Category "Uncategorized"

Filling All The Spaces With Noise

Hold, hold your tongue now. And let them all listen to your silence. —The Ting Tings, Silence

We are addicted to filling all the spaces with noise.

And when I say “we,” I mean us Charismatic Christians. That includes Pentecostals (who are the worst about this).

Please don’t think I’m writing this to throw someone else under the bus. If anything, I’m throwing myself under the bus. I am both a Charismatic and a Pentecostal (although I prefer the Charismatic label, and would like to add a couple descriptors like “gangsta” and “who loves Catholics”). I am constantly working to fill all the spaces with noise – background music, words, videos, more words, and more music.

In a conversation with Andy Jones about Sunday’s service at NWLife, he said,

“This could be taken the wrong way, but my favorite part of the baby dedication was when you guys were all done saying stuff and just stood there for a while holding and looking at Zoey.”

Funny how his favorite part was the one without any noise.

Maybe we need less cacophony and more opportunities to, as Depeche Mode… Read More

Where Steams Flow Uphill: This Upside Down Kingdom

I believe the Kingdom of God is more upside down than we realize.

Where down is up, the last are first, slaves are free, enemies are loved, and the weak are strong.

Where streams flow uphill…

This upside down Kingdom.

Donald Kraybill, in his book The Upside Down Kingdom, says:

The Kingdom is full of surprises. Again and again in parable, sermon, and act Jesus startles us. Things in the Gospels are often upside down… Things are reversed. Paradox, irony, and surprise permeate the teachings of Jesus. They flip our expectations upside down. The least are the greatest. The immoral receive forgiveness and blessing. Adults become like children. The religious miss the heavenly banquet… Things aren’t the way we expect them to be. We’re baffled and perplexed. Amazed, we step back. Should we laugh or should we cry? Again and again, turning our expectations upside down, the Kingdom surprises us.

*  *  *  *  *

And this upside down Kingdom certainly has an upside down King. Think about it:… Read More

Quoting Rudy Rasmus From His Book Touch

Our staff has been reading Rudy Rasmus‘ book Touch: Pressing Against the Wounds of a Broken World. Today we are getting together to discuss what we’ve learned. Here are some of my favorite quotes…

When we are convinced that we have received love and grace that we so richly don’t deserve, we’ll stop trying to affix blame so we can one up someone else. The experience of grace trumps blame and opens the door to loving others.

I don’t ask why a person is homeless or jobless or cross-dresses or smells bad. I don’t care if it’s her fault, someone else is to blame, or if a meteor came from outer space and caused the problem. There’s no need to assign blame, keep score, or label people. Instead, I just see someone Jesus is dying to love, someone who needs help, someone God has put in my path at the moment to… Read More

Sundays Are For Sharing

I read some great stuff on a few of my favorite websites / blogs this week – and since Sundays are for sharing, I’m passing them on to you…

 

donald miller post problem with bw thinkingThis post, “The Problem With Black & White Thinking” by Donald Miller. I really love this part:

“Black-and-white thinking is attractive because it’s reductionistic; it simplifies everything so we don’t really have to comprehend. It allows us to feel intelligent without understanding, and once we are intelligent, we feel superior. People who don’t agree with us are just dumb.”

His 4 tips for not thinking in black and white are… Read More

13 Things I’m Learning In 13 Years Of Being Ashah’s Daddy

Today is Ashah Joy Elizabeth’s 13th birthday… so here are 13 things I am learning in my 13 years of being Ashah’s Daddy:

  1. Feeling ready to be a good dad isn’t necessary to be one. I didn’t feel ready. I was insecure and unsure about how to be a parent—but when she arrived, I fell in love and that was enough.
  2. Despite my attempts to control and make everything perfect… Read More

21 Things I’ve Learned In 21 Years Of Marriage

Today is our 21 year anniversary. Yup. 21 years ago, I was 21 years old (and Shari was 22). We had a Friday night wedding – on a budget (which means we had cake at the reception, but not a meal). We were young, in love, and ready to begin our life together.

wedding picture 1993

Here are 21 things I’ve learned in our 21 years of marriage…

  1. Opposites attract. We did. I’m thankful for our differences (and they also can be frustrating). But we do make each other stronger, better—and we make a great team.
  2. Hotel sex!
  3. Her dad was right… Read More