for six years, in the center of his writing room.

For six years I sat behind that desk either drunk or wrecked out of my mind, like a ship’s captain in charge of a voyage to nowhere. King confesses the chaos that this led to, the sheer egocentric view of life that ultimately tore his personal and family life apart.

A year or two after I sobered up, I got rid of that monstrosity and put it in a large living-room suite where it had been, picking out the pieces and a nice Turkish rug with my wife’s help. In the early nineties, before they moved on to their own lives, my kids sometimes came up in the evening to watch a basketball game or a movie and eat pizza. They usually left a boxful of crust behind when they moved on, but I didn’t care. They came, they seemed to enjoy being with me, and I know I enjoyed being with them. I got another desk—it’s handmade, beautiful and half the size of the T. rex desk. I put it at the far west end of the office, in a corner under the eave . . . It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn’t in the middle of the room. Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around.

See Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (New York: Scribner Publishers, 2000), 101-102.

MISC.

2009-06-16T12:53:00.003-05:00

Excellent article on Tim Keller's passion for Manhattan. I love the "localness" of Keller's gospel. It's good and right.

---

You can listen to a dialogue sermon Patrick Mead and I did on "heaven" (May 3rd) from a scientific (Patrick) and theological (moi) perspective. I also did the first week in this series (April 19th) at Rochester Church.

---

I really appreciate Barbara Brown Taylor's question in An Altar in the World: "What is saving my life right now? What is saving my life today?" For me the answer changes. Today: Kara's love for Lucas is saving me today. Definition of save--rescue from my propensity to live according to the wrong story. That is, I play the wrong part, I take on the wrong role.

---

Rochester College has launched a MRE degree in missional church leadership. Mike Cope wrote a good blog about this recently. Mark Love is a perfect fit to lead this focus and for Rochester College in general. The program can be done long distance. If you are a minister/lay person interested in learning more about the missional church perspective, you will want to investigate this program.

Lucas in Real Time

2009-06-15T08:38:00.003-05:00

Here's a short video for our family and friends Kara put together last night per Lucas's birth. Enjoy!

Lucas Joshua from Kara Graves on Vimeo.

Stephen King's "On Writing"

2009-06-13T11:26:00.003-05:00

Here are some highlights from Stephen King's On Writing. I highly recommend this book. In addition, if you are interested in the craft of writing, you might like this book, this book, and this book.

p.50 ...an original story I called "The Invasion of the Star-Creatures." I kept hearing Miss Hisler asking why I wanted to waste my talent, why I wanted to waste my time, why I wanted to write junk.

p.57 [The editor said] when you write a story, you're telling yourself a story. When you rewrite, your main job is taking out all the things that are NOT the story.

p.67 I did as she suggested, entering the College of Education at UMO and emerging four years later with a teacher's certificate...sort of like a golden retriever emerging from a pond with a dead duck in its jaws.

p.77 Sometimes you have to go on when you don't feel like it, and sometimes you're doing good work when it feels like all you're managing is to shovel *&%$ from a sitting position.

p.101 It starts with this: put your desk in the corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn't in the middle of the room. Life isn't a support-system for art. It's the other way around.

p.106 Let me say it again: you must not come lightly to the blank page.

p.118 Remember that the basic rule of vocabulary is use the first word that comes to your mind, if it is appropriate and colorful.

p.122 You should avoid the passive tense. You can find the same advice in The Elements of Style. The timid fellow writes "The meeting will be held at seven o'clock." Purge this quisling thought! Put that meeting in charge. Write "The meeting's at seven." There, by God! don't you feel better?

p.124 The adverb is not your friend.

p.128 Good writing is often about letting go of fear and affectation. Affectation itself, beginning with the need to define some sorts of writing as "good" and other sorts as "bad," is fearful behavior.

p.145 If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut.

p.150 Constant reading will pull you into a place (a mind-set, if you like the phrase) where you can write eagerly and without self-consciousness.

p.153 For me, not working is the real work. When I'm writing, it's all the playground, and the worst three hours I ever spent there were still pretty damned good.

p.154 The combination of a healthy body and a stable relationship with a self-reliant woman who takes zero *&^% from me or anyone else has made the continuity of my working life possible. And I believe the converse is also true: that my writing and the pleasure I take in it has contributed to the stability of my health and my home life.

p.164 I have never demanded of a set of characters that they do things my way. On the contrary, I want them to do things their way.

p.176 It's also important to remember that it's not about the setting, anyway--it's about the story, and it's always about the story.

p.208 Once your basic story is on paper, you need to think about what it means and enrich your following drafts with your conclusions. To do less is to rob your work (and eventually your readers) of the vision that makes each tale you write uniquely your own.

p.212 Take your manuscript out of the drawer. If it looks like an alien relic bought at a junk-shop or yard sale where you can hardly remember stopping, you're ready. Read as if it's someone else's work. "It's always easier to murder someone else's darlings than it is to kill your own."

p.215 Every writer has an ideal reader. "What will this person think when he/she will read this part?" For me that person is Tabitha.

Sexy All Over

2009-06-10T11:27:00.004-05:00

I'm giving a message/sermon/teaching this Sunday on sexuality in our culture. I cannot shake this story from my mind as I rest in this week's lectionary's text from 2 Cor. 5: If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation.

In 1945, Lieutenant Colonel Gonin led a group of British soldiers in liberating a large concentration camp. In his journal, he gives an account of the dehumanization they'd encountered:

I can give no adequate description of the Horror Camp in which my men and myself were to spend the next month of our lives. It was just a barren wilderness, as bare as a chicken run. Corpses lay everywhere, some in huge piles, sometimes they lay singly or in pairs where they had fallen. It took a little time to get used to seeing men, women and children collapse as you walked by them . . . One knew that five hundred a day were going on dying for weeks before anything we could do would have the slightest effect. It was, however, not easy to watch a child choking to death from diphtheria when you knew a tracheotomy and nursing would save it. One saw women drowning in their own vomit because they were too weak to turn over, men eating worms as they clutched a half loaf of bread purely they had to eat worms to live and now could scarcely tell the difference. Piles of corpses, naked and obscene , with a woman too weak to stand propping herself against them as she cooked the food we had given her over an open fire; men and women croutching down just anywhere in the open relieving themselves . . . [a} dysentery tank in which the remains of child floated.

The troops cared for the victims of genocide in ways that go beyond description. One by one. Wounds bandaged, tears wiped, stitches sewed, broken limbs put into casts. These soldiers demonstrated in a powerful way, what it looks like to look at the world, and fellow humans with “new creation” eyes.

It was shortly after the British Red Cross arrived, though it may have no connection, that a very large quantity of lipstick arrived. This was not at all what we wanted, we were screaming for hundreds and thousands of other things and I don’t know who asked for lipstick. I wish so much that I could discover who did it, it was the action of genius, sheer unadulterated brilliance. I believe nothing did more for these internees than the lipstick. Women lay in bed with no sheets and no nightie but with scarlet red lips, you saw them wandering about with nothing but a blanket over their shoulders, but with scarlet red lips. I saw a woman dead on the postmortem table and clutched in her hand was a piece of lipstick. At last someone had done something to make them individuals again, they were someone, no longer merely the number tattooed on the arm. At last they could take an interest in their appearance. That lipstick started to give them back their humanity (Rob Bell, Sex God, 30).

Lucas Meets the Paparazzi

2009-06-09T10:18:00.004-05:00

Here's film from just after the birth of Lucas. I think he's about twenty minutes into his "out of the womb" experience in this clip. For the record: he survived the paparazzi.

If These Trees Could Talk

2009-06-05T10:23:00.004-05:00

Today, Elie Wiesel (pronounced Vee-zel or Wee-zel) returned to the place he lived for a time, the place his father died. This is the concentration camp that, at the time of its liberation by western military forces, contained infants living in modified horse stables. Walking down a beautiful stretch of scenery several decades later, Wiesel turned to his company and lamented, "If these trees could talk . . . "

---

Last summer, Wiesel spoke to Rochester Church/Rochester College. Here was my recollection of that evening.

I don't quite know how to describe the Elie Wiesel event from this past week hosted by Rochester College at the Rochester Church of Christ (adjacent to campus). 2009 is Rochester College’s fiftieth anniversary, and John Barton (V.P. for Academic Affairs) deemed it a good idea to invite one of the twentieth century’s most important writers and thinkers to campus to talk about the role of language regarding such religious concerns as faith, reconciliation and forgiveness. He could not have selected a more important voice.

The auditorium was at “capacity” by 6:30 p.m.—Wiesel didn't enter the room until 7:20 p.m. When he finally entered, the entire room (about 950-1000) erupted in sincere applause. There's something special about having a presence like Wiesel in a smaller, more intimate setting. I suppose it would be similar to listening to Eric Clapton play in a smaller venue, or hearing Maya Angelou recite her work in a high school auditorium. The venue was large enough for the event to feel important, small enough that the audience felt like participants, not spectators (as happens in church most Sundays). Jew and Gentile, some Christian some not, gathered to hear from this leader who survived the Holocaust over half a century ago.

As for the speech, Wiesel stood in one spot the entire 50 minute presentation. He weaved rabbinic wisdom and story-telling, with personal wisdom and lessons regarding "the power of language for forgiveness and reconciliation." There were times he strayed into philosophical fields and historical nuance, but, for the overwhelming majority of his speech, he kept the diverse crowd within reach.There were too many great quotes to list in their entirety (e.g. "I am defined by me relation to you. If I honor you I honor God. If I dishonor God I dishonor you." Or . . . "After the Holocaust, of any other profession, writers committed suicide at a higher rate than any other profession. Why? Because, writers need words to make sense of their life. And survivors of the Holocaust shared one conviction in common: we had no words for the abandonment we'd experienced." Or . . . "A handshake sometimes has the weight of a poem." Or . . . If Auschwitz did not end racism in the West, what could?")Wiesel shared several incredible stories of his work in reconciliation with well-known world conflicts and leaders.

One story lingers in my heart. Following Nelson Mandela's release from prison, Wiesel held a reconciliation conference in which he invited the then President of South Africa, along with Mandela. After listening to Wiesel and Mandela describe the brutality of ethnic genocide and institutional racism, the young president stood up and declared to the entire audience, "I was born into apartheid; it's all I've ever known. My fervent wish is that I now am able to attend its funeral."After the crowd left, I found myself contemplating the “so what?” of the night. I cam to this conclusion: As humans, we only get one brief shot to make a difference in this world. Most of us might not have the opportunity (or burden) to impact the world to the degree of Elie Wiesel. I am certain however, that with our very words, we can create and heal more worlds than we'd ever thought possible. I left the Wiesel event with more hope than I've had in a long time. Enough hope to think that God might do his best work in the midst of human chaos and suffering.

The United States is in the midst of an intense political campaign, in case you had not noticed. We, the baptized, should take Wiesel’s sentiment seriously that language possesses the power to create or destroy. The church should be the community which models to the rest of the world the meaning of such words as truth, dignity, respect, mutuality, honor, dialog, and trust.

If you have not read any of Elie Wiesel's work, I would start with Night and eventually find my way to The Messengers of God and The Kingdom of Memory.

Love

2009-06-04T15:11:00.006-05:00

Lucas is four weeks old today. Here's a fun photo for you.

---

Everything in me says "yes" to the truth of this statement: The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference.

My time as a husband, father, son, brother, friend, minister, teacher, coach, and writer bears witness to the accuracy of this statement.

But I'm not always right. So, do you agree with that sentiment? Is indifference the antithesis of love (and not, as we sometimes suspect, hate). Perhaps indifference is the tenured result of hate. That is, perhaps indifference is the result of hate stretched out over a long period of time.

Endorsements for The Feast

2009-05-29T11:39:00.009-05:00

Endorsements for THE FEAST: HOW TO SERVE JESUS IN A HUNGRY WORLD (Leafwood Publishers, 2009)

Josh Graves knows that the soul's hunger is not satisfied by right beliefs alone. People crave spirituality - and not just a wishy-washy, airy-fairy, this-and-that spirituality either. They want a robust, lifelong, dynamic, profound, and deep-rooted (or radical) spirituality that is focused, not simply on "my needs" or "my feelings," but on Jesus and his mission in our world.

Brian D. McLaren (from the Foreword)
Author of Everything Must Change
http://www.brianmclaren.net/

Here is a book that asks one of the most dangerous questions in the world: "What if Jesus really meant the stuff he said?" The Feast is an invitation to taste the goodness of God in Jesus, the Jesus who has been able to survive the mistakes of Christendom. And it is my prayer that all of us who feast on Christ will become what we eat -- for the world is starving for Good News that they can see and taste and feel.

Shane Claiborne
author, activist, and recovering sinner
http://www.thesimpleway.org/

In my ministry on a college campus I find young Christians and old who are yearning for a spirituality that demands everything and returns joy unending. Like loaves and fishes with baskets leftover, this book will fill those who hunger after God with good things. Read, and feast on the gospel of Christ.

Craig Kocher
Associate Dean of the Chapel
Duke University

In The Feast, Josh Graves explores the terribly important question of what it means to reconfigure Christianity as a way of life, instead of a mere system of beliefs. Along the way, we are reminded of many of the harsh, jagged edges of the story of which we are a part, which challenge our pre-conceived notions of what discipleship entails. But the story is not just of the cost of discipleship, but its joy too: So Josh also gives us a picture of a great feast indeed, a compelling picture of a kind of life lived in genuine liberty, and thus beauty.

Lee Camp
Author of Mere Discipleship
http://www.leeccamp.com/

This book is not one more argument about "post-christendom Christianity." There is little need for that. The Feast is rather a series of meditations on following Jesus today. The results are stunning. I came away not merely convinced, but moved.

Randy Harris
Abilene Christian University

At a time when it’s clear that fewer in the West consider themselves to be Christians, it’s critical that we think carefully about the meaning of the Jesus Story. Is it possible that what others are rejecting isn’t Jesus himself – with his proclamation and embodiment of God’s reign – but caricatures of that story? That’s why The Feast is such a welcome book. Josh Graves is both a guide and a companion on this exciting journey to understand and experience afresh the meaning of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Mike Cope
Heartbeat Ministries
http://www.heartbeatlife.org/

In The Feast, Josh Graves leads us beyond what happens when we discover Scripture. He challenges us to imagine what happens when Scripture discovers us.

Sara Barton
Rochester College

What you hold in your hand is of great relevance because it concerns the eternal. And eternal matters are always relevant. I found The Feast to be biblically-grounded, culturally-accessible, and subtly offensive to the spirit of religion within me. It's because of each of these realities that this book is so engaging. Joshua Graves writes humbly, confessionally, without an heir of condescension or condemnation - inviting us to imagine with him what it looks like for things to be on earth as they are in heaven and to prayerfully contend for it to be so.

