New Year and a New Blog

The best Christmas present I got this year was a
NEW BLOG
I'll be posting here from now on...update your links

G. K. Chesterton

G. K. Chesterton:
"I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean."

Dobson in US News

Don't know how many of you have seen the article, but I found it interesting on several levels.  For me, this quote from Dobson is quite telling

"For the last 20 years, all the centers of power have been influenced by a different worldview than what we share as evangelical Christians," he says, mentioning Congress, the judiciary, universities, and Hollywood as examples. "Our strategy has been to let people who see things the way we do know what's at stake and encourage them to hang on until change occurs."

My prayer is that we can empower people to live in light of the advent of the kingdom, and not to find either comfort or despair in the venues mentioned above.  Would he tell believers under Muslim regimes the same thing? 

Blink :: part 1

Just finished the book and, if you're tired of hearing me talk about it, I regret to say that I don't think this will be my last post on the thoughts it has generated. 

Essentially, Gladwell's entire book is about the power of rapid cognition.  How does this affect our decision making; how can we be mindful of it; where do we not need to try to understand it; how can we disarm the negative aspects of this function of our decision making process; and, how can we empower our minds to further "thin slice", "stretch time", and most effectively use rapid cognition?

On a funny side note, Kate and I had dinner with the Isemans last night.  Gladwell spends the entirety of chapter four evaluating Paul Van Riper's involvement in most expensive war game the US government has ever staged (dubbed, "The Millennium Challenge").  Anyway, Nate participated in this game-- and knew Van Riper.  It was a blast to get Nate's perspective, and I look forward to talking with him further after he has read the book.

Back From "Vacation"

Taking some advice from Dr. Leo Marvin, I have just returned from a little vacation. 

Well, not really.  I didn't go anywhere.  And, I had to work-- but Kate had taken some time off months ago thinking that we were going to Florida this week to visit some friends.  That couldn't happen for a few reasons, and given some other circumstances in our lives, we just kind of decided to lay low for a few days.  I read a ton, Kate fixed our espresso machine (which is nice for lots of reasons, not the least of which being I don't have to go to work to get a drink anymore!) and we watched a couple of good movies:

• Dark Days | Without question the most moving documentary I have ever seen.  The film, by Marc Singer, chronicles the lives of a homeless community living in shanties in a train tunnel underneath Manhattan.  Everything about the film is superb!  From the black and white 16mm format (I think), to the fact that the film crew was comprised entirely of members from within this community, to the reality that the film was borne for Singer not out of a desire for accolades (though he racked in a ton of them), but by his life within this community.  I have never thought of an "incarnational" documentary before, but this film was not the result of Singer's desire to make a documentary.  Instead, the documentary materialized out of Singer's relationship with this community.  In fact, what is perhaps most moving about the film is that Singer paid for it completely himself.  And it wound up costing him everything-- Singer himself joined the community, by necessity, for a period of 15 months.  The passion behind this is overwhelming to me.  Here is a man who is willing to go live among a people to hear their story; and then becomes so impassioned by their story, that he will loose everything for the sake of telling it.  Though you can rent this film from Netflix, I recommend you try to find a copy for yourself.  Amazon currently lists 6 used copies for sale.  (I'm on the hunt for a copy myself, after I return Joe's copy to him).  I don't know why i feel like I could get obsessed with this thing like I did with Into Thin Air, but there is something about it that awakens some deep things inside of me.
• The Incredibles (this one is not link worthy in my opinion.  Sorry if you loved it.  It may well have been my mood...)
• Sideways | Katie did not see this one with me (and I'm sure we're both glad about that).  It was one of the best films I have seen in a long time (again, could have been my mood...).  Paul Giamatti is absolutely brilliant, and i enjoyed experiencing the world through his eyes.  Not personally being a wine drinker, it was engaging to see Giamatti virtually process the whole of his dysfunction laden life through his own passion for wine.  I thought that this metaphor was used well, and rarely if ever was the imagery overplayed (though that is ironic, given that the entire film takes place in Napa Valley!).  Emotionally, the film engaged some of the same feelings that Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation did, though the films are cut from two very different cloths.  Though Thomas Haden Church's character (Jack) provided an excellent foil for Giamatti (Miles), I still haven't decided if I thought his acting was brilliant, or borderline annoying. 

