06059

random updates...

- current reading...
* Finishing "The Jesus Way" by Eugene Peterson (the chapters on David/imperfection and Isaiah/holiness are just fantastic)
* Finished "Leading from the Second Chair"
* Started "Generation What: Dispatches from the Quarter-Life Crisis"

- current watching...
* the season finale of Lost was great...helped to redeem a meandering and sometimes even boring season

- current listening...
* arcade fire "neon bible" (keep the car running is a song that i can't stop listening to)
* elliott smith "new moon"
* rocky votolato (pretty much everything he's got)
* otis redding "best of"

- taste of durango raised somewhere around $17,000 for the manna house which is fantastic news!

- church barbeque tonight!

05959

what a day! today was a huge community event called "Taste of Durango." several blocks on main street get shut down and all these retaraunts from town come out and set up shop and sell their excellent wares. aside from a fun, huge community event the tase of durango (or TOD if you are an insider) benefits the Manna House (the soup kitchen we've been volunteering at). last year this event raised almost $15,000 for Manna...and this year probably more.

the day went really well...most of CTK-Durango's members were involved in one way or another. in particular, we are all really proud of ruth because, as the manna program director, a lot of the responsibility for pulling this event off fell on her. she spent months planning for it, recruited and coordinated 200 volunteers, and then oversaw the whole operation today. she did an amazing job!

the rest of us checked people in, sold tokens, and patrolled the streets in green shirts. the security task force (which you will see below) ensured the safety of the good citizens of our town...and we also ate a lot of great food.

i am really proud of our church for all of the ways we were involved in helping out with this event...this is exactly the kind of thing we want to do...bringing the church to our community instead of asking them to come to us.

also, as a manna board member (somehow this week i became the chairman of the planning committee) it was so awesome to see our church represent so well.

manna is on the web too http://mannasoupkitchen.org/

ps...two of our guys (shaggy and ron) were not able to make it to church today because they were "evicted" from their campsite...an interesting juxtaposition...while we need events like TOD to make the manna house happen there is still so much else to be done.

the security task force:

05859

...there are all kinds of little events that can lift us out of whatever we might be dealing with at particular moments in life, and this week i had two of those moments that make you just a little bit happier to be alive...

...on tuesday night at small group, the daughter of one of the women in our group gave me a soccer ball wrist band...a small gesture, but it made my day, and so i wore tonight while i taught on james 1...i thought that was really cool...

...i aslo got the "new" elliott smith cd in the mail on friday...i say "new" because elliott died in 2003...he's been one of my favorite (if not my all time favorite) artist since the end of high school...his music, though dark, has always been a comfort and a window into my own life ever since i came across it.

...the album is called "new moon" and is mostly songs that didn't make it on "elliott smith" and "either/or" (from his days on the "kill rockstars" label...which put this album out)...like a lot of posthumus work and collections of songs that got cut from earlier records, there are a lot of throw away songs, but there are a couple great ones ("whatever: folk song in C", and "angel in the snow" in particular...along with the cover "13")...more important though was being able to hear an elliott song for the first time again...it was like talking to an old friend you haven't spoken to in a long time...

...so, 2 small things that helped make my week...

...other thoughts...lots of other good new music is set to come out this year...i continue to enjoy reading just about anything Eugene Peterson writes...i like my new job supervising soccer games...my small group is the best!

peace

05759

this is so awesome, you just have to watch it...start with the most recent (4-29-07...via satelitte with bill 2)

http://www.welovethebulletin.com/

05659

thanks to everyone who was able to make it to our "show and tell" meeting on friday. it's been fun for us to talk about what we are doing and to take a step back and look at the big picture and see what is developing here in durango. it's pretty exciting.

church last night was pretty great too...we showed our video and it was awesome to see everyone light up and cheer each other on.

i think that's it for now...

05559

- church notes: we started a new series on the books of James and Colossians this sunday...we'll spend several weeks trying to integrate the teaching of these two books (there's a lot there and it's been really exciting to work on this with chip!) check out the podcasts each week...

