ikon

THE END IS HERE

2006-08-08T09:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight at ikon we finally reach the end of our walk through 1 Corinthians. (I think it's been seven months of study?) Brian will close the book tonight after teaching an overlooked passage about an offering.

Paul was the father of the church not only in Corinth but also in Philippi, Galatia, Ephesus etc. And he didn't view them as separate entities but as households in one family. This aunt lives there. That uncle down the road. You get the picture. As the Pointer Sisters once sang, "We are family."

And one of the duties of family is to share - to take care of those inside the family who don't have enough, to help each other out, to sacrifice for each so we all stay alive...no matter how far apart your house is from mine. If my sister were to call me and say she couldn't feed her kids I'd sell everything I have to save their lives and hers. I'd rather do without than lose someone I love. That's family.

So Paul writes to every household in the family of God asking them to begin saving up for an offering he'll come by to collect on his next visit to them. The offering is for a church far away who's more than a little needy.

Weeks ago Brian and I began asking those of you who come to ikon to save up and prepare yourselves for an offering to be given to a household in the family of God today in need of our help. We'll take up that offering tonight and tell you who it's going to and why.

Also, tonight will be the last ikon ever. This is the end. If you've been coming to ikon lately and reading your e-mails you know why but we'll talk about it again tonight and field any new questions you may have about it all.

See you tonight.

-Shaun

IKON SERIES FINALE

2006-08-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

Last night at IKON we talked about the ‘what’s next...’ plan for IKON. A few months ago The People’s Church hired William Guice as the NextGen Pastor(that’s you and some people a little older than you.) We met with William to discuss the ministry and where his vision was leading. After a few months of being at the church he has built a large number of relationships, talked with countless people, and prayed about what steps to take in ministering to this group. We trust his vision and leadership and think that he is the right person in the right place for this ministry.

As part of the new direction of the NextGen ministry we are discontinuing IKON as of next Tuesday, August 8th. That makes next week the IKON Series Finale. Our experioence teaching and leading IKON has been a great one and we will miss the community, conversations, and free pizza that David brings. However, we have voluntarily stepped aside so that new things can happen and the vision that is being laid out for this group can move forward.

There are some great opportunities for discipleship, connectivity, and community happening right now and more of this is on the way this fall. In October, a new corporate worship gathering for the NextGen ministry will be launched on Sunday nights.

You may have questions, comments, parting shots, etc. for us and we would love to answer those. Shoot us an email (ikoncommunity@charter.net) or come next week and let’s talk.

In short, next Tuesday at 8ish will be the last IKON and the last night of the 1 Corinthians study. So grab a friend and hang out with us for a while. We may even partake in a little Steak and Shake or something after it is all said and done.

Have a great week.

Brian and Shaun

WHAT IF IT'S NOT TRUE?

2006-07-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

We're STILL reading through the apostle Paul's letter to the early Christian church in Corinth at ikon. Tonight Brian's going over chapter 15 and asking us, "What if it's not true? What if Jesus didn't come back to life after he was crucified? What then?"

Here's some of what Paul says in chapter 15 of his letter...

Now, let me ask you something profound yet troubling. If you became believers because you trusted the proclamation that Christ is alive, risen from the dead, how can you let people say that there is no such thing as a resurrection? If there's no resurrection, there's no living Christ. And face it—if there's no resurrection for Christ, everything we've told you is smoke and mirrors, and everything you've staked your life on is smoke and mirrors. Not only that, but we would be guilty of telling a string of barefaced lies about God, all these affidavits we passed on to you verifying that God raised up Christ—sheer fabrications, if there's no resurrection.

If corpses can't be raised, then Christ wasn't, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they're already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot.
(1 CORINTHIANS 15:12-20 from THE MESSAGE translation)

MONEYBALL

2006-07-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

If I ever had any doubts about whether I was a full on sports geek, they were shattered this weekend when I read Moneyball by Michael Lewis. The book is essentially about baseball statistics and the fallacy that is the world of traditional statistics and how this new way of analyzing baseball statistics is more accurate. I know, I have a problem. But I love numbers and I love baseball - this book was meant for me. It actually is well written as a story of one baseball organization, the Oakland Athletics, and how they used this new way of statistical analysis to build good teams on a low budget. The author tells the back stories of the principle characters and walks through parts of the season to keep the book from turning into some boring accounting textbook.

I can really only think of one other person I know that would enjoy this book - but I am just fine with being that odd guy.

- Brian

TONIGHT AT IKON: AMAZE or AMEN?

2006-07-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight at ikon we're looking into 1 Corinthians 14 - the 14th chapter of the apostle Paul's letter to the church in Corinth. They have a lot of problems, not the least of which is figuring out whether or not they should be "speaking in tongues", what that means and how important it is? Is it more important than teaching, for instance? We'll try to get to the bottom of Paul's answer to them and learn a little something about that way-too-familiar word "amen" along the way - something that could make a big difference in how we look at church and ourselves.

See you there.