Chris Seidman
Farmers Branch Church
http://www.thebranch.org/

The Feast: Introduction

2009-05-29T11:34:00.007-05:00

Here's a brief introduction for my book, The Feast, coming out September 1, 2009 from Leafwood Publishers.

In 1871, the city of Chicago suffered a devastating fire. By the end of the destruction, almost two-thirds of the city proper had been destroyed. Likely a case of an urban myth run wild, early reports pointed to a poor Irish woman as the one responsible. A poor, immigrant Catholic (the perfect criminal in the political milieu of late nineteenth century Chicago), Catherine O’Leary was the first reported perpetrator. The Chicago Tribune reporter who “leaked” this information would later retract.Several theories now remain regarding the person responsible for the great fire. Yet, the most interesting element to me regarding the story is the reason the city burned down in the first place. Before Chicago became the “windy” city, it was known as the wooden city for its streets, buildings, factories, and homes were primarily made of a substance that could be destroyed in an instant. Chicago was made of wood and it would soon learn the fallacy of constructing an entire community/existence upon a fragile source.

This is a great metaphor for our cultural situation regarding Christianity and the Church. Made of wood (science= God), our western religious cities are slowly burning. Architects from all over the world are now coming to this city to a) diagnose the cause of the fire (i.e. the failures of modernity) and b) create new possibilities and paradigms within our given context.This is not to say that the “wooden city” was evil, bankrupt, or false. Rather, it is to recognize the limitations as well as the possibilities now for the future.

According to Christian scholar, Alister McGrath, almost two-thirds of all Christians lived in the West in 1900. And now, only one-third were still recognized as “Western” by 2000. In the last fifty years, Christianity shifted to the far corners of the world: China, South America, and Africa. Scholars now note there are more Anglicans in Africa, for instance, than in all of Great Britain.[1] In fact, it seems there are more Christians living in China and Africa then in the United States—a statistic unimaginable even fifty years ago.

My own religious tribe, Churches of Christ from the American Restoration Movement, has been slowly declining the last three decades in the United States. Besides two major segments of Protestant faith—Pentecostal and Independent/Community—most of Western Christianity is in the midst of a season of stagnation or severe decline.

In virtually every part of America (including the Bible Belt), Christianity is dying a slow death. Out of these ashes exists the opportunity to continue to dream about God’s activity and the potential for the story of Jesus to receive a fresh hearing.

Part autobiography, social justice manifesto, historical reflection, treatise on grace, journal from the urban/suburban world, and narrative reading of Jesus’ life—The Feast is a book seeking to bridge the world of reflection and practice. The chasm of belief and practice (a product of the Enlightenment and its quest for facts and objective truth) is evident even in many of today’s “post” modern writings. The Feast is one attempt to do reflection and practice in a harmonious dance.

---
[1]See Philip Jenkins outstanding trilogy on the emerging shape of global Christianity: The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South (New York: Oxford Press, 2006); The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (New York: Oxford Press, 2007); and God’s Continent: Christianity, Islam, and Europe’s Religious Crisis (New York: Oxford Press, 2007). Also, Brian D. McLaren’s Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007) is one of the more constructive blue-prints per the church’s local and global mission in our pluralistic society

A Theology of Celebration

2009-05-28T09:53:00.005-05:00

This guy knows how to celebrate . . .

I'm going to "out" myself and other ministers. Most of us don't get real excited about weddings. Funerals are a different matter (something about captive audiences). For one, there are usually complex family issues at work in weddings that are beyond the scope of any one professional (minister, counselor, etc.). Second, there's almost always a decent amount of drama leading up to the wedding (poor planning, volatile relationship, nervous groom, etc.). Third, sometimes you feel like a mascot ("Now where did I put my monkey suit?"). Fourth, you know that at least a third of the weddings you perform are likely to end in divorce (Christians get divorced at the same rate as non-Christians). I like to go 3 for 6 in softball . . . but not marriages.

Sometimes however, God sends people our way like Shaun and Jessica Hover. Shaun came to Rochester Church in the wake of a friend's tragic death (Nic Paradise). Nic was part of our family. On a Sunday, after I preached we laid hands on Nic, asking God to continue God's liberating work from addiction. Several people prayed.

Early the next morning Nic died in the bedroom of his apartment. Shaun found the body. I arrived shortly after. I've never seen someone minister to a grieving family, fiance, and friends the way Shaun did in the coming days.

Fast forward. Shaun was baptized. Spent several months doing discipleship training in Los Angeles. Served in China, Thailand, Spain, and India mentoring dozens of young adults from all over the U.S. who've come out of addiction, broken homes and identity crises.

In the midst of all that, he also managed to fall in love with a girl from Colorado (Jessica). This weekend, I'll perform their wedding. I would not miss this wedding for a Tigers seventh game in the World Series. It will be one of the highlights of my time in ministry to date. There will be lots of tears, dancing, laughter, music, and stories. Lots of dancing (did I mention that?). It will be a Jesus Wedding in every sense of the word. It reminds me that, as followers of Jesus, we need a theology of celebration. Celebration does not come naturally in white suburban culture (unless we're talking about our kids or sports ironically).

In the book, Sex God, Rob Bell describes the chuppah (pronounced hoopah) practice common to Jewish weddings. In some strands of ancient culture, a man and woman would place themselves under the chuppah, a cloth covering, which signified the covenant being instituted. Upon making the vows, the couple would then go to a nearby home to consummate the marriage (they were more concerned with living pure before God than the State of Michigan). In a moment of social awkwardness, the young couple would enter into a home to physically consummate the marriage, while everyone else waited outside (can you see Aunt Myrtle waiting anxiously?).

When the newly consummated couple emerged from the house, hopefully at least twenty minutes later, an intense celebration would take place. This was more than cake and punch on a Saturday afternoon in the church fellowship hall. This was laughing, crying, dancing, and consumption of large bottles of sparkling grape juice. A party that could last up to seven days because they had a theology of celebration that exposes our busy, over-scheduled, serious, palm-pilot driven culture.

I think the remedy for some of the depression weighing us down is a healthy dose of . . . celebration.

Gone Baby Gone

2009-05-24T14:22:00.008-05:00

Today, during the teaching time at church, Patrick made the point that one of the primary reasons life is precious is because it is temporary. "There will be a last time. A last time to hold hands with your spouse, children, grandchildren, and friends." If life was permanent, it would be altogether different.

Kids won't always hold hands with their parents. Fall fades into Winter. Excitement morphs into ordinary. Mountain peaks become valleys.

Two people were on my mind this morning. First, Lucas (of course). There will come a day, not to be depressing or dramatic, when Lucas and I cannot play catch, watch a movie, talk about politics, listen to good music (I'm hoping he'll like U2 as well). My grandfather grandmother held Lucas yesterday at my parents home. My parents both held Lucas. Lexi (my niece) held Lucas. My brother and sister each held Lucas. There will come a day when none of these people will hold Lucas.

These moments are temporary.

I sat in the home of a friend this afternoon almost four years into battling cancer. She has four kids. Beautiful kids. Smart and passionate. During the conversation in which our shepherds encouraged and blessed, we broke bread, drank of the cup, remembering Jesus who teaches us the temporary-ness of our existence. We celebrated Jesus. This Jesus had the uncanny ability to make every conversation, moment, friendship, opportunity--he made them all count. Probably because he recognized that to be human, on some level, is to live within the confines of the temporary. I'm a follower of Jesus, in part, because he teaches us not just how to live but how to live well.

The friend I spent time with has already buried a close friend due to cancer. She was from Hawaii, an amazing life-giving person who's smile is still remembered fondly in our church community.

But, it doesn't last.

One of my favorite poems is a Percy Shelley poem. It's called Mutability. Essentially, the point of the poem is that life has moments of sheer eternity. But the moments of eternity are short. Fleeting. Gone baby gone. "The flower that smiles today, tomorrow dies."

Part of being a Christian, then, is learning to live in the God-tainted moments of our lives. Those single moments become, by the grace of God, a thousand moments.

Three Excerpts

2009-05-23T11:55:00.002-05:00

Here are three excerpts I've been chewing on this week. The excerpts come from: Genesis, Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions and Randy Harris's (new book) God Work.

Kara and I are reading through Genesis together right now. We stumbled upon this about a week ago. In Genesis 2:18-20, the text reads, "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.' ¹⁹So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. ²⁰The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner."

There are too many things that jump off the page in these few verses to unpack. But, the part that grabbed me, for the first time, was the last line in verse 20: "there was not found a helper as his partner." I tried to read the text closely. So, the question surrounds the search for the suitable partner. Did God host a try-out ala American Idol. "Right. Cheetah, you bring a lot to the table. However, we are looking for some more stability. . . . Hippo, you would be a formidable opponent to Adam. But, we don't know how Adam will feel if he's the physically inferior member of the house."

Apparently, God looked for a helpmate (some translations use this word) but could not find one appropriate. Perhaps, none of them had strengths that would match Adam's weaknesses. Perhaps none of them had weaknesses that would fit with Adam's strengths.

More on this text later.

---

Anne Lamott records a conversation she's sharing with a lesbian atheist friend (her description, not mine). After mocking her friend ("What do you pagan homos do at your midnight celebrations--put a of dogs in wicker baskets and push them off cliffs . . .?" )--she remembered the story she had now committed to living. "And she [Lamott's friend] looked over at my big Italian crucifix on the kitchen wall, at the thorns, at the bloody wound, the nails through his palms, and then she turned to me with a look of such amused condescension that all I could do was laugh. As soon as she left, though, I went and stared at the crucifix for a long time and breathed it in. I believe in it, and it's so nuts. . . . But I have a photograph on my wall of this ancient crucifix at a church over in Corte Madera, tall splintering wooden Christ with his arms blown off in some war, under which someone long ago, wrote, 'Jesus has no arms but ours to do his work and to show his love," and every time I read that, I always end up thinking that these are the only operating instructions I'll ever need," (161).

---

According to Randy, there are two kinds of Christians you should not trust: " . . . the ones who think God is doing nothing and the ones who think they know exactly what God is doing," (91).

Insert Foot Into Mouth with Caution

2009-05-21T13:25:00.006-05:00

As if any of us needed another reminder of the way in which our emotions can get us in trouble faster than a Miguel Cabrera home run leaves the ballpark--this confession from a Washington Times writer is both telling and hilarious.

Andrew Breitbart thought he'd encountered a group of college students in California protesting the war in Iraq. It's not like that kind of thing does not go on. If only he'd known what he was getting himself into.

I laughed so hard when I heard about this because a) I know how emotional people get over various political issues (myself occasionally) and b) I've been an active part of Invisible Children for four years now. I even went with some of our students to Washington D.C. to encourage President Bush to get involved in Northern Uganda.

Random

2009-05-20T09:44:00.004-05:00

U2, the greatest band on Planet Earth (to say it mildly) is coming to America in September. I've got my tickets to one of the shows in Toronto. This is my thirtieth birthday present from KG (who celebrated 26 yesterday--happy birthday . . . you truly are the source of joy in my life). The person who got me hooked on U2, Greg Stevenson, wrote a great couple of blogs about their music. Check them out here.

---
If you have not seen The Soloist, I highly recommend it. Cut from the same cloth as Same Kind of Different as Me, The Soloist gets beyond stereo-type and cliche and into the complexity of friendship, mental illness (as in, who really has it), poverty, and homelessness. Warning: this film is not for the faint of heart. There are major portions of the film which chronicle life on Skid Row in downtown L.A. I was both moved and paralyzed by the raw feel to the film. It also brought me back to my experiences with Francis, Professor Jack, et al in Cass Park a few years back.

---

If you are interested in reading a blog written by a sold-out follower of Jesus who is willing to take risks in the city, read Doug's blog. Doug and I will be teammates this fall when we join the larger mission of the Otter Creek Church in Nashville.

There's a Baby in the House

2009-05-19T16:46:00.005-05:00

Here are the top clues indicating you might have a new baby living in your house:

There's a barely legible sign hanging on your front door that reads, "Mom, Dad, and baby sleeping . . . please come back another time."

Budget money reserved for Tigers tickets is now used on (very expensive) diapers.

Coffee is the new water.

The way you choose an acceptable shirt to wear to work changes from "what looks good?" to "which shirt does not have a drool stain on it?"

People are sleeping with one eye open.

You hear your wife say, in a sweet delicate voice, "Hey handsome," but she's not referring to you any longer.

You'd consider trading your car for an afternoon nap.

N.T. Wright is swapped for Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions.

You find yourself walking around your house at 2 a.m. with baby on your chest for twenty minutes without once ever opening your eyes.

You write a blog about your newborn son on your wife's 26th birthday (guess who came up with that?)

Abba Sings

2009-05-15T11:57:00.004-05:00

If you have not read this inspiring slant on vocation, check it out.

---

Aside from reading books about parenting (Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions being at the top of that list), I've been reading through Eugene Peterson's Tell it Slant. Thinking I'd read Peterson to balance all the baby/parenting stories and wisdom of the last seven days, I ran smack dab into the middle of this little nugget.

Peterson describes an experience he had while waiting to catch a flight in Germany heading to Israel. "A little boy near us, maybe four or five years old, jumped up and ran across the large room shouting , 'Abba! Abba! Abba! . . . ' and was swept up into the receiving arms of his father."

Peterson notes that this experience with 'Abba' was different than any other experience. "It was the first time I had ever heard 'Abba' in living speech. I had read the word in the Bible. I knew that in Jesus' mother tongue, Aramaic, it was the affectionate word for father, which would be common in family settings."

After listing the various biblical texts (Matt. 5-7; Rom. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:6) he realized that he'd neutered and domesticated the word. "I had encountered 'father' often enough in an academic setting around a table strewn with lexicons and exegetical studies. But I had never heard the word used in the living context of a son happily and trustingly greeting his father. I had never heard the word sing. I felt like I was back on that Galilean hillside in the company of Jesus as he prayed with his followers, in the garden with Jesus as he prayed his passion, worshiping with the Roman and Galatian Christians as they found themselves included in Jesus' prayer every time they prayed, Abba 'Our Father in heaven. . . . '" (Tell it Slant, 169-171).

Note: 1) There is a great deal of scholarly debate that I intentionally left out regarding "Abba" and its meaning in both First Century Aramaic and the confines of the New Testament writings. That's beyond the point of this post. Wright, Jeremias, Carter et al have done a superb job in dealing with this word (Abba) 2) For those of you who've had fractured relationships with your earthly father, I do not intend to feed you the evangelical bumper sticker line that "everything is okay now" because you have a "heavenly father" who looks after you. That's too simplistic for most of the pastoral counseling I've been a part of. I suggest you investigate the Psalms along with Donald Miller's To Own a Dragon.