- also, my small group is getting going again...we're going to read "Sex God" by Rob Bell...i'm exciting to see what comes out of reading this together.

- i got a job with the rec center supervising soccer league games and keeping score of softball games...easy and good money!

- i started reading eugene peterson's newest book: "The Jesus Way: a Conversation on the Ways that Jesus is the Way." The intro is worth the price of the whole book...with his new theology series, eugene is rapidly moving up the list of favorite authors...here are the first five sentences:

"This is a conversation on the spirituality of the ways we go about following Jesus, the Way. The ways Jesus goes about loving and saving the world are personal: nothing disembodied, nothing abstract, nothing impersonal. Incarnate, flesh and blood, relational, particular, local. The ways employed in our North American culture are conspicuously impersonal: programs, organizations, teachniques, general guidelines, information detatched from place. In matters of ways and means, the vocabulary of numbers is preferred over names, ideologies crowd out ideas, the grey fog of abstraction absorbs the sharp particularities of the recognizable face and the familiar street."

and it only get better from there...

05459

the big news of the week is that CTK-Durango now has an office...headquarters if you will. aside from the benefits of simply having a space to do some work (that is not a coffee shop), the building we are in has a number of perks...from high speed internet access (included in the rent), to common areas shared by each individual office, to a beautiful deck right outside our door, to an landlord who cares about giving back to the community, to monthly office parties and plenty of opportunities to interact with the other tenants there are a lot of reasons to be excited about this space. not only do we have a reasonably priced place to work and call home, but this space really fits into our vision of integrating ourselves into good things already going on in our community. plus we're right on main street!

here are some pictures...

the front door...














where all the magic happens...









view from our window...








...our address is:
CTK Community Church
1075 Man Ave. Ste. 210
Durango, CO 81301
so send us a postcard or something!

05359

- our first sunday at the rec center was a success (check out the new podcast to hear more). we revisited our purpose and vision and also looked into the future which was a lot of fun...there are a few things to work out with this new spot (they locked the doors on us!) but i think it's going to be a great place for us to worship. we also had two first time visitors which is always exciting. here's a picture to give you a little idea of what it looks like...

- chip, jenn, and i are going to be in california (salinas) may 3-6 to meet with and thank those of you who have been supporting us this last year. we are going to have a meeting at SVCC may 4th at 7 pm, so if you're in the area come check it out. i've been working on a video that we'll show at that meeting to give a glimpse into our church and life in durango and it's been really cool to hear the stories people have to tell...God's been doing some cool things in our little community.

- other thoughts...watch the movie "Saint Ralph". i just saw it for the second time this weekend with my friens seth and i love it...it's sligthly irreverent, but very inspirational...it's funny and true, and that makes any work of art great.

- i've also overtaken first place in my fantasy baseball league...i don't think my team has really done that well yet, so i'm not sure how to evaluate this early season success...but hey, i'm not going to complain!

peace

05259

...there are a lot of post-worthy topics floating around, but for now this will suffice...

05159

some easter weekend thoughts...

...our easter worship service at the manna house was great. we're really grateful we got to meet there this weekend. some pictures are included at the end of this post...next week we're having a worship fiesta and then it's on the to the rec center!

...thanks to my friend april all i listen to now is this guy, rocky votolato...he's amazing...

...on the topic of music, derek webb (formerly of caedmon's call), has a new album coming out in may...he's become a bit of a controversial figure and even if i don't always like the musical direction he chooses he is a very compelling voice for justice in the music world...i'm sure you'll hear more about this from me after the album comes out...

...i started reading this book called "A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder, How Crammed Closests, Cluttered Offices, and On-the-Fly Planning Make the World a Better Place." this book is in the style of malcom gladwell (The Tipping Point) and steven johnson (Emergence and Everything Bad is Good for You)....i love these kinds of books and this one in particular is fun because i've not often been praised for my organization skills. the basic premise of the book is that most systems actually function better and with greater health when there is a certain amount of mess or randomness in the system. there is ample evidence by the authors that the highly organized, "clean desk", neat freak is actually quite inefficient. i'm only about a third of the way through so i may have more to say about this later, but it's quite thought provoking so far...

