good week

OK, I'm still a long ways from writing every day, as I intended. Oh well.

It was a good week--we had our first jazz service last Sunday; it was awesome! Never in Denver led the service; they were incredible! We're going to do this the third Sunday each month for a while.

Lisa and I led worship at Daybreak Community Church today; giving them a little taste of Convergence. It was good--Lisa did a fantastic dramatic interpretation of Luke 8.

Hear the new Springsteen song here.

I'm sitting in my office on Sunday afternoon, listening to Harp 46 rehearse. How cool is that!

comments on Everything Must Change

Started Brian McLaren's new book, Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crisis, and a Revolution of Hope. Really good so far. This book is written as a companion piece to Brian's last book, The Secret Message of Jesus, which Brian recaps in chapter one:

Jesus' message is not actually about escaping this troubled world for heaven's blissful shores, as is popularly assumed, but instead is about God's will being done on this troubled earth as it is in heaven.

He begins Everything Must Change with a discussion of what he sees as critical global crises, and some of the causes of these crises--the key one being a spirituality crisis.

Chapter two begins with two questions that have shaped McLaren's life:

1. What are the biggest problems in the world?
2. What does Jesus have to say about these global problems?

Combined into one question: What could change if we applied the message of Jesus--the good news of the kingdom of God--to the world's greatest problems?

This really speaks to me. I've been increasingly frustrated that we spend so much time and energy and money on the big issues according to the Christian/political right--abortion, gay marriage, trying to fix some countries (while letting genocide continue in others). These are important issues; but what about poverty, hunger, AIDS pandemic, war, violence, the health care crisis...?

Brian's questions seem like they should be obvious, but when we look around, not many of us are letting them influence us. I want to be a part of changing that.

new McLaren book

I got an advanced reader's copy of Brian McLaren's new book, Everything Must Change. I'll begin reading and blogging about it tonight!

listening

Obviously I have a severe case of writer's block. Been really busy, but want to write, just need to do it!

We've been talking for last few weeks about faith and justice, trying to get our small faith community to try to see people, life, issues--from God's perspective, and from the perspective of those who are different. I think that those of us in power--for the most part, white, upper middle class Americans--struggle to read the Bible as God intends--because much of it is written to the poor, oppressed, and marginalized.

So I want to find ways to help our folks see God's heart for people like that; but struggle in how to do it. What do I say? What stories do we tell? What videos do we watch that will help us get it? Then it hit me that we need to stop trying to say too much; and start with listening. Being quiet and still before God. Instead of discussing with each other and giving our ideas and answers, we need to be humble and pray and ask God to change our hearts, our perspectives, and to help us see more with His perspective.

So I'm trying to be quiet and listen, and encourage our folks to do the same.

Brian McLaren interview

Here's a great interview with Brian on The Wittenburg Door.