Waving or Drowning?

Pete Rollins in Edmonton

In response to my earlier post a friend has let me know that Pete Rollins will be in Edmonton for a few days next month. (I wonder if Pete has been there before. Seeing as he agreed to Edmonton in February, I'm guessing not!)

Here are some details:

Church Beyond Belief
Edmonton unconference with Peter Rollins
February 5-9, 2009
Event blog
Main events location: Taylor College Campus, & Deweys' Cafe on the U of A Campus

Sounds like it'll be good. Pete, pack a couple of extra sweaters...

Creativity

And some people still can't see the value of Twitter...

Somehow or other via a Twitter connection I came across David Armano, and followed his profile back to his blog. I've already borrowed liberally from his work... he's got a unique way of presenting processes in a visual way. I'm discovering that I'm a very visual learner, so these images have been very helpful. And some of them are hilarious too.

Yesterday, initially via Twitter and then his blog David pointed us to Paul Hughes' Flickr photostream, which is a treasure trove of creativity, and also a great example of what I'm learning is called Design Thinking.

A fantastic resource, and also a great use of Flickr.

New Vision (For 2009)

If we allow ourselves to stay at the lower level of consciousness; either/or, all or nothing thinking, we haven’t been taught how to pray. The reason some of us almost hesitate to use the word prayer is because it has become this practical, functional, making announcements to God. It is the very thing that Jesus told us not to do. "Why do you babble on like the pagans do?" God already knows.

Prayer, which was a code word in the New Testament for this different consciousness, became pretty much a practical problem solving thing. It was not a new mind and a new heart with which you looked out at reality.

(Richard Rohr, A New Way of Seeing / A New Way of Being; Jesus and Paul)

Current Reading

I can't avoid the truth any longer. This must be said: My reading tastes are truly bizarre.

I'm reading Malcolm Muggeridge, Isaac Asimov, and Jane Austen (among others) at the same time.

Refuse to Lead

A brief clip of some of Pete Rollins' thinking on Christian leadership, put together by the good folks at The Work of the People.
(h/t to Steve McMillan)

The Conversion Scale

Another very useful and creative diagram, stripped unceremoniously from David Armano's excellent blog and twisted for my own purposes. David intended this to track the conversion of a new social media user. However, I think it has much broader implications, and can be applied to many different situations.

I might have a specific scenario in mind where the only label that would require change is the title of the diagram, but I'll keep that to myself.

A Blessing for 2009

I can't let the first day of the year close without posting this blessing, which has just arrived via email from Roddy Hamilton and his community in Clydebank, Scotland. (Mucky Paws is a monthly email that you won't find online.) I've been reading their stuff for a few years now... it's fantastic. Here we go:

May the light draw us into life
and stir a longing into our souls

May the stars shine along our pathway
and lighten the way with prophecy

May the words of ancient promise
echo in every word we speak

May the sound of a baby crying
haunt every silence born of apathy

May incarnation be more than godly flesh
but a fresh way of godly living

May the Spirit of Christ be born in us
and God make a home among us

Amen

Book of the Year (This One, and Next?)

No question, the book of the year for me in 2008 was N.T. Wright's Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. There's that word again - Hope! I plan on reading that one again in 2009, but it looks like that won't be my only Wright reading next year.

Over on Euangelion, Michael Bird has a post about his interaction with Wright's Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision, due to be published in the UK in February and the US in July. Apparently the book is written primarily as a response to those who have been critical of Wright's view of justification, particularly John Piper through his own The Future of Justification. Read more about it here.

If nothing else--that's a figure of speech. I think there will be plenty 'else'--it looks like there's some rich reading ahead of us next year.

The Career That is to Come? (Employment Opportunity)

As long as we're staring a New Year in the face, why not think about a new career?!

A friend of mine is looking to place someone in the role of Executive Director with Teen Challenge in Alberta. Teen Challenge is a worldwide not-for-profit organization that provides faith-based, one-year residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs for men and women, ages 18 and over.

You can download the full position profile (pdf file) here. The three big requirements are a strong Christian background, excellent fundraising experience, and buy-in with the Teen Challenge mission. If you would like to look into this further, fire me an email (link on the left sidebar) and I'll connect you with the recruiter directly.

This could be you.