...my fantasy baseball team is in third place after one week, and this is with pujols off to a slow start and several players not available due to the weather problems that are cancelling a lot of games...i like where i'm at so far...

peace!

05059

- baseball season has begun!

- well, the pickles era is officially over...i’ll definitely miss that place...it was fun and worked well for this early chapter of our story. but, on to new things!!

- i’ve been able to read two books this week, and this is a good thing. i read The Road by Cormac McCarthy (I started reading it before Oprah named it her book of the month...just so you know). i don’t want to give too much away for those who want to read it, but it took me about 100 pages to figure out what was going on and then it ripped me apart at the end. stick with it and it will be worth the effort.

- i also read Dan Kimball’s new book: They Like Jesus But Not the Church. i’m always interested to see what Dan has to say as i’ve been influenced directly by his ministry. the impact of many books is often determined by the timing and context of the reading of the book. there was not a lot of new information in this book (especially if you’ve been reading any of the emerging church stuff over the last five years), but it was good for me to read right now. i found it inspiring and also affirming of what we are doing here in durango.

the point of the book is really to look at the culture and examine why so many young people (the 18-35 demographic) are not coming to church. however, there is an interesting (but minor) section of the book where he looks at a disturbing trend with young leaders. dan mentions research and conversations he’s had with young leaders who have become frustrated by being relegated to “generational ministries” and feel like they have little or no influence in the church setting and therefore have left church ministry for para-church ministries, non-profit organizations, and other careers where they feel they can use their gifts and have influence on a larger scale. i’ve read a lot of books that say “young leaders need a voice,” but then leave it at that. dan, though, examines historical trends (showing how significant movements have been started by young people from the disciples, to john wesley, to bill hybels) and current cultural trends (showing how businesses are tapping into young people for hot “ideas” and how much of the cutting edge work being done in film, music, and fiction is being done by the young demographic) to put some weight behind his statement. his conclusion is that not only is the church losing future leaders it is falling way behind in terms of the “economy of ideas.”


certainly every generation feels slighted and has desired more influence, but the fact remains that many young leaders don’t see the church as appealing an option for influencing and utilizing gifting as they do alternative careers and organizations. and i know this is true because i’ve experienced it and seen many of my peers experience it as well. it is really kind of a bummer. so thank you dan, for putting something behind your “give young leaders a voice” plea.

- last, but by no means least, check out the new podcast episode (there’s a guest star appearance you won’t want to miss) =)

04959

- CTK update...the pickles era is coming to an end. the restaraunt is closing down and as it turns out the change is happening quickly. our last sunday will be april 8th. then it's on to the Durango Rec Center...which is actually a really, really nice facility. it does not have the characer that pickles had, but it will be a good transition place while we search something that fits our "style" a little better. also, the rec center is going to save us money each month and so chip and i are closing in on some office space.

- thanks to rmac for the shipment of reading materials...i have some good stuff to check out.

- video editing has been a private hobby of mine for the last year or so, and now i'm getting to use it in some cool ways. i made a training video for volunteers at the manna soup kitchen and i like the way it turned out. i also just started working on a video for a meeting we're going to have in california in may highlighting what's been going on here. these kinds of projects are a lot of fun for me!

- one more week until baseball season!!!

- on another sports related note i've discovered a soccer game that takes place everey tuesday here in town. i played last week and it was a lot of fun, although my play was pretty poor (i had three great moments and a lot of frustration). my touch is really bad at this stage of my life. i socred twice (typical steve 18 yard shots from the the top of the box) and also had an assist on the sweetest goal of the game (a back-to-the-net heel pass right to the feet of the guy who scored). otherwise it was a lot of bad traps, passes a few beats behind players, and a lot of sucking wind. but i'll be back tomorrow!

