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- more bird street stuff (see the previous post for a funny video)...

- we said goodbye to one our staff yesterday (shae is moving to a different site)...so this is what our groups have looked like over the last couple of months (sans a few kids)...

shae's group:

tiffany's group:

my group:

16559 king_of_the_bumblebee

- friday chess randomness

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too many thoughts for one post...i apologize.

- at some point in the next week or two i will have a major update regarding life direction to write about in this space...stay tuned.

- our community group continues to grow.  we are over double digits now!  (time to think about splitting, yikes).

- also, in our group we have some really fun new-christian/pre-christian types who bring a bunch of great energy and fresh perspectives to the table (one of our girls lied to her athiest parents about going to reunion at first...i love that!).

- i am having some really great conversations with ramon at starbucks.  our conversations have moved from film and making films to topics like religion and destiny and does anyone have the right to speak into other people's lives.  really interesting and fun.  we'll see what comes of that.

- bird street continues to be challenging in many ways, but i've experienced a recent break through with at least one of my students.  aishah's family is going through a nasty divorce right now and a lot of her anger over that got taken out on us.  she hated our program at first and did whatever she could to get written up/kicked out so she could go home, but now she has a turned a corner and is really enjoying herself after school.  which helps me enjoy myself too =)

- tuesday was also a big day at the school i work out.  it was very cool to see the kids get so excited about a national event.

- i am very antsy for baseball season to get underway.

- amy and i had our first experience of Boston University hockey (they are ranked 2nd in the nation in division I).  very fun!  they play in a beautiful arena, and hockey is such a great sport to see live.  however, we both felt very old sitting in the student section, wishing the dang kids in front of us would sit down and shut up.  

there's probably a bunch more to share, but i'll wrap it up there for now.

peace!

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- i love what manny has to say about today.  enjoy!

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i had an opportunity to share in church today about my experience as a "former pastor" joining a new church.  i enjoyed the opportunity and it gave me a moment to reflect on this transition as it has unfolded over the last seven months.

this has been a very unusual stage of life, but not anywhere as difficult as i had anticipated.  i think the main reason for this is that i love being married.  i was asked this morning to describe an "aha" moment as it pertains to leading community groups and my experience transitioning from staff to non-staff.  i think the biggest "aha" for me has been just how fun it is to lead with amy, as a team.  it is really, really amazing!

as much fun as i had in durango with ctk and as much as i miss it at times, i wouldn't trade anything for the opportunity to lead our funky little group of christ-followers in fields corner with my wonderful wife.  

so thank you john and tim and reunion for giving me the opportunity to reflect on that today.

(ps...if you want to listen, go here and download the podcast...i'm about 30 min in)

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- last night amy and i had the opportunity to watch "project: revelation," the short film i was in.  (see 15559 or this link).  i enjoyed the film and thought zack and ramon did a good job with this project.  however, it is tough to watch yourself act!  kind of weird actually.  more importantly, i think it was really fun to hang out with people who aren't a part of our reunion/sojourn circle.  their next project is called "success?" and i may help out in some role.  even if i don't though, this newest project has already sparked some interesting conversations about what it means to be successful.  i love those kinds of conversations and i am so pleased that my starbucks experience is starting to build some connections, relationships, and purpose beyond just some additional income.

- a couple of months ago i asked for some prayer regarding decision making and the future.  over the next weeks i'll be using this space to detail what that looks like for us.  so, stay tuned!  

16059 top_5_lists

2008 top 5 lists. enjoy...

Songs

1) A Milli Lil' Wayne
disclaimer: this song is totally inappropriate and vulgar. lil' wayne seems determined to do whatever it takes to ruffle feathers. but i feel compelled to make this song my number 1 for '08 (even if my wife thinks less of me) for the following reasons...a lot has been said recently about america entering a "post-racial" society (see the election of barak obama). progress has been made, sure, but we have a long way to go (witness several of my stories from conversations with my junior counselors at camp this summer). after hearing some of those stories the appeal of a lil' wayne makes a lot more sense...wayne is more punk rock than any rock band of the last ten years...finally, lil' wayne (and this song in particular) has been an ubiquitous presence during my six months in boston. i in no way endorse this song a something good and worth purchasing, but he is much easier for me to understand now than six months ago and that sort of learning is a major theme of the second half of my year.
2) The '59 Sound The Gaslight Anthem
asks the timeless question: what song will you hear when you die? more importantly it's just a great rock n' roll song.
3) Skinny Love Bon Iver
from a very quiet and very beautiful album (for emma, forever ago). a wonderful song on it's own and a great example of this band's sound.
4) Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love Coldplay
Coldplay did an interesting thing on their newest album (Viva La Vida). they smashed 15 songs into eleven tracks. this is the best example of that...a huge sound melded with an intimate moment...Coldplay is the best band at making you feel like you are in a movie.
5) Cath... Death Cab for Cutie
i love this song for one reason: the electric guitar sound (especially in the intro) is about the most perfect guitar sound i can imagine. it just sounds so pure and awesome...
Honorable Mention: Singalong by Phil Wickham
i always thought Dashboard Confessional's Unplugged album was what secular "worship" would sound like. Phil Wickham's Singalong is what Dashboard in a church would sound like...i loved it, thank you Phil.