YUMMY

2006-07-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

Nothing says 'Happy Independence Day' quite like a hot dog eating contest. In case you missed it, a world record was set today by hot dog eating star, Kobayashi, when he ate 53 and 3/4 hot dogs in 12 minutes.

Read the rest HERE.

In case you were wondering how I did. I ate 2 veggie dogs for lunch in about 8 minutes. Maybe next year!

- Brian

NO IKON on the 4th

2006-06-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

Due to the giant birthday party known as the 4th of July, we will not have IKON next Tuesday. Take the time to eat something good, get some really cheap fireworks, and relax with friends. Or just watch reruns of FRIENDS. I don't know - just take some time off and we will see you on the 11th.

-Brian

AND THE WINNER IS...

2006-06-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

If you own this shirt, take the following steps:

1) Take it out of the drawer and burn it
2) Apologize to all those around you for wearing it
3) Ask for forgiveness - I am not sure it is a sin but you should probably ask just to be safe
4) Pretend like you never bought it and make fun of people who did

-Brian

REDNECK THEORIES OF ATONEMENT

2006-06-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

It might be possible to have a blog solely devoted to bad Christian t shirts. I am still tracking down the winner of my 'worst Christian apparel' award. When I find it, I will post it.

-Brian

ALCOHOL EVANGELISM

2006-06-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my friend, David, at IKON last week and he told me about his experience at the Bonnaroo Music Festival last weekend. It seems David and a friend of his wanted to go and evangelize (in common terms they just simply wanted to tell the concert attendees about Jesus) to the thousands of people that come to Bonnaroo. So these two guys hatched an 'evangelism plan' for the weekend.

On Thursday, David and friend packed their tent and headed to the grounds where people from all over the country had come to enjoy some good music. Now while there was plenty of driking of alcoholic beverages, no glass bottles with said liquid in it could make it past the front gates. So, at the gate boxes upon boxes of bottled beer, whiskey, and other fermented drinks were confiscated. To make sure these drinks did not go to waste, David and friend stole, yes stole, several of these boxes and then set up a booth where they gave away these contraband boos to anyone who was willing to take a Jesus tract (flyer type piece that usually walks through how to be saved) and maybe talk a bit about God.

I was impressed with David's creativity but quickly questioned him on a few aspects of his plan?

Do you relaize that you could have been cited for stealing the boos, distributing them, and for being a minor in possession of the stuff (David is several years under the legal drinking age)?

Were the people you talked to during the illegal alcohol evangelism even sober enough to comprehend the message?

What did your parents think of this (David lives at home)?

We talked about all of these issues and then I got his permission to tell this story and get reaction from people. You would have to know David and his personality to fully appreciate the story but it brings me to my greater question: is there a limit to what we do to spread the gospel? I have linked here before to the former strippers who set up a booth at porn conventions just to draw guys to the table so they can them hit them with some Jesus.

Is there an acceptable evagelism line - and if so, how do we know when it has been crossed.

I like David and applaud his desire to tell people about Jesus but when, or should, common sense and certain laws keep us from creative evanglism?

- Brian

SUPERMAN RETURNS

2006-06-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

The new Superman movie opens today and I find myself drawn to it because of my childhood recollections about the previous 3 films. There are certain films I have vivid memories of during my childhood (Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones movies, ET, and the Superman movies). I was not overly interested in the newest installment of Superman until I saw a trailer for it during the NBA Finals. I am now ready to go.

There is also talk about this as a Christ story. While this may have some truth to it, I find movies a little overhyped in this way. I guess I enjoy the movies that have more subtle, complex religious themes - but that's just my opinion. All that being said, here is what the Director had to say about the religious side of Superman Returns:

The origin story has always been very Moses-like in the sense that the parents took the child and sent him downriver to fulfill a destiny. In our movie--I use the term, and perhaps it's me just not wanting to be too religious about it but, at the same time, not deny the obvious--I call it a Judeo-Christian allegory. There are aspects of our story--return, sacrifice, resurrection--that when you grow up in a Judeo-Christian culture they work their way into everything, from your thoughts to your art."

Read the rest of the interview with Director, Bryan Singer HERE.

TONIGHT at IKON: WHAT'S LOVE?

2006-06-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

Bette Midler claims love isn't a river or a razor like some say it is. She says "love, it is a flower."

Michael Jordan says love is "being a rookie" and winning a championship and making a lot of cash in the process.

Yale professor and psychologist Robert Sternberg says love is the intersection of passion, commitment and intimacy.

One of the first Christians, a guy named Paul, described love like this:

"Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end."

Tonight at ikon we'll try to get a better grip on what love is. See you tonight.

ANGER MANAGEMENT

2006-06-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Momma always told me not to hold things in - this guy took that literally.

This happened last night in a minor league baseball game between Asheville (NC) and Lexington (KY).

NEW ORLEANS

2006-06-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

Shaun played at a music festival today in New Orleans. We were in the CIty Park area at Tad Gormley Stadium. This is what the stadium looked like 1 week after Hurricane Katrina.

