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ode to romeo

December 6, 2007 in Daily Musings with 2 Comments

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                           My wife received a rather funny email the other day which cited some of the biggest changes that occur in the lives of new parents. One of those changes especially rung loud and true, like a cow bell in my inner ear. It stated: your dog is now just a dog. Its sad, but its true. For the last 4 years, Romeo has been like a kid to us. He’s been pampered, played with, and showered with attention.  Megan and I even referred to each other as "mom" and "dad" whenever we spoke to our little buddy. (Yea, it was probably borderline unhealthy.) But alas, Paige’s entry into our lives has abruptly changed all of that. She’s numero uno now. And Romeo has become just our pet – a great one – but still just a pet.

My how things change.

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5 Songs You Simply MUST Hear

November 30, 2007 in Daily Musings, daydreams with 3 Comments

The other night I was lying awake in bed staring at the ceiling. And somewhere between the dancing shadows and the cracks in the plaster I got to thinking about claustrophobia. Webster defines claustrophobia as, "an abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow
spaces." Thinking about it got me thinking about worst case scenarios.

Like Romeo and Juliet for example. If you remember, the story draws to a close when Juliet drinks a vial of coma-inducing poison in hopes that, in appearing dead, she might fake her death and run away to forever be with her love, Romeo. Everyone is thoroughly convinced that she’s really dead…including Romeo. He kills himself. She kills herself. The end. Its a real downer.

But I got to wondering: what would have happened if Juliet had accidentally drank a little too much of the drug? Like what if the chemist had determined how much she was to take based entirely on her body weight – but what he didn’t know was that Juliet had recently been dieting in preparation for her romantic runaway with Romeo and, in doing so, had lost nearly 20 lbs – completely throwing off his calculations and knocking her out for an additional 12 hours – just long enough for them to bury her alive?

And what if, in a symbolic gesture, her family decided to bury her with her beloved ipod – you know, because music was such a big part of her life – and thinking it would add to the symbolism, Juliet’s mother decided to upload some of her own favorites onto the peculiar digital device – BUT in attempting to do so, she accidentally erased the entire library, replacing nearly 80 gigs of music with a single solitary album!? I mean, can you imagine waking up in that coffin – your only source of solace and hope found in the realization that at least you have your ipod – only to realize that all of your music has been replaced by your mom’s Abba’s greatest hits cd?! Oh, the suffering…

Then I got to thinking, if I was buried alive and had to listen to the same album over and over and over and over for the rest of my life, what would I choose? Or what if I wouldn’t die and God, in all his mercy, decided to let me choose 5 songs to listen to for the rest of eternity? How could I even bring myself to make that choice? What would I choose!?

So I spent the rest of my time lying in bed trying to answer that question. And after much thought, here are my choices. I was even able to find links directly to the songs so you can have a listen – enjoy!:

1. Moonlight Sonata – by Beethoven

2. While My Guitar Gently Weeps – as played by Jake Shimabukuro

3. Hide and Seek – by Imogene Heap

4. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence – by Jeff Macare on the "Communion" album

5. Two Step – by Dave Matthews Band  (Live at Central Park)

(I am hesitant to even link this one because the
quality is so poor and its missing the best 4 minutes of the song on
the tail end. The song is ok. But this particular rendition &
performance is just phenomenal.)

Honorable Mention:

6. Until the Sun – by Pax 217 (Also missing some of the best parts…namely the outro)

7. Aqueous Transmission – by Incubus

Alright, there’s my five. I’d love to hear yours. What say you? Eh? Eh?

 

1500 Miles & 2 Seminaries Later…

November 15, 2007 in Daily Musings, seminary with 4 Comments

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I got back yesterday from a 4 day and 1500 mile road trip to visit Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago and Bethel Seminary
in St. Paul. It was a really good trip. I am really glad that I made it
happen. It gave me a lot of insight into both schools, though I am not
any clearer on where I want to go.

Trinity, on the one hand, is a rigorously academic school. They take
great pride in this. And it is reflected in both the faculty and the
students. The professors are highly esteemed in their respective
fields. They seem to be kind and courteous, but they are very
professional. One building has a large glass case that is filled with
books written by current faculty. It is rather impressive.