Books (required reading)

1) A Community Called Atonement Scot McKnight
essentially this is a book that examines various atonement theories throughout theology and then proposes one that is "relevant" for today's emerging theologians and church practitioners. however, it really could be called "how to be a Christian." i could go on and on about how excellent this book is, but i think you should just read it. and then maybe read it again.
2) Tell It Slant Eugene Peterson
peterson continues to hit home runs with his "spiritual conversations" books. fresh perspectives on language, the book of Luke, and prayer. you can't go wrong with this if you are looking for something to provoke your thinking and breathe life into your praying.
3) Jesus for President Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw and Jesus Wants to Save Christians Rob Bell and Don Colden
essentially these are the same book but they go about the theme in very different ways...the theme being that christians, not government or politicians or policies, need to be the change we want to see (wait, didn't Gandhi say that?). anyway, they make strong cases against the church aligning too closely with the power offered by empire and urge us to find a "third way" solution to the injustices we see in the world. very good stuff.
5) Wide Awake Erwin McManus
really this should be a top 4 list because i read a lot of marriage/get your sex life off to a good start books, and not too many church/leadership/theology books. so, erwin gets on the list, even though i feel like i've read this book three or four times, because he is an old favorite.

Books (non-required)

1) The Fortress of Solitude Jonathan Lethem
i've already written about this book here, but just to remind you it is now my second favorite novel of all time.
2) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie
funny and heart breaking...simply a great piece of writing.
3) The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. Carson Clayborne Ed.
i think i wore out several red pens marking this book up...should be essential reading for all.
4) Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich Mark Kreigel
one of the better biographies i've ever read. i had heard a little bit about "pistol" pete but i could not put this book down...a tragic tale, expertly told.
5) The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed our Culture John Battelle
i've talked about this before too, but again, as a reminder, this books tells a great story and also lays out a vision of the future that is both fascinating and scary. if you use a computer you should read this book!

Movies

I did not watch many movies this year...if you want to see a good top ten list see Willie's Blog. However, here a few movies that I did see and enjoyed:

1a) Juno
1b) Slumdog Millionare
i loved both of these movies...however juno i saw on the 4th day of 2008 and slumdog on 340th...so it's hard to say which i'd put first...both though will make you laugh and cry and celebrate the process of falling in love.
3) The Dark Knight
a good, but not great, movie (in my opinion). i saw it after it had been out for a while and lot of hype was already surrounding heath ledger's role in the film. he did not disappoint...one of, if not the most, creepy movie role of all time. i was disturbingly fascinated.
4) Gone Baby Gone
set in dorchester and raises many interesting questions about society. also, well directed, cast, and acted...what's not to love.
5) Cloverfield
one of the best theater watching movie experiences ever. i saw it twice and the second time did not disappoint. i hear they are making another one...i'll be there if they do!

Happy 2009 everyone! Peace

15959

- this is the last post for the year...well, actually, top five lists will come out some time before the new year, but "normal" posting will resume in '09.

- so, until then i'll leave you with this: the view from our front porch!

15859 christmas_tree II

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i'm not a big fan of the language of blessing that often gets tossed around in the church.  it feels inauthentic and comes off as an overspiritualization of reality.  that being said, there is the turth that God wants to bless us and he, in fact, does.  a few weeks ago our small group studied Luke 11:1-13 and we saw that God, our father and friend, wants to give us good gifts.

but i don't go around talking about God's blessing all that much.  

so, it's a little weird that this post is all about how much amy and i have experienced God's blessing in our lives these days.  but there is no other way to describe the last couple of weeks.  consider the following:

- we received an amazingly generous and unexpected inheritance that has allowed us to pay off debt and put some money in savings.  our budget is finally "right" and we have some extra money to do fun stuff with (like give it away).

- my car finally sold which also provided extra cash

- mcrae visited us and stocked our kitchen with food

- diana and her mother welcomed us into their home for thanksgiving and gave us fantastic food and a quiet place to relax and rest

i've personally never experienced anything quite like this, it's been a little surreal.  and so the goal is to try to be grateful and humble about the whole experience.  we have a lot to be thankful for!

hope everyone had a great thanksgiving. 

15659

behold mcrae...

15559

- shooting project: revelation

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updates and happenings...