Beauty

2009-05-13T14:33:00.003-05:00

I’m a big fan of the song “You Are So Beautiful.” I like most (not all) of the versions that have been produced over the last few decades. Joe Cocker’s version is probably my favorite. There’s something deeply soulful about it. Something simple. Something beautiful.

The song fell out of favor in the Graves house a several years back. My sister, Kelly, walked down the aisle to this song in 1997 when she married her (now “ex”) husband Jory. It was the perfect song for a beautiful bride.

I was eighteen when they got married. On top of the world. Big hoop earring. Suffice to say I did not lack for confidence.

When she came down that aisle twelve years ago, I cried like Lucas did late last night. “Can’t you see? . . .you’re everything I hoped for, you’re all I need. You are so beautiful to me.”

But their marriage only lasted a few short years. It shattered into a million little pieces.

Last night, Kara and I are watching American Idol, Lucas is fast asleep and Danny Gokey busts out a hallelujah-filled version of “You Are So Beautiful.”

Context is everything.

If I’d heard that song last week, it would have brought back bitter memories surrounding my sister’s messy divorce. Broken hearts. Betrayed covenant. Fatherless little girl (my sister has a beautiful daughter named Lexi). My trip to Arkansas to stand by my sister during the divorce proceedings (my father was so upset he could not go).

But, we’ve had time as a family to heal. Kelly is now remarried to a gem, Major Ray Stemitz—a gentle man’s man if I ever met one. He’s a great husband to Kelly and an equally great father to Lexi. The wounds are still there for her but they aren’t as fresh. Actually, the wounds are now more like scars.

And Lucas is here. A new chapter for everyone.

When Gokey belted out that song last night, everything in the world, at least for a moment, felt good. Kelly’s in a healthy place in her own life. Kara’s an all-star mom. Lucas is rocking our world one dirty diaper at a time.

P.S. Kara recently wrote a great blog about the actual birth day.

The Table

2009-05-11T19:43:00.003-05:00

Our close friends, the Barton family, brought us dinner tonight: sweet tea, pot roast, green beans, fresh rolls, and banana cream pudding. They also brought another good friend, Randy Harris, in town this week, teaching a short course at Rochester College.

I told Randy three things: 1) I don't have a "go away" mat on my front porch 2) If I tell him to make himself at home he cannot reply, "Great. Go home." and 3) He can't leave until he gives Lucas a blessing.

The blessing came unexpectedly. I explained to our friends that Kara and I are settling on Lucas playing baseball (since she loves football and I love basketball). Randy smiled his classic smile and looked at Lucas, "Lucas . . . mess your daddy up. Become a concert pianist."

Of course, he's right. I don't care what Lucas does. I care about who he becomes. I'll teach him the sentiment that's framed my life for the last several years, "Don't ask what the world needs. Instead, ask what makes you come alive, because what the world needs is people who've come alive."

My Boy

2009-05-07T21:48:00.004-05:00

Lucas Joshua Graves

8lbs. 10 ounces 21 inches

May 7, 2009, 6:12 P.M.

The Amended Birthing Plan

2009-05-06T15:11:00.002-05:00

A few months back, I wrote my "ultimate guy birthing plan" after being inspired by our nurse at Beaumont Hospital during our first "birthing class." Here's what I wrote:

Kara and I recently started a birthing class offered at the local hospital where Baby Lucas will enter the world late April/early May. Our instructor (a really sharp and funny nurse) walked us through many important aspects of preparing for birth . . . mainly . . . you can prepare but you are never ultimately prepared.Some hospitals today allow parents to develop a birthing plan. That is, here's what the parents like to see happen in the ideal birthing situation. Call it consumer delivery with a touch of creativity.

Of course, my imagination perked up when I heard the words "ideal birthing situation." Here's what I envisioned when I heard those words.First, upon arrival to the hospital, Beethoven's Fifth will be playing quietly in the background. Upon entrance into the hospital, the famous Las Vegas announcer-guy will grab a mic (preferably a mic that drops from the ceiling) and announce to the world, "Ladies and Gentlemen . . . the hour we've been waiting for . . . let's get ready to rummmmbbbblllleee."

After that serene beginning, Kara and I will both receive robes that read Baby Daddy and Baby Momma on the back. Mine is white with blue trim. Kara's is white with green trim.As we approach the room where Lucas will enter the world, a rep from M&M's will offer me a lifetime supply of peanut M&M's for "the enduring trial I'm about to go through." I graciously accept and begin to devour a king size bag of God's favorite candy. I remind the M&M rep that Kara's the real hero in this drama.The mood needs to change so I slip an Enya CD into the CD player (my man card was pulled a long, long time ago).

Kara and I both get foot massages from a European massage champion. The lights are dimmed and we listen to scholarship offers from Duke (Coach K who has Kobe on the phone talking about how we would've gone to Duke had he not gone to the NBA right out of high school) and Roy (UNC baby) and Bill (KU's the leader at this point).

At this point, Nelson Mandela enters the room and reads to us from Letter from a Birmingham Jail. He then offers a South African blessing for Lucas's future. He ends by reading a prayer that is specifically written by Desmond Tutu. "Lucas, God has big dreams for you," are his parting words. Bono has also sent us a video message in which he sings Pride.Just then, things heat up. Kara is ready to deliver.

After thirty minutes or so, the moment has arrived. Queen is playing "We are the Champions" in the background, Stuart Scott is texting me for up-to-the-minute information. Lucas enters the world, I'm crying, Kara's crying and Lucas offers us the universal sign of stability; he gives us the peace sign.I do what any good dad would do. I ask the nurse if I can have the honor of cutting the umbilical cord. The nurse says, "Of course." With a Dwight Shcrute glimmer in my eye, I pull a large Samurai sword out and cut the umbilical cord in half, while yelling, "Freeeeeddddoooom. They can take our lives but they can never take our freeeddddoooommm."

That's the ultimate (guys) birthing plan. Of course, if you don't appreciate satire, this little piece will be lost on you. Kara's birthing plan is much more simple and realistic. Hey, a dad can dream can't he?

---

Now that we are on the eve of Lucas's arrival (Kara will be induced in the early morning), I think I will change my ultimate guys birthing plan to:

Kara and Lucas are healthy.
Lucas cries a lot.
I get to hold Lucas' feet in the palm of my hands.
Family and friends are present over the next few days.
I get to see my (twin) brother hold Lucas.
The Tigers beat the White Sox Thursday night while we watch from the hospital room (I could not resist).

The Graves Family and Otter Creek

2009-05-03T14:38:00.022-05:00

Today, Kara and I made public our new adventure (not to be confused with the Lucas Adventure). Beginning late summer, Kara and I will join the mission of the Otter Creek Church in Nashville, TN. This was a very difficult decision. We prayed. Cried. Discussed. Listened. Sought wisdom from mentors. Prayed some more. We feel God has called us to this new leadership role.

Leaving Rochester Church and Rochester College will not be easy. This has been a formative church. I was baptized in this church. I was married, to Kara, in this church family. Kara feels at home here; she has tremendous relationships. Both of our families live here. Yet, we believe God is working in all of this.

I will serve in the role as preaching and teaching minister. I will be the point/lead for the preaching and teaching that takes place at OC. In addition, I will be working alongside David Rubio, well-known OC youth minister, who will be transitioning to a new role. David and I will form the Otter Creek preaching/teaching team. David will also work in adult ministry. The team approach has worked well in the other churches I've been closely connected to (me and Patrick at Rochester; Rubel Shelly and John York at Woodmont Hills). I look forward to working with the OC shepherds as well as David, Janet, Melanie, TJ, Doug, Phil, Murray, Steve, Vicki, Donna, Emma, and Becca.

The Otter Creek elders have a vision I'm excited about joining. I will write more about this in the coming months. They want to continue to be Christ' church in the community, taking risks to see more people come to see the Jesus Story as The Story.

The Rochester Church leadership team (elders and ministers) has been a rewarding team to work with. We've taken a lot of risks, doing things that most churches (in our denomination) are not willing to do for the sake of the kingdom. It's been a great joy to work alongside the elders along with Patrick, Jason, John, Chris, Dana, Karen, Sara, Kelly, Trudy, and Beth. Very few people get to wake up every day loving their vocation.

The immediate real adventure, becoming parents, should happen any day now. Just as we get the hang of that, we'll begin the journey to join the Otter Creek family for this new chapter.

Slumdog Dishin' Out Theology

2009-05-01T15:34:00.008-05:00

As I write this, I'm watching Slumdog Millionaire with Kara. Unless you've totally sworn off all things "culturally relevant" you've probably heard that Slumdog is all the rave. I know I've written about Slumdog before. However, watching this movie for second time gives me new windows to look through.

It's a film about love, hope in the midst of poverty, globalization, friendship, and family. If that's all the film covered, it would be enough.

Watching the film this time, I'm struck by the tension that exists between determinism (known in Christian circles as "pre-destination") and openness (free will). These two poles, as with most poles in modern thinking, find their way into politics, religion, sociology, philosophy, and education (among many).

Determinism is fatalistic. This pole says your future is already determined. Your next step is already written into the fabric of the universe. Christians in this camp talk about "ordering every step" . . . of "knowing every hair on one's head" . . . etc.

Openness says the future is limitless. Your fate is not determined. Your plight in life can be altered as you have the ability to imagine the world differently.

This is what Slumdog, in my opinion, is really about.

The movie doesn't buy into complete fatalism. Our choices matter a great deal. We can take on the strength of that which we overcome. We can become more. We can be better people. We can build better futures.

The movie also doesn't buy into total openness either. There is a mystery to things that cannot be explained. People reappear. Lives are spared for inexplicable reasons. Systemic patterns do what patterns do--they repeat themselves. Our particularity and specificity cannot be separated from who we are as humans.

Calvinists and Open Theists. Determinism (Hinduism) and Free Will (Islam). Fatalism and Choice. It's woven into the fabric of our life.

But maybe it's not so simple as picking between the two poles.

The further things appear to be a part, in a two-dimensional world, the closer they might actually be in a three-dimensional world (think here of the difference between a line on chalkboard and a circle in real life . . . depending upon your perspective, they can appear to be the exact same thing).

Or, in the language of Slumdog: It is written.
Maybe the answer about God's activity in the world is not "a" or "b" . . . maybe it's yes. Because humans are not science formula's. We're more like the characters in Slumdog than we are an experiment in a chemical lab.

Due Date

2009-04-30T23:05:00.004-05:00

Today is the (second) official due date for Lucas Joshua. Here's what I wrote on my blog back in October when we were still processing the joy of this new life. We're still waiting. Patiently waiting for this little guy to turn our life upside-down and inside-out.

---

Kara and I have been on many adventures together over the last several years. We’ve lived in Michigan (twice, once while dating, once while married), Nashville (Seminary and College), and Abilene (ditto).

We’ve traveled to many different places in the United States, usually catching a Major League Baseball game (Wrigley has been, by far, our favorite so far).

We’ve been to Hawaii and hit as many beaches as we could find. We just recently spent time in Paris, London and Uganda asking the question that’s been the theme of my life, “What is God up to anyway?”

We’ve been in the slums of Cass Park, finding ourselves in all kinds of unimaginable conversations and homes. We’ve broken bread with some of our homeless friends who are now, by the grace of God, off the streets. We even buried a few of our friends whose relationships, short-lived as they were, blessed our lives in gospel ways.

We’ve traveled deeper in our friendships with our small group of which we say all the time, “We are learning to do life together.” As a church family, we've traveled the path marked "missonal" learning from our mistakes.

But, we are now about to partake of a journey that will, in most ways, be all-together different than the other journeys mentioned.

Baby Graves will, by the goodness of God, join us on May 1st, 2009. Kara is eleven weeks pregnant for those curious . . . though you’d never know because she’s so skinny. If you happen to be at the Rochester Hills Public Library this week and find all the “baby name books” are checked out . . . now you know the whole story.

The Task of Preaching

2009-04-28T13:13:00.003-05:00

As I'm working on part three in our series on Heaven in the Real World, I'm reminded of Walter Brueggemann's belief that preachers and teachers must always keep in mind the two tasks of responsible sex educators:

(1) Don’t tell students more than they can handle.

(2) Don’t tell them anything they’ll have to unlearn later.

All Our Bags Are Packed . . .

2009-04-26T08:49:00.007-05:00

We are in the final days of waiting for Lucas' arrival. We thought he'd be here by now (mostly because the doctors thought so also).

He's not.

I guess we might as well get used to things going a bit differently than expected. After all, we're about to be parents.

Our bags are packed. We are prepared, we think, for most scenarios that might present themselves in a suburban sprawl space hospital room in Metro Detroit (short of an invasion by Russian Warlords). Seriously, Kara's so thorough. I think we have ten MRE's, four sticks of dynamite (for any difficult people who might stop by), one extra oxygen tank, towel rack warmer for the warm shower I'm going to take from the stress of having this baby, and a briefcase full of twenty dollar bills just in case we need to bribe a nurse or two for extra ice cream. Wait, we're not having a root canal, we're having a baby. My bad.

We have clothes, back-up clothes, cell-phone charger, MacBook, MacBook charger, snacks, more food, books (cut me some slack . . . you never know), Kansas Jayhawks t-shirt to catch Lucas in (of course), and an autographed picture of Bono to put in the window. If Jesus had signed my "Joshua Tree" CD I'd put it in the window. He doesn't do autographs these days.

For those veteran parents and grandparents out there in cyberspace--what one thing would you suggest the Graves take to the hospital (serious or sarcastic answers welcome)?

Everything is Spiritual

2009-04-25T09:46:00.004-05:00

I just finished watching Everything is Spiritual (hour long teaching by Rob Bell). In this film, Bell takes on the relationship of religion and science (specifically spirituality and quantum physics) and demonstrates the way in which religion and science are in dialog (not argumentation) with each other. NOTE: Bell admits his subjective starting point. That is, Bell is a theist. Bell is more than a theist, he's a follower of Jesus' teachings.

Everything is Spiritual is brilliant. Besides, if nothing else . . . you will watch it and finally understand every episode of LOST that's ever confused you (as I've heard is happening in some circles).

Everything is spiritual.

Everything is connected.