The students are intelligent. The ones I met seemed to be aware of this. I spoke with a couple of them who were
finishing their MDiv’s in 3 and 3 1/2 years, respectively. At 25,
neither had any previous ministry experience, but were looking forward
to go intern somewhere. Unfortunately though, it seemed they were more
excited to talk hermaneutics than ministry; more concerned with church
history than church future; more interested in starting their careers
as professional clergymen than getting out and loving people. On my way
to Minnesota, I called my buddy Eric (a friend and graduate of Trinity)
in hopes that he would tell me that these students were the exception,
not the norm. "You just described the typical Trinity student," he said.

As I left Trinity, I concluded that I liked the school. The level of
study, although daunting, excited me. I felt that it could really be a
season of growth and challenge for me. But I also concluded that if I
attended there, Megan and I would need to have life, friends and
community outside of the institution. Because I am not going to connect
with most of the student body. But I figured this would probably be
true of any seminary I ended up at.

Bethel, however, would prove me to be wrong.

I almost didn’t go to the Bethel open house. That afternoon I had
met with an old friend named Dennis to talk about a potential
Residential Director position opening up at Bethel College. Meeting
with him was a big reason that I took the trip. Working with college
kids sounded like fun, and it would afford me free tuition for
seminary! But after our meeting, I concluded that I had no interest in
the position. (Even if I had, he estimated receiving 160+ applications
for the single opening! Crazy.)

I found this to be devastating. I’m not sure why. Perhaps I had
been secretly counting on taking the job and going to school for free
in the twin cities – a place Megan and I both love – where we have dear
friends that we greatly miss. Perhaps I felt like working for Bethel
College would somehow makeup for my never getting to go there or
graduate with so many friends who attended. Whatever the case, I felt
like I had reached the end of a promising road abruptly and
unexpectantly. I felt disappointed. And I felt really lost.

Ultimately, i did decide to attend the Bethel Seminary open house. I
figured that I might as well since I had driven so far. As soon as I
walked in the door I sensed something very different than what I sensed
at Trinity. The spirit was different here. If Trinity felt like an
institution, this felt like a family. It felt like home.

The students were real, personable, and sincere. In conversation, I
found them to be passionate about their relationship with the Lord and
in their desire to serve Him with their lives. I found the same to be
true of the staff. I found the whole experience to be inspiring. I left
feeling rejuvenated and energized. I was filled with hope again…for
seminary and for my future.

That being said, I still don’t know what next year has in store for
us. As much as i loved Bethel, I may not be able to afford going there.
(Ironically, this is precisely why i didn’t do my undergrad there.) I
have a sizable scholarship opportunity to Trinity, but not to Bethel.
In addition, Megan just so happened to manage an event put on by
Trinity in Lincoln a couple days ago. After which, my wife was
unofficially offered a position with the school! So although I loved Bethel, do I take this as a sign of God’s
direction?

I don’t know. I’m not sure how to translate all of this. There is definitely much praying to be done.

I’m not stressing out about it…but it certainly is consuming my thoughts.

I Pledge Allegiance to Christian Radio

September 29, 2007 in culture, Daily Musings, politics with 2 Comments

Yesterday, nearly 100 students from Boulder High School walked out of class in protest to a school wide broadcast of the Pledge of Allegiance. This is the pledge they recited in place of the old one:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag and my constitutional rights with which it comes. And to the diversity in which our nation stands. One nation, part of one planet, with liberty, freedom, choice and justice for all."

Good for them. Although I tend to shy away from things that smell anything too close to what I consider to be an over-sensitivity to political correctness, in this case, I can’t help but hope that more schools follow suit. Although I can completely understand and appreciate the reasons for this group’s refusing to say the phrase "under God," (and in my personal opinion, is reason enough to do away with the reciting of the pledge altogether), my issue is really with a different part of the phrase.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands…"

As a follower of Jesus, I find few things more ridiculously skewed than Christians pledging allegiance to flag or country. Every time I hear a right wing radio personality using the "Christian" airwaves to manipulate the masses with nationalistic jargon it makes me want to throw up. (And every time I hear a friend or foe regurgitate those words as gospel it makes me want to cry…and then throw up.) It seems every time I stumble onto "Christian" talk radio they’ are talking politics. And they’re not just talking, they’re preaching, and it’s usually one of two messages: #1, God prefers America and so should you. Or #2, We Christians (aka Conservative Right-Wing Republicans) need to retake Washington before the God-hating liberals take over the country and brainwash our children. It is pretty ridiculous and I am pretty fed up with it. It is completely contradictory to the message of the scriptures and is effectively driving people further and further away from Jesus. And continuing to force students to state a pledge that they don’t really mean or believe in is only adding to the problem. If you ask me, the pledge needs to go. (And by the way, so does Christian radio, not because it’s unconstitutional but because it just plain sucks.)