- thanksgiving is upon us...amy and i will be heading to philadelphia to spend the holiday with amy's good friend (and now my good friend) diana and her mom.  should be a fantastic time.

- before that though, the great ryan mcrae will be in town on his way to vermont for his family's thanksgiving festivities.  it will be great to see the best man and show him around the town a bit.

- our community group is starting to find it's stride now...for a brand new group i think we are doing really well and already it's so fun to see relationships forming and a bunch of people turn into an authentic community that knows each other and cares for each other.  also, i'm so proud of our group for the way we've stepped up to help out quincy street with thanksgiving baskets.  everyone has been extremely generous.

- i became officially barista certified this week!  way to go steve.

- i'll be helping some friends shoot a film this weekend.  as it happens, i will playing the main character, which is kind of funny and fun.  check out the project and what these guys have done previously here: sentinel films

i think that's it...have a great week and happy thanksgiving.  peace!

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- pics of the week:

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there are about a million ways that i am proud of my wife but today i feel especially proud of her.  when amy started going to reunion she immediately became involved with sojourn and their partner ministry at quincy street (about a mile from our house).  it's been great to hear, and now see, her become part of the team doing ministry there, build relationships with the kids in the neighborhood, and, over the last couple of weeks, start tutoring Destiny.

last year she also had the opportunity to connect some fellow physical therapy students from BU with quincy street.  they've had a play day and also a gift program last christmas.  today she was able to bring eight students down to the neighborhood for another play day.  it was so much fun watching everyone interact with the kids (16 today, which is a great turnout), and it was wonderful to see the kids having so much fun.  

i am so proud of amy for introducing her classmates (many of whom could go through the whole program without ever having to think about dorchester, let alone visit it) to this neighborhood.  and, i am grateful that these students have made the effort to come down on these occasions and really get into playing with the kids.  

way to go amy!

ps. i am not so proud of myself for bringing my camera with no batteries, which means no pictures...dang!!!

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shameless plug: if you vote on tuesday, go to Starbucks, tell them you voted and you can get a free tall cup of coffee...

and remember that even more important than voting on november 4th is acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly on 11/4/08, 11/05/08, 11/06/08, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.

15059

fun with beth!!!

- sam adams =)

- fall is here!

- fenway park

- harvard

- happy birthday nina!

14959

sometimes i wonder: "what the heck will i write about this week?" you never know where the inspiration will come from...this week it came from jason mraz.

amy and i saw mraz last night at the orpheum theater. i've seen him three times and the first two were good experiences: i've always been really impressed with his abilities live (the man can flat out sing). but i sometimes find his neo-hippie/existential hedonist philosophies on life to be a little silly. and there was some of that last night...plus some blatant pro-obama propaganda that felt misplaced. however, i felt that last night went beyond a good show by a talented guy and became somewhat of a spiritual moment, especially at the end.

he closed the show with a song that amy and i both really appreciate: a beautiful mess.

more on that, but first, some context...i've spent most of the week dealing with a family in my after-school program that has some deep, deep gnarly stuff going on and is in an extreme state of denial about most of it. that is hard to see and impossible to deal with adequately in our program. this family had been kind of sucking me dry emotionally all week with their inability to deal with, or even admit to, their issues.

then on friday night, jason starts talking about how we all make messes of our lives and then we try to dress it up, which he calls "picking up trash in dresses" in one of the lines of the song. i've watched that all week.

he closed the show by urging everyone to "keep practicing kindness, practice gratitude." after watching him sing that song (another great line: "we've torn our dresses and stained our shirts"), it seemed more profound than some of the shallow sentiment i've heard from him before and entirely apropos to my week.

i continue to live a weird life: making 5 dollar drinks for people who live in beacon hill and mentoring/educating kids who live in roxbury. two worlds that couldn't be farther apart. and yet in both places, and we all do it, we wear dresses and walk around in trash. i guess all i'm trying to say is it was refreshing to hear someone call that out.

thanks jason.

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book report...

...my schedule over the past several months has not been conducive to my normal reading habits. nonetheless, i have been able to read some books, and a few great ones at that. here are five recommendations (in no particular order).

1) The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of business and Transformed Our Culture first of all, this book is very well written and tells what could be a boring story in a very interesting and compelling way (i.e. Malcolm Gladwell books). second, you will learn things about how a service (internet search) that you probably use every day, multiple times, actually works. i had no idea how google works and makes its bazillion dollars until i read this book. third, you will also learn some interesting theories on what the not too distant future may hold for you as a consumer (the section on grocery shopping will blow your mind). finally, the book raises the obligatory questions of how much power one company could or should have, as well as pointing out the inevitable compromises that come from doing business in the global economy. fascinating stuff.