Sabbath Reflection on Leadership

2009-04-24T07:59:00.004-05:00

It (Christian leadership) is not a leadership of power and control, but a leadership of powerlessness and humility in which the suffering servant of God, Jesus Christ, is made manifest. I, obviously am not speaking about a psychologically weak leadership in which the Christian leader is simply the passive victim of the manipulations of his milieu. No, I am speaking of a leadership in which power is constantly abandoned in favor of love. It is a true spiritual leadership. Powerlessness and humility in the spiritual life do not refer to people who have no spine and who let everyone else make decisions for them. They refer to people who are so deeply in love with Jesus they are ready to follow him wherever he guides them, always trusting that, with him, they will find life and find it abundantly. From Henri Nowen's In the Name of Jesus (63-64).

Seven Things Luke Wants Me to Know

2009-04-21T14:27:00.005-05:00

I've been teaching Luke-Acts for four years now at Rochester College. The first three years I co-taught with my good friend (twice my boss--he's an elder at Rochester Church and V.P. of Academics at RC) John Barton. His missionary/global experience was a great match for my pastoral/local interests. To say it plain: we made a good team. It was comfortable, fruitful.

This semester, I taught the course solo. The students have been excellent. Diverse: urban/suburban, male/female, white/black, conservative/liberal--we made a pack to dive into the world of Luke-Acts to engage the questions of what it might mean to find Jesus alive in both scripture and today's world.

I learn something new every time I teach this course.

Here are the seven convictions I'm left with this "time around." I could say more about each one, but I'll refrain. You can use your knowledge and imagination to push each one further.

1. Christianity is built upon the premise of "narrative rupture."
2. The Spirit of God is the force behind, underneath, in front of all life.
3. Normal values are turned upside-down in Jesus' economy.
4 . This faith is public.
5. Witness is more important than objective/subjective truth debates.
6. Maturity happens by being commissioned.
7. God wants to save the world via an alternative community.

Eschatology

2009-04-19T06:44:00.004-05:00

Joel Stein, Maria Shriver, Mark Twain and John Lennon--what could these four possibly have in common? All of them are interested, on some level, in the Judeo-Christian reality of heaven.

Joel Stein, a popular writer for the L.A. Times, wrote: "Last March, after some campaigning, I got Starbucks to put a quote from me on the their paper cups. It said 'Heaven is totally overrated. It seems boring. Clouds, listening to people play the harp. It should be somewhere you can't wait to go, like a luxury hotel. Maybe blue skies and soft music were enough to keep people in line in the 17th century, but heaven has to step it up a bit. They're basically getting by because they only have to be better than hell.'”

Maria Shriver wrote a children’s book about heaven (cleverly titled What’s Heaven?). In that book she describes heaven as: "somewhere you believe in. . . . It’s a beautiful place where you can sit on soft clouds and talkto other people who are there. You can sit next to the stars, which are the brightest of anywhere in the universe. . . . If you’re good throughout life, then you get to go to heaven. . . . When your life is finished here on earth, God sends angels down to take you up to Heaven to be with him. . . . "

John Lennon encouraged an entire generation (partly because of religion's misuse of the afterlife) to imagine the world "without heaven."

Perhaps Mark Twain captured cynicism and questions regarding heaven the best when we wrote, “The only thing that trumps the suffering of hell is the boredom of heaven."

We're starting a series on "heaven" at Rochester Church today. We're going to consider the diverse language and metaphors employed in both testaments. I firmly believe that "eschatology" is making a comeback in many religious circles because people are starting to realize (again) that your understanding of the end (that is, what God intends to do with humans and creation) shapes everything (ethics, morality, passion, calling) in the present.

Best Sports Cities

2009-04-14T20:27:00.003-05:00

We interrupt the deep philosophical/spiritual/political questions of the day to ask a really important question: what are the best sports cities in the United States? We all have different criteria (of which I'll have more to say) . . . I am curious to hear from all of you who live as far west as California and as far south Texas.

What are your top five sports cities?

Here are mine (NOTE: I'll provide detailed reasons in a later post).

5. Pittsburgh (not Dallas)

4. New York

3. Boston

2. Chicago

1. Detroit (I'm a homer, I admit it)

If you live west of the Mississippi River, you probably aren't happy with this list (don't forget though you got one city in Dallas). If you live in the Southeast (as many of my Nashville/Atlanta/Carolina friends will point out), you aren't happy with this list either.

Fire Away. What are the top five cities for sports fans?

Film and Easter in Dialog

2009-04-12T21:40:00.007-05:00

Film is a powerful force in our culture. Period. We can lament about "Hollywood" and movies about sex, violence, and power (which begs the question: what do we do with the Bible?). The reality is, Hollywood makes movies to sell tickets. If a movie about a cartoon character would sell more than a Bruce Willis action adventure, Hollywood is going to go with the virtual character every time. And vice versa. It's really that simple.

Occasionally, you'll have the Hollywood movie that challenges the status quo, pushes the limits of "accepted cultural norms" (which is not always a good thing, of course). Normally, Hollywood is preoccupied with one thing: money, cash, cheese, the Benjamin's, jack.

Having said that, here are (at least) three recent films worth watching. The power of Christianity's Easter Story is found in the truth that God takes the worst of this world (death, disease, sickness, murder of the innocent, and suffering) and transforms it into "all things new" (new friendship, families, possibilities, purpose, hope). These three movies, in their own creative and unique way, capture the truth that humans possess the raw ability to take on the strength of that which we overcome. Of course, for me, it's the grace of God that catalyzes this movement.

1. Seven Pounds. The main character demonstrates that love truly is the most powerful force in the world. In an unlikely twist of events (which I predicted to my friend Adam at the ten minute mark . . . let's just say he hasn't sat next to me in a movie since), this film takes us beyond the shallow waters of self-preservation and security.

2. Bella. I just watched this film a few nights ago with some dear friends. I'm still speechless. A truly remarkable film, I'm awe-struck by the manner in which this film seeks to convince us that life consistently offers us ways in which we can "be good again" (to borrow language from The Kite Runner) no matter how bad our past might be. Set as a "day in the life" of a few average dwellers of the Big Apple, Bella has a healing pace, with one of the best soundtracks I've ever witnessed.

3. Gran Torino. Not for the faint of heart. Eastwood does a masterful job of capturing the sharp edges of living in Detroit, racism, stereo-types and the deterioration of family systems. However, the real genius of the film lies in its ability to show the power of laying down one's life for another. This movie, at least in one interpretive school, powerfully imagines a way in which the cycles of violence are quenched. Ironically, this "way" is the Jesus Way.

---

Film is here to stay. It's shaping the language and meaning of life for many Americans. Christians don't have to swallow the bones, but we'd better understand why film is so meaningful and central. Moreover, how we might enter into the dialog happening all around us.

That Great Gettin' Up Morning

2009-04-12T07:26:00.004-05:00

What happened in Jesus' borrowed tomb two thousand years ago? It's a question that has haunted men and women over the course of every generation and in virtually every part of our world.

Did the disciples lie?

Perhaps they hallucinated.

Roman soldiers stole the body.

Dogs ate the corpse.

Maybe Jesus never really died? He came close but the coolness of the tomb (a.k.a. the swoon theory) allowed for his body to recover. Jesus, after 48 hours walked away from the tomb (don't ask about the large stone).

It would not make sense for the disciples to lie. To declare the carpenter from Nazareth "Kyrios" was to put yourself on shaky ground with the powers of Rome.

If they hallucinated, they convinced others of the hallucination as well.

Roman soldiers were punishable by death for the body gone missing. Remember the Roman official who wanted to kill himself when Paul was busted out of prison? Why did he want to kill himself? He failed his primary mission and knew the consequences that faced him.

"Dogs eating the corpse" of Jesus (the viewpoint of noted scholar John Dominic Crossan) seems to me a logical leap from the amazingly similar canonical accounts contained within the pages of Christian scriptures.

I believe in Easter because I believe that if God can cut the grand canyon, paint the sky blue, inhabit the womb of a pre-teen named Mary, create the sun, form the giraffe--if God can do all of the previous, I believe he can step into his own story ("rupturing the narrative" as literature scholars like to say), show us what it means to be human, take on the evil of religion and society, only to transform by the Spirit's power overwhelming the power of darkness, sin and death. In short, if God can do this (everything I see around me), I know he can do that (walk away from a borrowed Jerusalem tomb).

I believe in Easter Sunday because I believe the disciples, women and men, had everything to lose and nothing to gain in declaring Jesus' victory. They spent the rest of their lives with Resurrection on their sleeves, in their hearts, beaming from their eyes.

Generally speaking: Post-modern Christians believe in the resurrection because they trust Jesus. Modern Christians believe in Jesus because they've intellectually accepted the tenets of resurrection (or at least the scientific possibility). I find myself going back and forth at different seasons in the faith journey.

Something happened Easter Sunday. I choose to believe that God overcame the greatest shackle known to man: death. It's a life-altering story. A story too good to not be true.

New Look for Blog, Jesus Feast

2009-04-10T22:57:00.002-05:00

While I'm working on new projects related to my first book (Jesus Feast), I've updated the look of the blog (now going by the same name as the book). The look will likely change again this summer as we get the final image/look set for the book. The final edits (syntax, comma splices, vocab, etc.) are being finished. Now, the book goes to the final stage.

Proofs should be done by early June. Publication is set for August/September.

I've been very fortunate to work with two great editors (and formidable writers in their own right) on this project: Leonard Allen and Greg Taylor. GT has pushed me to hone and craft this book so that it is a tight presentation of what I really think Christian spirituality should "feel" like in a postmodern world.

I received Brian McLaren's foreword this week. I'm really excited to see this entire project come together.

Doors

2009-04-08T13:38:00.005-05:00

"Well . . . it's a door . . . but it's not a door. You know what I mean." This is just too perfect. My friend, Adam Hill, one of the best teachers of N.T. Christianity I know, showed this to me.

Are You a Bean-to?

2009-04-07T09:50:00.008-05:00

Eugene Peterson believes that the task of being a Christian in our world today is intricately connected to the words that fall from our lips. Whether we preach in front of a community of faith, or offer a word of hope to a co-worker caught in the trappings of addiction and denial, the words we speak are the embodied means by which usher God's grace to this fragmented world.

Peterson thinks that story-telling is one of the most effective ways to do this.

In Tell it Slant, he tells the story of teaching in a graduate program on Jesus' parables. One of the students in the class, Father Tony, talked about the lessons he'd learned about story-telling in raising up leaders in Africa.

"When he [Tony] first began the work, whenever he would find men who were especially bright he would pull them out of their village and send them to Rome or Dublin or Boston or New York for training. After a couple of years they would return and take up their tasks. But the villagers hated them and would have nothing to do with them. They called the returnee a been-to (pronounced bean-to): "He's bean-to Boston." They hated the bean-to because he no longer told stories. He gave explanations. he taught them doctrines. He gave them directions. He drew diagrams on a chalk board. The bean-to left all his stories in the wastebasket of the libraries and lecture halls of Europe and America. The intimate and dignifying process of telling a parable had been sold for a mess of academic pottage. So, Father Brynne [Tony] told us, he quit the practice of sending the men off to those storyless schools," (Tell it Slant, 60-61).

---

I'm grateful that most of my education (history, english, and theology) was provided to me by men and women (starting first with my parents) who believed in the power of story.

Tell it Slant

2009-04-06T13:11:00.005-05:00

Eugene Peterson's Tell it Slant is a provocative book. I've been reading it over the last week or so . . . and it's making me remember why I love the teachings (and teaching style) of Jesus. A careful student of language (he is, after all, the catalyst behind The Message), Peterson walks the reader through the teachings and stories of Jesus (from Luke) reminding us that Jesus did not spend his public ministry using abstract theological proofs. Rather, he spoke plainly (albeit "on a slant") in language that farmers, peasants and lawyers could understand.

I'll write more on this later.

Eviction

2009-04-02T07:38:00.004-05:00

We are in the final stretch of pregnancy. At the ten week mark, Kara posted this on her blog regarding an eviction notice for Baby Lucas. If you know Kara, you'll appreciate this.

NOTICE OF EVICTION:

I am issuing a 90 day notice for EVICTION. Tenant will have 90 days in which he can either gather his belongings and promptly vacate the premises, or wait until the final day. After which, he will be physically removed from the property.He's being evicted due to breech of contract and destruction of property. Expansions only to the FRONT of the house, within reasonable limits, were discussed. Not only have these limits been exceeded, but additions to the back of the house were also made!Remodeling and gutting of the home was never approved, nor was changing the initial layout and base structure. And due to property damage, there are now leaks in both the upper AND lower levels of the home. On top of which, the landlord has received numerous complaints about nightly disturbances. After 90 days from this day that he doesn't comply with the notice will result in immediate and forceful removal at my discretion.

Love,

Mommy

Palm Sunday on My Mind . . .

2009-04-01T12:27:00.001-05:00

"The might of the world, the most sophisticated religious system of its time allied with the most powerful political empire, arrays itself against a solitary figure, the only perfect man who has ever lived. Though he is mocked by the powers and abandoned by his friends, yet the Gospels give the strong, ironic sense that he himself is overseeing the whole long process. He has resolutely set his face for Jerusalem, knowing the fate that awaits him. The cross has been his goal all along. Now, as death nears, he calls the shots," from The Jesus I Never Knew (241).

Weekend Plans: Writing, Friends, Hoops, Outliers

2009-03-27T19:10:00.007-05:00

I spent this afternoon putting the finishing touches on the teaching for Sunday. After I did that, I worked on some final editing for Jesus Feast. Editing is not my gift. I can do it, but it isn't my favorite thing in the world. For me, it's a lot like weeding. It's cool for ten or fifteen minutes, but I start to get restless after an hour or so.
---

This is going to be a great weekend. We have the Storment's in town this weekend. Jonathan, Leslie and Eden are here in Rochester Hills to encourage our leaders for Rochester Church. Jonathan is on staff with Richland Hills Church in Ft. Worth--a super talented preacher and teacher, I know he will bless us with his mind and heart. We appreciate the Richland Hills Church for letting us share the weekend with the Storment's.

Tomorrow, I'm planning on taking him to the Wright Museum in Detroit. After church on Sunday (we're co-preaching together, he's teaching a combined adult class), the five of us will get to catch a Pistons game.

KG loves going to Pistons games. Not quite as much as Tigers games . . . but she still loves catching some Deeettttroooit Basketball.
---

The NCAA Tourney has been fantastic. I don't claim to know much about college football but I just can't be convinced that a college football tourney would NOT work. Seriously. What can it hurt to try?

I've got my KU gear out for tonight's match-up against MSU. Most people assume I'm a MSU fan. Oh contrare mon frere . . . I'm a KU fan through and through. I converted one of my best friends in high school to KU Nation. He went on to be All-America in college. Coincidence? I think not. I still catch him at the health club wearing KU gear. All my Wichita friends are gearing up for a good game tonight (wearing their KU colors). Rock Chalk!

