The Transformed

New Site

2005-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

For the past month I have been working on a new blog. I figured that since Christmas time is the time for celebration of a birth and also the time of giving, I would launch the new blog on Christmas.

Head on over to my new blog site at www.thetransformed.net

Nothing more will be posted here so bookmark the new site!

More Holiday Cheer

2005-12-13T10:13:00.000-08:00

It seems like every day I fall deeper and deeper into the comforting and warming heart of Christmas. I walk into my office every morning welcomed by my mini-tree with golden lights and purple ornaments (hung by paperclips), and I am filled with a sense that everything is going to be alright. I wish you could all see my office Christmas tree...maybe I will take some pictures and post them. Christmas feels like it has come so fast. There is less than two weeks till Christmas, and I wish there were still a month. Before I know it, this season will be over, the trees and lights and decorations will be back in their boxes, and I will have to wait a whole 11 months for this time.

While the we are in the midst of the season, here is some more holiday fun and cheer for you all to enjoy:

Christmas Time (Dont Let the Bells End) Video by The Darkness. (A hilarious music video)

Narnia

2005-12-09T12:20:00.000-08:00

Last night I got to see a pre-screening of The Chronicles of Narnia that was put on by a local church here. I hadn't planned on going to this particular event (that's code for: I was boycotting it) even though I have been waiting with much anticipation to see the film. But leave it to my very un-postmodern friend Jared to offer me two tickets which he had previously purchased for the event. After much deliberation, Heather and I decided to go because hey, who turns down free movie tickets to a pre screening of a film that you have been waiting to see for the past 6 months?

Before the film started, a man in slacks and a nice blue button-down shirt came out and talked to us about how within Narnia there are a lot of metaphors that parallel to scripture and the story of Jesus. He also shared that after the film the senior pastor of the unnamed church would be coming out to address us more specifically about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I apparently didn't know what I was signing up for when I accepted those "free" tickets.

Immediately when the film concluded, the pastor came up on the stage with a microphone and began to address us very bluntly and suddenly about what we "needed" to do. He said that Jesus died on the cross for us, and that we were required to do something in return for this. The thing that we "had" to do was "believe". "And the way you believe is through prayer" he said. Then he said that he was going to lead us in a prayer. At about this time, Heather and I got up, and left the crowded theater.

Now I don't know about you, but I wasn't aware that this sort of thing was going to happen with "Narnia". I read a post by Dan Kimball about a week ago where he mentioned that a church in his area was doing this type of thing. I couldn't believe this. I mean, I guess I could sort of understand why they did it for "The Passion", but with Narnia? Now that "Passion" is completely out of news headlines, Christians are calling Narnia the biggest evangelistic opportunity this year. This to me is wrong for more than one reason...

I get kind of scared. Not for me, but what if I would have brought a friend with me to Narnia? I mean, I can sorta handle crazy christian culture and laugh it off, but I worry about those who don't know God as they see the telemarketer Christians interrupting their evening with something they never asked for. It is just sad to see our Christian faith reduced to this type of cheap marketing scheme. Where the gospel is no longer spread by a life lived out, but rather by something as offensive as an unwanted and unwarranted internet pop-up ad.

Only Talk

2005-12-05T13:45:00.000-08:00

Today I am convicted. I am saddened at my own lack of action. When will I move past talk and into action? I say I care about justice for the poor and the oppressed, but do I really? Si Johnston's Article on justice and mission really hit home with me as I read it today.

"Have we bought hook line and sinker into British Telecom's jingle 'it's good to talk' and talked ourselves impotent, or are we so busy 'doing it' that we don't feel compelled to write about it?"

I feel as if I've been too busy talking about it that I haven't done very much. Stories of actual events that have taken place in my life will speak louder than any motivational speech that I could give of how we need to care for the poor and oppressed. Talking without doing is hypocritical at the least and mostly downright defiant of God.

Lord, please do everything you must to allow my life to be broken and electrified into movement. I don't want to be a man who's words are cheapened because my life doesn't reflect them. Instead make me a man who's life is so full of action that it tells the story of who I am.

Conversation...

2005-12-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

That's right. I said it. It is a dirty word for all you "lurkers" out there, but I would like to talk about it. Billy's comment followed by my own interaction sort of inspired me to write about the dreaded "C word" as it relates to the blogosphere. There is this sense (as Billy pointed out in a previous comment) that as I write something in this space and others join in to converse with me (aka: comment) and the others who read that connection is actually happening (for what is worse than a one sided conversation with the talking head Ryan Myers?).

I see this as a valid point and a great argument for why participating in the conversation that takes place here is a good thing to do. BUT, I see others as well. Today as I was rifling through my blogroll, I came across Billy's blog as I normally do and read his most recent post. After reading his post, I felt compelled to do more than I usually do and to actually contribute to the conversation. The topic made me think, and at first I didn't have an opinion. I read it and thought: "huh, that's interesting." but my thoughts stopped there. Usually I do this, thinking that I don't really have anything to add or that I don't have an opinion and so I move on to the next blog. This time was different though. This time I re-read the post, thought about what I actually believed/thought/sensed, and after much wrestling within me, I posted a comment.

After I posted my comment I realized, more than I ever had before why conversation is necessary. When we read thoughts on a blog and we use the "comment" button we are actively wrestling with what we believe. It was important for me to write what I thought on Billy's blog today because it caused me to wrestle and think and challenge my thoughts. If I wouldn't have commented, I wouldn't have gone through the internal wrestling that I believe is so important for our growth into becoming thinkers. I believe that its important for us to have to wrestle with things, and to think about things rather than just sit back and agree with the talking heads.

In no way do I mean to threaten those who enjoy reading and strolling through this place. Just for me, I realized today the importance of conversation and why it is so imperative that I engage in conversation and begin to share my thoughts. Thanks to everyone who reads, comments, gets angry at, and loves being in this space.

The City Christmas Tree

2005-11-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday as I was riding to work, I saw that State Street between Victoria and Sola was blocked off. Normally my excitement wouldn't bubble at the viewing of a blocked off street, but I knew why the street was blocked off, and was prepared for what was to come. I continued on to work, and as 9:00 came around, I left my office, walked one block to State Street and began to witness something that is absolutely magnificent. In the middle of the street (right in front of the Arlington Theater) was a huge crane, several large trucks, and - most noticeably of all - a 50 foot Christmas tree lying on its side. It is the "Santa Barbara Christmas Tree". I watched as they prepped the tree for its stage where it will radiate the spirit of Christmas to all who see it. After much cutting with chainsaws, they were finally ready to hoist the giant arbor into place. It really was magical watching this all take place. There were about 15-20 people in all beholding this site. Take a few minutes to view some pictures of the Santa Barbara Christmas Tree, and the events as narrated above: Take me to the pictures.

Sidenote: Its been mentioned to me that I haven't posted anything new in a while (not that long...its only been one week). Its funny to me though that the people who have mentioned my lack of sharing in this space are those that I call "the lurkers" - Those who very rarely or never contribute to the conversation we have here, but nevertheless still belong and are always welcome here. Anyways, I have been occupying myself with a new project that I hope to release to you all on Christmas Day...

Used

2005-11-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

You ever feel used? I do. I was going to say that being used is usually not that bad; that you get over it; that you sort of deal with it and it doesnt effect you that much. But the truth is, it sucks. No matter which way you slice it, it sucks. I've felt used in the past, and it does effect you, probably more than you think at first.

I've felt used recently. This person is never there and always too busy for me, and then the second their life comes crashing in and their friends dissipate, I am supposed to be there...every step of the way. This part alone wouldn't particularly faze me. I mean, I am not opposed to playing the prodigal son's father some of the time, but what really gets me is when I decide not to be there (after being used time and time again), I get thrashed on and dubbed a horrible friend and a guy who doesnt care. What makes it worse is that these things are not only said to my face, but to other people as well, who begin to feel sorry for them and disgust towards me. I feel a bit angry that I would pour so much into a life time and time again, and not only am I not thanked, I am damned as well. I just don't understand the blatant disregard for a shared life in community which expects community but doesnt live in it.

Sounds of the season

2005-11-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already noticed, there is now music that accompanies the festive look of the blog. As optimistic that I am that everyone loves Christmas music and would love to listen to it every time they visit my blog, I know some people will not enjoy this new feature that I have provided. So, to keep these people from running through the cyber door and not visiting my blog as often, I have installed a pause button at the bottom right hand side of this page that I have aptly given the alias "the scrooge button". Press it and the music will cease to sound, along with your holiday spirit. Enjoy...erm...or not...

Friday night in Hollywood

2005-11-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

Went to a Death Cab For Cutie show this past Friday night in Hollywood with Heather. We had crap for seats because we got there a bit too late, and everything was General Admission which means first come first served, but Death Cab was still amazing. Before the show we got to share a meal with our good friends Jared and Regina in Agoura Hills at a great little Italian place called Fabrocini's Italian Kitchen. The food was excellent, the conversation and company was even better.

Renovation

2005-11-11T00:17:00.000-08:00

Just a bit of renovation for the holiday season. I hope you all enjoy the festive changes...I just couldnt help myself; anything to get people into the spirit of Christmas.

