So my guitar’s been stolen…right out of my office. Crazy and bizzare and extremely annoying. When your office is broken into, it is more then just replacing your stuff – it is the feeling of being violated but what can you do – life will go on. The problem is, I have so much homework and studying to do before tomorrow that this is a distraction and annoyance I need like a whole in the head. One the positive side, I get to go guitar shopping and get a new guitar. But when you need it for Sunday and you don’t have time to buy one before then, it makes it even more annoying. I guess I can always play air guitar – no one can steal that one and I would look cool on stage with my pretend guitar. P.S. Mike, I wish you were here you go guitar shopping with me.
Christmas Tree
So on Saturday morning my oldest son Nathanial (he’s five) and I (a bit older then five) went out to buy our Christmas tree. I thought I would give him the great responsibility of picking out the Christmas tree this year. Well, he picked the biggest tree we have ever had. It isn’t just a little bigger but it is gigantic – it’s HUGE. He is proud of it and I have to admit, although extremely large, it is a nice looking tree. I think from now on Nathanial is going to be our “tree selector extraordinaire.”
Viva Loca
These days and for the next few weeks I’ll be living the “Viva Loca”(cue the Mariachi band) with school, committee and church stuff wrap up for the year. Things are exciting but it will be busy and no doubt stressful. I am looking forward to Christmas this year and just relaxing – or trying to anyway…
Preaching Re-imagined
I bought and finished the book “Preaching Re-imagined” by Doug Pagitt this week and it was one of the most challenging books I have read on preaching. I am not saying I agree with every thing Doug says but he make some valid points and compelling critiques on preaching as speaking and offers what I think is a viable alternative (although I still have questions and concerns with it). He echoes a lot of the sentiments that I have felt and others I know have expressed when it comes to the typical way of preaching and speaking. I have a lot of questions about how “progressional preaching” would actually function and work and hope that I would watch it in action some day. Regardless, he makes several great points and even if you disagree with his solution his critique of the current style/process of preaching as speaking is compelling and worth reading.
Ordering Your Private World
I just finished reading Gordon MacDonald’s book, “Ordering Your Private World” for class and I was struck but the following quote:
“Almost every pastor is judged on the basis of whether he/she has a vision. And this usually means a vision of how the church can grow, grow, grow. The pastoral care of the people – which for hundreds of years has been the aim of a church – is less important in comparison to the gathering of more people.” (Page 35)
I was struck not because it was a new idea for something I have never heard of before, but because it was speaking to something inside of me. Maybe it is part of my personality but there has always been a drive in me – a voice telling me to do more, grow more ministries, or get more people. I am not sure why that is and there is probably a deep physiological reason for it I’m sure, but it is there and our North Americian church culture doesn’t help it. I’m a creator, visionary and entrepreneurial by nature, all of which are qualities I’m proud of but I am prone to what Gordon MacDonald describes. That is my fear – that my drive becomes vision, growth and ministries rather then people. The Kingdom of God is not an institution, ministry or a human creation but people. I know that by my effort I can grow an institution and maybe even a ministry but I can not under my power or effort grow the Kingdom of God and that is what I am commissioned and called to do. I love people don’t get me wrong, but maybe like you, it is hard to consider successful what our world (and dare I say even some churches) doesn’t seem to consider important.