Here is what the stadium looked like today.

I will answer your questions in order:
1) Yes, that is confetti being blown out of cannons from the stage
2) No, that was not during Shaun's set - it was the Newsboys
3) Yes, that is Paul Colman on the left wearing a leather jacket

Our runner, Steve told us stories about surviving Hurricane Katrina in the heart of the city. He had to make it through five feet of water to get to his bike so he could ride 17 miles back to his house. Along the way he had to help a woman carrying 2 small children through the water who had nothing and was looking for help anywhere she could find it. He told us stories of the rebuilding process and the will and detirmination of the city. He spoke with great caution about what might happen this summer if even a Tropical Storm were to come through the city. We watched the story unfold on the internet and television last summer but today it became real. It was good to be reminded that inside our computers and televisions last summer stood real people facing real challenges.

- Brian

GEORGIA AQUARIUM

2006-06-21T18:42:00.000-07:00

I am lying on the floor of my Hampton Inn hotel room trying not to wake up my sons with the light of my i book. We are in Atlanta with Shaun and his family to visit the Georgia Aquarium. We are on a little min-vacation to see 8 million gallons of water with over 100,000 animals. Sounds like fun.

It's also stupid hot. The bank sign at lunch read 102 degrees.

- Brian

TONIGHT at IKON: ONE BODY, MANY PARTS

2006-06-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts--limbs, organs, cells--but no matter how many parts you can name, you're still one body. It's exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain--his Spirit--where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves--labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free--are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive. I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together.

If Foot said, "I'm not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don't belong to this body," would that make it so?

If Ear said, "I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don't deserve a place on the head," would you want to remove it from the body?

If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own.

Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, "Get lost; I don't need you"? Or, Head telling Foot, "You're fired; your job has been phased out"?

As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way--the "lower" the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it's a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn't you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

You are Christ's body--that's who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything. You're familiar with some of the parts that God has formed in his church, which is his "body": apostles prophets teachers miracle workers healers helpers organizers those who pray in tongues. But it's obvious by now, isn't it, that Christ's church is a complete Body and not a gigantic, unidimensional Part? It's not all Apostle, not all Prophet, not all Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not all Prayer in Tongues, not all Interpreter of Tongues.

And yet some of you keep competing for so-called "important" parts. But now I want to lay out a far better way for you.

I Corinthians 12:12-31 (The Message)

TONIGHT - 8pm - IKON ROOM

RUMSPRINGA

2006-06-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

When Amish teenagers turn 16 they are given a time of 'rumspringa', which means 'running around'. All of the rules and beliefs of the Amish lifestyle are suspended and the teenagers are given the freedom to experience the 'world' and decide if the Amish lifestyle and belief system is for them.

In 2002, a documentary called The Devil's Playground was released about the 'rumspringa' time in the lives of the Amish teenagers. I have not seen it but have ordered it from Netflix to watch next week.

Here is an article from Beliefnet about the Amish.

Is this a crazy, irresponsible way to raise theses children? You are subjecting them, and even inviting them, to participate in activities that we would generally descirbe as harmful and reckless.

Or is it genius? Does it keep these teenagers from growing up and turning from their faith because they felt like it was never a choice for them? In the world of faith I grew up in there was a mass exodus from the church after the age of 18 because the beliefs were more the parents beliefs than the child's.

- Brian

SCREECH

2006-06-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

Screech, from the late 80's show Saved By the Bell, needs some help saving his house. It seems that Screech has some bad credit, poor luck with a money guy in New York, and less than a month to pay off $250,000 on his house in Wisconsin.

He is selling Screech t shirts to raise the money. For an extra $5 he will autograph it for you.

Just thought you should know.

SPORTS MISERY

2006-06-19T13:37:00.000-07:00

My wife asked me yesterday what I wanted to do on my Father's Day afternoon and I chose to barricade myself in my bedroom and watch some sports. It turned out to be more like watching a train wreck.

3:00pm - ASTROS - I followed my beloved Houston Astros on the internet since we don't get their games here in Tennessee. They gave up a 3 run home run to lose to the lowly Kansas City Royals and set the stage for my sports day.

4:00pm-6:00pm - U.S. OPEN - I like golf. I even like golf on TV. I know there may be nothing on television that moves slower and has more whispering than golf, but I dig it. There was no Tiger Woods on the final day of the Open but I was watching to see Phil Mickelson win his third straight major. Instead I watched him self-destruct on the final hole and give away the Open to an unsuspecting Aussie in maybe the biggest choke in the hstory of golf. All Phil had to do was coast on the 18th hole to win and he made one bad choice after another until he walked away with a double bogey. It would be like if that girl who won the spelling bee was asked to spell 'pancake' for the title but instead asked for the hardest word on the list and then failed.