Recent Films

2005-11-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

A couple quick movie recommendations. Sunday I saw
The Weather Man and I enjoyed it. It is a bit depressing, and has a similar feel to that of American Beauty, but it is still a good film. Cage is a broken man, tattered by his father's disappointment of him, and his own disappointment of himself. He goes through life, with the best intentions, but always seems to fall a little short. Though he tries to be a good father as well as resuscitate his corpse of a marriage, he fails...miserably. But at least he tries. Don't get me wrong, there are many glimmers of hope in this film, and it is pretty funny as well.

Also, although I saw it in theaters, we rented it again and shared it with a couple of our friends who hadn't seen it: Millions. Two brothers find a bag of British Pounds (265,000 to be exact) and have different views of how they should spend it. The older brother wants to buy a lot of things like underwater jet propellers and invest in a house, while the younger brother wants to give it to the poor. Very sobering indeed to watch a movie where the two ways presented in which to spend money are material items and giving to the poor. A great film. Also, check out Dear Frankie if you get a chance.

Joyous Season

2005-11-01T12:54:00.000-08:00

Well, today is November 1st, and that means for me, today marks the beginning of Christmas season. I love Christmas, so I just can't help but talk about it. There always seems to be a happiness and a joy that wells up inside of me every year right at the first sight of the green trees hung with silver balls and red ribbon inside of Bath & Body Works. Its not Bath & Body Works every year that sleighs me (did you get the pun?), but it so happened that B&BW was the first setting I saw this season that radiated the color and feel that launched me into a frenzy of euphoria. As I was walking downtown on State Street today, I saw the city workers beginning to put up the Christmas lights on all the trees. It looks amazing when you drive down State street at night, with all the trees on both sides of you lit up.

The smell and crispness of the air, the vibrant colors, the visible breath, the shopping, the giving, the people, make me like a 5 year old boy on Christmas eve, trying hard not to let his eyes droop in worry that he might miss something spectacular, while he eagerly anticipates the next morning. So, here I wait, eagerly anticipating this joyous season that is already upon us.

Time for Halloween...

2005-10-31T12:15:00.000-08:00

Wow...I had to post before I came upon an entire month without sharing anything in this space. I got a little frightened that my good friend Jared might be rubbing off on me a little too much in this area. So anyways, its Halloween today...so...Happy Halloween everyone. I hope everyone enjoys their pumpkin carving, apple bobbing, costume dressing, tricking and treating, candy gluttony, scary music, laughing and any good times you have planned. I know I will certainly enjoy my night filled with eating candy and popcorn whilst I enjoy the company of several good friends and Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas.

Born Into Brothels

2005-10-04T11:46:00.000-07:00

I just watched this documentary a few nights ago, and boy, is it good. The two filmakers capture their time in the "red light district" in Sonagchi, Calcutta, and the relationships they formed with the children of the prostitutes who work there. Zana Briski, A London native, teaches these children (Ages 10-14) the art of photography, gives them each a camera, and instructs them to take pictures of their world as they see it. The photos the children take, and their understanding of life is utterly jaw-dropping. The filmakers show that there is hope for these children amidst a people and a culture that are so hopeless. They show that there is hope for these children even though they themselves wrestle with the fact that they can do so little. The honesty of this documentary is what gripped me most. The honesty of the children as they express that they see no hope for themselves, and the honesty of the filmakers as they think that all of their sacrifice might be in vain.

Rainy Thoughts

2005-09-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Random thought: Listening to Sigur Rós while it's raining should be mandatory...

I just picked up their new cd "Takk..." and it is beautiful.

BBC Article

2005-09-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

There is an interesting article on BBC News called American Dream Eludes the Poorest. It deals with the aftermath of Katrina as it looks further into race and poverty. The author of this article noticed that: "Because the United States is the richest country on earth, there was something particularly shocking about the images of America's poor, stranded, helpless and hopeless, begging for aid from the US federal government." A huge question the author raises is: How much can and should the american government help the poor? This article is definitely worth a read. Its short and is pretty insightful. Feel free to post a comment or share your reaction here.

Perils of iPodding

2005-09-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

As a spin-off of Si Johnston's post on The Perils of Blogging, I thought that I would talk a little bit about the perils of ipodding. Let me start off by saying that i don't think that ipod's are bad. I own one and use it frequently; But I would like to talk about a danger that we fellow ipodders can be caught in if we are not aware of it. Please feel free to add to the peril that I suggest with anything that you have experienced or feel would be relevant to this conversation.

I work in downtown Santa Barbara, and I frequently walk the city streets of the downtown area. There are many people who also walk the streets of downtown, and also many who basically reside on these same streets. As I walk from my office to grab a bite of food, or to meet up with a friend, or check out the newest releases at Morninglory Music, I push the white headphones of my ipod into my ear, scroll to find a good album, press play, and turn the volume up, all the while shutting out the conversation and happenings of the world around me. You see, with these little white earpieces inside my ears, I easily become deaf to the Vietnam Vet in a wheelchair who shakes his cup of change at me as he mutters a sad story I can ignore. I can pretend that I don't notice the man walking next to me, with whom I could probably have a meaningfull conversation with. I can become numb to the world around me.

Today we live in the world of the ipod where people don't have to have conversation and have an excuse not to help their fellow man. If everyone had an ipod and used it as they walked their city streets, more and more people would begin to feel left out, unloved, and uncared for.

Avast! It's Talk Like a Pirate Day

2005-09-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

So arr its "Talk Like a Pirate Day" today. I thought that I would join in th' fun an' find ou' what me Swashbuckler name would be. If ye take th' test t' find ou' what yer name be, use th' "Swashbuckler talk translator" when ye leave a comment.

My pirate name is:

Black Sam Rackham

Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

Cool Pirate Day links:
"Talk Like a Pirate Day homepage"
"learn t' be talkin' like a buccaneer"

Soliton

2005-09-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, starting on Thursday morning, I was apart of a global conversation in Ventura called Soliton. There were many practitioners from around the globe that spoke and facilitated mini conversations ranging from Finding Christ in Brothels to Non-Violence to Human Trafficking to The Death of the Short-Term Missions Trip to Human Sexuality to Living Missionally Within the Sacred Rhythms of the City. For me, this was an amazing trip and an amazing time. A lot is going on in my head as the time I was there was filled with much thought and conversation. It will take me a while to process all that I heard, felt, experienced and saw at Soliton, but I hope to begin unpacking shortly.

I really can't put into words the sense of community that I felt at Soliton. From sharing a pint of Guiness while talking about the spiritualities of blogging with Si Johnston (Northern Irishman who pioneered a faith community in London called Headspace), to sharing life over a burger with Doug Pagitt (Pastor of Solomons Porch in Minnesota), to singing Irish benediction songs while holding hands around a fire at midnight, to hearing Sandro Baggio's (4square church planter in SÃ£o Paulo, Brazil) amazing story of life transformation in his city is indescribable. I feel somehow connected to everyone, and yet I only shared a few days with them. I hope that I continue to keep in contact with the new friends I made at Soliton so that we can continue to encourage and share our life with each other from the many continents we are on. Here's looking to continued community and more good times...

Freeing Grace

2005-09-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

Just a quick thought...A lot of responses to "Junebug" got me thinking a bit more about grace. The whole idea of grace, seems to be encapsulated in just one sentence that Jesus spoke. I think back to the time a woman was caught it adultery and brought out in the streets before a growing mass of people and placed in front of Jesus. As the enraged crowd waited for Jesus' strict indictment of death with rocks in their hands, Jesus began to show us what kind of grace He offers. "...let those who have never sinned throw the first stones." As everyone leaves the scene, it is only Jesus and the woman there together as Jesus says:

"Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?"
"No, Lord," she said.
And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more."

Jesus exhibits the entirety of grace in this last single sentence. It is nothing short of extraordinary. It is that deep love that says "even though you did what you did, I still love you and don't condemn you". It is understanding that sees into the depths of our heart and loves us the same. Yet, at the same time, Jesus also tells this woman, "Go and sin no more." It's amazing to me that Jesus doesn't just stop at not condemning the woman, but he goes deeper and further by telling her not to do it anymore. To me, Jesus epitomizes grace in his interactions with this woman as an all encompassing love that doesn't look down on us and condemn us, but instead frees us from the entanglements of sin.

A Night to Remember

2005-08-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

So, on Sunday evening, Heather and I drove down to Irvine to see Coldplay. The show was really, really good despite the rubish we got for seats. Even though I logged onto the ticketing source the second that the tickets went on sale, we still ended up with tier 3 seating! The seating went as follows (in order from best to worst): Orchestra , Lodge, Terrace, and upper grass field. We happened to be seated in the upper, waaaaaaaaaaaaaay left section of the terrace. This made the sound really muffled and unclear; we were unable to see the drummer at all; and the huge video screen behind them was totally blocked. During their opening song (Square One) we wised up and went towards the center of the stadium and stood behind the last row in the terrace. The sound was insanely better, we could see the entire band, and the video screen behind them. This video screen, by the way, was amazing. It was showing clips of each member of the band with crazy video filters on it as they played their songs.