---

I just finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. The book is sensational. The premise is that we have cultural assumptions regarding success: genius, innate ability, etc. Gladwell makes a convincing argument that remarkably successful people usually have the perfect storm of events which produce people of great achievement. Gladwell makes some brilliant insights regarding socio-economic factors at work in our educational and professional institutions. I would think every teacher, minister, lawyer, doctor--just about anyone interested in seeing people become more--could benefit from the unique slant provided by Gladwell. For those not familiar with Gladwell, he's the author of The Tipping Point and Blink. From Bill Gates, to Canadian hockey stars born in February . . . this is a book that will seriously mess with your mind.

Vocation

2009-03-26T14:43:00.005-05:00

Our local paper recently did a piece on Shaun Hover. If you want to read the entire piece, click here. Here is an excerpt of the article.

Hover took a second course of study — on missionary development and leadership training — at YWAM and then designed and led his own outreach trip to Barcelona, Spain. The city attracts young skateboarders from around the world every summer.

“A lot of them are lost and looking for anything ... going from party to party. We got to know so many people,” he said. “I got to sit down with guys for coffee and tell them, ‘This is what I see happening in your life and you know it’s not good.’ I’d let them know God loves them. I’d talk about the good qualities God gave them and they’d share their struggles and open up to me.”

Drifting through life

Josh Graves, teaching minister for Rochester Church of Christ, said young people — especially those living in affluent communities — need to hear that message. He said some young adults today “stretch” their adolescence into their 20s and drift from “pipe dream to pipe dream, living week to week” without using their talents or becoming genuinely engaged in society. “We’ve got a whole generation now that have been living off the hard work of parents and grandparents. There are some Gen-Xers and Milleniums that are engaged, but there is a huge chunk of folks who are just drifting,” Graves said.

Hover spoke to 250 middle school and high school students last weekend at Rochester Church of Christ, incorporating his skateboard into his message.

Addicts--All of Us

2009-03-25T09:56:00.004-05:00

In Second Corinthians, Paul writes, “. . . there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”

*Maybe this is about demonic activity (Paul’s more charismatic than most care to admit).
*Maybe this is describing a specific/occasional sin (he travels for a living, after all).
*Maybe Paul’s describing doubt (a person of such deep faith has to doubt too).
*Perhaps Paul is depressed (he has good reason).
*Paul’s eyes are going bad (c.f. Galatians 4:13 and 6:11).
*Those false teachers are finally getting under his skin (the revenge of the Ninevites).
*Could it be a reference to Paul’s speech impediment/lack of oratory flash?

All of the previous are possible. I want to introduce a different way to read this text. It might work in the church more than it would in the academy (which is fine with me).

What if Paul is describing an addiction?

Here's what I mean when I use the word addiction. I probably mean something different than what you think of when you hear or use the word. Addiction is “the repeated surrender to a power/force that prevents us from being the person God created us to be.” That is, addiction might be more prevalent than we think.

Paul is very articulate about this current condition in his life. First, he says he prayed repeatedly for the removal (three times). This prayer for deliverance could span several months or years, we simply don’t know. Second, Paul prays for the removal of something that is preventing Paul from knowing God more deeply. Third, the word for “thorn” insinuates something that pierces, a power that presses in. Sin is not merely about making good choices. It’s also about recognizing that there is a power at work in the world which seeks to smother, dominate, and oppress. This should not surprise us. A power that loves to “steak, kill, and destroy”—to quote Jesus.

We are good at recognizing the obvious addictions: sex, gambling, porn, alcohol, drugs, and eating. But, if we pay attention to our lives, most everyone I know wrestles with addictions that are less obvious. However, just because something is less obvious does not mean it is less deadly or destructive.

Some of us have “covert” addictions: drama, anger, fighting, thrill, avoidance, shopping, TV., film, gossip, vanity, clothes, racial jokes, sports, gender exploitation, comfort, power, Internet, blogging, e-mail, funny you-tube videos.

An addiction is the place we go when we want to hide from God. God’s world is so big; we think we can get away from God. But we can’t. Because it’s God’s big world. Not ours. As long as we are unable to identify the “thorns” in our collective life together, we will not be able to fully experience Jesus as the one who liberates from the powers of this present darkness.

Knocking on Doors: More on Spiritual Friendship

2009-03-22T19:44:00.007-05:00

Assumption: Post-moderns would never go door knocking.

Not so fast.

For the last two years, I've heard a whisper as I drive down Avon Road coming/going to the synagogue (a.k.a. the Rochester Church building) . . . "What does it look like to live locally for Jesus? What does it look like to live locally here, in this particular context?" People get fired up to go to the City, Uganda, Rio, etc. But, what would it mean to see Rochester Hills as a unique space for God's rhythm to break into the daily grind?

Rowan Williams (I tell my students at RC, "Not Robin Williams . . . but Rowan Williams . . .") reminds us that "the hardest place to live is right where we are." I live in an affluent part of Metro Detroit--Oakland County. That's not bad or good, it simply is. But it is sometimes way too easy to live somewhere else. To dream that God wants to work in only the dramatic and spectacular settings.

The sexy places.

Directly across from our church facility is an apartment complex in which Indian, Hispanic (not "Spanish" as some like to say), Latino, White, Black, and Asian call this area "home." It is, pound for pound, probably one of the more diverse, in every sense of the word, spaces in Rochester Hills.

As far as I know, our church has done little to connect to the real needs of the people living here. Well, that's all about to change. I don't know what it's going to look like, but I'm going to spend the next few months provoking the leadership and body of Rochester Church to develop "Sunday eyes" for this neighborhood. "Friday eyes" look at the world as it is. "Sunday eyes" look at the world as it can be. This is not to say we will infiltrate the neighborhood as if we posses God (because we're the church folks) with a conquering spirit of imperialism. Rather, we are compelled to love our neighbors as Jesus loves them. Remember, for Jesus everybody is a somebody. Everyone is a someone. There are no strangers or enemies in The Jesus Way. Also remembering that God is already out "there" and that we are simply called to join God to see what God is up to.

This happens through conversation.

Listening.

Eye contact.

Personal touch.

Feeling uncomfortable.

This morning, ten of us from Rochester Church spent 30-40 minutes walking the premises of the apartments across from us. We asked the people we met if we could a) do anything to help their families in this tough economic time (Michigan's the eye of the storm right now)? and/or b) prayer for them in any specific way? We did not go with any ulterior motive other than to be a tangible blessing in their life.

I jokingly quipped to one person "We should have worn short, black dress pants with white dress shirts. I could have brought a few bikes from my house." My friend, Shaun Hover (one of the coolest people I now because he does not try to be cool), looked at me and uttered the infamous slogans of 20 somethings across our great nation, "Not so much. Not so much, Josh."

When Jesus ascends to heaven at the beginning of Acts, the angels say to his disciples, "Why are you staring up to the heavens?" Barbara Brown Taylor says it is because the disciples then (just as disciples do now) want to look up to the heavens for God. But God is not "up" . . . he's "out" . . . in the highways and bi-ways, in the nooks and crannies of our world. If only we take the time to see through different eyes.

Living someone else's life is easy. Living in a made-up scenario is fools gold. Living in hopes of God meeting your every need is shallow. Living right where you are, seeing yourself, and others around you as tiny evidence that God still does miracles each morning in the cry of the infant, the rising of the sun, the hug of a teacher, the tear of a grandmother--that's the the Christianity of Christ. It's the difference, as many have noted, of having faith in Jesus and having the faith of Jesus.

Spiritual Friendship

2009-03-22T07:10:00.004-05:00

If you are interested in hearing a different way of understanding Israel's wandering in the desert, click here and listen to "Longing for Egypt" . . .

---

I am really interested in discussions about spiritual friendship. I appreciate the way in which Jesus says, in the Gospel of John, "No longer am I your superior, boss, or power-holder. For now on, I want you to call me friend."

I've spent a few hours in my life pondering what it means to be deeply spiritual friends with Jesus and those whom Jesus befriended in his ministry.

I am convinced that one of the greatest measuring devices for one's spiritual health is to honestly analyze the friendships that fill our lives. Are our friendships based on economic gain (that is, what can this person offer me)? Are our friendships based merely on security (that is, what person is just like me that I can safely walk with)?

For that reason, I was blown away the first time I read Same Kind of Different as Me. Specifically, this book is about the relationship between a sharecropper turned homeless man and a wealthy Dallas Metro-plex art dealer. Early on in their friendship, Denver says to Ron . . . “If you is fishin for a friend you just gon’ catch and release, then I ain’t got no desire to be your friend…But, if you is lookin for a real friend, then I’ll be one. Forever."

Drinking Deeply

2009-03-19T12:55:00.004-05:00

Drinking deeply from good books is one of the vital spiritual disciplines I've implemented in my life over the last ten years. I have been a reader of autobiographies since high school. Once I entered college, my world exploded by reading novels, history, theology, philosophy, science, postmodernism, memoir, etc. Staying up late or getting up early is a small sacrifice for immersing yourself in a great book.

I recently read three excellent books that might catch your interest.

A Mercy by Toni Morrison is outstanding. Pilgrim Heart by Darryl Tippens was solid. Origins of an Urban Crisis will challenge everything you think you know about urban decline and white flight (with Detroit as the backdrop).

The on-deck list is formidable. Outliers is already rocking my world. Tell it Slant promises to be another great Peterson book. Little Chapel on the River is supposed to be a book about church that isn't about church. Tepper Isn't Going Out sounds bizarre but I love the premise. Craig Kocher told me "you have to read" Blood Done Signed My Name. The Black Swan looks to be similar to Outliers--a book that will challenge my thinking about the way I think. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus quenches my thirst to continue to understand Jesus' Jewish context of the first century world.

---

If you've read anything recently that you want to share, feel free to post.

MAVS and March Madness

2009-03-18T13:55:00.004-05:00

I lost a bet with a die hard Dallas Mavs fan last night. Here's the implications. Of course, I'm a die-hard Pistons fan.

Kudos to the Mavs for beating the Pistons last night. I won’t mention the fact that A.I., Rasheed, and Rip Hamilton did not play in the game. Or the fact that the game was played in Dallas. That would be a cheap shot. The Mavs have a bright future ahead of them because they have one of the great owners in the NBA. I think they will be able to shake the demons from the tragic loss to the Miami heat in the NBA Finals a few years back (along with the Jason Kidd trade).

Predictions for March Madness:

*Louisville and Memphis in the Final Four (Louisville)

*Duke and UNC in the Final Four (UNC)

*Louisville takes it all (Pitino is back in the limelight)

Ancient Graffiti

2009-03-18T12:09:00.002-05:00

Without doing research, I'm wondering if any of you can guess the historical and theological significance of this piece of graffiti from the ancient world? Hint: it is a political and religious drawing.

Lessons Learned: Writing

2009-03-17T11:04:00.003-05:00

I've learned a lot of lessons from writing Jesus Feast. Many of those lessons have been swirling in my head the past few weeks. Recently, a friend called to ask me about the writing process (lessons learned, mistakes, perspective, etc.). That helped me to think more concretely on why writing is such a vital part of a) how I've been gifted, and b) spiritual disciplines that move me.

1. When you write well you speak well (usually). I write out virtually every speaking event I do. Rarely do I take what I've written "with me" . . . however, writing allows me to use words with precision as well as notice sayings, phrases, words I revert back to in a pinch. Words are what allow us to construct reality. The words we choose are precious.

2. There's no such thing as the perfect piece. I've long ago given up the idea that a writer can attain perfection. For instance, I make spelling errors on this blog all the time. Some times I catch them, some times I don't. I care about spelling correctly (I'm too TYPE A not to care) but I don't overly dwell on this. The book is in the fifth draft. I still find mistakes in this draft. I still find a sentence that is awkward. I'm not trying to attain perfection. I do, however, want the pieces/chapters/segments to be good. I thing perfection is overrated. I think good is better than perfect.

3. Writing opens up doors you did not know existed. A Pandora's Box of sorts (though it's one of the most overused metaphors in the English language)--writing takes you to conversations, events, and experiences you have buried in the deep, deep places of the soul.

4. Writing allows you to develop your own voice. The single most important thing related to vocation (whether that's writing, speaking, playing the guitar, etc.) is to learn to trust the you that God has created you to be.

5. Writing gets you into a rhythm of not only seeing the world as it is . . . but being able to see (what I call an imagination soaked in the Jesus Story) the world as it can be.

6. Writing consistently makes you a better listener. I pay attention to the inflection and cadence of the waitress at IHOP. I notice the way the mechanic talks about the engine of my car. I become a witness to the way in which God has made us, as the Psalmist writes, "fearfully and wonderfully." Instead of engaging in a conversation in order that I might show someone how much I know, how funny I am . . . becoming a writer forces you to listen to the way others see the world. Writers tend to be introverted. We look inwards. Going deeper with one's writing means the invitation is given to get outside of myself, and to behold.

7. Writing is a form of prayer. Nothing more to say about that.

Spring Means (Detroit Style)

2009-03-16T13:07:00.007-05:00

Spring means . . .

no mo' snow (we hope)
baseball
brats (b-r-a-w-t-s) with lots of ketchup
cantaloupe
lemonade
Tigers baseball games with Kara
Saturday afternoons at the park
bike rides
long walks with Kara
waking up to the songs of birds
no mo' snow
resurrection
long Sundays in Cass Park
evening strolls to the ice cream store
mowing the lawn
March Madness
triathlons
softball on Thursday and Saturday nights
new life
my birthday
weeds
NBA playoffs
sunsets
mosquitoes (I used to be allergic)
the arrival of Lucas
no mo' snow (we hope)

Most of all, spring means new life. This has been a rough winter for Detroiters (urbanites and suburbanites). The news is packed with gloom and more gloom. The arrival of spring is a glimmer of hope that the future is full of new possibilities.

Meditations on "30"

2009-03-14T02:45:00.004-05:00

Many wishes, anecdotes, insights, stories, and maxim's were shared with me yesterday on the occasion of turning 30. Here are the two funniest.

First, one friend, who's known me since I was a wee lad, reminded me of a great point made by George Carlin.

"I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life ... . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!! But then you turn 30.Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

A second funny story. I left Josh Ross a voice message late yesterday afternoon after I'd just finished playing one-on-one with my twin brother, Jason. Which, if you are really perceptive, means Jason was also celebrating a birthday yesterday. In fact, we've been celebrating our birthdays on the same day for thirty years running. Back to the story (one which RC Warriors will no doubt dispute). In between pick up games, I dunked a basketball. Chalk it up to energy, frustration (my brother, the college tennis player turned triathlete, had just beat me). It felt really good. Though, as I write this blog early Saturday morning (when all good writing gets done), I'm hurting. Bad.