I also took some time to pick up and read some new books:

• I'm almost finished with Blink.
• I don't care if you're a Simpsons fan or not, I think anyone who cares about the Gospel as it speaks to Western culture (The United States especially) should familiarize themselves with Planet Simpson.  I'm not saying you have to buy it or read it in its entirety, but Ch 6 "Marge Knows Best", provides some of the most insightful analysis of the "religion" of pop culture that I have ever read. 
• Am anxious to dig in to some of the chapters in The Paradoxes of Paul
• Just picked up Bauckham's Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World and I look forward to spending some time on Saturday working through it.  The book is a compilation of lectures that Bauckham delivered at two different universities (one near London, and one in Ethiopia).  Bauckham contends that the lectures grew out of his reflections on "Mission as a Hermeneutic for Scriptural Interpretation" (a lecture he delivered at Cambridge in 1999).  The chapters deal with issues sweeping from the changing cultural and philosophical climate after 9/11 to Abraham ("From the One to the Many)-- climaxing with the final chapter, "Witness to the Truth in a Postmodern and Globalized World".  As I'm trying to gain a solid footing inside mission and hermeneutics (I'm about two steps away from abandoning the word 'missional' by the way-- more on that later), I'm hoping that this book will prove more helpful than Brownson's, which I read over Christmas.

Alright, enough rambling.  I have also had a ton of thoughts swirling in my head (many as a result from what I share above, and many as a result from other issues I'm experiencing) dealing with ecclesiology, some issues of church polity that I'm being forced to re-think, and "IT"-- that I hope to think on a bit further and post over the next few days.  But, who knows.

[NOW PLAYING]
Am I Wrong from the album "Martin Scorsese Presents" by Keb Mo

I just saw this article about a preacher who died while preaching a sermon about heaven.

quote from McManus

Am reading through Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives and loved this from Erwin McManus' section this morning.  Thought it was worthy of reflection:

The real issue facing the church is not essentially about methodology or even the preserving of the message; the real issue is why the church is so unaffected by the transforming presence of the living God

Malcolm Gladwell

Let me just say that I'm a Malcolm Gladwell fanatic.  i first read The Tipping Point several years ago and was mesmerized by his thesis and have enjoyed his writing style each time I have read the book (almost three times to date, and it currently resides on Katie's night-stand).  I have just pre-ordered his new book Blink (read a summary of the book here).  After I completed the order, I wondered if he was going to tour this book across the country (given the overwhelming reception of The Tipping Point, I figured he had to).  So, I consulted his website and found that he is going to be speaking twice in Chicago (and all over the place-- go check him out).

I also saw that he has updated a number of articles on his site and has quite a nice archive.  I would highly recommend him to you as an insightful voice in cultural analysis.

Alright, my plug for the night is over.  I'm headed to bed.  Have a great weekend.

just in case you were wondering how much it has snowed

I'm glad I'm not working in the morning
" />
this is our grill on the backporch

Quote From Oscar Levant

Oscar Levant:
"What the world needs is more geniuses with humility, there are so few of us left."

2004 International Player of the Year

I thought everyone needed to see Milton.

As many already know, Milton is an International Player.  And this status does not come free.  He pays a great price in grooming to work it like he does.

Congratulations Milton!  You're the

::.2004 International Player of the Year.::

A Few Thoughts on the Tsunami

Katie and I talked on the way home from lunch today about how distant we feel from the recent tragedies in the Indian Ocean.  Because we don't have television, it has been difficult to connect with the events on one level simply because we haven't seen them.  However, I remember watching the events of September 11 and saying how dull I became to their horrors.  I guess I will always struggle with compassion, empathy, and the heart of an intercessor as I observe evil of all kinds (be it natural or otherwise).

I have struggled to respond to the events, and have been somewhat annoyed with everyone's attempt to respond-- be they condemning Americans who have no compassion; placing God in the dock and accusing Him, completely removing God from the equation; or attempting to create overly emotional responses that ring a bit superficial to me (now, I'll leave you to categorize my own I guess).

I have heard a great deal of criticism of John Piper's words of the recent tragedies, but I think they are excellent.  In fact, I think that reading Piper's response yesterday morning was the first impetus for my own response.  I spoke of the tragedies in our communion meditation this morning-- as I have been reflecting on the earth's cry for redemption as Paul describes it in his letter to the church at Rome.  I have also been thinking about Jesus' words in Luke 13 (though I didn't include this in the meditation).

In the midst of all of this, my heart has been filled with longing for the final vindication of God.  N.T. Wright has published a brilliant response, and I believe that I was most captivated by the title of the piece minutes after I had read it.

Meanings of Christmas:
In the new world there will be no more sea

Wright sets our hearts in the right direction-- inviting us to see the significance of the birth of Jesus in the midst of times like this, and the eschatological significance of his death and resurrection.  Now, may God give us grace, tears, and compassion as we live in the beginnings of the end of the age.