04859

...i'm really excited about our church right now...we're in an interesting place...there are definitely some big challenges (the real potential of having to move to a new location, families/people going through some big and hard stuff, etc.), but momentum continues to build: we are experiencing some definite buy-in from those who are currently involved...our efforts to be a part of what's happening in the community are paying off...our small groups remain a major focus (with a new morph in the groups on the way)...and i truly believe that people are experiencing God authentically in a community of people who are true and real. this is all good stuff!!!

...david crowder fans: check this out and be excited: www.remedyiscoming.com

...had the fantasy draft today...pretty intense hour and a half...i got the top pick! (took pujols: no bainer). as usual i loved my first 8 picks and then frustratedly tried to do the best i could the rest of the way. nonetheless, i like my team...

...finally, i just got back from an awesome week in arizona at the giant's spring training...it's always fun to watch a lot of baseball (4 games in 4 days), but the real highlight was hanging out with the fam...enjoying some major anouncements together...and, of course, spending time with amy...here we are having our day in the hot sun, watching the giants beat up on the rockies!!

04759

- church last night was pretty great...we heard about what's going on in each of our small groups and chip cast some vision for our groups and why they are so important to what w are doing...it was a cool moment. unfortunately, the moment was not adequately captured for podcast publication...but believe me, it was awesome.

- i'm off to AZ in the morning to check in on my giants. and to do other important stuff =)

04659

here's some house keeping and pop culture updates.

1) to the right you will notice two new links...one is to the CTK-Durango Podcast...the other to waiting for rescue's myspace page (new song on there by the way...check it out).

2) currently reading: Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson

3) last five books i've read...The New International Commentary on Ecclesiastes by Tremper Longman...Sex God by Rob Bell...The Ankeny Briefcase: A Collection of Short Fiction edited by Jordan Green (see the Burnside Writer's link for more info)...Off Road Disciplines: Spiritual Adventures of Missional Leaders by Earl Creps...and Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing by Benjamin Nugent (for the second time and it's just as interesting this read as last).

4) currently watching: 24...i've become hopelessly addicted to this show.

5) songs i've been wearing out..."Road to Joy" by Bright Eyes..."Thriller" by Fall Out Boy..."I Need You" by waiting for rescue (yes i listen to my own songs)..."Dude I Totally Miss You" and "The Government Totally Sucks" by Tenacious D..."Oh, It's Love" by Hellogoodbye..."Dark Blue" by Jack's Mannequin..."Life Less Ordinary" by Carbon Leaf..."Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups...and "Light Up Ahead" by Further Seems Forever.

6) looking forward to going down to AZ for spring training next week.

7) currently fascinated by a recipe for something called "pineapple fire and ice"

peace!

04559

here are a variety of thoughts and reflections on current happenings with apparently little connection...

- i finished "Sex God" by rob bell...reading this book was an interesting experience for me. the content of the book is very deep...he's basically getting to the core of almost everything about us as human beings which is pretty serious. yet, it is an easy book to read (as rob's style is very conversational and fast moving, and also the way the book itself is constructed lends itself to a fast read)...i struggled with this...i found myself flying through the pages but at the same time thinking: "i need to stop and ponder this thought more." i think it is the kind of book that needs be read a few times over a long period of time to let it all sink in.

- in some ways the tension i felt about reading the book illustrates my favorite insight that rob provides. a few months ago i saw this interview with bono from U2. he talked about all the stuff he always talks about (africa, aids, debt relief, care for the poor, the church needs to be involved in it, etc). that was nothing new if you've heard bono before or know anything about his life over the last decade. however, there was one point where he started talking about great art...and he said the key element to all great art is being able to hold two truths in tension...his point was that bad art (and a lot of "christian" art today) tries to evade tension all together. here's something rob bell says about tension (in relation to his topic of sexuality and spirituality): "we were created to live in tension...[not stress but the ability to live between two truths that on the surface might seem contradictory]...and when you lose the tension, you lose something central to what it means to be human...one of the marks of someone who has experienced significant growth in their soul is the ability to live in the midst of tension." [i'll let you read the book yourself to discover the context for this quote]

- this week i was asked to join the board of directors at the manna house.