My voicemail to Josh Ross was to the point, "I know about your super-human metabolism and your 40 yard sprint time (Josh was a stud high school quarterback) . . . forget all that . . . I dunked at 30 years old."

Later last night, Josh Ross sends me this text (in response to the dunk): "What? You got Viagra for your 30th birthday old man?"

Touche Josh. Touche. Guess I had it coming.

The Ultimate (Guys) Birthing Plan

2009-03-11T17:18:00.005-05:00

Kara and I recently started a birthing class offered at the local hospital where Baby Lucas will enter the world late April/early May. Our instructor (a really sharp and funny nurse) walked us through many important aspects of preparing for birth . . . mainly . . . you can prepare but you are never ultimately prepared.

Some hospitals today allow parents to develop a birthing plan. That is, here's what the parents like to see happen in the ideal birthing situation. Call it consumer delivery with a touch of creativity. Of course, my imagination perked up when I heard the words "ideal birthing situation." Here's what I envisioned when I heard those words.

First, upon arrival to the hospital, Beethoven's Fifth will be playing quietly in the background. Upon entrance into the hospital, the famous Las Vegas announcer-guy will grab a mic (preferably a mic that drops from the ceiling) and announce to the world, "Ladies and Gentlemen . . . the hour we've been waiting for . . . let's get ready to rummmmbbbblllleee."

After that serene beginning, Kara and I will both receive robes that read Baby Daddy and Baby Momma on the back. Mine is white with blue trim. Kara's is white with green trim.

As we approach the room where Lucas will enter the world, a rep from M&M's will offer me a lifetime supply of peanut M&M's for "the enduring trial I'm about to go through." I graciously accept and begin to devour a king size bag of God's favorite candy. I remind the M&M rep that Kara's the real hero in this drama.

The mood needs to change so I slip an Enya CD into the CD player (my man card was pulled a long, long time ago). Kara and I both get foot massages from a European massage champion. The lights are dimmed and we listen to scholarship offers from Duke (Coach K who has Kobe on the phone talking about how we would've gone to Duke had he not gone to the NBA right out of high school) and Roy (UNC baby) and Bill (KU's the leader at this point).

At this point, Nelson Mandela enters the room and reads to us from Letter from a Birmingham Jail. He then offers a South African blessing for Lucas's future. He ends by reading a prayer that is specifically written by Desmond Tutu. "Lucas, God has big dreams for you," are his parting words. Bono has also sent us a video message in which he sings Pride.

Just then, things heat up. Kara is ready to deliver. After thirty minutes or so, the moment has arrived. Queen is playing "We are the Champions" in the background, Stuart Scott is texting me for up-to-the-minute information. Lucas enters the world, I'm crying, Kara's crying and Lucas offers us the universal sign of stability; he gives us the peace sign.

I do what any good dad would do. I ask the nurse if I can have the honor of cutting the umbilical cord. The nurse says, "Of course." With a Dwight Shcrute glimmer in my eye, I pull a large Samurai sword out and cut the umbilical cord in half, while yelling, "Freeeeeddddoooom. They can take our lives but they can never take our freeeeddddoooommm."

That's the ultimate (guys) birthing plan. Of course, if you don't appreciate satire, this little piece will be lost on you. Kara's birthing plan is much more simple and realistic. Hey, a dad can dream can't he?

Finding Your Way

2009-03-10T12:29:00.003-05:00

My good friend, Phillip Camp, recently wrote a book for those people entering graduate school/seminary (or merely contemplating) in preparation for ministry. The books is succinct, funny, poignant, and insightful. Phillip was one of my (toughest) teachers at Lipscomb . . . I now consider him a fellow pilgrim on the journey. He has a passion for reflection and practice--he's a refreshing reminder that many academics care deeply about how ideas are implemented into everyday life.

Finding Your Way is a book to add to the list.

Here's the blurb I wrote for the back cover.

Finding Your Way is the postmodern version of Thielicke's A Little Exercise for Young Theologians. As both a teacher and friend, Phillip Camp is wise in navigating the task of loving God with one's heart and one's mind. Because he is a committed academic and minister—Camp's book will be a compass for seminary students of all tribes and denominations.

To read the Wipf and Stock description, click here.

Dear Kara

2009-03-10T08:59:00.009-05:00

I'm a firm believer that we do not affirm and encourage each other enough (in society in general and in the church specifically).

I wrote this short letter to Kara recently. It was read to her at the baby shower our church family put together. I could not be there (I was speaking at a church in Kansas) but wanted Kara to know how honored I am to be "doing life" (as our small group calls it) together. If you have not affirmed your wife/husband/significant other in an intentional way . . . I'm giving you homework this week. Do it.

Dear Kara,

I know you don't like public attention. In spite of me and your dad, you have always been a person who prefers to be behind the scenes, using your gifts and talents for God in simple but powerful ways. Since we've lived in Michigan you've helped our Cass Park efforts by cooking, and arranging misc.. gifts for our friends (chap stick, lotion, scarves). You have been the rock of our small group, organizing and encouraging the many different people God has woven into our lives. You are Mrs. Consistent when it comes to serving on the praise team and in the arts.

This does not even mention your work as a bank teller, substitute teacher, and organizer to Josh (Lord knows I'm all over the place, traveling several times per year--yet you keep me grounded).

All I have just mentioned does not define you. You are not what you do. You are special because you are made in God's likeness. You emulate and reveal God to me and others in ways that only you can. I want you to know, by proxy of this letter, I'm honored to be bringing Lucas into the world with you. I'm excited to be partners in this, the most terrifying and thrilling, of all our adventures to date. Yes, even more than the ominous time we were stranded in Paris during a bomb scare on our way back from Uganda.

Lucas will get to discover all the things I already know. You are beautiful, resourceful, humorous, lovely, dependable, brilliant, and all together fun. I would not wish for my life to have turned out any different than the manner in which God has shaped it to be. You are the nearest experience of God's Grace in my life. I love you without conditions.

---

Being in a Chaotic World

2009-03-07T05:22:00.006-05:00

Interesting opinions piece in the N.Y. Times recently.

Scot McKnight has a brilliant little piece on "Impostor Syndrome"

---

I was in a conversation with good friends recently about the power of knowing the stories of those around us. Kara started talking about how important genograms (gee-know-grams or gen-o-grams depending upon whether you say tu-mate-o or ta-mawt-o) have been in our Rochester Church life group.

1. Knowing someone's story (where they come from, their values, hurts, dreams, and hang-ups) allows you to more easily extend grace to each other.

2. Knowing someone's story gives you the tools and language to speak into their life when the time comes. Some people need a swift kick while others need a pastoral touch. Figuring out who needs what is one of the challenges of deep spiritual friendship.

---

The previous would've helped a Christian group I recently spent time with. On the SW side of Detroit, you'll find the largest Arab population in the world (outside the Middle East of course). Mostly Muslim (not all Arabs are Muslim . . . some are Chaldean Christian) many immigrants from Yemen, Iran, and Iraq call this rough place home. There's a remarkable Christian outreach ministry to the poor here in SW Detroit.

Along with several students at RC, I spent the bulk of Wednesday at two different mosque's. Say what you will about Islam (and there's a lot to say, God knows they have as many challenges if not more than Christianity right now) . . . we're still talking about people. The Christian group we were with tried to convince us to debate the imam's, a sort of no-holds-bar-death-debate. Most of our students declined saying, "We'd rather attempt to truly understand Islam before we critique it." Students from another university were ripe for the debate. They launched into a contrived (and logically shallow) war of words with a local imam who was clearly too much (intellectually speaking).

I'm not interested in saying that Muslims and Christians are the same. This simply isn't true. There is much of which we disagree. However, our differences must never allow us to avoid the hard work of having authentic dialog that is more than simply political posturing and religious rant. I'm fond of the Jesus Story in which he demonstrates the ways in which Jews and Samaritans (two religions at odds with each other, both prone to violence and terrorist activity) have to continue to see each other as people . . . not principles or intellectual problems to be solved. When I listen to people rant about Islam for instance, I usually follow with a simple statement, "You might be right about what you just said. But let me ask you this. How many Muslims do you know by name?"--BTW, the same question I ask when someone demeans the homeless, etc.

Besides, if you are going to be the kind of Christian who might influence Muslims to consider Christ as God-in-the-flesh (what Christians call evangelism ) . . . that will likely take place because they've encountered an unmistakable and unshakable confidence in who God is calling me to be, the way in which I live that out. Some say this is naive. Some say this is not logical.

It's called the Jesus Way. It's called the way of Incarnation. Paul said it best. "While we were still God's enemies, God died for us." That fundamentally changes the way in which we engage our alleged/legit enemies.

Besides, what's harder: Hiding behind passionate arguments or taking the time to truly know someone, to hear their story, to understand what makes them them?

How We Decide

2009-03-06T08:04:00.004-05:00

One of the more interesting questions I'm pursuing in my reading and writing is this simple question: "what does it mean to be human" exactly? I loved Rob Bell's description in Sex God that humans are both spirit and body (not animals which are body with no spirit and not angels which are spirits with no body). I've since learned that Bell was building upon the work and thinking of Augustine and C.S. Lewis.

I've recently read a book that I highly suggest for those of you who are interested in the ways in which science and religion are coming together in our time to help us understand the project of being human.

The book, How We Decide (by Jonah Lehrer, 2009), combats Plato's conviction (and now longstanding cataract) that reason is meant to keep emotion in check. Hence, the more moral/successful/wise a person is, the more his/her reason is controlling emotion. Plato uses the analogy of a chariot and horse (chariot corresponds with reason and the horse, emotion).

Lehrer thinks that the distinction between reason and emotion is false. He argues, that the two are essentially, the same coin just two different sides. In his book, he demonstrates how reason is dangerous when all emotion is abandoned. For instance, psychopaths, are not unreasonable people. Quite the contrary. However, psychopaths (because of abuse, isolation, etc.) are unable to feel . . . unable to imagine what it would be like to be someone else. Because they cannot feel and imagine, they are more inclined to violence and manipulation. The first thing we learn about humans, is that we have an amazing capacity to love and that capacity must be exercised and expanded.

Lehrer convincingly suggest that the truly moral person is one who knows when to approach life as a science (reason) and when to approach life as an art (emotion). He believes that the fully developed person works his/her way through life with an innate sense of distinguishing between the two.

In the conclusion of the book, Lehrer offers an analogy to bring everything together. He suggests that it might help for some to view life as a poker game (work with me here). There is an element of poker that is purely mathematical, based upon reason, probability, etc. In fact, most novices get in trouble because they are unable to comprehend the basic science of poker. However, poker is also an art. Often times, what you are actually holding in your hands is not as important as what others think you are holding. Hence, the art, drama, creative interlude. Of course, one can take the analogy too far and suggest his ethic is significantly flawed because it is based in self-interest (something he works hard throughout the entire book to dismantle).

If you struggle picking out a box of cereal at the supermarket . . . or which job offer might be the best for you and your family . . . or which shirt to wear for the important meeting . . . or what color to paint your bedroom . . . this book is for you.

More Jesus Feast

2009-03-03T14:06:00.005-05:00

Here's another snippet from Jesus Feast. I've had excellent editorial help from Leonard Allen, Greg Taylor along with Josh Ross, Sara Barton and Kara Graves (oh yeah . . . and the religion classes I've taught at Rochester College along with a spiritual formation class I taught last year at Rochester Church). After the book comes out, the previously mentioned people might not claim me. Sigh.

I'll do little previews here and there over the course of the next several months: quotes, snippets, summaries, etc. For now, here's a little piece from the introduction along with the table of contents.

In the last fifty years, Christianity shifted to the far corners of the world: China, South America, and Africa. Scholars now note that there are more Anglicans in Africa, for instance, than in all of Great Britain. The largest Christian congregation in the U.K. is Kingsway International Church—started by two African leaders. My own religious tribe, Churches of Christ from the American Restoration Movement, has been slowly declining the last three decades in the United States. Besides two major segments of Protestant faith—Pentecostal and Independent/Community—most of Western Christianity is in the midst of a season of stagnation or severe decline.

As hard as it is to swallow, more chaos consumes the twenty-first century global landscape. The devastation of America’s “9-11,” the Indian Ocean Tsunami, tragic earthquakes in Pakistan and Kashmir, the horror of Hurricane Katrina, and the latest surge of wars in the Middle East should cause Christians to ask two important questions, “Is God present and working in the face of such pressing evil?” and, “How can Christianity be ‘good news’ for those who do not ‘believe?’” These two questions under-gird this entire work. I’m convicted that Christianity’s real genius and power rests in her ability to bring healing, justice, and equality to all people. The real test of Christian theology is the result it brings for those who do not (yet) subscribe to the Christian faith.

“In other words, our Christian affirmations about the uniqueness of Christ achieve their real impact when they are subjected to the test to establish their credentials and validity not only in terms of the religious and spiritual universe in which Christians habitually operate, but also and indeed especially, in terms of the religious and spiritual worlds which persons of other faiths inhabit," says Kwame Bediako.

Jesus Feast engages the discussion of what Christianity, as a spiritual movement and not an institutional religion, can sound and look like in a pluralistic society like the one emerging in these United States. Christians and spiritual seekers must continue to examine the food being consumed. I want to help you re-imagine Christianity as a way of life, not merely a set of beliefs. That’s why this book, in this order, is about: God, Mary, Jesus, discipleship, justice, forgiveness, true beauty, unexpected prophets, hospitality, water, food, money, and spiritual disciplines.

Foreword by Brian McLaren

Part One: Re-Imagining Jesus

Introduction: Spiritual Anorexia

Chapter One: God of Surprises

Chapter Two: Theotokos

Chapter Three: Wrestling with the Real Jesus

Chapter Four: The Greatest Risk

Chapter Five: Can I Get a Witness?

Chapter Six: No Future without Forgiveness

Chapter Seven: Suffering Made Beautiful

Part Two: Living Reminders

Chapter Eight: Professor Jack

Chapter Nine: A Place at the Table

Chapter Ten: Food and Water

Chapter Eleven: Keeping Up with the Jones’s

Chapter Twelve: An Invitation to Dance

Epilogue: Jesus Feast

Jesus Feast--Late Summer 2009

2009-03-02T11:34:00.005-05:00

Kansas

2009-02-28T12:40:00.004-05:00

When people ask me where I grew up, I usually respond by saying "Michigan/Detroit" but follow-up quickly by adding, "but I spent a good part of my childhood in Wichita, Kansas (hence my love/addiction/loyalty to Kansas hoops).