Coldplay was brilliant musically, playing longer cuts of their songs where, at the end, there were 3 solid minutes of sweet sounding "ooooooh's" from Chris Martin as he softly stroked the keys of his piano. Several times he asked the 12,000 people in the audience to sing the "ooooooh's" along with him, creating a wall of sound that was beautifully moving. They played a couple of songs accoustically, among them was their new song dedicated to Johnny Cash "Kingdom Come" and a cover of Johnny Cash's song "Ring of Fire". At the end, Chris Martin ran out to the center of the crowd (between the Orchestra and Lodge seating) and stood on the sound board as he seranaded the people in the less fortunate seating with more of his oooooooh's. After a couple minutes of clapping and shouting, the foursome came back on stage and played 3 more tunes, the last to be their newest single "Fix You".

Coldplay was amazing in concert. I can't wait to see them again...hopefully with better seats.

Bloody Pirates!

2005-08-16T08:52:00.000-07:00

Thought I would get in on all this quiz-taking action...

Which Pirates of the Caribbean character are you?

Junebug

2005-08-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

I picked up this quote while listening to a soundbite from the film Junebug on the Ebert & Roeper Movie Reviews Podcast.

"God loves you just the way you are, but he loves you too much to let you stay that way."

Struggling in SB

2005-08-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

I have had some interesting conversations about living in Santa Barbara lately. Through these conversations, I have come to realize that there are only a couple of different types of people who live in Santa Barbara. The 1st group (a lot of the times it is the wealthy ones) love living in such a beautiful place, and wouldn't trade it for anything. The 2nd group (usually the middle, working class) is always whining and complaining about how expensive it is to live here, and their desire is to move away. I realize that there are probably people somewhere in the middle of these two spectrums, but most people would be able to drop themselves in one of the two groups.

Many of the people I have had conversations with recently are disgruntled with the expensive Santa Barbara housing. I don't mean to be rude, but basically all I hear is a bunch of bitching and moaning about how hard it is to afford housing in this town. Most of the people that I talk with seriously consider moving away to a cheaper city so that they would be able to buy a house, or be able to rent a house for a much cheaper price. I guess the thing that bugs me about this is that it seems like such a huge act of faithlessness and selfishness. In essence, when we decide to move to another city because things are tough in the one we are in, we are basically telling God: "I am taking things into my own hands because you can't provide for me enough to live here." Sure, there are those of us who are "called" to other countries and cities, but we better not justify our lack of faith with the "I am called" speech.

Sure, Santa Barbara isn't the cheapest city in the world to live in, but I love the fact that Jesus said "he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern." I know that God has me here for a reason, and as long as I follow Christ with my whole life, God will take care of me, and that includes my housing. I know that because I follow him, God's got my back...even in Santa Barbara.

Life Together

2005-07-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been realizing that sharing life together isn't always easy. When we talk about living life in community and sharing life with each other, I always think about the times when we hang out with one another and we laugh and play and share our life experiences. These times are great, and for many people, where their life lived out in community ends.

I am beginning to see that communal life goes deeper and much beyond laughter in a coffee shop and that living life together is something that we have to consciously make an effort to do because we tend to pull away from it. Thinking of community as a sort of happy-go-lucky hang out time gets us only part of the way there because life isn't that simple all the time. Life is filled with conflict, pain, indecisiveness, love, lust, greed, and sin, and if we aren't living in community our conflicts and pains will leave us alone and in the dark, and our sins will fly by unnoticed and unchallenged. When we truly live life together, we allow people to see into our lives and discover who we are. This can be very scary because when we allow our life to be opened for other to see, we run the risk of being judged, looked down upon, hated, despised, and misunderstood. But when you do take the risk to live in close community with others you will always have someone who will plead to Christ on your behalf, someone who loves you enough to challenge you, someone who will tell you when you are full of sh&* and Someone who will love you no matter what you do or don't do.

Sure, there will always be those people who judge us when we begin to give them a peek into our life, but I think that we all know who the people are in our lives that we can begin to share life with in a powerful and life altering way. All we have to do is take a risk.

Make Poverty History

2005-06-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

In just a couple days, the 8 wealthiest nations in the world will get together in Scotland to discuss what they will do with the AIDS and Poverty epidemic. The G8 Summit takes place once a year, and this year, these 8 men have the ability to literally "Make Poverty History". The statistics of poverty, AIDS, and death is astounding. Over one billion people live on less than $1.00 per day and 40 million of them are infected with HIV/AIDS. Every year 10 million young children die from preventable causes and over 100 million are unable to attend school. Today alone, 30,000 people will die of extreme poverty. These statistics shock me. The fact that every 3 seconds someone dies unnecessarily because they don't have what they need to survive appalls me.

I share this because I think many of us are oblivious to this atrocity, and that if we knew what was going on, we would do something about it. Aside from giving of our own finances (which we should do) we can partner with ONE, the campaign designed to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. The ONE Campaign doesn't ask for your money, they only strive for more Americans to join the movement by being a voice to our governments and others about the desperate need of global poverty and AIDS.

To me it is amazing to think that we have the power to end poverty in our lifetime. Millions and millions of people are dying every year because of poverty, and to know that we have the ability to stop people from dying is extraordinary. On July 2nd, ONE is holding 8 large concerts they are calling the Live 8 in an effort to "create a wave of support, a mass lobby , that will communicate to the G8 governments what they should do: develop a historic plan to work with African governments in fighting AIDS, extreme poverty and corruption."

I am here as only one voice hoping that more will join in this movement. As a first step to get involved, head over to ONE.org and sign the "ONE Declaration" and the letter to President Bush to show him your support for making poverty history.

I realize I have run the risk of sounding like a commercial or a salesman, but I feel it is necessary for me to voice my opinion (especially since I have a place where I do so regularly: my blog) and I am almost ashamed that I have not done so sooner. Please forgive me if I sound corporate or formal, but I hope you all hear the desperation of this matter. I hope you all will get involved.

Please leave a comment telling us that you signed the ONE Declaration and the letter to President Bush.

Back to Reality

2005-06-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well, Heather and I are back. Back to work, back to the daily grind, back to reality. We had a very fun and relaxing vacation. I wish I could be on vacation for the rest of my life. Me and Mario were talking last night about writing a hit song and just living off the royalties of the song for the rest of our lives (kinda' like Hugh Grant does in "About A Boy"). Hopefully we will begin production of the new hit song soon, but in the meantime, me in my office is what brings home the bacon for now.

Heather and I had a blast in San Francisco and fell in love with the city. We especially loved Chinatown, the North Beach area and the area surrounding Union Square. San Francisco is culturally amazing. You are walking down the street on one block and everyone is speaking Chinese, you walk one more block, and everyone is speaking Italian! All in all, we had a great time and can't wait to go back.

Bubbles

2005-06-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

I am still amazed by how incredible the weather is here. Today looks like a duplicate of yesterday's weather. Before we came to San Francisco, I read a lot online about this place and spoke to a bunch of people who have been here before and they all said that it was always foggy. We are so stoked that the fog has lifted for us.

I just have to say that this trip has been so relaxing and fun. Yesterday we walked around and did some more shopping and then went and saw "Mr. And Mrs. Smith" at the theater 2 blocks from our hotel. The theater is huge. With 4 levels and many directions to go, you can get lost easily if you aren't a Franciscan. One thing I am definitely learning is that in Santa Barbara, we live in a bubble. I guess I have sort of known that all along, but exploring a big city really makes you realize the bubble you have been living in. There are so many different types of people and everything is done on such a larger scale.

After the movie, we rested a bit and then took the cable car to the North Beach section of town (also known to some as Little Italy), and walked around and smelled all the deliciously authentic Italian cuisine. My Mom and Stepdad gave me and Heather some money for our anniversary and told us we had to go to this Italian restaurant called "Franchino". So after smelling all the good food as we were walking, we stopped in for dinner at Franchino. It was a very small place and completely owned and operated by one Italian family. The food was utopian! We had the best bruscheta we had ever tasted in our entire lives, heather's lasagna was incredible, and my Gnochi con gorganzola was heavenly. If you ever go to North Beach, this place is the place to go for good and authentic Italian eats.

We walked around some more, stopping at the Ghirardelli Square for some sundays and put an end to another fun day.

Our Foreign Fillmore

2005-06-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

Right now I am sitting in our hotel bed and looking out the window of at the beautiful, victorian type skyscrapers that surround us. It looks like another beautiful day with blue skies.

As we left the room yesterday to explore our surroundings, we found out that we are close to everything. We walked downstairs, crossed the street, and wuala, we have everything at our figertips: Pretzel stands, Blondie's Pizza (very good), Forever 21, The Gap, Urban Outfitters, Anthropology, Old Navy, Fcuk, Walgreens, Nordstrom, Abercombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Puma, Virgin Records, The Apple Store, the Cable Car (huge line), and more. It's amazing how close we are to everything we need (and don't need, but want). After spending about 5 hours within a block of our hotel and doing some serious shopping damage, we came back up, rested for a bit, changed into our spiffies and took a cab to "Foreign Cinema". I had called Monica previously this week and asked her to call her brother (who lives in SF) about some really good, nice, restaurants there were here for our anniversary dinner. Monica called me back and said that her brother recommended Foreign Cinema. Foreign Cinema was really nice: tea light candles lit on all tables, fireplace in the center of the room, upper balcony. The cool thing about this restaurant was that every night they project a foreign film on the outside wall of the restaurant for people to watch while the dine. This week they were playing "A Very Long Engagement". Really cool concept, but we were only able to see the top 10% of the screen being that we weren't in the outside patio. The food was amazing, but the service kinda blew. Every table had bottles of wine on it except for ours. Keep in mind that most of the wines on the menu were above $40 per glass! I like wine, but it refuses to please Heather, so I decided to stick to my trusty Cocacola Classic. I say all this because I think that because we looked young, and didn't order any expensive alcohol, we were second rate diners to them, and thus, "we can make them wait 35 minutes after they order to bring them their food, and then we can completely ignore them the rest of the night." anyway, the dinner tasted fantastic, and the setting was really beautiful.