11:00pm - NBA FINALS - I like basketball even more than golf and I sat down to watch the 4th quarter and OT of game 5 between Dallas and Miami. I am a Houston fan but since the state of Texas is more like a country, my allegiance in this series is firmly rooted with the Mavericks of Dallas. The Mavericks were playing without one of their best players because of a ridiculous suspension but still had a 1 point lead with less than 10 seconds to go in OT. That's when the refs inspired all the conspiracy theorists and failed to call a backcourt on the Heat, called a phantom foul as the Heat missed the final shot, and then gave the Mavericks a timeout they did not ask for. After 2 made free throws by Dwayne Wade and being forced to go the full length of the court (because of the timeout debacle), I watched the pride of Germany, Dirk Nowitzki, kick everything between the court and the locker room out of his way in complete frustration.

None of this really matters in life but that's how my sports Father's Day went down. Not pretty - unless you are a transplant to Kansas City from Miami with parents from Australia.

- Brian

JUNETEENTH

2006-06-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today is Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the emancipation of slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863 but it was not until June 19, 1866 that General Gordon Granger and 2,000 union troops landed at Galveston, Texas to take possesion of the state and free the slaves. The following year Juneteenth celebrations were held on June 19 and this year marks the 141st Juneteenth Celebration.

Just thought you should know.

- Brian

FATHER'S DAY

2006-06-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

I grew up with a great Father and didn't really know that was not the norm. Knowing what I know now about the state of fatherhood in our society I am even more thankful for my Dad. He is a great pastor in Magnolia, TX and a great example of what it means to be a Dad. I started thinking today about what stood out to me about my Dad.

He was present. There was nothing I did that he missed. He may have come straight from work or gone straight back to work when it was done- but when it was going on he rolled up his sleeves and cheered me on. He never seemed too busy for me and that is saying something from a man who has 5 kids and pastors a church.

He was encouraging. Both of my parents mastered the art of teaching us we could do whatever we wanted to do in life. Even if something seemed unreachable, the encouragement still came.

He was consistent. This is proabably the best word to describe him. In his faith, his love, his morning routine, etc. - he is consistent. I never had to guess with my Dad. This is probably the one trait that I have tried to emulate across the board with my own children.

He was funny. He still is but my memories of his quick wit and goofy sayings are almost an everyday memory of my childhood. I learned wit and sarcasm from my Dad. I learned that laughter is sometimes the best way to relax a room and a tense situation. I learned that life is too short not to stop and just enjoy it.

I had the honor to work on the book, Faith of My Fathers with my Dad, brothers, and Grandfather. While the book points out the strong personalities and differences of opinions we all have it also points out that my Dad did a tremendous job of the ultimate paternal task - modeling the Heavenly Father in a way that reaches from one generation to the next. I can only pray to have the same effect on my children.

Happy Father's Day Dad! I Love you.

- Brian

THE WITTENBURG DOOR

2006-06-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a funny parody of a recent evangelical uproar. The article is from the Wittenburg Door, a satirical magazine about Christianity written by Christians. It may have been funnier 10 years ago but still is pretty unique.

Read the Dogs Playing Poker Code piece.

- Brian

TONY DUNGY

2006-06-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is a good article on Tony Dungy, the Head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts. He lost a son last December and in this article is a reflection on that loss, his faith, and where football fits in his life.

- Brian

SOUTHERN BAPTIST SURPRISE

2006-06-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

The Southern Baptist Convention met this week in North Carolina and one of the issues up for discussion and a possible resolution was the proposal to create an 'exit strategy' for removing Southern Baptist children from public schools. The basis of the discussion and resolution was the disagreement over the curriculum for public schools, particuarly the issue of homosexuality and the refusal to teach 'intelligent design'.

Surprisingly to me, a product of the Southern Baptist Convention, the issue was voted down and instead the SBC released a statement encouraging its members to 'engage the culture of the public schools and exert a Godly influence' . I usually close my eyes and ears when the convention of my chidhood and youth is mentioned but this time I agree. Congrats to the delegates for making this statement and realizing that a difference can be made by our involvment in the public schools.

In another vote, a resolution strongly encourages all SBC organizations to not elect trustess or members who drink alcohol. It does not state just those who get drunk - just those who drink at all. I am glad to know we can still be gossips, slanderers, and lustful just as long as we don't have a beer with that mexican food.

- Brian

NOW WHAT?

2006-06-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

That is the question we asked at IKON tonight. What is the next step? We have seen the injustice, we have heard the story - now what do we do? Our answers ranged from raising money to sending food to pressuring the government to do something. How should the church respond?

Any ideas?

- Brian

Vacuum Cleaner Evangelism

2006-06-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

Last week my wife, Amy, answered the door and found two nice young ladies who wanted to shampoo our living romm apartment for free! It sounded like a good deal to her so they set a time later that night and Amy went back to the room she was painting. When the nice, young ladies returned they brought with them a nice, young man named Brian to shampoo the floors AND try to sell me the newest and best Kirby Vacuum Cleaner. In order to get my free shampoo I had to listen to the sales pitch for this vacuum cleaner that would suck dirt like I had never seen before, shampoo the carpet, sand some wood with the proper attachment, and even massage my back. I listened and nooded for two hours as this guy asked to see my mattress (I said no but he promised me it was the dirtiest place in the house) and bashed my Oreck Vacuum Cleaner who has been in my family for several years. I waited and waited until I finally got my shampoo and promptly told him I could not and would not buy his $2,000 vacuum cleaner. He then called his 'boss', Mr. Tut. to come pick him up and when he arrived he started all over again about this vacuum and wanted to speak with my wife, who had been painting this entire time. I said no and waved goodbye as they took their little product away.