- my favorite song right now (and i feel guilty for liking the song and this band because i feel like i'm about 10 years too old to enjoy it) is "thriller" by fall out boy...i can't stop listening to it.

- i got be in the classroom for the first time this last week (bio at durango high school...a pretty easy day actually). one of the students i had is the sister of a girl who goes to our church...that was kind of fun...another student recognized me from the sunday we led worship at another church in town. small town life...got to love it.

- tonight we will be attempting to record our first ctk-durango podcast!

- last, but not least, when you achieve a certain level of success playing yahoo! fantasy baseball you gain eligibility for public "expert" leagues...i have achieved this level of success and will be participating in one these leagues...i'll be providing updates throughout the year, but for now i am already very excited about playing with some serious dudes (and dudettes for that matter) and not with...well, i won't mention any names =)

peace!

04459

i have many blog worthy topics currently in the que, but for now this is what you need to know...

...i have a fully functional car again and that is good news...it also didn't cost me all that i thought it was going to originally which is even better news.

and now, more importantly: waiting for rescue has two new songs up on the myspace page...a cover of a switchfoot tune, and then an original number as well. listen and enjoy (and also check out our new picture =)
www.myspace.com/waitingforrescue

book reports and other deep thoughts to come later this week.

04359

- on july 27th, 2006 i drove away from Alisal High School, a summer of teaching geometry, and four years of subbing in the salinas union high school district, with my fist in the air and a grin on my face. "never going to have to do that again," was the thought rolling through my mind at the time. and then i moved to durango and started to get settled in a new life and new jobs, and a funny thing started to happen. i actually found myself missing the classroom. "this can't be right," i thought...probably just part of the transition process. or not. after a while i came to terms with this truth: i kind of enjoyed being a sub. wierd.

today, mr. boutry made his triumphant return (at escalante middle school, nonetheless...ironic, yes). on february 12th, 2007 i got to be a librarian for a day (also somewhat ironic, for all the making fun of other librarians that i know). it was a pretty boring day actually. but, it was cool to be on campus and many familiar feelings rushed into me as i walked in to the main office this morning. i'm only going to be able to work a couple of days a month, but i am excited to see what happens. plus, i already have a good farting story!

- i've been reading books that have nothing to do with church for almost two months now. there are a couple of reasons for this...one is that there is only so much you can fit in your brain and process at one time. i needed to slow down to let some things sink in. another was probably a fear that i'd get all excited about something, blog about it, and create a controversy. but, mostly i just needed a break.

now, though, i've started two (just barely the first pages) and already i'm glad that i did. i need this to get refocused and excited again about what we are doing (being thick in the middle of ecclesiastes has not helped this =)

for those who care about these things the books are:
1) The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church by Alan Hirsch (coauthor of The Shaping of Things to Come)
2) Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality by Rob Bell

i'm sure you'll hear more about these in future blogs after i actually get into them!

peace

04259

if there's one thing i've learned from this blogging experience it's this: if you want people to respond, talk about the poor or reveal information concerning your love life...so if you're thinking of starting a blog, take that into consideration!

here's what's going on...

- the early feedback from our new small group format is pretty positive. in particular, i am loving my group. i had some concerns about studying ecclesiastes but this group has definitely risen to the challenge so far.

- interesting things continue to develop with our church...from people stepping up into new/increased roles to developments in terms of a more "permanent" location...it's all very exciting and i am enjoying the moment and also excited about what will happen next.

- congrats to tony dungy...he demonstrates that you don't have to be a certain "type" of person to be a leader and that success is defined in bigger terms than winning and losing.

- finally, i knew this day was coming, but it's sad to see mike matheny go...he is a great man in every sense of the word and the Giants are going to miss him.
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070201&content_id=1792094&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf

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