After dinner we took a cab to "The Fillmore" where we saw a band called The Futureheads. They are a pretty cool band from Northern England that sort of sound like The Ramones. They were really tight as a band, and their vocal work together was rad. After a long day, we took a taxi back to our hotel where we "hit the hay" as my mom used to say when I was young. A very fun, but tiring day in San Francisco.

Ariving

2005-06-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

Hey all. One year ago today, me and Heather got married. The year seems to have gone so incredibly fast. I have learnt a lot about being a husband, and I am grateful and excited that I get to spend the rest of my life learning what it means to be a great husband to my beautiful bride. Me and heather arrived in San Francisco this morning for our 1 year anniversary! We are excited to be able to take time off from work and just enjoy ourselves. Our plane left Santa Barbara Airport at 6:40 a.m. this morning, and we reached the San Francisco Airport at 7:40 a.m. We took a shuttle to our hotel: "Renaissance Parc 55", checked in and crashed until about 12:30. We woke up a couple minutes ago and are getting ready to go out and get some food and look at this beautiful city. Our hotel is beautiful, and it is in the epicenter of downtown. I look out our 16th floor window and see Macy's, Abercrombie & Fitch, Bank of America, The Gap, and the huge buildings that surround it all. Well, we are off to explore!

The Broken Dream

2005-06-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

I'm constantly amazed at how much the "American dream" and the "American way" runs counter to a life with Christ. I am musing over Ecclesiastes:

"If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." - 4:10-12

How much does the "American way" teach us that in order to get to the top (it assumes first that "getting to the top" is the main goal) we have to make it happen on our own, stepping on anyone and anything to get there. The "American way" says nothing of community life, only of individual gains. Community life strongly opposes the "american way" because in a life lived out in community there is no superiority and there is always life altering help with no strings attached.

Hot Potato

2005-06-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

"Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing. But a curse will come upon those who close their eyes to poverty." - Proverbs 28:27

I realize that this is the second post in a row on the same topic, but I just can't seem to shake this. It has been on my mind constantly for the past month. I guess I just wonder what the world would be like if people actually gave sh*%. I constantly see people living in the margins of this earth, battered and bruised by life, and I am broken by it; and yet I do so little. The thing is that all Christ followers are called to love and treat the marginalized and poor just as we would treat our beloved Christ Jesus ("one of the least of these").

What scares me and worries me and appalls me is that the church - and when I say "the church" I mean the individual lives of people who claim to follow Christ, and in effect, are the church - seems to shut its eyes to the poverty stricken in hopes that they will just go away. Many times the church seems to pass the mission of Christ off to the government as they build houses for the houseless, and feed the hungry, and clothe those with no clothes. Somehow the church has outsourced the mission of Christ to those who don't even follow Christ. The church plays hot potato with this issue, passing it off to anyone but themselves, and then all of a sudden gets exited when Paul Hewson (aka: Bono) starts caring about the atrocities in Africa, when we should have been caring all along!

Lord, I pray that you would fill me with your love so that I might be the mission of Christ as I tangibly show others your love and life. Help me God, for I know that I will screw up and miss the point, but bring me back to the centre constantly to drink of your life and love. I love you Father...teach me to love as you do

Help a Little

2005-06-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

"If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord--and he will repay you."

Proverbs 19:17

Safe?

2005-05-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of the first intallment of the Chronicles of Naria movie, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" due out on December 6th (Watch the trailor here), I started to read the Chronicles all over again. In the books, there is a character named Aslan who, by and large, represents Christ. As a couple of beavers and the children are talking with each other, the following dialogue about Aslan takes place:

"Aslan is a lion-the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

The colliding of the two worlds

2005-05-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

There seems to be two different worlds in the Christian life. The first world is the one in which we go to church, pray in the mornings before work, read our bibles and go to small group. The second world is the one in which we go to school, work, out to dinner, to the movies, Starbucks, the beach, the hair Salon, the tattoo parlor and the rock concert. For many, these two worlds are seen just as that: two worlds. For those types of people, these worlds are miles apart and are never meant to interact; they are two different worlds which each live out there own purpose.

But for me, -- and I know there are many others out there -- I don't see these worlds as separate, in fact, I don't see two worlds at all. For me, I don't do the Christian thing on Saturday nights at church, when I pray after work, or when I engage the scriptures, and then mosey throughout the rest of my life waiting till I get to encounter God again. I'm not just a follower of Christ when I go to Aqueous, or when I feed someone who is hungry, or when I walk through my neighborhood and pray. I am a follower of Christ at all times, in every space, and in every context. The two worlds collided and are morphed into one for me. The activities or things that I do, do not define me or make me into a Christian; but yet, it is how I live in every moment that defines me as a follower of Christ. These "christian activities" aren't the Christian life as many people treat them, but they sustain my journey of faith.

"The heart of discipleship lies in commitment and worship, not reflection and theory. The Spirit of Jesus provides a way for us to live on the surface and out of the depths at the same time. On the surface we can think, dialogue, plan, and be fully present to the demands of the daily routine. Simultaneously and deeply within, we can be in prayer, adoration, thanksgiving, and attentiveness to the Spirit." Brennan Manning

So many things

2005-05-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

So many things are spinning around in my head and I don't know where to start. I have seen two great movies over this past weekend, both of which have caused my mind to reel: "Crash" and "Kingdom of Heaven". These movies are very different from each other, but both are great in their own right. Crash is beautiful in its story and story telling, and Kingdom of Heaven is filled with dialogue about Christ.

I have to go off about Crash for a bit because it is a beautifully moving film. Crash is about the colliding of different worlds and how people are made better or worse as a result. I wont say much 'cause I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but if you haven't seen it, go see it...now! The film opens with this line: "Its the sense of touch. Any real city you walk, you know. You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that sense of touch so much, that we crash into each other just so we can feel something."

So many things to share once I digest a bit more.

Missing the point

2005-05-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

"We need reminders, symbols, stories, exhortations, living models, time-outs for reflection and celebration. These things are indispensable supports. The error is to think these things are the Christian life. Just as Jesus' practice of prayer was in the service of a whole way of life, a means rather than an end, so must ours be. Insofar as prayer, reading, sacraments, and spiritual direction support genuine Christian living, that is, Christian attitudes, relationships, choices, and actions, they are useful. When they become an escape from the more difficult demands of Christian living, they are the corruption of discipleship. The question at the Last Judgment is not 'How religious was your talk?' nor 'How much time did you spend in prayer?' nor 'Was your faith orthodox in every respect?' but 'How did you respond to needy brothers and sisters?' This is the one reliable measure of discipleship.

(Thomas R. Kelly)

BBQ's and Hanukkah

2005-04-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

You ever go to those BBQ's where you visit your uncle and then don't see him until the next BBQ a year from now? What about visit your cousin on the opposite side of the States every Christmas and Easter? These types of things get me thinking. Its not that they are bad things, its just that these people arent really that important to us--at least enough to merit an actually relationship. We see these people as casual family members who we like, but, its not that big of a deal if we only see them once or twice a year.

Many of my friends treat Christ like the distant relative that they see every Easter and Hanukkah. Its not that they don't like God, cause they do, but its just that they see Christ as that uncle at the BBQ instead of the Father who loves them more than they will ever know. I think that its easer to see God as the uncle becuase its safe. We can shoot the breeze, chatting about the weather and work, and then go home and not have to worry about seeing him until next year. To see God as a Father, as someone who is alive and very present in your life, means opening your life for him to see who you really are. There is no small talk with Fathers. We cant avoid issues with the Father that we can with the uncle. The good thing is that the Father will accept us no matter who we are, and will love us just the same.

I pray for my friends everyday that they no longer see Christ as the distant uncle, but that they begin to see God as the loving Father who so much desires that intimate and loving relationship with his child.

at the foot of the mountain

2005-04-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

"When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him." (Matt 5:1 - Msg)

I sometimes wonder how far we will go to be with God. Jesus is surrounded by huge crowds of people, and to distance himself from these crowds, he climbs a hillside (other versions say "mountainside"), where only "the committed" follow. The rest of the crowd chooses not to follow on the hazardous terrain where Jesus leads, and the scripture doesn't say why. It just says that there were crowds of people, and Jesus climbed a mountain, and only those committed followed him. When I read this, I see two types of people: one group follows Jesus along, and then when he decides to climb the mountain, their journey stops. These people are unwilling to follow Christ as he leaves the easy and treks into the difficult. The other group follows Jesus, and then when he decides to climb the mountain, their journey continues because there is nothing that will stop them from being with their master.

