61959

a_post_about_blogs (friday_reflections) 


despite being a frequent blogger for almost 5 years now, i've never really spent a lot of time reading other blogs. to be more specific, i've never spent much time reading "christian" blogs. i read a lot of giants/baseball blogs, a few political blogs if something really interesting is going on, and my friend's blogs, but not much else.

when rob bell's controversial book, love wins, came out i will admit that i got sucked in to a world that i never knew existed (and sometimes wish i still didn't). turns out there is an endless number of christian folks out there with all kinds of blogs. its quite startling. maybe even more startling is the number of people who comment on these blogs. this past week another mars hill lead pastor (mark driscoll, different mars hill) got himself in hot water in the blogosphere for a comment he made on facebook. 

my point here is not to argue in favor of bell or against driscoll (or vice versa) but to say that i think christians use the internet poorly. 

here are a few conclusions i've come to. first, i have nothing against technology and the internet. in my opinion, while there are numerous changes in technology these days none of them are inherently bad...they can all be abused, of course, but i am not an anti-technology advocate. i have a mac, i tweet, i'm on facebook, and i have a blog, so it would be pretty hypocritical to try to present myself otherwise. that said, we might be wise to do some fasting from certain technologies (myself included).

second, i think most christians are doing blogging the wrong way. now, i don't do this for a living, so i understand that the way to make money as a blogger is to get people to your site and the best way to do that is to make strong, critical points. the problem is this: the beauty of our technology (especially blogging) is that we can now share information and life like never before, but most christian blogs are the equivalent of yelling at each other. or worse, just yelling and hoping someone will comment on it.

i love blogging (and all of the blogs on my blogroll) because they are forums for people to share the great stories they are telling with their local communities. there is a big difference between ripping bell for being a liberal (or driscoll for being a homophobe), and  describing how God is at work in your life, community, and ministry.

i do not think the internet is the place to do theological discussion (or pastoral correction for that matter). most of the folks yelling at each are not what i would call theologians (sorry if that is a bit judgmental). theology is done best in local communities of people who are committed to each other and the place they live in. 

so, for those of you who are doing blogging well, please keep it up, you are a breath of fresh air. and for those of you who are yelling, consider the proverb: creation is the best critique.

61859

community_groups


some pics from the board after last night's training. getting read to talk a lot about Jesus this year. (primarily from John and a little Luke for good measure).

61759

i_made_something_awesome


for amy's birthday. strawberry shortcake from scratch!

61659

a_new_year


spent the day with the sojourn team working on the calendar for the 11-12 year. good stuff. can't wait for the semester to start and super grateful for the people i work with!

61559

27_years

every time you sign in to facebook it asks "what is on your mind?" i wrote a little tribute to my dad a few weeks ago and as I process the last month and this past weekend (my parent's final Sunday at SVCC) one thing (among others) i've been fixating on is 27 years.

i just finished a book on the plane called Quitter. the author argues against our culture of quitting and tells many stories of the numerous jobs he's quit and the lessons he's learned along the way. it was a good book that reflects many patterns in my own story. next summer will mark 10 years since i graduated from pacific (undergrad). since that time i have had 4 different ministry roles, lived in 3 different states, moved six times, and held five different part time jobs. i haven't stayed in any of the places, roles, or jobs for more than 4 years.

my dad was the pastor of SVCC for 27 years. that's 8 to 9 times longer than anything I've done in my entire life. now that I am into my thirties I suddenly crave and value stability. i yearn to be somewhere doing the same thing for 10 years. and that's still just over a third of the time my parent's dedicated to salinas valley. 

when i think about my parents there is a lot i admire: their integrity, character, marriage, passion, faithfulness...i could go on. but their commitment to a place and a community for 27 years is remarkable in this day and age. 

i had a chance once to have breakfast with shane claiborne. the thing i will never forget from that experience was shane sharing with us a conversation he had with the great john m. perkins. shane recalls asking dr. perkins when he first saw progress and change in the community john served in. perkins replied "oh, after about the first ten years." whoa!!! his point: commit and stay in a place if you want to be radical and change the world.

again, i could on and on about things i admire in mom and dad. choosing full-time ministry is radical. taking a two year old to india for a year is radical. moving somewhere new and planting a church is radical. but staying there for 27 years is maybe the most radical thing a person can do in modern america. and to do it all with dignity and character is even more compelling and challenging. 

so, today, i'm thinking about 27 years.