For the sake of brevity, I’ll stop my rant for now, but if you want an excellent read on this subject, I highly recommend checking out Boyd’s, Myth of a Christian Nation. It is excellent.
 

the crew

July 10, 2007 in Daily Musings, Kineo, Photo Blogs with 1 Comment

Wow, I am really really tired. More than just feeling wiped, I have found myself being pretty stressed lately about Kineo. What if it fails? What if I don’t have anything to say? What if I am not cut out for this? What did I get myself into!? I think part of this is the season that we’re in right now – lots of planning, lots of prep, lots of particulars, lots of stuff, but its mostly just in principle at this point since we’re not up and running yet. Sometimes I wonder if I’m forgetting something hugely important or if I’m worrying about stuff way too much.

Amidst it all, however, there is one thing in particular that God has really been teaching me through this crazy endeavor. And it is the incredible importance of those who are on the journey with you. I love the people I get to do this with. There is no way I could do this on my own. I am so thankful for them. It takes a lot of faith to step out like they are and trust that God is going to intervene. I believe God honors that kind of faith. I am really excited to see what God does in and through this group of radical ragamuffins.

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fca, divine intervention, & props

May 3, 2007 in Church Planting, Daily Musings, Kineo with 0 Comments

Yesterday was a great day…

#1, I had the privelege of
speaking to the FCA group in Ashland for their last meeting of the year
where they send off the graduating seniors. I talked to them about our
tendency to compartmentalize our faith and only give God a small
fraction of our lives. After all, it is what we’ve seen modeled to us
as our entire lives. Sadly, this just flat out isn’t biblical. Jesus
continually showed and taught that God wants all of us. (For a great
example of this, check out Mark 10.) The only life worth living is a
life recklessly abadoned to God. It is there that we find life, find
our purpose, find God, and find out who we are – for we only find out
who we really are in the context of losing ourselves in who God is.

#2,
A guy who doesn’t even go to Rivertree wrote us a HUGE check yesterday.
I probably shouldn’t say how much it is, but lets just say that his
check is probably the equivalent of what we usually take in over a
period of 6 months, and about what I make in a year! Not only is this a
HUGE blessing to rivertree – a church that struggles to make ends meet
- but it also means that the new church plant now has all of its needs
for startup costs taken care of!!! Thank you, Lord!!!

#3, My dad just found out that he is being named the Evangelical Free "Church Planter of the Year!"
This isn’t city wide or regionally or anything like that, but is out of
the entire denomination nationwide! I can hardly believe it. (Oddly,
one of his good friends that he served with way back in the day, Jeff
Sorvick, won the award last year.) I am really proud of him. He needed
some encouragement and I know that he is really stoked about this!

Acts 17 & The Church

April 30, 2007 in Daily Musings, The Church with 0 Comments

Yesterday I had the privilege of teaching at rivertree.
I taught through a portion of Acts 17 – which is when Paul goes goes to
Mars Hill. It was a good time. I talked a little bit about Sheryl Crow,
gonorrhea, bullhorn guys, christians determined to stay living in 1994,
bridge building, Rolling Stone Magazine, leveraging culture, Zeus
worship songs, and the late great prophet Kurt Cobain. Last week was
one of the busiest I can remember so the message was far from polished
- but it was real – and I really enjoyed teaching again. And I also had
someone scream at me during the early service – a first for me – which
was kind of fun. (I should probably get used to that.)

If you want to have a listen, the message is posted on the right.

Here’s a little something to get your brain spinning: 
* “The U.S. is the 3rd or 4th highest recipient of Christian missionaries in the world.”
* “60-80% of churches in American have either plateaued or are declining in membership and/or attendance.”
* That one is particularly unsettling when you consider that research continues to show that the
vast majority of reported “church growth” is not from new people coming
to know Christ, but rather from Christians jumping from church to
church.
* “On average, over 3,000 (some report over 3,800) churches close their doors each year (in the U.S.).”