I sat their listening to this guy preach to me about his product and flashed back to my youth days when we did the same thing with Jesus. Just invite your friends to a) get some pizza, b) come to the Amusement Park, or c) jump on this big blow up thing we rented and we'll hit them with some Jesus while they are here. It all sounded fine then and I am sure some good things came of those days but I felt like the lost kid on this night who just wanted his pizza (I mean, carpet shampooed) but had to sit through the Jesus talk for a couple of hours before the deep dish sausage stuff arrived.

I then overheard a conversation this weekend at a church about a 'small group' in this church that was being started for real estate agents. It sounded good until the part where they were going to invite their lost real estate agents under the promise that it was a networking group and after a few weeks they would slowly introduce Jesus to the group until they finally convince their agent friends to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

I fully understand that sharing our faith can be overwhelming and frightening for many people and I am not opposed to creativity in our ministries. However, when did Jesus need to be 'sold' like my guy sells vacuum cleaners. Why do we feel like we need to entertain, feed, or flat out lie to people to get them to the place where they will listen to the story of Jesus? That seems to be selling the power of the Gospel short. We think it can't really stand on its own so we have to spice it up some.

Just some thoughts on vacuum cleaners, pizza, and Jesus.

- Brian

TONIGHT AT IKON

2006-06-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Come tonight at 8pm in the chapel - not in the regular IKON room.

- Brian

WARNING: GLOBAL WARMING MAY CAUSE...

2006-06-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

...caniballism. At least that's what's happening to polar bears. Can we really be that far behind? Al Gore didn't warn us about this in his new movie.

Just thought you should know.

- Brian

ANNE LAMOTT

2006-06-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

If you are looking to read something by an author who is sometimes irrevrant, sometimes inspring, but always witty and entertaining - look no further. You need to read some Anne Lamott. She is the author of Traveling Mercies, Operating Instructions, and her latest book, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith. She is a self-described hippie, liberal from San Francisco who loves Jesus but writes, speaks, and looks nothing like the ladies I knew as a kid in church. Enjoy.

Read an interview with Anne.

- Brian

THE WORLD CUP OF FUTBOL

2006-06-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

The World Cup of Soccer (or futbol as it is commonly called) started today in Germany. I am not much of a soccer fan - mostly because of my American upbringing, the fact I suck at soccer, and the pace of the game. However, outside of the USA soccer is by far the world's most popular sport and the World Cup is the largest sporting event, with the exception of the Olympics.

Just thought you should know.

- Brian

ipod v. BEER

2006-06-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

The ipod is now more popular than beer on college campuses. I know, you never thought this day would come. I just thought I should let you know.

Read the article.

-Brian

6.13.06 - INVISIBLE CHILDREN at IKON

2006-06-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

This week at IKON we will experience the powerful documetary, Invisible Children. The documentary chronicles three young guys as they search for stories about the civil war in Sudan. While traveling in Africa they stumble across chidlren in Northern Uganda that sleep in the city each night stacked on top of each in an attempt to avoid being kidnapped by rebel soldiers. The documetary is a call to action in defense of these chidlren.

Come join us in the chapel (not the regular IKON room) On Tuesday at 8pm.

- Brian

THE MAGIC COAT

2006-06-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

At IKON on Tuesday we looked at I Corinthians 12 where Paul begins teaching about the Spirit Gifts. He deals with prophecy, speaking in tongues, wisdom, knowledge, interpreting tongues, miraculous powers, distinguishing between spirits, and healing. We looked briefly at each one but the bulk of the post-IKON conversations I had were about healing and this video I showed. So, let's talk about the legitimacy of the HEALING gift.

is it still alive today and being practiced as a legitimate gift?
is possible that all healing happens through medicine and doctors?
do people like Benny Hinn help or hurt the legitimacy of healing?
if Jesus, Paul, Peter, or Benny Hinn for that matter can heal - why don't they do it all the time? Why doesn't Benny walk the hall of the Chidlren's Hospital and heal those kids?

I will post again soon and give my thoughts on this.

- Brian

TONIGHT AT IKON: GIFTED

2006-06-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

I sat in the freezing metal folding chair waiting. The elders paced, deciding what to do with me next. As they did they occasionally spoke the same gibberish sounding language.

The answer from me that threw them into indecisiveness was, "No." Their question? "Have you ever spoken in tongues? Been slain in the spirit?"

