When men are men

This afternoon Noah, Jeff and I explored the depths of our manhood while our wives were out at a party.  We worked in the yard.  We sweat.  We got filthy.  We used power tools.  We talked about our weaknesses.

 I love these men.  I love their honesty.  I love their desire to be good men.  I love that they are trying to learn how to love their wives better.  I love that I can laugh with them, share a quiet moment of sadness, or chop the hell out of a piece of old fence-board.  I love that they don't act like they need to prove anything to the world.  They are who they are.  At times they are passionate- other times calm and borderline lazy (okay, we're all a bit lazy!).  At times they are hilariously funny-- other times they are compassionate and thoughtful.  They love God, but don't settle for a "cookie cutter" faith that Christendom tries to place on them.  They have much life in them.  Life that feeds my soul.

They help to remind me that

it's

good

to

be

a

man.

And, for some reason, black widows are fun to spit on.

Project: Pipe

So, my question to myself is:  can I change this:

(taken from amsmoke.com)

to this:

Okay, so I'll probably never create something as beautiful as a Savinelli (shown above), but my next "man project" is to create my own pipe.  I'm way in over my head, but I'm hoping that if nothing else, it will be a chance for me to scratch my creative-constructing itch-  and maybe make a nice gift afterwards?

So that's what I'm shooting for, anyway...  I'll keep you updated on the process.

Timorus

Simplicity in the Emerging Missional Church

This morning as I was waiting for the Watkins' sprinklers to go through their 2 hour manual driven cycle (can I just say there's got to be a better way?) I was reading from Alan Hirsch's The Forgotten Ways.  The author is studying various cultures in which a Christ-following faith is actually flourishing and theorizing what makes them work.

One thing, he says, is a simplification of the gospel message, to make it "easily transferred from one person to the next."  Hirsch says that "for an underground church, all the clutter of unnecessary traditional interpretations and theological paraphernalia is removed.  It has neither the time nor the internal capacity to maintain weighty systematic theologies and churchly dogma.  It must 'travel light.'"

This intrigued me as I remember the very recent past of my life with DC.  Although I know the author is speaking metaphorically of "traveling light", I remember physically lugging around hundreds of pounds of equipment every Sunday in order to set up what I call the "church show" for the morning consumers.. er.. congregants (apologies for my cynicism).  It was so much work and I often was too worried about whether the equipment was set up correctly or not that I missed most of what God was trying to do.

What a good physical example of a spiritual reality.  The more we try to "pile on" our theologies or dogmas or interpretations, the bigger the yoke of slavery we put around our necks.  The Pharisees were really good at this.  They taught their adherents to work themselves to death and call it "obedience."  Even relaxing on the Sabbath took work to make sure you weren't working!

If this is true, if "traveling light" is the best way for the gospel to spread and for God's Kingdom to be furthered, than what do I have that is "heavy"?  And what do I do with my degree in 'Ministry' and all the time and money I have spent into learning "theological paraphernalia"?

I'm not going to take a radical approach on this one (weird, huh?).  I DON'T think that a simple theology is the PRIMARY reason the underground church takes off.  So, yes, I think there is much to be sloughed off (for instance, theological debates about whether the bread and wine actually physically BECOME the body and blood of Christ when blessed) but there is also much to be gained about involving our minds into our faith. This must be in moderation, however (interesting, kinda like drinking...), because if we get too into dogma or theological pursuits we could lose the passion and excitement in the simplicity of the Gospel.  I think there's an easy test to see if you have too much "baggage."

If someone were to come up to you today and say, "I'm really sorry this is so forward, but I heard that you are a Christian.  Can you explain to me how I can be one, too?"  And you start off by saying something like, "Well, there are many schools of thought on the issue..." or "I know someone else you can talk to about that..." or "Why don't you just come to a Bible study..."  I think it's safe to say that you're lugging around too much "Churchy" baggage.

If, however, you have excitement and passion and get that holy sensation that God is using you for His plans, and start off by saying something like: "I would love to share with you how I found God..."  and then explain how they can do the same, I think a "traveling light" philosophy is in place.  THAT is a faith that is contagious... THAT is a confidence in Christ that I want to know more about.

Do you remember how you found God?  Or maybe more accurate, how God found you?

I've got way more thoughts on the issue, but that's enough for today.

-Tim

"Now THAT'S a rant."

A friend of a friend "ranted" on the internet about the church and worship and revival...  he expressed a slightly differing opinion than the masses --which I applaud--, but (and, no offense to him) if THAT'S a rant, then Oscar the Grouch is Hitler.

I understand the pressure to be "PC" and not offend anybody.  I understand the pressure to make sure you're not misunderstood... but geez.  Look at the damn Bible.  We have --in timeless written form-- Jesus shouting out in public at well-intentioned religious folk: "You brood of vipers!"  He wasn't PC with his comments.  He saw that what those Pharisees were doing was detrimental to the Kingdom.  He saw that the rules and institutionalization they were pushing on everybody (yep, I just vocabulated) were just tearing down all of the work He was trying to do.  He let it be known publicly and unabashedly that they were doing wrong.

Granted.  He's the Son of God.  He lived a blameless life, so he had every right to throw the stone.  But the thing is, He didn't.  He didn't physically act against them.  He didn't try to overthrow them or kill them.  (put down your pitchforks)  So what did he do?

He vocalized the injustice.  He spoke out about their evil hearts.  He shined the light on their twisted sense of obedience so that others may be wary.

I believe that is the call for every follower of Christ.  I feel like most disciples are too quiet about the fact that "Church as we know it" in America is 90% BS.  Most people just shrug and say, "Yeah, it's not perfect, I guess, but it's all we've got."

WHY IS IT ALL WE'VE GOT??  Since when has discipleship become a passive experience that you take in, like a shot at a clinic???  Since when have Christian leaders risen to the status of "Supreme Dictator" and all the congregation bows before their every whim?  

I'm not looking for a perfect community.  No.  In fact, I'm not LOOKING for anything.  I'm praying and begging God to teach our generation to stop drinking the Christendom sludge that has been forced down our throats.  It's like the parent that stops the kid before he puts the nasty lollipop that he just found under the couch and says, "Do you know where that's been??!"

Christians: do you know where your religion has been??  Do you know why there are denominations? Do you know when and why we shifted from a powerful grassroots faith lead by the Son of God to a castrated institution of ineffective witnessing lead by bureaucracy?  Do you know the difference between Protestant and Catholic?  If you did than you would see that there shouldn't be a difference.  Jesus didn't come to the earth to teach us how to sit politely in pews.

Have we forgotten that God knows our hearts?  Have we forgotten that we are held accountable to the things we do AND DON'T DO?  If you know in your heart that the church you go to is spewing lies and conveying a picture of the Kingdom that is FALSE and you do nothing about it because you feel like you're getting "fed" and at least the children are out of your hair for an hour...  What a sad response to the glory due our King.  

What is a disciple?  I was a part of a church that called themselves, "Disciples Church."  They taught me more than ever before that America has no idea what it means to be a Disciple.  At this church, decisions were made quickly, rashly, and with no biblical or ethical basis.  People were manipulated and guilted every week to quote, "serve" by doing some dumb task within the church that just scratches the congregation's own back.  Will no one walk in Christ's shoes?  Will no one stand up to the Pharisees of our day?  Will no one pray the dangerous prayer: "God, teach me Your way, that I may walk in Your truth" ??