I wonder if I choose to be with God only when it is convenient. I wonder if I really am the committed that Matthew talks about in this story. My friend Cole recognized something similar as we were singing in worship: "I want more more more, I want more of you Lord." What he recognized was that there are many people who will constantly be singing of how much more of God they need without ever singing of how much they will give. It seems to me that many times we sit in our stagnancy and ask for more of God when he is beckoning us up the mountain. Many times we are the people who stop at the foot of the mountain screaming to Christ as he climbs: "I want more," instead of being the people who trek up the mountain with Christ, sacrificing our everything to be with him.

Yellow Lights

2005-03-25T21:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, as I ran a yellow light on my way back to work from lunch, I was reminded of the time earlier this week when me and Heather were watching the Calderwood children and I ran a yellow light on the way to In n Out Burger. As I sped past this yellow light, the interrogation by Jeremiah began: "Why did you go through that yellow light Ryan? Green means: 'go', red means: 'stop', and yellow means: 'slow down', and you didn't slow down, you sped up." I tried to explain to him that it could have been more dangerous for me to slow down so quickly, and that I was trying to make the light before it meant "stop", but he was still completely baffled by my complete disregard for the rules. He had been taught (either by his parents or by school) what each of the signals meant and wondered why I sped up when he knew for a fact that I was supposed to slow down.

"These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God's kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you'll never get in." (Mark 10:14-15) "...the disciples came to Jesus asking, 'Who gets the highest rank in God's kingdom?' For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, 'I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in.'" (Matt 18:1-3)

Whenever I read these passages I am always in wonder at what Jesus meant by accepting God's kingdom in the "simplicity of a child". I find it amazing that Jesus doesn't go into depths to talk about exactly what he means by becoming like a child. There is mystery and wonder, and when He is finished telling us to become like children, the story isn't finished. He leaves it wide open for us to explore and to dive into the depths of it to experience what He means. When I ran the yellow light, all Jeremiah knew was that he was told that yellow means: "slow down", and that I didn't do that. Even when I tried to justify my action, he still didn't understand. At some point in Jeremiah's life he was told that yellow means slow down, and simply and unquestioningly he accepted it. He didn't have to be convinced that yellow means slow down, and he didn't need legal documentation to prove it either. He just accepted it.

I think that children are at the center of life in God's kingdom because it is so easy for them to accept Him. They don't have all these theological questions about Christ that us adults do. Adults want to know the answer to every one of their questions and make sure that it all makes sense to them before they dive in, when children dive in with no inhibitions. I am on this journey to become more child-like everyday, reveling in God's countless mysteries that I know I will never understand. I would be scared if I did understand everything there was to know because what kind of All-powerful God would my small mind actually be able to comprehend? Because of my mystery and wonder and awe, I know that I serve such a huge God where nothing on this earth or universe could contain Him. Lets not abandon mystery for answers, but let the mystery comfort and amaze us as we begin to take our steps as a child would: freely and simply.

Outcast

2005-03-21T11:57:00.000-08:00

"It seems to me that God has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one wants to buy a ticket. We're something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We're the Messiah's misfits. You might be sure of yourselves, but we live in the midst of frailties and uncertainties. You might be well-thought-of by others, but we're mostly kicked around. Much of the time we don't have enough to eat, we wear patched and threadbare clothes, we get doors slammed in our faces, and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can to eke out a living. When they call us names, we say, "God bless you." When they spread rumors about us, we put in a good word for them. We're treated like garbage, potato peelings from the culture's kitchen. And it's not getting any better."

1 Cor. 4:9-13 (The Message)

Care

2005-03-14T00:31:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago at aqueous we introduced "Project Care", which is our response to the conviction that we need to be a people who constantly care for the poor and the houseless community. Project Care allows us to easily become involved in this movement by doing just a little bit every week (click on the the picture to get a list of things that are needed). Many times we get the thought in our head that the little things that we can do, don't really matter in the grand scheme of things: they aren't going to solve world hunger and there will still be people going to bed hungry and in need of care. A friend of mine told me this story recently:

One evening, as a man was walking on the beach he came upon a horrific scene. Thousands of fish had washed up on shore and were unable to get back to the water. The man looked at the thousands upon thousands of fish flapping on the sand in suffocation, and began to pick them up one by one and throw them back into the water. Another man, also out for a leisurely stroll on the beach, came up to this man who is throwing these fish into the ocean, and says: "What are you doing? Don't you see that there are thousands and thousands of fish on this shore, how could you possibly make a difference?" The man throwing the fish turned and looked at the questioner as he threw another fish into the ocean and said: "It made a difference to that one."

We can't sell ourselves short just because we don't have enough hands to throw every fish back into the ocean, but we should begin using the hands that we do have to make a difference to the few. I pray that you and I begin to be moved to compassion and care for those who have so little.

@ the "a"

2005-02-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a busy week I am having. I don't think that I have had any time (except for a few minutes here and there) to sit down and just relax. I have been going from work to meetings, to studying, to praying, to another meeting...it has been crazy. The reason that I have been going non-stop this past week is because I am speaking at Aqueous this Saturday and I am spending the majority of my time praying and diving into the word to see what God would have me speak. Please pray that God would move on me, and more importantly, he would move on everyone this Saturday night. Thanks for your prayers.

Cheers!

2005-02-22T10:58:00.000-08:00

Put on your party hats, flip on some Nelly, pop some champaign, take the day off work, don't even think about doing any homework, 'cause this past Saturday the 19th of February was my first blogiversary! I know that as you are reading this you are fighting the urge to get up and dance, and understandably so. It has already been one year since I first began sharing my thoughts via blog - a monumental day in history. My friend Jared threw me into the blogger bus a year ago, and I am happy that I have done the same for many of you, even though some have fallen asleep on the bus. I am looking forward to another year of sharing and interaction.

Hotel Rwanda

2005-02-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

I saw Hotel Rwanda a couple of days ago and it effected me in a way that I wasn't expecting. This movie is a true story about a man who saved hundreds of lives amidst the genocide of nearly 1 million Tutsis in the early 1990's. If you haven't seen this film, I highly recommend it. The film is shot beautifully and Don Cheadle is amazing.

The thing that rattled me about this film is the fact that human lives were being taken--and when I say taken I mean brutally murdered--and no one did anything to help. There is a great conversation in the film between Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), and Jack (Joaquin Phoenix) who is an American journalist. After Jack and his partner acquire some footage of the massive slaughter that is taking place, Paul comes to him and says that he is happy that people will see this footage because when they see it, people will come to their aid. Jack looks at Paul and with shame in his voice says: "Most people will see something like this on the television and go, 'Oh that's terrible' and then return to their dinners. They just don't care." What a heavy indictment. But how true it is. I remember hearing about this when it was happening, but there was never a sense of urgency or a call to do anything more than watch from a distance. How can a million human beings be brutalized, an entire race of men, almost completely wiped out, and yet we do nothing? Even today, with thousands of people being murdered in Darfour, no one does anything. I don't even hear anything on the news mentioning this tragedy.

Hotel Rwanda is a beautiful movie that evokes many feelings. I watched, and wondered, "how can something like this happen?" Shame is the feeling that overcame me.

The Only Certainty

2005-02-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder how much the stuff that I worry about, dialogue about, write about, actually means in the broad spectrum of my life. Do I waste time and energy discussing things that, in the end, are probably pointless? I mean, just come to my blog and you will read my latest thoughts and musings. And in the end, what are they all worth anyways? What do I know about anything? The only thing that I know for certain is that I love God, and He loves me. And that is about it. Everything after that I am uncertain of and comes secondary. I never want this space to cultivate bitterness or anger, but I do want it to cultivate thinkers. This is a space where I dump my thoughts and the things I wrestle with as God continues to shape who I am as I walk out the only certainty within me. These are truly the raw awakenings of my soul, but they come secondary to my life in Christ.

The Great Disservice

2005-01-24T15:39:00.000-08:00

I was in conversation with one of my friends last week, and my friend began to express his frustration with people who do things within the body of Christ thoughtlessly and without fully knowing what they are doing. In other words, people who are being fed, but never question what is being fed to them. It would kinda' be like going to see the Eiffel Tower for the first time blindfolded, and having your friend dictate to you the beauty of it. Still bemused by our conversation, I began to chew on our dialogue and a couple of things floated to the surface in my mind.

One of the huge things that I have seen with people who begin to express some interest towards a life with Christ is that the church takes them and feeds them to the filling, and because they are so vulnerable and new, and the church is so fast, they never question what the church is feeding them. When the church finds someone who is open and searching, they will take them and "get them saved", baptize them with the Holy Spirit, baptize them in water, give them the five rules that will straighten out their life, and answer all their questions with absolutes. Now, granted, some of these things are not bad, and actually are wonderful expressions of our love for God, but when the church does all this, and doesn't allow the individual to wrestle with what it means for them to follow God, they take away their experience; and their experience is essential to a life with Christ.