My (twin) brother and I were almost three when we moved from Detroit to Wichita. Almost nine when we moved back to Detroit. My sister, three years older than the twins, still regards her childhood in Kansas as a truly great time in the life of our family.

We were pretty poor. I knew it. My brother and sister knew it. My dad worked as a youth minister for a congregation in Wichita and also drove a school-bus to supplement his income. These were some of the best of times for our family. For starters, we had great relationships (too many to name) and we became really close as a family. From dedication to the church, to picking up the sport of soccer (the official sport of Kansas I think), our time in Wichita was incredibly formative. I will never forget the Friday bus rides with my dad and the reward afterwards--splitting a grape soda at the local Quick Trip to talk about basketball (it was in Wichita that my brother and I realized there was more to my mom than we'd bargained for--she frequently beat us in one-on-two hoops in the driveway on the backboard and hoop constructed by my father), soccer, and Jesus.

All of these memories are flooding my mind this weekend as I'm in Wichita for the first time since 1998. During my freshmen year of college I came to Oklahoma City to visit my brother in college (he was there to play tennis and study accounting). On a whim, we decided to come to Wichita, to see some of the people who shaped our lives when we were younger.

Yesterday, I stepped off the plane, and took a deep breath.

I am here to present to the East Point Church (and their leadership) all of the work I've accumulated in Jesus Feast. Last night went well. I'm on my way to meet with the key leaders of the church . . . to talk about this elusive phrase "postmodern culture."

Lucas is going to join Kara and me in a few short months. In fact, today's is the Baby Shower. I pray to God every day that I will provide the space and ethos for him as was given to me. A space to dream, ask big questions, go my own way only to know that for all of us, home is the most important four letter word we'll ever encounter.

Rummage Sales

2009-02-25T08:44:00.005-05:00

Every five hundred years, the church, whether she realizes it or not, has a rummage sale. The cultural, societal, and philosophical baggage gathered "along the way" must be re-constituted or tossed aside all together.

*Jesus came to bring Israel back to Torah-abiding, justice-executing ways.

*The important council's of the 5th centuries definitively gave the church language to understand who Jesus really was (fully God and fully human--a belief we moderns take for granted)

*The split of the Western Church (Catholicism) and the Eastern Church (Orthodox) and the Oriental Orthodoxy (Coptic, Syrian, etc.).

*Martin Luther's Reformation of Catholicism in the 16th century

*The Great Emergence of the late 20th/early 21st century (sometimes mentioned as postmodernism).

Every five hundred years, the rummage sale comes a knockin'. This is the premise of Phyllis Tickle's new book The Great Emergence. A "short epic" (thanks for that expression Jonathan), this book covers the major threads of Christianity as a social movement over the last two thousand years. Tickle masterfully weaves in and out the complexities of Christianity's spread: the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.

Too many highlights to cover, so I'll mention just one facet. Towards the end of GE, Tickle attempts to describe the different branches/response of Christians in this new reality, this emerging world landscape (141-143).

Traditionalists: "Like those who have fallen heir to Grandpa's old home place and who still like things just the way he had them, they see no need either to fight with the neighbors or to change the furniture." This group is content, fine with business as usual.
Re-traditioning: This group has chosen to stay with their inherited group, but unlike the Traditionalists "they energetically wish to make it [the church] more fully what it originally was." These folks want to keep the house, but make major interior changes and modifications: create a new kitchen, update the plumbing, drop new floors.
Progressives: "[W]hile wanting to maintain their position in institutional Christianity, they want also to wrestle with what they see as the foolheartedness of holding on to dogma based ideas and doctrinally restricted governance and praxis." This group will knock out some walls, extend favorite rooms, even build additions if need be.
Hyphenateds: "[T]hey recognize theirs is the most schizophrenic of the encompassing circles . . . householders who have fallen heir to Grandpa's old home place, feel a compelling need to honor the land it sits upon and the trees that surround it, but no need to retain its structural shape. Imaginatively enough, though, while they may tear down the house, they will savage some of the material out of which it was built and incorporate those honored bricks and columns, plinths and antique doors into the new thing they are building."

---

Which stream do you find yourself in?

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-02-24T22:44:00.004-05:00

Five reasons to go see Slumdog Millionaire:

I think it's wonderful that Slumdog beat out Milk, Nixon, Reader, and Benjamin Button and for the Oscar Sunday night. I was able to see all of the movies nominated for Best Picture . . . and . . . for the first time in a long, long time, I got it right. Or I should say, I guessed right.

1. SM is a great story.

2. SM is about globalization.

3. SM is about poverty and hope.

4. SM is about (remarkable) music.

5. SM is about love being the most reckless of all human capacities.

An Altar in the World

2009-02-22T22:57:00.005-05:00

If Barbara Brown Taylor has moved you in the past, this book will not let you down. If you've never read (or heard of) BBT, as I affectionately call her, this is an outstanding introduction.

Taylor is a post-modern mystic who believes that God and God's miracles are awaiting in the everyday stuff of our lives. She can take a seemingly routine thing (making a sandwich, going for a walk, talking on the phone) and show us how God, as I love to say quoting Augustine, is closer to us than we are to ourselves. One friend emailed me this week to say how much An Altar meant to him: "I thought each chapter I read was the best until I got to the next one . . . "

Chapter Three, The Practice of Wearing Skin, is one of the better poetical understandings of Incarnation I've read.

From walking to getting lost, listening to seeing, Taylor has blazed a new path for those of us trying to be tied to the God of Creation and Incarnation as Torah and Gospels teach us to be.

An example:

At this advanced level, the practice of getting lost has nothing to do with wanting to go there. It is something that happens, like it or not. You lose your job. Your lover leaves. That baby dies. At this level, the advanced practice of getting lost consists of consenting to be lost, since you have no other choice. The consenting itself becomes your choice, as you explore the possibility that life is for you and and not against you, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

This rock-bottom trust seems to come naturally to some people, while it takes disciplined practice for others. I am one of the latter, a damaged truster who hopes she has lots of time to work up to the advanced level before her own exodus comes. To that end, I keep my eyes open for opportunities to get slowly lost, so that I can gradually build the muscles necessary for radical trust (An Altar in the World, 80).

No Line on the Horizon

2009-02-22T15:28:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine handed me a CD case this morning as he was leaving church. I didn't really think anything of it initially. Then, I started to put clues together. This friend is a radio exec in Metro Detroit . . . very savvy regarding music and film culture.

After I finished up the conversation I was in when said friend handed me the CD disc, I looked down and realized I'd just been handed an advanced copy of No Lion in the Horizon--U2's new album set to come out in a few weeks.

I'm listening to it right now. So far, it's solid. Get On Your Boots is rocking my world.

There are many reasons I love U2. Regarding lyrics, they are superior. Bono writes almost everything they do. Philosophically and theologically, their music fits together with so many of the things I'm interested in. And, some of the things I'm interested in are a direct result of U2's influence. I can't think of another band that sings as well as U2 in concert with things that matter. So many people are skeptical of religion. U2 represents an understanding of faith I want to emulate in my own life. "Religion is what's left over when God's left the building," Bono has (in)famously noted.

They do this album after album after album.

If you are interested in seeing what happens when a group of people learn how to intersect modern culture with deep spirituality, check out U2.

Toilets

2009-02-20T12:51:00.003-05:00

Jesus is found in the little things.

I really believe that. Do you?

---

Ever since I can remember, I've been the toilet-cleaner. I'm not speaking in metaphoric terms here (as I'm often prone to do), I'm being as literal as one can be. I remember cleaning toilets as part of my weekly chores growing up in the Graves household. In addition, I also was responsible for the dreaded taking-out-of-the-trash. Compared to scraping the remains of my family's dinner from the bottom of the porcelain throne (as it was called in my circles of friends in high school), taking out the trash was picking daisies.

It is hard to take yourself too seriously when you clean toilets. It gives you a sense that we are all, as Genesis gently reminds us, created from dust and to that dust we will all return. We are created, finite, beings. Complex? Of course. But temporary. At least for now.

I ate breakfast with a respected friend recently when he started telling me how he now cleans the toilets where he works. Every week, he loads up his three children, and for nearly three hours, they vacuum, wash, scrub and . . . miracle of miracles . . . they clean toilets. One little detail I've left out--this friend is the Vice President of this company, on his way to being President in a few short years.

Since Kara and I have been married it's my job to clean toilets. Now to be fair, I probably don't do as much "around the house" (a Midwestern expression) as I should. Kara pays the bills, organizes meals, cleans, monitors the social calendar (did I mention she's pregnant and a full-time grad student?), etc. But the responsibilities of cleaning toilets are set aside for moi.

Barbara Brown Taylor says, in An Altar in the World, that God erects altars all over the world. Spirituality is asking God to give us the eyes to see these holy intersection. In his day, Jesus told his disciples that they couldn't really be his apprentices until they learned to clean toilets. Actually, he said they had to learn to wash feet--one of the most degrading and disgusting acts in the first century.

If we were speaking to us today, I think Jesus would make us clean each other toilets. Seriously. When we moved into our first house, the one we currently live in, our friends, the Barton's (John, Sara, Nate and Brynn) were some of the first to arrive to help us move in. True to their character (they lived in East Africa for several years prior to coming to Rochester), their very first act was to clean both of our bathrooms and replace our toilet seats. Top to bottom. Cleaned to the last detail. Including the toilet.

I've been known tease John Barton (twice my boss: V.P. at RC and elder at Rochester Church) that I think of him every time I'm in my bathroom and . . . well . . . , I'll stop there.

Jesus said that his movement was about towels not titles. I'd like to think that we need to bring people to the same teaching. Jesus' movement is not about titles . . . it's about toilets.

I'm sure marketing guru's all over the world are salivating.

Shaun and Jessica in India

2009-02-19T16:02:00.004-05:00

The Devil is 24 Hours

2009-02-18T12:55:00.004-05:00

I got to hang out in Cass Park this morning with my friend Shaun Hover--just back from working with young adults in India and Pakistan. Some of you will remember Shaun from the stories told here and here and here.

This morning, we spent time following up with different people from this past Sunday's time in The Park. Overall, it was a good morning. We met up, at one point, with Mark. Mark is on his way back, getting out of the cycles of addiction and poverty.

Among other things, I took Mark a suit to wear for an interview he has this week. As I drove him back to where he was staying, the conversation turned to the everyday task of following Jesus ("keeping the Lord first," were his precise words). Towards the end of the conversation, he sad, "I ain't gonna lie to ya. Life's hard right now. Real hard. The devil is 24 hours. Devil don't quit. Always working. Always waiting to get you."

Mark wasn't simply describing a man with a red devil costume on with the proverbial pitch fork in hand. He was talking about the reality that evil is a power in our world. Evil is not merely something we choose, rather, it is an oppressive reality: it seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.

Most folks in the circles I run in don't talk like that. They talk about bad decisions, and poor choices. And I'm all for talking that way myself. But I wonder if we trick ourselves into thinking that we have all the power. That living a virtuous life is simply about me mustering enough logical will to be good. That might be a religion, but it is not the Christian religion. Christianity says that God, in Jesus, has overcome the powers of this world, to make us better than we could ever make ourselves. Or, as one friend wrote this week: God has overcome the strong by his preference for weakness.

The devil is twenty-four hours. All day. Every day. But so is God. So is the Spirit. So is the Jesus who walked among us.

Valentine's Day Faux Pas

2009-02-14T16:00:00.007-05:00

It was a dark and stormy night. Not really. Actually, it was a really nice day in Abilene, Texas. Kara was doing homework, staying ahead in her studies (as she does remarkably well). I was in Houston on a recruiting trip for ACU basketball.

I woke up early Saturday morning to watch several high school teams go at it. I had written myself a note in my coaching folder, "Don't forget to buy Kara something nice for Valentine's Day." Knowing exactly how much money I had in the bank ($6.12 or something close to that), I had to be creative. Kara wasn't looking for anything extravagant. She knew I was a broke grad student, barely making ends meet.

The day went by quickly. Towards the end, about four o'clock, I went to take a break from my recruiting notes. As I walked downstairs in the gym to grab a drink, I noticed a large table with boxes and boxes of girl scout cookies. I thought to myself, "I have ten bucks cash in my pocket, and six dollars in the bank . . . girl scout cookies could work." I bought the box of thin mints cookies. Put them in my car, returned back to watch a few more hoop games.

I drove from Houston to Abilene that night, getting in real late. The next morning, I picked Kara up early to go to church. We listened to Mike Cope preach a great sermon in his "More than Thunder" series from the Gospel of John. Some of those sermons sustained in ways I can't quite explain that year.

After church, we ate a cheap lunch (she probably paid) and went back to her place. I had tons of film work to finish for our games that week, so I was going to head back to Moody Coliseum to break down the game tapes. Before Kara got out, I leaned towards the back of my car, grabbed the thin mints, turned my body towards Kara and said, "Honey, you know I don't have a lot of money . . . Happy Valentine's Day." I should note that right before this, she had given me a bunch of simple but thoughtful gifts for our upcoming honeymoon to Maui (sandals, etc.).

Typical Kara, she didn't say anything in the moment. She went inside, I went to work. The next day, I came to her house to have dinner. When I walked in, there it was: the evidence of my stupidity. In a large vase, rested a box of . . . you guessed it . . . thin mint girl scout cookies. That was Kara's way of saying, "I didn't get flowers, or a card, or chocolates, or a poem. I got girl scout cookies." In that moment, I knew how bad I'd blown it. I apologized profusely.

The next year, to make up for this disaster (hey, penance is not always a bad thing), we had seven days of Valentine's Day in our house. Seriously. Seven days of thoughtful gifts. And I promise you, I've not blown Valentine's Day since the disaster of the thin mint cookies.

Barbara Brown Taylor notes that men can be a bit stubborn at times. "Why does it take thousands of sperm to fertilize a single egg? Because the sperm refuse to stop and ask for directions."

I've learned my lesson. Taking the easy way out is never the easy way out. With Kara, I get windows of opportunity to show her I care more about her than my normal routines and impulses. I'm sure I'm not the only guy who's learned the painful lessons of romance. Any of you care to share your blunders?

Words

2009-02-13T12:09:00.005-05:00

I've been thinking about the power of words all week. And then I read this blog, and the wheels got to turning even more.

---

I’m aware that men and women use thousands of words each day to express emotions ranging from anger, despair, envy, to joy, hope, and excitement. Words, after all, give meaning to our emotions and feelings. Without words, we would be like a person who wanted to cry but did not have the tears to shed. Words embody what we feel deep in our soul. Often times, our words fall short of what we really feel. Elie Wiesel said, for instance, the reason so many poets and writers committed suicide post-Holocaust was because “we had no more words.” Take words away from us, and we become stilted people. By the way, contrary to popular myth, sociologists and other researchers now believe that men and women use about the same amount of words per day: 16,000. Over a period of one year, this means we use, on average, 5,840,000 words. That’s a lot of words.