This posed a problem for them. Their belief was that regardless of how much money they'd paid me to be at their church that morning I could not take the stage and sing or speak to their congregation if I wasn't a Christian. And they believed a Christian - a true Christian - spoke in tongues and got knocked down by God's Spirit from time to time - at least once.

I didn't argue. I waited. I prayed. The pastor eventually entered the room and after being briefed on the situation rolled his eyes dismissively at his elders, cupped his heavy hand around my shoulder, raised me to my feet, said a quick prayer thanking God for my visit, amened and ushered me to the stage where I sang and spoke to his congregation about the God we have in common.

We know from Paul that Christians are supposed to understand what these gift things and this Spirit character are but we also know that in trying to figure them out we Christians can become prideful and arrogant (like the Corinthians), harming one another accidentally, erecting walls that shouldn't exist. So we have to be careful and prayerful don't we? Or we could just be ignorant, decide not to learn what the Spirit and it's/his/her gifts are. But then we'd always wonder what we missed out on wouldn't we?

Tonight at ikon Brian will help shed a little more light on all this while teaching 1 Corinthians 12, and hopefully we'll leave with a better idea of what these gifts are and why they exist and just how important or not important they should be to us. See you there.

Until then, here's some of what Paul had to say about all this...

"What I want to talk about now is the various ways God's Spirit gets worked into our lives. This is complex and often mis-understood, but I want you to be informed and knowledgeable. Remember how you were when you didn't know God, led from one phony god to another, never knowing what you were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it? It's different in this life. God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say "Jesus be damned!" Nor would anyone be inclined to say "Jesus is Master!" without the insight of the Holy Spirit.

God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful:

wise counsel

clear understanding

simple trust

healing the sick

miraculous acts

proclamation

distinguishing between spirits

tongues

interpretation of tongues.

All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when." (1 Corinthians 12:1-12 from THE MESSAGE translation)

...I LOVE YOU, JESSICA ANN SIMPSON

2006-06-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Amy and I celebrated our 12th anniversary yesterday so we started looking through old wedding pics (including the Shaun with a ponytail pic) and videos. We also ran across a letter to Amy from Jessica Simpson written back in 1991 when Amy was a freshman at Baylor and Jessica was in 5th grade. Amy grew up in Dallas and Jessica’s Dad, Joe, was the Youth Pastor at her church. During that time Amy took care of both Jessica and Ashlee when the parents would go out. The letter from Jessica ended this way:

“I hope that one day I will grow up to be just like you. So sweet, beautiful, loving, and nice. I love you. – Jessica Ann Simpson”

The letter is innocent and pure and written in another lifetime for both of them. It has been over a decade since Jessica and Amy have seen each other but I can attest to the accuracy of Jessica’s description of Amy.

I stood at the end of the church aisle as a 21 year old (with hair) looking at Amy as she came toward me and knowing that my life would never be the same when that afternoon was over. Amy has been patient and supporting in everything we have done together and has the absolute best laugh you have ever heard. Amy has this unbelievable skill of listening- not the kind that we usually practice where we are formulating what we are about to say next while the other person moves their mouth, no this is REAL listening. People tell Amy stories and issues in their life that have been hidden in an emotional vault simply because they know she is someone who will isten and care about them. She is a wife I do not deserve, a phenomenal mother, and the most compassionate person I know.

It has been a great 12 years and yesterday we picked up the aftermath of the day, tucked our 4 kids into bed and looked at the fruit of the past 12 years. We looked at faces that were made from a little bit of both of us and saw the proof of two lives merged into one. Marriage and parenthood is sometimes messy and sometimes exhilarating but at the end of each day I realize that there is someone next to me that cares more about me than herself. That type of love reminds me of why the Apostle Paul tells me to be a man and love my wife like Christ loved the church.

- Brian

URSPRACHE

2006-06-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

I asked my kids last night if they wanted to watch some of the National Spelling Bee Finals and they were into it. We turned on the tv about 7:45pm just in time to see an 8th grader with a pencil mustache miss a word that nobody would ever use in a sentence. We watched for over an hour until Katharine Close from New Jersey spelled the word 'ursprache' (a parent language) to take home the title. The runner-up, a girl from Canada, missed the word 'weltschmerz' (a word meaning sadness over evil with German etymology). My only regret for the night was that I failed to see all 13 of the finalists gather in a circle and chant 1-2-3 SPELL just before the competition began. I always wondered what kind of cheers went on in the smart kid meetings and now I know.

This was much more interesting because I had seen the documentary, Spellbound , a couple years ago on a tour bus. These kids just seem like intelligent middle schoolers with a great capacity to spell obscure words. However, the picture that the documentary paints is one of obsessed parents and stressed out kids just becasue they had the moderator define the word 3 times instead of 4 before a spelling was attempted.

So, congrats to Katharine Close who become the first female to win since 1999 and the only winner ever from the state of New Jersey.

- Brian

IS KIRK CAMERON IN HEAVEN?

