Most powerful Holy Spirit
rain down upon us
and subdue us.
From Heaven,
where the ordinary
is made glorious
and glory seems
but ordinary.
Bathe us
with the brilliance of Your light
like the morning dew
on the flower.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Luczi and Chloe
Luczi and Chole have grown quite close recently. They like to slide down the slides together and do piggy back rides. While Lilly and Luczi are like oil and water, fighting over just about anything and everything, these two have found joy in each other and that of course makes thing just a bit more fun around here.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Observation
I was driving to work today and as I passed through my neighborhood and surrounding communities I noticed noticed the number of homes in foreclosure and businesses that "used to be". Now Michigan lags behind the rest of the nation in the economic recrovery since 911 and the war, so there certainly are some realistic factors involved in homes and businesses being vacant, but I did notice one other thing driving to work that day... Not 1 gas station was closed down. Isn't that interesting? Do you suppose that the homes of gas station owners are in foreclosure? Wanna bet on it? Agopolies are the way to thrive in new America. I guess I'm just greatful I don't own a Hummer lest my house go into foreclosure.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Luczi's Dedication
Sunday we dedicated Luczi at our church. For us this is a time of celebration as we draw from our community a unified commitment that all of will do our best to raise Luczi in the WAY of Jesus. It is a commitment that far exceeds religiousity. And while I've been a part of many "dedications" and "baptisms" in my years of following the WAY, never have I felt that a church has meant their vows as much as our family at Pathway Church. And just as I have vowed to help others raise their kids in the WAY, I know that I have their help and support. And that is truely something to be celebrated in our day and age.
For More Pictures of the Dedication, click "My Pictures" to the right.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Sex God
Pushing the envelope once again, Rob Bell is back with his new book Sex God. The title is certainly eye catching, but what I love about the book is the heart of it's content. Bell does a great job of communicating how our sexuality, our personal relationships, and our spirituality are intertwined and intermixed. In a style similar to his preaching he gives nuggets of information for us to process, ruminate on, and test in the scriptures.
Overall I like the book, but it is not without it's flaws. As to being being biblical I will let the reader decide. Sadly there are sections of the book that are under-developed. Many key ideas are thrown out like beach toys waiting for someone to play with them. While I understand that at times this is intentional by Bell, it seems less appropriate with the subject matter in this book than say Velvet Elvis (Bell's first book). And speaking Velvet Elvis, there are whole sections of Sex God that seem to have been copied and pasted right right of Velvet Elvis. This, in the writing world, is like wearing white before Easter.
Flaws aside, I still would recommend picking this one up. I highly encourage engaged couples, newly weds, and people struggling with sexual addictions to read Sex God. There is much that Bell has to offer in this book that would have been helpful to me early on in my own marriage.
Overall I like the book, but it is not without it's flaws. As to being being biblical I will let the reader decide. Sadly there are sections of the book that are under-developed. Many key ideas are thrown out like beach toys waiting for someone to play with them. While I understand that at times this is intentional by Bell, it seems less appropriate with the subject matter in this book than say Velvet Elvis (Bell's first book). And speaking Velvet Elvis, there are whole sections of Sex God that seem to have been copied and pasted right right of Velvet Elvis. This, in the writing world, is like wearing white before Easter.
Flaws aside, I still would recommend picking this one up. I highly encourage engaged couples, newly weds, and people struggling with sexual addictions to read Sex God. There is much that Bell has to offer in this book that would have been helpful to me early on in my own marriage.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
A Safer World
"Daddy, would you feel safer in the world if there were no guns or swords?"
This was the question posed to me by my eldest daughter. She had apparently picked this question up at school somehow.
No, I said. I wouldn't feel safer. Unfortunately people have been finding ways to kill each other since the very beginning. And they didn't need guns or swords to do so. The problem is not with guns and swords, it's with our hearts. When we choose to hate instead love or to be angry instead of forgiving, we start to walk down that way that leads toward death.
"I know that." she says.
It's good to know that at seven she already knows as much as me. There is hope for the future.
You know this analogy breaks down, but I wonder sometimes what would have happened with this "war on terror" if we'd had sought out more creative ways than just "shoot 'em up" to deal with the problem. Sometimes war is inevitable, I know that. And what happened on September 11, 2001 was more than "unjust". I'm not advocating pacifism, but sometimes (and as Christ taught) there are more creative ways to make statements about injustice; ways that dignify the human spirit and restore humanity to both the both our enemies and the innocents. As a student of History I am well aware of the "myth of redemptive violence" that says it is only force which can restore peace. Cain was was sure that killing Able was one way to get justice from his favored brother. And there has been very little progress since. Creative non-violent approaches to injustice is certainly a "Christ(ian) value".