2) The Fortress of Solitude

top five favorite novels:

1) everything is illuminated

3) the catcher in the rye

4) my name is asher lev

5) the kid from tomkinsville

...number 2 is now the fortress of solitude. lethem wanders in a couple of points, but otherwise weaves a masterful coming of age story that deals with race, superheroes, growing up in the city, and is ultimately a beautiful story of friendship. one of those books that you hate to see end and are somewhat sad that you will never get to read again for the first time.

3) A Community Called Atonement a short book but in no way a light read. each chapter is about 5-8 pages long, but i could only read it a chapter at a time because i had to put it down and think about what i'd just read. this book was fun for me to read because it reminded me of being in seminary. beyond that it is one of the most well-thought out and scholarly efforts to articulate an emerging theology. and mcknight is more than up to the task. he is brilliant but earthy and clearly in touch with "real world" issues beyond the walls of academia (although extremely well versed and well read). this one is going on the shelf of the indispensables and is highly recommended to anyone who wants something intellectually stimulating to read.

4) Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile in some ways a great counterpoint to mcknight. not in topic/thesis, but in approach. the genius of rob bell is his ability to take somewhat esoteric theology, or at least stuff that you only hear about in seminary and theological articles, and make it accessible to anyone. his books are easy to read both in the language and the way they are laid out. i have not finished the book so i have yet to formulate a final opinion. but i am enjoying where he is going with it. (in case you are wondering the book is essentially a defense of New Exodus theology).

5) Wide Awake bottom line, don't read mcmanus when you are in the midst of a major life transition. you just might end up in southwest colorado, or africa, or something like that. erwin examines eight "paths" that lead you to live the life of your dreams. one thing i appreciate about him is that he never sugarcoats anything in a "do these three things and you will be healthy, wealthy, and wise." rather, each path seems to lead through hard times in a process of character formation. exciting, i know, but when he writes about you want to go do great things to change the world. not as impactful on my thinking as some other things he's written, but eerily perfect for this stage of my life.

coming attractions: Tell It Slant by Eugene Peterson...the latest in a series of practical theology books that have been excellent. i can't wait to start it this week.

happy reading!

14759

reflections on sarah's post...

...i have definite pacifist leanings.  i'll admit that upfront.  i don't know that i am fully committed to the position yet, but i do know that i can't, in good conscience, support the idea of redemptive violence (despite my love affair with mafia movies, vigilante movies, jack bauer, etc).  

nonetheless, i found the following experience to be informative, troubling, and thought-provoking.  two kids in my after school program were play wrestling while we were outside on the playground yesterday (friday).  what started as fourth grade playfulness (between two pretty good buddies) quickly turned in to a real fight with punching and kicking and hurt feelings.  it was quickly broken up and i found myself sitting on a bench with both of them on either side of me.

i explained to them how there is no fighting allowed at bird street, that they would be spending a certain amount of time out with me, and that they needed to apologize and promise to keep their hands off each other for the rest of our outside time.  "yes, mr. steve," they said.  when their time was up and apologies had been offered and accepted i sent them off for the final moments of outside play.  immediately one of them (the shorter, stockier one) ran over to the other (taller) kid and punched him right in the gut.  

"what are you doing?" i exclaimed.  "my dad told me to hit people who picked on me," the kid  said.  "really," i thought, feeling i might have picked up the hint of a kid trying to pull one over on me.  

when his dad came to pick him up we had a good conversation, but the father's bottom line was: "yes, we're teaching him to hit back," and his big line: "he's not going to be any one's punching bag."  the dad went on to explain that his son has always been undersized and has been picked on a lot, much of it physically by kids bigger than him.  his dad finally had enough and began putting him in self-defense classes and teaching him how to fight back and encouraging him to do so.  he also told me that, "in this community you have to be strong...if you show weakness you'll get eaten alive."

hmmm...

what do i do with this?  on the one hand i agree with the dad...i don't want this kid to go through school suffering beat down after beat down.  i also know what he means about being assertive...what was considered a "life" skill in the world i grew up in is really a "survival" skill here.

but on the other hand i totally disagree with this father.  how is teaching a kid fighting skills really going to change anything?  the Gandhian quote applies here: "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind."

which leads me to the definition of justice...i think a lot of times justice is thought of about in this way: get rid of injustice, get rid of violence, get rid of oppressive situations, etc, or get back at the one oppressing you.  it's all about eliminating unjust conditions or simply trying to get some measure of restitution.  i think it's more than that...it's not about avoiding bad things, it's about creating opportunities to be good.  i hope that for this student, bird street, at least, can be a place where he can be good...where he doesn't have to worry about hitting back or standing up for himself, because, at least in that space, he is safe and respected and taken care of.  that is a more compelling vision of justice, in my opinion, than just standing up for oneself or revenge.