The Year That is to Come II

Well, it's that time again.

One year ago ago I said that action was going to be the word for 2008. For 2009, I'm going with hope. I could have just as easily gone with change, but that will be my runner-up word. In 2008 the word changed around us, and I believe that in 2009 we catch up, and our personal lives will change as a result of the cataclysmic global changes of 2008.

So why hope then? Let's work it backwards: Everything must change if we are to truly get back onto the kingdom track. Change can be frightening, and change can be painful. But, there is no growth without pain. And there is no hope without growth.

Nobody ever said this would be easy, but it will be worth it.

I want to end this post (and invite your comments) with the same poem that I used last year:

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among brothers,
to make music in the heart.

(Howard Thurman, The Work of Christmas
A Grateful Heart p. 74)

Life on the Line

(Love this. h/t to Don)

Singing Canada's praises to Obama (UPDATED)

(UPDATED with a few iTunes links. Some of you may need to switch to the iTunes Canada store to hear them.)

DIANA MEHTA
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
December 29, 2008 at 11:27 PM EST

No, we're not all snowbirds, we don't spend all our time at the good ole hockey game, or searching for shipwrecks in the big lake they call Gitche Gumee.

But Canadians have made some mighty distinctive music, and CBC wants Barack Obama to know it.

Starting next week, Canadians will collect some choice homegrown songs for the new president to groove to as he takes office Jan. 20.

CBC Radio 2 is calling on the public to take care of business, tune-wise – to help select 49 songs from north of the 49th parallel that best represent the northern nation.

“We believe that a country is defined by its artistic expression. If you wanted to know about Canada you just close your eyes and listen to our songs,” said Denise Donlon, executive director of English Radio at CBC.

The contest, which begins Jan. 5, gives Canadians a week to submit as many tunes as they like for “Obama's playlist.”

Read the rest here

The comments are open for suggestions!

The Year That is to Come, Or...

...Bill Shatner's New Year's Greeting

Today I wrote a long post about why I'm a huge fan of William Shatner's. But, in the end I deleted it because it didn't say what I wanted it to. Instead, I'll simply pass along his Holiday Greeting, and say that one day I'd love to sit down and talk with the man.

Unto Us...

Happy Birthday David!

As well as Christmas Eve, today is also the birthday of photographer and friend David duChemin. Swing by his blog and wish him a happy one, or hit him up on Facebook. His good friend Matt Brandon also has a few photographs in a tribute, at least one of which I suspect you won't find on any of David's sites.

Happy Birthday David!

Christmas Song

She was his girl; he was her boyfriend
She'd be his wife and make him her husband
A surprise on the way, any day, any day
One healthy little giggling dribbling baby boy
The wise men came, three made their way
To shower him with love
While he lay in the hay
Shower him with love love love
Love love love
Love love was all around

Not very much of his childhood was known
Kept his mother Mary worried
Always out on his own
He met another Mary who for a reasonable fee,
less than reputable was known to be.

His heart full of love love love
Love love love
Love love was all around

When Jesus Christ was nailed to his tree
Said "oh, Daddy-o, I can see how it all soon will be
I came to shed a little light on this darkening scene
Instead I fear I've spilled the blood of my children all around"

The blood of my children all around
The blood of my children's all around

So I'm told, so the story goes
The people he knew were
Less than golden hearted
Gamblers and Robbers
Drinkers and Jokers, all soul searchers
Like you and me
Like you and me

Rumors insisted he soon would be
For his deviations
Taken into custody
By the authorities less informed than he.
Drinkers and Jokers all soul searchers
Searching for love love love
Love love love
Love love was all around

Preparations were made
For his celebration day
He said "eat this bread and think of it as me
Drink this wine and dream it will be
The blood of our children all around
The blood of our children's all around
The blood of our children all around

Father up above, why in all this hatred do you fill
Me up with love, love, love
Love love love
Love love was all around
Father up above, why in all this anger do you fill
Me up with love, fill me love love love
Love love love
all you need is love
you can't buy me love
Love love love
Love love
And the blood of our children's all around

(Dave Matthews Band)

Happy Chanukah

And for our Jewish friends... Destined to be a classic, and even better live:

We Follow the Poor Man

(h/t to Wes)

The Men in Suits

Link

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