Just got back from the Metro in Chicago where Evanescence played. I was down on the floor the whole time, in the middle of the crowd. A few different times a mosh pit started up all around me, and I got into it a couple times. It was really cool. At one point I got knocked down, but the whole crowd was really friendly – any time anyone fell or got knocked down everyone backed off and helped them up. Everyone was friendly after each song, congratulating each other on the events.

One of the amazing things about it was that Evanescence’s lyrics have a Christian worldview, and a lot of them are kinda like conversations between the singer and God. And the crowd really got into them. They weren’t particularly Christian, that I could gather. Some were. Probably most weren’t. But this band is well-liked by all. I can’t wait to get their CD next week.

I’ll have to go do that sort of thing again soon. It was loads of fun. And Evanescence, you rock!!!

I received all three of the Nooma DVDs in the mail today. I have only had time to look at the second one. I showed it off during the break in the middle of my preaching class this afternoon as an example of the kind of preaching I want to do.

The preaching is very conversational – like we’re just walking along together, discussing a topic. It had a bit of resemblance to the Platonic dialogues (like, for instance, The Republic) where the learning takes place along the journey. Yet, in a way, it was very different: the journey itself is a part of the story, integrally connected so that without the journey (which is merely a foil for Plato’s discussion in The Republic) it is no longer a story.

I find that this is reflective of the image of Jesus that I have. It seems that the disciples were “with him” to such a degree that they learned in the down-and-dirty times and the basic stuff of life with Jesus. While his object lessons were probably not nearly so dramatic in their setup as this one by Rob Bell, he made much of the opportunities he had to share himself with them as they went through daily life.

I have come to the conclusion that our typical Christian worship is truly outside of our daily existence. That is not just unfortunate; that makes ministry nearly impossible. The Nooma DVDs point to a kind of preaching that moves beyond their slick packaging and well-produced filmmaking: they point to a relational style, a “being with” that is the true personal ministry to real persons producing real growth in Christlikeness.

Go Illini!!! The Basketball team smashed Indiana 80 – 54. I didn’t get to see the game… I was in Theology class discussing the nature of Humanity (Theological Anthropology), but I’m still excited that they rocked out the Assembly Hall like they did. Looking forward to a win in Ann Arbor! Go get ‘em!!!

I’m really impressed by the band Evanescence. Check them out!

I chanced, or better, was led by the Spirit, to read “The Inner Ring” by C.S. Lewis yesterday afternoon. It is in the collection called The Weight of Glory, originally published in 1975, and reprinted in many different editions.

“The Inner Ring” is highly convicting to anyone who has observed that he/she is on the outside of what would seem like an “inner circle” and who wants in. It is even more convicting to anyone who has made any attempt to act on that desire of being “in.” It would be the rare American who would not fall into this category; this of course applies to myself. The essay describes how that in any situation that there are probably at least two structures of authority in play – the official structure and the structure built on personal relationship that can oftentimes be highly manipulative.

This is highly recommended reading, along with the titular essay of the collection, “The Weight of Glory.” “The Weight of Glory” is the theological basis for “The Great Divorce” and is yet another convicting essay on how one ought to treat others.

Pick these up, read them, and tell me what you think…

Well, well, well… I must relate a very strange experience from, well, early this morning.

So I’m laying in bed at 4:30 this morning (about) and the phone starts ringing. It rings and quits four or so times… I don’t remember exactly (I was attempting to be asleep, you know?) Turns out it’s the Village of —– PD trying to buzz in to our apartment from downstairs. One of my roommates had been answering the phone, and thinking that it was someone drunk and or trying to break in, he kept hanging up on them. Good and bad idea at the same time. They were pretty upset when they got here.

By the time the cops get up to our 7th floor, all of my other roommates are awake and up (all 3 of them), and I’m still sorta half to 3/4 asleep. But I can hear them having an animated conversation with one of my roommates who has a non-standard name of Eastern European extraction. They thought he was making it up. C’mon guys.

So they roust me out of bed, ’cause I’m the one they’re wanting to talk to. The first thing the cop asks me is, “Did you call your mother tonight?”

I answered, “No…” (and wondering what they were getting at) “Should I have?”

They question me regarding my name, hometown, and mother’s name. They ask me if I am sure of all of that. “Do you go by _________ as well?” No. Finally, we figure out that they’re looking for someone with the same last name who lives in the building across the road. They say “We’re sorry to bother you guys.” Somehow they got the name and address mixed up with us. At 4:30 AM, little wonder. But what the heck, y’know?

Yes, I have a strange life. Does this happen often?

Chicago weather can be so dramatic, you know?

Yesterday it was in the 40s and sunny; football was played outside (both with the round ball and the pointy one), didn’t need a coat to go outside.