Pardon the next sentence, but sometimes it seems that the church rapes people. They take their vulnerability and openness and shove their experiences and knowledge into them without ever letting them ask the questions or experience the mysteries of Christ for themselves. They take them to the Eiffel Tower blindfolded and tell them how great it is but never let them see it and experience the beauty for themselves. The church does all this, and then wonders why, 6 months, a year, 2 years down the line they are not following Christ anymore. The church scratches their head in wonder: "We fed them all the right truths, we answered all of their questions and we even made them head of the parking-lot team. What happened?" These people are not following Christ anymore because nothing ever became real to them. They were never given the chance to wrestle with anything on their own, or discover anything for themselves. To them Christ was a bunch of truths and rules and not a tangible and touchable person to be experienced.

I realize too that most of the time, the church is well intentioned and just wants people to know God, and that if they fill them with so much stuff, these people will know God. But I think that a lot of times the church does these people a great disservice and can unintentionally become a video gamer controlling people with a joystick rather than an environmentalist who cultivates a healthy climate in which spontaneity and growth occur.

The Great Invitation

2005-01-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, I was at Cajun Kitchen with my friend Barrie and I shared the following scripture that had moved me; and as we began to dialogue, it began to open up.

"A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When all was ready, he sent his servant around to notify the guests that it was time for them to come. But they all began making excuses. One said he had just bought a field and wanted to inspect it, so he asked to be excused. Another said he had just bought five pair of oxen and wanted to try them out. Another had just been married, so he said he couldn't come. The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was angry and said, 'Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind'. After the servant had done this, he reported, 'There is still room for more'. So his master said, 'Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. For none of those I invited first will get even the smallest taste of what I had prepared for them'."

Here are these men who have been invited to enjoy a great feast, but because they care so much about their "stuff", i.e. cool new field, cool new oxen, and even a new bride, they turned the invitations down. What grips me about this is that the stuff that people think will elevate them to a certain status, cripples them. People begin to charish their house, their IRA, and even their spouse above God.

So what does the master do? The master calls the poor, crippled, lame and the blind to feast with him. I wonder if the people that we should be spending our time with, and sharing Christ with are this second group of people. The poor, crippled, lame and blind dont have the "stuff" that consumes the mind of the rich and the content. They are broken people who have nothing, and when offered a feast, they jump at the opportunity. Why do we spend so much time with people who seem to have it all? Maybe the better questions is why are most churches filled with people much like the first group that Jesus talked about? People that are consumed with "things", people that are respectable in the community, people that are content with their wealth and lives and dont need anything. Shouldn't we be like Jesus who spent his time with the Ragamuffins, the poor, the blind, the prostitutes? Maybe we shoud be spending more of our time sharing Christ with people such as these. These people are broken, and when asked to leave everyting behind and to enjoy the great feast, they can do so without a thought because they have nothing, and are longing for everything.

Undesirable Water

2005-01-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

Several months ago when I shared at Aqueous, I told a story about a man who was offered water on a hot day, but the man didn't accept it because he had a bottle of water of his own that he was drinking from. I related this story to thankfulness, and how the man who already had a bottle of water could not possibly be thankful to the the man who offered him the drink of water. He was offered something that he already had. When God extends grace to us, and we think we have it all together, we push it away, and eventually tell God that he has done nothing for us. We can become like the man who was offered water, but turns it down because he refuses to admit the facade of his own water's existence.

As I was walking around my neighborhood last night, I began to see this story in a whole new light. I began to see this as a story about missionality. A story about people who aren't thirsty and yet are continually being offered water. A story where christians begin to look more like salesmen and less like Christ offering water at the well to the thirsty. I have several friends who do not follow Christ, and if I were to continue to ask them to come to my church or tell them how much they need God, I would be like the man offering water to a person who isn't thirsty. This does nothing except make people really annoyed and shows them something that Christ wants no part of. I can offer that water till I am blue in the face, but to a person who is not thirsty, it means nothing. Sure, water is good for us, and we need it to survive, but try telling that to someone who is content with their diet coke.

Instead of continuing to offer water to those who aren't thirsty, I think our time would be better spent praying for those to become thirsty and actually experience Christ for themselves. I can tell people all about my real experiences with Christ, but until they experience Christ tangibly in their own life, my words mean nothing to them; only something that they have heard, but never experienced.

Quick Update

2005-01-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I began to write for the first time in a couple of weeks, and when I went to publish my post, Blogger deleted it. Well, after a slap in the face from Blogger, I am here again, hoping the words I type remain on this page and don't become the product of a blogger glitch.

Anyways, Christmas was very relaxing. I mostly sat around on various couches and enjoyed the serenity of the season with many family members. I had a whole week off from work after Christmas, most of which was spent sitting on my own couch with my wife watching movies. During my hiatus from sharing in this space, many things have been on my mind, one of which is the appalling tragedy of the Indian Ocean tsunami's. When the death toll piles up to over 156,000 human lives, words suddenly become meaningless as I try to process this utter disaster. I feel motionless as I start to think of the children, fathers, mothers, friends, uncles, cousins, wives, husbands, co-workers that have been stricken with this disaster. God, would your love and life be with the people hit by this tragedy.

Thanks to everyone that has contributed and been a part of this small community this past year. Your thoughts and passions are encouraging to all. I pray that this year brings more people to this space as we continually shape and are being shaped by each other through the raw awakenings of our soul.

The Jesus I Never Knew

2004-12-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

Phillip Yancey reflects on what he discovered about Jesus in his book The Jesus I Never Knew:

"The more unsavory the characters, the more at ease they seemed to feel around Jesus. People like these found Jesus appealing: a Samaritan social outcast, a military officer of the tyrant Herod, a quisling tax collector, a recent hostess to seven demons. In contrast, Jesus got a chilly response from more respectable types. Pious Pharisees thought him uncouth and worldly, a rich young ruler walked away shaking his head, and even the open-minded Nicodemus sought a meeting under the cover of darkness. I remarked to the class how strange this pattern seemed, since the Christian church now attracts respectable types who closely resemble the people most suspicious of Jesus on earth. What has happened to reverse the pattern of Jesus' day? Why don't sinners like being around us?"

Genie in a Bottle

2004-12-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

I came upon this verse this past week, and I have been chewing and sharing it with others:

"After Jesus returned, he walked along Lake Galilee and then climbed a mountain and took his place, ready to receive visitors. They came, tons of them, bringing along the paraplegic, the blind, the maimed, the mute-all sorts of people in need-and more or less threw them down at Jesus' feet to see what he would do with them. He healed them. When the people saw the mutes speaking, the maimed healthy, the paraplegics walking around, the blind looking around, they were astonished and let everyone know that God was blazingly alive among them." (Matthew 15:29-31)

What strikes me most about this is that Jesus doesn't decide to go into the town square, into peoples homes, or even into the temple to bless and heal people. Instead He climbs a mountain, waiting there to receive visitors. To me that seems a little crazy. Normally if I want to hang out with my friend Pat, I would probably go to his house or find a mutual space where we could meet easily. I don't think that I would ever climb a mountain and wait there for Pat to come and find me; he would probably get pissed that he couldn't find me and give up. The good news is that God is not like me. Jesus wanted to heal people and to be with people, but he chose to climb a mountain to wait for them to come to him. This is very counter to what most people believe about God. A lot of people's idea of God is equated with a magic genie. A genie give us whatever we want, the second we ask for it, no waiting required. But with Jesus we have a journey to embark on, we have struggles and pain to endure and we have spiritual formation taking place every step we take. Christ calls us to Him because he wants to form us. Many times we don't experience the miracle or experience the fullness of Christ because we quit, or because we wanted to serve the Genie god and didn't want to climb the mountaine where Christ waits.

I think that many people don't want to serve the God who climbs mountains and then calls after us to follow Him along the tough terrain. I think that they would rather serve the Genie god who gives us everything we every dreamt of, thought of, asked for, all in a blink of an eye, or the rub of a lamp. This way it is much easier. We don't have to actually have faith or hope. We don't ever have to change or deepen ourselves in Christ as we wait and traverse through the journey that He calls us on. We can get whatever we want whenever we want, all the while sitting on our asses. Its brilliant isn't it?

God, when the journey gets rocky, I pray that you would help us to stick it out. Help us to realize that the tough parts of our life are just the times where we are climbing the mountain, and you are at the top waiting to embrace us. Give us hope and faith to know that you are forming us and shaping us to become more like you.

Wheat and thistles sitting in a tree...

2004-11-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

I have always wondered what this parable meant. It never seemed to make sense to me. Jesus identified each of the symbols used, but doesn't explain why. I came upon the story again today:

He told another story. "God's kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too. "The farmhands came to the farmer and said, "Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?' "He answered, "Some enemy did this.' "The farmhands asked, "Should we weed out the thistles?' "He said, "No, if you weed the thistles, you'll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I'll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.'"

I understand each of the symbols Jesus uses to tell this story: The farmer is Jesus, the field is the world; but I just never understood why the farmer would allow the thistle to continue to grow along with the wheat. The good and the bad grow together, not to be separated. So many times we try to separate ourselves from what we think is "bad". If we tried to separate ourselves from everything that is bad, we would have to stay in our homes, sit on our couch (no tv) and do nothing, and even then our thoughts would run riot.

This makes me think of M. Night Shyamalan's latest film: "The Village", where the people , in an attempt to get away from all the obscenities of the modern world, completely remove themselves from society. If we as followers of Christ run away from all that is bad we will kill our opportunities to bring about change. If we decide to remove the thistles we ourselves will be removed. Christ calls us to live in community with the "thistles", not to remove them and act like we did God a service.

