February 2008 Archives

its a blessing to meet up with some of my old buddies from college for the weekend. we just finished our first day of snowboarding at Squaw Valley resort in lake tahoe... tomorrow we head to heavenly...

the good news we all are walking and ALIVE despite accidentally ending up in two areas that said... CAUTION: CLIFFS AHEAD: EXPERTS ONLY! took it like a champ... well kinda.. made it down at least.

i wish i had some pics to show you the view from the mountains here... i don't undersatnd how people can doubt there is a god when you look at this.

this just continues to add more understanding on how and why he created a world made for us...

humbled...
F

i always said that my blog would be more like an open book journal for all to see... and essentially that is always what it has been. my thoughts out loud, well on a computer screen and an invitation into the mess and what role we play in the mess.

one of the conversations that i had today made more clear and evident the mess that where are in... by we, i mean "the church" and by the church, i mean "christians".

we have created a mess in that the church no longer has a place of influence by in large in the culture at large. i understand that this is NOT something new and that is my point exactly. this is the same conversation we keep having, at least that i keep having.

what are we going to do about this?

this is a call for individuals who call themselves followers of christ, christians, whatever tag line or branding you want to call yourself to take some responsibility on what and who you represent.

this little phrase that jesus said is stuck in the mind and my heart that i cannot get past... "...your kingdom come, here on earth..."

last time i checked i still live "here on earth" - when will the talking end and the living begin?

live...
forward...

F

"it would be so much easier if i wasn't so different."

i interviewed a student the wednesday night before WIRED and we explored whether or not it would be more easy to follow god if we weren't called to be so different... more or less that is the paraphrase of the conversation.

i love this quote and i cannot get it off my heart... she is implying that she is different and therefore it is NOT easy... we have been called to a different conversation than that of the pop culture today.

Q: if it were easy... would you still follow?

but if you followed... would that be the gospel... the real gospel?

F

i wish that i could remember to post during the event rather than try to hash thru stuff with you after the event... but didn't do that again this time.

so for me to try to go thru all the details is impossible.

we have professional pics coming and some video... all of marc sikma's talks will be on the gathering podcast for everyone to either again get their face ripped off or if you missed the weekend to give you the privilege to get you face ripped off for the first time. btw... getting your face ripped off is a good thing!

so... how can i sum up the weekend?

i will try to do it in one word... ATYPICAL... for those of you who need a definition... not typical; not conforming to the type; irregular; abnormal.

these are the words that i think best describes what we experienced this year. there was nothing usual about it. in some ways it was truly UNIQUE. which is tough word to use and unfortunately has been over used and not used properly anymore... that is why i preface it by saying in "some ways"...

these are the words that are starting to be used around here to describe our community at the REALM. as i write that i struggle with writing those words... they seem so presumptuous but at the same time, again in SOME ways, so true!

i am proud to be apart of this community today.

three years ago, who would have thought that we could begin to see ourselves as a community in the purest sense of the word.

F

who needs to be here with you?

who needs to journey life along side your life?

bring them along on your journey that they may journey on their own...

F

"god...
i know what i am getting into and i don't want to back out."

i read this earlier this week and i cannot rip it from my heart... this screams the heart of a disciple to me... the heart of one who is following christ, but not from a distance.

DISTANCE KILLS... it creates atrophy from disuse and lack of life.

i pray that my life will be life giving...

isaiah 58.11 has strong imagery for me... as a child i always was working outside particularly with my father and mother. for some reason i became obsessed with grass and landscaping. "a well watered garden... a spring whose waters never fail."

our lives are meant to be life giving...

may we give our lives away today...

"i know what i am getting into...
... and i don't want to back out"

it starts with knowing...

F

someone sent this to me in a forward... and i don't usually read forwards, but this is an incredible video...

shows how an idea... how influence works...

enjoy

F

"all too often i find myself tempted to live a distracted life. you know the kind - the one where, within the busyness of life, you still manage to perform the stand up, sit down, clap, clap, clap of regular church attendance; drop a check in the offering plate; hope for a new nugget of knowledge, understanding, or insight in the weekly sermon; and check off a random, albeit short, list of acts of kindness to others. somehow i'm supposed to feel like i'm living the jesus driven life."

i don't.

that's when hunger appears in my belly and overtakes my soul, grumbling that there must be more.

hunger reminds me... there's more.
(excerpt from organic god... margaret feinberg)

may our hunger drive us to god instead of snacking on the things that this world offers us...

are you hungry?

F

what does movement cost?

what will movement cost you?

movement a.k.a. action costs something... there is a price tag associated with movement. it is fluid... it is always changing and is different for every person. but this inspires me... this journey, this adventure, this moving from one place to the next motivates me. its not stagnant, it doesn't have a stench to it... in fact it carries with it an aroma, a fragrance that lightens and captivates my soul. it moves me!

if you know where you are and you know where you want to be or go... hence the journey... what will it cost you to move?

may i suggest that the price is worth it?

pay it!

F

does the word tension give you positive or negative feelings?

why do we run from tension?

why do we fear tension?

news flash... tension is a part of life! we need to learn how to deal with it. we need to learn how to turn tension into opportunity. may i suggest that tension breeds opportunity? the longer than we fail to embrace the tension that life throws our way, the longer we will spin our wheels hoping and longing for traction that will never grip.

may we learn to embrace tension as a necessary part of life that breeds new opportunity for life... new opportunity from the mundane!

this is stream of consciousness that comes from an eventful conversation filled with tension that leaves me tired, yet engaged and hopeful of opportunity.... opportunity that will breed MOVEMENT... movement from the mundane, uneventful, uninspired, passionless filled world.

i pray that we ALL leave that world... i pray that the church will leave that world...

embrace tension... embrace LIFE...

its a beautiful thing.

F