As a people, we in America are of the most resourceful, creative, inventive, and giving people on the face of the planet. I wonder what good America could have done for the entire world with 4 trillion dollars spent differently. Perhaps it will have to be the future generation that will move us out of this myth of redemptive violence and into the age of "redemption" that Christ inaugurated.
This was the question posed to me by my eldest daughter. She had apparently picked this question up at school somehow.
No, I said. I wouldn't feel safer. Unfortunately people have been finding ways to kill each other since the very beginning. And they didn't need guns or swords to do so. The problem is not with guns and swords, it's with our hearts. When we choose to hate instead love or to be angry instead of forgiving, we start to walk down that way that leads toward death.
"I know that." she says.
It's good to know that at seven she already knows as much as me. There is hope for the future.
You know this analogy breaks down, but I wonder sometimes what would have happened with this "war on terror" if we'd had sought out more creative ways than just "shoot 'em up" to deal with the problem. Sometimes war is inevitable, I know that. And what happened on September 11, 2001 was more than "unjust". I'm not advocating pacifism, but sometimes (and as Christ taught) there are more creative ways to make statements about injustice; ways that dignify the human spirit and restore humanity to both the both our enemies and the innocents. As a student of History I am well aware of the "myth of redemptive violence" that says it is only force which can restore peace. Cain was was sure that killing Able was one way to get justice from his favored brother. And there has been very little progress since. Creative non-violent approaches to injustice is certainly a "Christ(ian) value".
As a people, we in America are of the most resourceful, creative, inventive, and giving people on the face of the planet. I wonder what good America could have done for the entire world with 4 trillion dollars spent differently. Perhaps it will have to be the future generation that will move us out of this myth of redemptive violence and into the age of "redemption" that Christ inaugurated.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Quoting Moby
I was reading HM Magazine today and found an interview with Moby (www.moby.com). Granted many evangelicals don't like Moby because he tends to lean a little left of (far right), but I have found that he knows more about the central message of Jesus than most evangelicals (and he doesn't go to church).
When asked whether or not he agree's with Jesus' claim (which is really a fancy way of asking if he believes like most evangelical chrisitian's views of that claim) that He is THE way THE truth and THE life, and that no one gets to the father except through him... Moby answers:
You know what? I don’t even know where my fingernails come from, so it’s very hard for me to speak knowledgeably of the grand objective truths about the universe.
Way to go Moby! Apparently you learned much about Jesus when you read the New Testament.
When asked whether or not he agree's with Jesus' claim (which is really a fancy way of asking if he believes like most evangelical chrisitian's views of that claim) that He is THE way THE truth and THE life, and that no one gets to the father except through him... Moby answers:
You know what? I don’t even know where my fingernails come from, so it’s very hard for me to speak knowledgeably of the grand objective truths about the universe.
Way to go Moby! Apparently you learned much about Jesus when you read the New Testament.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Praise God, NO TEMPLES
A friend of mine shared this passage at church Sunday and it has stuck with me all week. From Revelations 21 and it speaks of a day I can't wait for.
...No temple could be seen in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is it's light. The nations of the earth will walk in [his] light, and the rulers of the world will come and bring their glory it.
NO TEMPLE COULD BE SEEN IN THE CITY...
I've lived in Grand Rapids for more than 9 years now and no matter where I travel there is always more churches than McDonalds resturants. There's first and second and third and fourth reformed churches, and Bible churches (whatever those are) and Baptist, and evangelical, and evangelical free, and protestant reformed, and community churches (because all the others are not of the community) and we have Lutheran and Catholic churches... We have people from this church who don't like those from that because [insert stupid reason here]. And those people let women teach. That one is a cult. They don't believe the the elements are the actual body and blood... Those people don't even have classes before baptism.
Come Jesus, that your light might guide us back to truth, back to you, and back to unity.
...No temple could be seen in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is it's light. The nations of the earth will walk in [his] light, and the rulers of the world will come and bring their glory it.
NO TEMPLE COULD BE SEEN IN THE CITY...
I've lived in Grand Rapids for more than 9 years now and no matter where I travel there is always more churches than McDonalds resturants. There's first and second and third and fourth reformed churches, and Bible churches (whatever those are) and Baptist, and evangelical, and evangelical free, and protestant reformed, and community churches (because all the others are not of the community) and we have Lutheran and Catholic churches... We have people from this church who don't like those from that because [insert stupid reason here]. And those people let women teach. That one is a cult. They don't believe the the elements are the actual body and blood... Those people don't even have classes before baptism.
Come Jesus, that your light might guide us back to truth, back to you, and back to unity.
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