I don't know, this is all fresh and new...thoughts just popping out of my head. Feel free to share any ideas/thoughts that will help us all grasp the heart of Christ a bit more.

The Tree

2004-11-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I watched as the city of Santa Barbara put up their Christmas tree. It is amazing. Every year, the city puts up their huge Christmas tree right in the middle of the street, next to The Arlington, and for the first time I got to see the city actually putting the giant tree into place. I watched as they came in with the crane to lift the tree onto the ground, stand it upright, then shave off the sides of the tree so that it will fit into the stand that they have for it. It looks so beautiful towering over everything. The lights haven't been put on yet, but when they do, the beauty of the tree will skyrocket. I doubt that it is anything next to the Rock Center tree in New York, but it is still amazing in downtown Santa Barbara. A picture to follow...

Improving Features

2004-11-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of new things around here, and I wanted to explain a bit of the new features and additions to the blog. First, on the top right section of the page there is a blue colored section that says: "Featured this week". Last week I had a link to a video done by Sarah McLachlan. If you didn't check it out, go check it out now. I will be having links to various items that intrigue me, cause me to ponder, as well as entertainment me.

I also have music, DVD and book links. I finally figured out how to link to the itunes music store. Most of the cd's that are listed on the site link directly to the cd on the itunes music store so you can listen to the tracks and see if you like it for yourself.

In an attempt to save space and make things a little more neat, I have added the "read the rest of this post" link at the end of each post. When you go to the site, you will initially only see the first paragraph or so of each post. If you want finish reading the rest of the post, you can click on "read the rest of this post" and you will see the rest of the post. Revolutionary, huh?

Comments are also new and improved. When you click on "comment", you will see the entire post, everyone's comments, and then the area where you will be able to post your own comment. There is also a "recent comment" section on the sidebar where each time someone posts a comment, their name and the post they commented to will show up on the sidebar.

The last bit of exciting editions is the "pictures" section. This is small at the moment, but hopes are to make this into an ever changing and growing section of photos for everyone to view. You can click on any photo and it will take you to a screen where you can view the picture in a larger format as well as leave comments if you are so inclined.

My hopes are that more and more people will begin to share their own thoughts and questions, not only in this space, but in a space of their own. We all have something to learn from each other, and if we never share, others are being deprived of God's wisdom which dwells uniquely in each of us. Much love to those who continually read and respond to my weak attempts at communicating, and to those who continue to stretch my thinking through writings of your own.

Love, Actually...

2004-11-12T17:03:00.000-08:00

Stop. Shhhhhhhh. Can you feel it? It's Christmas, and it's right around the corner. Most probably my favorite thing about Christmas is love. Sure, love is everywhere all the time, but during the Christmas season it seems to be under a magnifying glass. Many people seem to think that the world is filled with evil and hatred; evil people doing evil deeds. I see the opposite. I see a world filled with love. Sure, there are people that screw up and do things that are probably not very loving, but overall, I see a humanity that is brimming with love.

Yesterday I watched a film called "Love Actually". I own the film and have seen it at least 7 or 8 times and I absolutely love it. It is one of my favorite films. It takes place around the Christmas season and tells 9 or 10 different stories of love. One of the most beautifull things this film communicates is how this world is filled with love, and not evil or hate. The openning and closing scenes of the film show the arival gate at Heathrow Airport. We see people hugging and kissing and laughing and smiling. We see love. The film opens with the following narrative:

"Seems to me that love is everywhere, often its not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but its always there. Fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge. They were all messages of love. If you look for it, Ive got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually, is, all around."

The Searching Fish

2004-11-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday while I was visiting at The Bridge, something someone prayed moved me. The prayer went something like: "...You desire to live in us..." with the "You" in the prayer refering to God. My mind started to explode as I imagined a God who wanted to dwell in me. The all-powerfull God who created space, time, heaven, earth, and everything in it doesnt ask me to dwell in him. His desire is to live in me; to change me; to transform the fibers of my selfish being. God could easily say: "Come live in me," I mean, He is God for heavens sake. But He chooses to live in our imperfect, faulted bodies, if we so choose to extend our lives to Him.

At the end of the gathering a story was told of fishing. When we go fishing, we prepare our fishing-rod, bate, hooks, etc., and sit in a boat or on a dock waiting to catch a fish. We do so much in preparation and devote so much time to seeking out the fish but what we don't realize is that all the while we think we are seeking out the fish, the fish is really seeking us. God is the fish, and as we search for Him we don't realize that He has been seeking us out all along. I am honored and humbled to know a God who wants to dwell in me; who searches for me.

God, you continually amaze me, surpassing all my thoughts about You. Just when I think that I am begining to understand more and more about You, You shatter what I think I know. You are amazing God.

Clothes-Pins

2004-11-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

My head is spinning right now with so many things on my mind, so many things to share. This past weekend, I was a part of three different communities of faith. And let me just say that, for me, that is a lot of church for one weekend. On Saturday night I was at Aqueous, On Sunday Morning I was at Coastal Hills, and on Sunday night I was at The Bridge. On Sunday morning I was invited to lead worship at Coastal Hills, which is a Baptist church in Santa Barbara. The pastor there is a very nice man and is making a huge effort to connect with the college generation by having their "Cutting Edge" service at 11:00 with a full band. They also have a 9:00 a.m., more traditional service that cators to an older generation where they sing hyms acompanied by an organist. It was a pretty interesting experience.

Saturday night at Aqueous was very thought provoking. Pastor Billy brought us toMark 8:31 where, after Jesus tells the disciples that he will be sacrificing his life on the cross, Peter tells Jesus that he shouldnt talk like that. Jesus then tells Peter:

Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's.

I never quite understood why Peter would tell Jesus not to talk that way. It didnt make sense to me. Billy brought this insight: if you have ever studdied satanism, you would find that satan's first goal is not to get you to worship him, but instead to get you to think about yourself at all times. The first command of satanism is to do whatever makes you feel good whenever you feel like doing it. Peter didnt like when Jesus was talking about his life of sacrifice because it infringed on Peter's own selfish ambition. Jesus, telling Peter: "Get away from me, Satan", recognized that Peter was being motivated completely by selfishness. What Jesus was talking about didnt fit into Peter's plan for his own life. Jesus goes on to preach the life of sacrifice to the disciples and the crowds around him saying that "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life." So many of us are filled with selfish ambition just like Peter was. We are striving so hard to buy that house, to get that next pay raise at work, to make sure that we save enough money for our retirement, that we forget the Christ calls us to a place of death to all our selfish ambition. Taking a clothes-pin on our tables and marking it with our names, we took it and placed it on a line that hung across the room and then took communion. Neither side of the line was in site, representing time in both directions, from the beginning of time to the infinite future. As we placed our clothes-pin on the line of time, we were asked to reflect on the fact that our lives are such a small slab in eternity, and we can spend it trying to build up our savings account, trying to work our way to the top of our corporations, striving to own a house, or we can spend it realizing that our God has called us to shoulder our cross and follow him. God desperately wants to have a relationship with us, but when we are busy following our own selfish ambitions, we dont have time for God.

God, continue to make me a man of passion for you. When I get caught up in my own selfish ambitions, help me to realize the things that actually matter in my life and to throw away the things that will be gone when I am dead. Extend your grace to me God as I grow. Help me to fall in love with you more and more each day I wake. To the God that created the heavens and the earth.

The Joyous Season

2004-11-02T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well, its November 2nd, and I am already longing for Christmas: The intoxicating lights, the chill of the winter breeze, the fragrance of fresh Douglas Firs, the joyous sounds of Christmas tunes, the love that seems to supplant all else, the happiness and courtesy that fills the cold dry air, the soft flickering flames of the fireplace, eggnog, Christmas carols, family, friends, giving, warm winter sweaters and beanies. I love Christmas. I have talked to many people, and most think that I am weird because I will break out my Christmas music and buy my Christmas trees in mid-November. Some get a bit freaked out when the see that the Christmas tree part is plural, but I don't see any other way to go. When the Christmas season (which is upon us whether you like it or not) comes about it fills me with such joy and happiness. To me, it seems that the best of everyone comes out during this season. Sure, there are the scrooges out there, but for the most part, everyone seems to be a little bit more happy and a little bit more giving. I hope we all experience the ecstasy of this holiday season and everything that encompasses it.

Re-Born

2004-11-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

I've been working on this bran new look for a while and finally decided it was semi-ready to open to the public. Hope you all enjoy!

Saved

2004-10-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

I watched this movie twice in the past week trying to figure it out. The first time around I laughed and enjoyed myself, but was left with the question: "the film points out a definite problem, but it doesn't really offer a solution." I know movies are for entertainment - and if you watch this film, you will definitely be entertained - but I also know that film is one of the biggest ways in our culture to communicate an idea. For those of you who haven't heard, Saved! is a satire on Christians. It takes place mostly at a Christian school, where all but one girl is "saved". If you tune in to TBN, and you multiply whatever you see and hear by 10, the christian product you will end up with is Saved!. It is hilarious to watch as these high-schoolers delve so deeply into religion but have no concept of who Jesus Christ actually is. In one scene, in response to the allegation: "You don't know the first thing about love.", Mandy Moore's character shouts: "I am filled with Christ's love." as she throws the Holy Book at the accuser. It's funny that the only "un-saved" girl in the whole movie offers the most love and the least judgment out of everyone.