2006-06-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

My wife was a childhood fan of Kirk Cameron and prayed for his salvation after every episode of Growing Pains, so I realize I am treading on sacred family ground here. The latest book from the LEFT BEHIND series, The Rapture, predicts who is and who will be in heaven. The list is fairly predictable in its nature. Here is a quick preview:

"Those winning a place in heaven include the late Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ; Dwight L. Moody, founder of Moody Bible Institute; Billy Graham; hymn writer Fanny Crosby; John and Betty Stam, martyred missionaries to China; and Ken Taylor, founder of Tyndale House Publishers."

There is no Kirk Cameron on the list, or even my name for that matter. The list does include Ken Taylor, the founder of Tyndale Publishers, which just happens to be the publishing company that prints the LEFT BEHIND series. It's always good to keep the boss on the heaven list, or at least that's what I have found in my work experience.

- Brian

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO WOLVERINE?

2006-05-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

I saw X-MEN 3: The Final Stand this weekend and was unimpressed. I liked the first two but this one seemed to drag some and could not figure out what, or who, the movie was about. I also have a hard time believing that Kelsey Grammer is a mutant superhero.

However, I did find this story about the producer.

- Brian

666: ANOTHER REASON TO STOCK UP ON BOTTLED WATER

2006-05-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for ways to use that leftover bottled water, canned beans, and flashlights from the Y2K scare, you may have an outlet. One week from Tuesday the date will be June 6, 2006 or 06/06/06 or 666!

Read this story and be very afraid!

Programming note: We will still have IKON on 06/06/06 assuming the world does not come to an end before 8:00pm central time that day.

- Brian

QUIT JUDGING ME!

2006-05-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

I am mad and need to vent. Today, more than one time, someone made a remark about my head and its lack of hair. I then passed a billboard with a bald guy looking all depressed in one picture and then the next picture of him he had some new found hair and he looks like he won the lottery. That's just ludicrous and wrong! Now before you go feeling all sorry for me, you need to know that I love being bald. My wife digs it (and she's hot), I don't have to wash my dome or comb some mop on my head before I leave the house, and I just look like a bad man with the shiny head, scars, and goatee. But, for some reason it is not good to be bald. Check out the billboards telling you what a better life you will have with hair. Who says? How will I be more fulfilled if my follicle issue goes away? And who really buys the fact that one day you have thinning hair with a bad combover and the next day you look like David Hasselhoff from the Knight Rider days. I even took a test on the Rogaine web site and it informed me that based on my answers that I was a good candidate for the ROGAINE PLUS - that's because the regualr stuff will not do, I need the PLUS version.

It does not help that I travel with Shaun and he has more hair than any man I know and he is always making remarks from stage about how great his hair is but when he talks about me he refers to me as the ''scary, bald guy in the back." Part of this is just his sarcasm and part of it is a defense mechanism because he knows I could snap him in two without even breaking a sweat.

Today I am making a stand for all the bald guys that have been made to feel inferior or less of a man because of their 'issue'. Look yourself in the mirror, throw a little smile at yourself, and remember that guys like Bruce Willis, Michael Jordan, and that guy from The Shield are good looking men and so are you!

Now I feel better. Have a great weekend.

By the way, here is a before and after shot of me trying the Rogaine PLUS.

- Brian

SUMMER READING

2006-05-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

If you are wanting to read something as the summer unfolds, try one of these 2 books:

NIGHT by Elie Wiesel. I realize Oprah made it popular by choosing it for a recent book club but this is a powerful book. I read it in 1995 as part of my very last class at Baylor Univeristy. It was a class on the book of Job taught by Randall O' Brien and was the single best class I have ever taken. You can buy the book on Amazon or listen to it when you purchase it on i tunes.

TURNING POINTS by Mark Noll. Great primer for church history. Noll, a prefessor at Wheaton College, takes 12 major turning points in the history of the church. Not just for history nerds. Very timely book with all the tall about learning more about the history of what we believe.

- Brian

WHILE WE WERE OTHERCOTTING A MOVIE...

2006-05-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

...we almost forgot about this lady! Here is the story on Beliefnet about Madonna's new tour.

It's generally a sign of a rock star's age--and fading relevance--when her fans are called "the faithful," even when the artist in question is the renegade Roman Catholic-turned-Kabbalist Madonna. At 47, the singer kicked off her latest world tour this week with an act patently designed to appeal to her die-hards, who like their irreverence adminstered with a little glitz. Halfway through her accustomed set of costume changes and simulated sex acts, Mrs. Ritchie performed her '80s hit "Live to Tell" while affixed to a mirrored cross and wearing a crown of thorns.

Read the rest of the article.

-Brian

DA VINCI: THE COUNCIL OF NICEA

2006-05-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

Let's hold a few more parts of chapter 55 up against traditional church history and show the flaws in the theory that is espoused in Dan Brown's book.