Even though we utter an immense amount of words, I think words matter. Specifically, I think the precise words we speak are vital and worth our attention.

Some words have the ability to destroy relationships. “You look fat in that outfit,” the bitter husband might quip to his already struggling wife. “You don’t cook as much as you should,” the demeaning mother-in-law might say, “You got to keep this house running. It depends upon you.” The tyrannical boss, whom you are convinced is related to Joseph Stalin, comes to your desk, “You’re lucky I haven’t fired you yet. I’m not sure why I keep you around. What good are you anyways?” I will never forget the time an older friend of mine in high school (who I looked up to) turned to me and said, “Some people are saying you might make varsity next year as a sophomore. I don’t see that happening. You don’t have what it takes.” I filed that away, and brought it out in the open every night as I pounded the basketball in the driveway, working on my game.

As demoralizing as words can be, words also possess the rare ability to bring about life and hope. When the young got-it-all together hot shot lawyer confesses to her husband that she’s been unfaithful to her marriage vows, she waits for a response. Will he go into a rage? Will he curse her up and down, using demeaning words she probably deserves? He speaks. She listens. “I am so deeply wounded. However, I love you. Because I love you more than life itself, I forgive you. I will not forget. But my love will overshadow my memory of what you’ve done.” There’s power in that word forgiveness.

The young teen comes into the room after having run away a week ago. It’s late, two in the morning. “Mommy? Daddy? I’m scared. I don’t know what I was thinking. Can I sleep with you?” The loving parent, on a good day, says, through her fatigue and confusion, “You are always welcome here.” There’s power in the word welcome.

After all, God does not think Creation into existence. He does not hope creation into being. Genesis says that God speaks and the world is formed. God shows us the power of words to create unimaginable worlds.

Time and Space

2009-02-12T09:10:00.003-05:00

There are two primary ways the church teaches us to engage God: time and space. We must pay attention to time for it is the most precious gift we can give to God and to others. It is a gift that far outweighs any dollar amount (despite the consumerist notion that "time is money"). Equally important is space. We are called to willingly create space for God in the midst of our crowded schedules.

Time. This is a sensitive subject in our rat-race, gotta-do-one-more-thing culture. We feel a sense of pride when we look at our planners/palm pilots and see "our time" filled up. We feel important. We feel as if we matter. We feel full of purpose. The rub comes in our spiritual assessment of things . . . that is, after running (for God on our best days) we suddenly realize we ceased to pause for the things that ultimately matter, the lasting things.

Space. Though often ignored, space is as important as time. Especially in suburbia where "bigger is better." After all, we want bigger houses, cars, backyards, HD screens, and engagement rings. We may not always know what we want but we know we want it Super-Sized. The downside, of course, of living in a McDonaldized World is that we crowd out room for God's surprises and interruptions.

While technology promises to make life better so that we can have more time and space for others, we slowly become slaves to the very things that are supposed to set us free. We begin to stack bricks for the vacation home, ESPN, Apple, the Shopping Network, The Gap, American Idol, and e-mail (dare I say blogging?).

God wants to meet us in particular moments (time) and particular places (space). But he never forces himself upon us. Like a patient lover, he waits . . . and waits . . . and waits. He waits for us to get serious about how we spend our time and where we spend our space.

Last night, we held a contemplative prayer service at Rochester Church. It was filled with prayers, readings, silence, confession, worship, more silence, repentance, and listening. It was holy because we gave up "our" time and "our" space to hear from the One who spoke creation into being.

Evangelism: Being Good VS Being Right

2009-02-11T16:20:00.002-05:00

Book Worms Beware

2009-02-10T18:51:00.005-05:00

This blog is for the book worms. Holla. Hope this helps and encourages. Here are some books I read in January:

Like You'd Understand Anyway (Shepard). A terrific collection of short stories, this book is an amazing example of what it truly means to be able to write from the inside of a character/story/particular setting. From a nuclear meltdown in Russia, to a cataclysmic tidal wave in Alaska, this writer can weave a tale with the best of them. I highly recommend this for aspiring story-tellers and emerging writers.

Soul in Society (Dorrien). WARNING: This book is highly academic. Dorrien does an excellent job of capturing one segment of Christianity in America in the 20th Century: mainline Protestantism. It was a great read for me as I'm largely under-read in this area. From Hells Kitchen to the Ivory Tower of Columbia University, Dorrien captures the major players and movements that shaped Christianity from 1900 to present day. First rate primer for those interested in the intersection of history, religion and the public sphere.

Emerging Churches (Gibbs and Bolger). I read this in grad school and thought it was good. I picked it up a few weeks ago and was impressed with the authors' ability to survey emerging movements in U.K. as well as the U.S. Thoroughly researched and carefully crafted, this is the standard survey of the way different groups of Christian faith are choosing to engage contemporary culture with an ancient story.

A Theology of Public Life (Matthewes). Another WARNING: highly academic. The entire work is written for those who have a working knowledge of Augustine's writing and thinking. I know just enough Augustine to get me in trouble. Ha. Anyways, there are sections of this book which help contemporary debates come along. Make no mistake. Pack your lunch for this book. It's a heavyweight fight for 12 rounds.

Jesus Wants to Save Christians (Bell and Golden). Overall, a phenomenal interpretive work bringing the Exodus Story in contemporary American religion discourse. Missional to the core, this is Bell's most "political" book. Of course, by "political" I don't mean Republican or Democrat. I am thinking of the idea that the church is a political force. That is, they are interested in how people construct values, practices, and care.

These are the books I'm reading currently/about to read.

A Mercy (Toni Morrison). Compelling novel set in 17th century America. There are no good characters or bad characters. Every character is complex, full of potential for good and evil. I'm told by others who read a lot of Morrison that this is her best book in years.

An Altar in the World (Barbara Brown Taylor). If you read this blog, it will not surprise you when I say that BBT is perhaps, the best writer of our time. Period. Of course I realize that's an incredibly subjective statement (not to mention I get to study under her this summer). Since 2001, Taylor has been my voice for faith in the midst of doubt. After just getting into the beginning sections, I can tell I'll be reading this book a few times over . . . this year.

Praying Like Jesus (Mulholland). Recommended by this great blogger, Mulholland's ability to capture the mystery of The Lord's Prayer without making things too complex is appealing to me. Mulholland gives particular attention to the way in which The Lord's Prayer critiques consumer culture.

The Great Emergence (Tickle). Rave reviews have passed my ears on this book. Haven't started it yet. Looks powerful. I assume this will be written in the same vein as McLaren's trilogy: A New Kind of Christian, Story We Find Ourselves In, and The Last Word.

Walking In Memphis

2009-02-10T14:40:00.004-05:00

We had a great time in Memphis this weekend. Our time with Josh, Kayci, and Truitt was special. The main focus of the trip (other than great food and conversation) was for a leaders retreat for the Sycamore View Church (where Josh preaches).

I walked through some of the material from Jesus Feast. Overall, it was a lively time of discussion, discernment, and dialog. I preached with Josh on Sunday "tag-team" (or, as some call it, "dueling banjos") . . . we did something I've never done before. We took two stories from Luke (Rich Young Ruler and Zaccheus) and told them side by side with a modern twist. I am always encouraged and challenged by being around Josh Ross. He has a heart for people that is unmatched.

Yesterday morning, Kara, Josh and I went to the National Civil Rights Museum downtown. I've been to Detroit's version a few times, as well as the King Center for Non-Violence in Atlanta a few times. If you have not been to the Memphis museum, you must go. It tells the stories of whites, blacks, educated, and uneducated who fought against Jim Crow racism. From soldiers, to Catholic priests . . . work-at-homes to retired school teachers . . . is there any better way to spend one's life than by giving it away?

One of my favorite MLK quotes (sparked by being in Memphis): "The arch of history is long but it is always bent toward justice."

Praying with Truitt

2009-02-08T11:17:00.004-05:00

Last night, Kara and I got to experience prayer time with Josh, Kayci, and Truitt Ross. Truitt is 21 months old. The biggest blue eyes one face can hold. He's not going to be a heartbreaker. He is a heartbreaker.

Before Truitt's bedtime last night, Kayci and Josh gathered Truitt next to us for prayer time.

We all bowed our heads. Josh led the prayer.

"God thank your for this day. Help us sleep in your arms tonight. Help us to live missionally and incarnationally this week."

So, if Truitt doesn't become the starting strong safety for the Dallas Cowboys in twenty-five years (as his dad would have) . . . he's going to be the only kid in seminary who can say he knew the words mission and incarnation before he could ride his bike.

In an attempt to be creative . . .

2009-02-05T13:10:00.005-05:00

I used this introduction last night to get a hearing on Paul's tough teaching regarding the man having sex with his stepmother in I. Cor. 5. At the onset of the worship time I told people I was going to "stretch their imaginations tonight . . . .so stay with me 'til the end." Here's what I did:

You might know Kara and I spent part of this past summer traveling. We worked it out to have time in London on our way to Uganda. On our way back, I spent some time in Paris. While I’m not necessarily in love with Parisians per se, the city of Paris is electric. One of my favorite aspects about being in Paris (in addition to Notre Dame) is the experience of walking through the Louvre. Known as perhaps the greatest art gallery in the world (though workers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC might quibble with me), the Louvre is the gold standard, the best of the best.

As Kara and I walked through the halls of the Louvre, in awe of the sheer age of much of the work (and incidentally, the easy-to-forget youth of our home country), we felt the buzz as we moved closer and closer to the Big Show—the Mona Lisa. I’d heard Sara Barton talk about her disappointment with her Mona Lisa Experience, but I was not to be deterred. As we closed in on Da Vinci’s sixteenth century masterpiece, I could barely see ahead of me. The large room was packed wall to wall. Camera’s flashed, voices spoke in dozens of languages . . . we were coming closer and closer.

Just as I approached the velvet markings, in church we call them sheep herders, boundary markers (the kind you see on television roping off runways for celebrities walking down the red carpet via their que’s) . . . a short man grabbed my arm.

“Excuse me, Monsieur,” he said with a degree of brashness.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“Are you a priest?” This is what I get for wearing my black shirt with a white tee-shirt underneath. I thought about explaining non-denominational Christianity and the word ‘minister’ (“technically all Christians are ministers”) to the mysterious French-men. I reconsidered knowing this man’s only orientation to the world was Catholicism. Hence my black and white shirt.
“Yes. I am a priest.” I finally stammered.
“We’ve been expecting you.”
“You have?” All of the sudden I felt as if I was in some sort of version of Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code. Was this a new game show—DaVinci Code Pranks Gone Wild?
“Yes. Come with me.” Now I was getting a bit upset with this guy. Who did he think he was? I could no longer find Kara—we’d been separated from each other in the mad dash to get closer to the Mona Lisa—whose smile was now getting further and further away from me.

I followed the short Frenchmen (his name, according to his work nametag, was Jean-Pierre). Jean led me to an unmarked elevator on the south side of the hallway. We took that down about three levels to an awkward room.

“Wait here,” he said abruptly.

After a few minutes of waiting, he came back with another man. They had a portable table and a large steel box. “We think you will find some interest in the contents of this box. About a year ago, an archaeologist for National Geographic stumbled upon some ancient letters in Italy. They were written in a form of Greek that very few people recognized. After a few months, we were informed by religion scholars that these letters were written in Koine Greek, the Greek of the New Testament. Mr. Graves, I don’t know quite how to say it, but you are holding a letter written by St. Paul himself. This is not a letter that appears in the New Testament. In fact, only a few dozen people have even laid eyes upon this. We believe this letter was written by St. Paul near the end of his life, concerning a person that appears in his first letter to Corinthian Christians. Would you mind looking at it, and telling us what you think? The best we can tell, this letter refers to I Corinthians 5 and St. Paul’s dealings with Christians living in Corinth.”

---

I've had to explain to several people what I was trying to do (and why I was trying to do it). That is, 1) we only have some of Paul's letters/correspondence with Corinthian Christians and 2) It's a precious gift that we have any at all.

Giving It (Jesus Feast) Away

2009-02-03T09:23:00.004-05:00

In September 2007, I was on a small plane flying from Abilene to Dallas, Texas. I had just finished teaching a class on the relationship of film and spirituality in postmodern cultures at Abilene Christian University. As we were making our way to Dallas, I started to get an idea. So, I did what I always do, I grabbed the first thing I could find. Normally, on an airplane, that means one grabs a napkin. I know of one famous basketball coach, for instance, who wrote a book called My Life On a Napkin for this same reason--ideas come at you when you least expect. Writers, storytellers, poets, movie producers all talk about the creative inspiration and its unpredictability.

I started to write out an overall plan for a book. I would not start my doctorate for several months and I thought it was a good time to really pour myself into something that was not directly related to my "church responsibilities." I know far too many ministers and professors who make church/theology their life. If you don't have things outside of your particular call to sustain you, it's easy to dry up and lose your energy. Some of us, in short, need to get a life.

Several drafts later . . . after much painful editing . . . cutting at least five chapters and almost 100 pages . . . I submitted the final draft of my first book to the publishers this past week. I wanted to tell my small group that it felt like I'd given birth to a baby and now I was being asked to give it away. But, when I thought about the fact that two women in our small group have just recently given actual birth and that Kara was only a few months away herself, I elected to go with a different metaphor.

This weekend will be the first time I get to present material from my book. I'm doing a leaders retreat for Sycamore View Church (where my close friend Josh Ross preaches) Friday and Saturday.

When we give away what is most sacred to us, we give God power to do what he wants to do. Preservation cannot give us the peace of mind it promises for giving away what is most sacred to us is the path to finding real connection with those God has placed in our midst. "The glory of God is a person come fully alive."

Home

2009-02-02T13:54:00.004-05:00

Ever since I had Walter Brueggemann as a professor this past year, I've taken seriously the power of carefully worded prayers. Of course, there are all kinds of ways to pray (some helpful some not-so-much). Here's the prayer I wrote for yesterday's gathering time at Rochester Church in preparation for experiencing Genesis 32 (Jacob's Prayer).

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

Lord of Exile, Lord of Exodus

We plot, scheme, squirm and plan,

How we might do life without you.

We are all, at one time or another, scoundrels.

And just when we think we’ve got things under control,

Our lives break into a million little pieces.

Dreams dash. Hopes halt. Visions vanish.

And we are left standing before you,

Aware of our utter incompetence.

When we have no where else to turn and no one else to turn to,

We come to the place we should have come all along.

We come home, in prayer, with our hands open.

We come home to you.

Amen.