Saved! has a lot to say about the hyprocritism and absolutism of today's modern christians, and after watching for the second time, I realized that it does offer some compelling solutions. I will leave you to figure out what you think the movie communicates to you.

While I was watching this movie with a friend of mine who doesnt know Christ, he said to me: "I have never met one christian who understands more than a non-christian." He went on to say that christians are so quick to judge and slow to accept and never understand where people are coming from. That should scare us...it sure scared me.

Existing For What?

2004-10-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was listening to a recording of Todd Hunter, and he said something that made me think: "the church exists for the world." In others words, the church doesn't exist for me, the church exists for those who do not yet know Christ. Many of us will concur and say that we know this and have known this for a very long time; it's not anything new. Although this is not a new idea, and many people would agree with this, it is something that we always need to be reminded of. We can lose sight of this when we become so preoccupied in doing church activities, meetings and other such things. We also lose sight of this when we become needy. When we, as disciples of Christ become needy, complaining that the church isn't throwing the activities that we like, that the church doesn't cater to our every beck and call, we are making the church exist for us rather than for the world. We must realize that the church isn't here to make us Christians feel better. We become vacuums that suck the life out of everything, trying to consume everything we possible can rather than give everything that we are to the mission of Christ.

Many churches will even say that "the church exists for the world", but when I take a look at various churches - their language, their setting, etc. - tells me that they do not exist for the world, but for themselves. How can churches spend thousands of dollars on inward focused activities and spend nothing on the efforts of transforming or aiding their community in any way? I am not saying that inward focused activities are bad or wrong in any way, but if we are completely inward focused and never outward focused, the church begins to exist solely for Christians and never fulfills its potential as a movement that exists for the world.

What Matters?

2004-10-04T00:35:00.000-07:00

Wow...long time no blogging. My life has been pretty hectic lately, but still really good. Things have been crazy with school, work and aqueous. A couple weeks ago we had Francisco Torrez move-in on Saturday and Sunday and Welcome week on campus on Monday through Friday. Also, a couple Saturday's ago we had Aqueous' fall kick-off. All of this was coupled with work, school and the beginning of our H20 groups, so finding time where I can actually have some down-time has been hard to come by.

After finishing with the FT move-in three Sunday's ago, me and a couple others drove up to Los Angeles to a Blindside show. At about 12:00 a.m. the show ended and we headed back to my car, only to find that my car was no longer there. I quickly asked some valet parkers nearby if they knew what had happened to my silver Nissan Xterra. They told me that it had been towed, and they gave me the number for the Hollywood Towing Company. After confirming with the towing company that my car was at their impound facility, me and the others jumped into a very silent taxi ride to go pick up my car. We were all extremely tired, and most of us had to be at work by 8:00 the following morning, and we knew we had a 2 hour car ride back home. I was frustrated because (1) I was really tired and just wanted to crawl into bed with my wife and go to sleep, and (2) I knew that I was now going to have to throw down $169.50 to get my car out of impound. The whole process went very quickly and we were out of there in no time at all. My fellow passengers chipped in for "gas money" and the taxi ride, which I was extremely grateful for.

During this unexpected excursion and on the Ride home I began to think. For some reason I kept repeating over and over in my spirit: "God, I am so sorry for not spending enough time with you. I promise to be with you more if you just get me out of this." I had no idea why I was saying this; I mean, its not like I have been ignoring God on any level. About a week ago I realized what I was thinking: In one split second, God can take everything I have away. Whether it's my car, my money, my time, my life, everything I have can be gone tomorrow. I think that I got caught up in everything that I had. I have a nice car, a nice job that pays me pretty well, a lovely wife, a nice place to live, and I forget that it can all be taken away.

Last week as I was praying, I had an epiphany: If I died right this second, I would be so pissed at my self because I would feel like I had let God down. This life has been given to me, and all the time in it, and I had squandered it. Instead of getting on my knees to pray for all of my friends who don't know Christ, I sit in front of the television and watch MTV. While there are countless human beings dying of starvation, I go to McDonalds and stuff myself. While I can take advantage of an opportunity to serve my community, I sleep in. I wonder how many opportunities I have missed to share life with people and help advance the kingdom of God because of my laziness and selfishness. Sometimes life is hard, and you go through times where life gets really busy, but we have to look at it in perspective. What are the things that really matter? If my life is busy because I am serving my local community, sharing life with pre-disciples of Christ, and praying, then I am excited because I know that when it comes down to it, I am on this earth for a very short time, and I want to make sure that I am maximizing my time to help make a difference in the kingdom of God. When I die and I look back on the life that I had lived, I am not going to be sad that I didn't watch more television, but I know that it will grieve me deeply if I realize that I wasted my life on the petty and the mundane, while I could have been spending more time praying, more time sharing life with others and more time seeking the heart of my Father.

Garden State

2004-08-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

I recently saw a movie called Garden State. It is written, directed and starred in by Zach Braff. It is his first flick as a writer and director, but you would never guess it. This film is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. With releases of films such as "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement" and "Alien vs. Predator" nationwide, it is sad to see "Garden State" released limitedly (released in only a couple hundred theaters nationwide), but such is the fast-cash marketing schemes of Hollywood. Because of Garden State's success, it is being released nationwide on August 20th.

Garden State has a lot to say about love, relationships, but most of all, life. The way in which Braff chooses to show us this story is incredibly funny and profoundly beautiful. As me and Heather sat in the theater watching the final seconds of the film, the auditorium erupted in applause. Now, normally I hate when people clap at the end of movies. It always seems so fake and undeserved. But this was different. I had goosebumps on my entire body and emotionally I was paralyzed. I didn't know whether to cry or jump up and down. I sat in the applause-filled theater with a huge smile on my face, not wanting to get up. Me and Heather just turned to each other and said in awe: "wow." Zach Braff's genesis of writing and directing was absolutely amazing. I can't wait to see more from Braff.

If you have seen this film, post your thoughts on it. If you havn't seen it, go see it now, then post your thoughts here.

Come, see for yourself

2004-08-10T15:21:00.000-07:00

If we are followers of Christ, there should be several things that matter to us in a big way. One of these things is the conviction that more people need to know and experience Jesus, and we, as ambassadors of Christ are the ones that God uses to speak to the ones that do not know Him (2nd Corinthians 5:20). Jesus, after being resurrected, with the eleven gathered around, told them to "go and make disciples of all the nations...". One thing I believe that a significant populous of Christians don't grasp is that we are all missionaries. Jesus spoke those words to us. Not just to a select few who are the only ones capable of making disciples. We are all called. So when we get to the point where we only have contact with Christians, where the only friends we have are ones that know Christ, or where we completely forget our God-given purpose to actively pursue those who don't know Him and make disciples, we are in a very dangerous place.

Because of the instruction to "Go", many of us constantly wrestle with how we are supposed to make disciples. Do we preach fire and brimstone to the man in the cubicle next to us? Do we have conversations with the spiritually intrigued over a cup of coffee at Starbucks? Do we stand in front of a Movie Theater and ask people to come to our church? Do we go door to door in our neighborhood to evangelize? I don't have a ten step program on how to "save" those who don't yet know Christ, nor do I believe that anyone can conjure up the perfect way to make disciples. I do, however, believe that there is a direction in which we should move more towards. I began reading John last week, and the following passage hit me like a ton of bricks:

"The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching. He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said, 'Here he is, God's Passover Lamb.' The two disciples heard him and went after Jesus. Jesus looked over his shoulder and said to them, 'What are you after?' They said, 'rabbi' (which means 'teacher'), 'where are you staying?' He replied, 'Come along and see for yourself.' They came, saw here he was living, and ended up staying with him for the day... - John 1:35-39 -

The two disciples of John had probably never seen Jesus before, let alone know him intimately, but they had definitely heard of him. Once John announced who was passing by to his two disciples, they started following him, and Jesus, who saw this asked them what they wanted. They asked Jesus where he was staying. Instead of Jesus answering with a typical "Oh, I am staying at Ol' Joes place," he answered "Come along and see for yourself." I believe that so much of what Jesus is calling us to do is in that one sentence: "Come along and see for yourself." He doesn't give them the easy answer, nor does He give them directions on how to get there. He simply invites them into His space, letting them be a part of His life. So, should we walk down State Street with bible in hand and begin to preach? I believe that Christ has modeled something much different to us in which He so much desires for us to follow. He didn't give them all the easy answers that we have been so accustomed to spouting off. He didn't even describe to them where He was staying. He took them, and invited them to be a part and to experience His life first-hand.

What if we began to do the same? What if instead of harping on people to get them to come to our church, we spent the same energy inviting them into our space as we walk out our lives? People want to see and experience, not be told what to believe. When we invite people into our personal space, they will truly see who we are. If God is real and alive in our lives, it wont be like the stories that they have heard time and time again that never were true for them, but it will be them seeing and experiencing the power of God tangibly through us. We cannot fool those we are authentically sharing life with. Thus, if our lives are authentic, our friends, family and those we continue to pray meet the heart of Christ, will truly see and experience Christ for themselves.