Whew. Can we all at least agree that SOMETHING needs to change?

moving forward

March 31, 2007 in Daily Musings, Kineo with 0 Comments

Despite a few snags, things continue to move forward with preparing for
the new plant this fall. Tomorrow morning we are announcing the new
plant at Rivertree, which is exciting! Also, this next week we will
make the final decision on a potential meeting location. And unless God
tells us otherwise, it will be at The Villager on 52nd and O. I am
really excited about this location. It is accessible from most areas of
the city and everyone I talk to agrees that there is nothing going on
near there. As my buddy Kyle Dellevoet said it, "Nobody’s doing anything in midtown!"
I am also excited at the possibility of partnering with The Villager
and blessing them (as they will undoubtedly be a blessing to us.) Some
of the leaders at Rivertree are already affectionately calling those
involved in the new plant "The Village People." We now also have an
offical launch date for the new work. We will be officially launching
Sunday, September 2nd at 7pm!

In addition to being busy with
initial preparation stuff, I have been reading and studying a lot about
church planting and digging in to The Word. I am so excited to jump in
and begin this. God is connecting the dots and pulling things and
people together for this new work in a very beautiful and supernatural
way. It is exciting to see the pieces beginning to come together! Some
of the things that I will be working on next is putting together a
creative team, developing material (my goal is to have 6 months worth
of teachings put together prior to launch so I can focus on relational
stuff and the unforseen stuff), choosing a name, then developing a
logo, followed by designing print materials and the website. I will
also continue to work on larger issues like philosophies of ministry,
structural issues, recruiting leaders and a core team, and target dates
for pre-launch ‘milestones.’ Some of the stuff is fun, some of it is
not, but its all very exciting as we look ahead to September 2nd!

Please
be keeping me and the other leaders involved in prayer as we continue
to prayerfully press forward. And also be praying for a couple local
leaders who are praying about joining us in the new work!

lincoln doesn’t know what’s coming

March 21, 2007 in Daily Musings, Kineo with 0 Comments

So, I think I can write about this on here. I am about to unveil the
reason you haven’t heard from me in a while – sorry about that by the
way. I have had so much going on in my life that I have been unable to
talk about outside of a safe inner circle that have been praying about
this. And here it is: Rivertree is going to be planting another church
this fall and I am going to leading it!

The last few weeks
have been spent on my knees and face before God. He has been preparing
my heart for the battle and the work to come and affirming my call to
pastor this new church. There is so much to do and so many unknowns
that hang in the balance, but after the last few weeks, I have no doubt
that this is God’s will for my life and our church, and that He will
continue to direct us and provide as only He can.

The plan is
to launch sometime in the fall, probably around the time classes begin.
We are currently praying over and looking for a location for the new
work to meet. There is one particular location that I love that sits
right in the center of the city and is accessible for anyone living in
the north, south, west, or east parts of the city! We are also looking
at this new church being a sunday night venue, which I am really
excited about, (because honestly, who wants to get up early on Sunday
morning? Not me anyway!) The core team (and anyone who wants to join
us) will probably start meeting in a few weeks to begin praying over
this, casting some vision and direction, and preparing for what’s to
come. Please be lifting us up in fervent prayer!

There
is rumbling in the depths. A stirring of activity makes itself known in
the light of the heavens and the darkeness of the enemy. Both prepare
for battle. One in joyful anticipation, the other in terrified
desperation. The Spirit is moving. The heavens are restless. The
warrior poets are ready. The darkness shudders.

baby update

February 8, 2007 in Daily Musings, Kid Stuff, Photo Blogs with 0 Comments

Megan is definitely getting bigger! We are told that the baby is now the size of an avocado
and will be growing exponentially over the next several weeks. As of
this last week, Megan can feel the baby moving! Every time I put my
voice on her stomach and talk the baby immediately starts moving around
- how awesome is that?! The interesting thing is that whenever you are
given a due date (ours is July 24th
by the way) there is about a 2 week margin for error, and in light of
that, Megan began feeling kicks weeks earlier than expected. So there
is a good chance that she is further along than our due date suggests.

We still don’t know if it is a boy or a girl. Grandpa Mutchie
is 100% sure it is a girl. Megan thinks it is a boy. I am personally
guessing that it is a hermaphrodite, that way I’m 1/2 right no matter
what. (And, as we all know, there are plenty of quality hermy-names
to choose from: Pat, Chris, Erin, Richard…) Assuming that our baby
will show us the goods, we will be finding out what we are having when
Megan goes in for an ultrasound on the 20th! We can’t wait!

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