Today it’s in the 20s (at best). Gray. Windy. Really windy. As I sat in the library reading for one of my classes, I was facing a window through which I could see the ice thickening on the lake in front of the library, and the naked trees dancing in long slow movements as they were buffeted by the near-gale force winds. For all the Canada Geese we normally see around here, not one was out on the lake today. It’s probably too cold and windy for them, too.

So what’s the deal with these nightclubs burning? It’s, like, two in one week! Geez!

God, protect us! Be with the injured and the families of those who died, both in Chicago and Rhode Island. Amen.

Alright, so I’ve been in front of my computer a long time tonight. But I’ve been bold enough to post to Next-Wave, too. The article that I responded to is on Sunday-Centeredness.

You probably don’t know how frustrating it is to say that you are going to Seminary so as to be better equipped for ministry, and for people not to get that “full-time ministry” isn’t just the professional, paid staff someplace, but everyone who is a Christian. For goodness’ sake! When will we get it that we are all ministers, and all in full-time ministry? When will we quit paying people to do the praying and visiting of the sick and the rest of the Matthew 25:35-36 list and begin to do it ourselves? Are we saying that the only “righteous” are the “pastors”? If they’re the only ones living it out, then maybe that’s closer to the truth than we’d like…

We’ve got ourselves so into the “sunday-centered” paradigm that it takes real, intentional, consciencious discipline for even someone like me, for whom this rant is very familiar, to perceive life as ministry.

We don’t get it that Jesus made death holy. He made suffering holy. He made everyday life holy. And we still don’t get it. I wanna worship God every minute… every day…

God! Help me to see that you have made life holy, if we are willing to receive it!
Let the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

*End of Rant*

So I posted to the discussion board at The Oooze again… I think it’s a bit more germane to the discussion this time… and I’ve pointed them back here…

I’m in the process of putting together what will either be a long paper or series of essays or a whole web site containing some thoughts about various practical ministry topics, which is the precursor to me writing about a real vision for ministry that I have involving some new organic communities. Pray for me as I reflect, pray, read, seek, etc. I just finished the module on discipleship. I don’t have a way to post it to the site, but if you’re interested, I’ll e-mail you a working copy.

I have had a request to try to come up with a positive definition of community. In my reflections over the last couple of days, the “why” question of community (which I answered by a somewhat negative appraisal of “accountability”) has led to a reflection upon the nature of humanity. I’m not sure yet if I’m comfortable “landing” anywhere yet… but here are some aspects to community that are very important, if not essential.

-Identity: People in a community share a common identity that even if not verbalized is recognized at some level by all.

-Boundaries: Identity naturally leads to a definition of boundaries. Defining a “we are” (even non-verbally or implicitly) necessitates a “they aren’t.” How flexible and fluid and porous these boundaries are, indeed, where the boundaries are, is up to the group.

-Commitment: People in a community have a level of interest or commitment that creates staying power.

-Common Life: Communities have some sort of collaborative aspect to life – at the very least, working alongside each other in parallel.

These are all weak definitions, and require more elaboration. Neither is the list complete. Input would be appreciated.

So I finally got around to spending my gift card I got for Xmas today… yeah, it’s been nearly two months… but I got what I wanted, eh?

Delirious’ “Touch”
ColdPlay’s “A Rush Of Blood to the Head”
POD’s “Satellite”

So yeah, nothing really “brand spankin’ new,” but they grew on me – I like that better than a really new impressive song that disappears after a short period of time.

Hi folks – just added a comment link to my site… If you want to do this, too, you can get it here. So please, tell me what you think!

On a lighter note…

I was handed an article this afternoon written by Stephen Katz called How to Speak and Write Postmodern. It’s downright hilarious.

It’s especially funny when one considers the fact that the most common usages of the term “postmodern” come from “evangelical Christians” (whatever that means) and that your run-of-the mill American (who, incidentally, would not probably self-identify as an “evangelical Christian” [gasp!] ) has very little grasp of what this postmodern thing is and why certain people are getting so compulsively verbal over it.

Let’s just quit trying so hard to market to “those postmoderns” and get back to the basics: Loving God with our whole being and Loving our Neighbor as ourselves. And this probably means more of a “working it out” than a “figgering it out”. When we do that, it seems that the whole relevance question gets worked out without nearly so much “sound and fury.”

This afternoon, I had the opportunity to chat with a couple of my classmates regarding the use of technology in churches. It is unfortunate that many churches reject technology not because they can’t afford it (always a valid excuse in my book, as long as they really can’t afford it) but instead because they dislike its application to church in some way or another.

Unfortunately, if we choose to keep technology out of the church, we will find ourselves becoming Amish – at the best, quaint and isolated from the rest of society and the church. We will choose to hold our use of technology at a certain place in history, and not move beyond it. Computers, and especially the Internet, are here to stay for the forseeable future. Why not incorporate them as we have the various forms of print and broadcast media? Granted, the Internet is not a panacea; it is a tool which may be used to further the mission of God in the world.