Sunday, April 20, 2008

am using my ipaq to do e-mail and want access to my blog as well.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

the invisible visitor

I'm just thinking out loud here. We spent a cold day inside today and watched about 10 episodes of joan of arcadia. At dinner we prayed and it was so normal to have Jesus with us as a natural and normal presence at the table.

But I was caught with a feeling watching the show today. A feeling that was far away but now seems fresh. In the series Joan keeps to herself her encounters with God, there is a great unbreakable barrier that nobody can break through. Her mother is scratching the edges of her dormant faith, but unable to crash through and really wrestle with God in a real way. Her Father has a bigger wall...a wall of anger and judgment against God...and the concept of God...a great mysterious wall hidden in his past. The two brothers, also silent, are discovering themselves and life and seem too preoccupied to even trip over the obvious.

this was MY house growing up. And so Joan and I sit at the table, while the great shadow of God engulfs us and seemingly nobody else. It is an awkward place to be. The edge of insanity, or sanity fighting for position in a room where silence is demanded.

and yet the invisible stranger kept coming into my life. Every day i would see him in new forms...new voices...new hints and allegations. and as the coincidences mounted i found myself talking to my diary / my invisible friend...on cold rainy nights like tonight. And tonight the mystery of who he is stretches out like a canopy above me. It's not that I don't know him, but knowing him...being intimate with him...increases both the familiarity AND the mystery in equal measures.

and i have some small slice of peace that i am digesting tonight. The peace of knowing him and being known by him. The peace of grace and the awe of wonder that keeps me on my toes and out of the dark tunnel of entitlement or self-righteousness.

my house is his home, which is funny because i'm renting. and perhaps, that is all we are ever doing. Just renting...while our true home, not heaven so much as his presence, already surrounds us and also calls us upward and inward and outward.

joan is just a character, and yet...she is the embodyment of our collective search, she is all of us. But i am glad that it gets better, and that the fragile relationship becomes stronger. Strong enough for fear, anger, and doubt. Things i used to be afraid would destroy our relationship. Now I see them for what they are. They are proofs of how far we have come as friends; proofs that i haven't had a spiritual lobotomy; and proofs that God is tough enough to take it.

i guess i simply wish for everyone that they would invite him to the table for dinner. Beyond the expectations, accusations, and other tests we send at him...he is a great dinnerguest.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

i-church

I know that Steve Jobs is not likely to be a pastor of a Christian Church (since he’s been affiliated with the Buddhist religion), but what would the church experience be like if he were?
Here are a few ideas I thought up on one of my flights. I’d love to hear yours.

An all-glass front with incredible floor-to-ceiling signage that would welcome you with crisp fonts and simple messaging.

The lobby would be pristine, the walls would be sharp white with warm lighting accents, and there would be iMacs lining the walls on each side.

Smiling people in black shirts and jeans would welcome you and kindly ask if they could help you, but quickly retreat if you told them no.

Walk-in music…(anything from The Beatles).

The auditorium would have an all-black stage with one large, stage-level screen and two slightly smaller screens on each side.

The band would be set stage right, completely out of the way of the screen.

Everyone would have an iPod with their own worship playlist (and if you’re new, one would be provided to you at the door).

Countdown (using ProPresenter).

Everyone with an iPod—earbuds in…would press play and simultaneously begin singing different songs (but no one would care, because you couldn’t hear everyone else and they couldn’t hear you…sing away!)

The playlist would end, and Pastor Jobs would walk onto the stage to thunderous applause.

Incredible imagery would display behind Pastor Jobs as he demonstrated the iJesus and invited everyone to demo it immediately.

Everyone would be twittering as they were amazed by the iJesus…“I have to have that!” and “That changes everything!” would cross the twitterfeed.

Oh…and there would be tons of people everywhere.

Now…Did I miss anything? Anything I get wrong? Anything you can add?

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

as we planned this week we talked about communion, and trying to make it meaningful, creative, and dynamic in our services. Some of our ideas this week are questionable...heretical...blasphemous...fun...and just plain silly. So we need your help to stop these insanities from happening. Please come be the voice of reason. These were our thoughts.

  • no hands. A trough full of bread you have to "graze" on.
  • communion wine served through a funnel
  • bottle of wine passed down the row, while other people shout "go...go...go!" as you drink
  • you know those t-shirt guns they have at sporting events that shoot t-shirts into the crowd? We thought about one of those full of bread rolls...as a way to distribute the body of christ
  • a garden fountain with wine and plastic cups handed out
  • a hot-dog vendor walking around the chapel screaming out..."body and blood...get yer body and blood right here!"
  • a roll of bread suspended by the ceiling on a wire with a fircracker in it. After we pray we light the fuse and bread showers down on the congregation....sort of a manna from heaven / communion thing

and possible holy water water ballons thrown at you on the way out the door. a little nod to our catholic brothers and sisters.

now then...obviously something is not right with us. I am considering electro shock therapy, but really your attendance would be more helpful. Pray about being there, or...be prepared for one of these things to happen.


we have a planning meeting for our services on mon nights from 8-9ish pm at 836 stone creek blvd...all are welcome.

 

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