DA VINCI: "During this fusion of religions, Constantine needed to strengthen the new Christian tradition, and held a famous ecumenical gathering known as the Council of Nicea." (Sir Teabing in ch. 55)

CHURCH HISTORY: The Council of Nicea was held in 325 and was called by Constantine to settle several disputes that were being debated in the church. The primary discussion was over the deity of Christ and the teachings of Arius, who taught that Jesus was not one with God and did not believe that Jesus was divine. The Council met for two months and was attended by 318 bishops from Eastern and Western Churches. One important note here is that there was no such thing as the 'Roman Catholic Church' at this point. The church was 'catholic' in the sense that it was universal but the schisms that created Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholic were still hundreds of years away. Many historians, and bishops of the time, were disturbed by the fact that Constantine called and led this Council. Many parts of Christianity still do not recognize the authority of the Council of Nicea because of the emperor's role in the Council. However, the council's influence on Christianity and heresy in the church is undeniable.

DA VINCI: "At this gathering (Council of Nicea)", Teabing said, "many aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon...and, of course, the divinity of Jesus."

"I don't follow. His divinity?" (Sophie)

"My dear," Teabing declared, "until THAT moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet...a great and powerful man, but a MAN nonetheless. A mortal." (ch. 55)

CHURCH HISTORY: Believing that Jesus was just a mortal until the Council of Nicea would have been news to John the Apostle (see John 10:30), Thomas the Apostle (see John 20:26-28), Justin Martyr, Polycarp, Clement, Ignatius, and Irenaeus. The divinity v. humanity of Christ was passionately debated in the first few centuries with opposing views to his deity coming in the forms of Sabellianism, Arianism, and Gnosticism. But to claim that nobody believed in the divinity of Christ before the Council of Nicea is ignoring 300 hundred of years of documented church history.

DA VINCI: "Jesus' establishment as 'the Son of God' was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicea." (Teabing)

"Hold on. You're saying that Jesus divinity was the result of a vote?" (Sophie)

"A relatively close vote at that.." Teabing added (ch. 55)

CHURCH HISTORY: I guess you can define 'relatively close' in different ways but in most circles 316-2 is not 'relatively close'. Also, Teabing states that Jesus as the 'Son of God' was being voted on at Nicea. This is incorrect. The Arians believed that Jesus was the Son of God so that was not even being debated. What was debated was the relationship between Jesus and God - was Jesus of the same 'substance' as God or was he subordinate and separate from the Father? The council created the Nicene Creed that clearly states that Jesus and God are of the same substance and Jesus was 'begotten', not 'made.'

DA VINCI: "Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ's human traits and embellished those gospels that made him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned."

CHURCH HISTORY: I have already dealt with Constantine's role, or lack of role, in the canonization of scripture. The book makes the assertion that Constantine rid the world of all proof that Jesus was anything less than divine. What Brown fails to find in church history is that by 332 Constantine changed his mind about Arianism and decided to embrace its theology. He rescinded the exile of Arius and brought him back as the presbyter in Alexandria and exiled Athanasius (the bishop of Alexandria) because he refused to accept Arius. So, instead of Constantine burning everything that dealt with the humanity of Jesus he actually landed on the theology that asserted Jesus was subordinate to God and not fully divine.

I realize that this is the longest post I have ever done and thanks for making it this far. I am just a nerd when it comes to church history and I find it fascinating.

- Brian

DA VINCI: THE LEGACY AND POWER OF CONSTANTINE

2006-05-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

After reading, The Da Vinci Code, I saw the source of all the controversy over Dan Brown's assertion in his novel about the roots and foundation of Christianity. I am going to post a few times about the book and hold the claims of the book against our own history. Entire books have been written about the subjects I will cover so this is in no way an exhaustive look at these figures and important moments in Christian History.

DA VINCI:
"Who chose which gospels to include?" Sophie asked.

"Aha!" Teabing burst in with enthusiasm. "The fundamental irony of Christianity! The Bible, as we know it, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great.' (chapter 55)

CHURCH HISTORY: There are many quotes from this chapter I want to dissect but the claim that Constantine canonized the Bible is not substantiated in any accepted historical accounts. Constantine ruled the Roman Empire from 306 until his death in 337. He is best known in church history as the emperor who stopped the persecution of Christians. Until the rule of Constantine there was widespread persecution of Christians and the Edict of Milan in 313 declared that there would no longer be government persecution of Christians, all property taken from Christians should be restored, and it disestablished paganism as the official religion of the Empire. The rule of Constantine changed the face of the church forever and many great church historians disagree on that effect. Some believe we owe an incredible deal of gratitude to Constantine for stopping the persecution and in those circles he is revered. Others believe that Christianity was hijacked by a ruler that needed to unify his people so he could overthrow Licinius in the Western part of the Empire and become the ruler over all of the Roman Empire (which he eventually did). This view of Constantine sees how Christianity became the popular religion to connect yourself with and lost much of the passion and commitment that existed during the time of persecution.

One claim of the book is that Constantine was the force behind the Christian day of worship being moved from Saturday (Jewish Sabbath) to Sunday. This claim is accurate and was done by Constantine in 321 and affirmed by the Council of Nicea (which we will deal with in the next Da Vinci post) in 325. We realize that some of the ideas we hold as orthodoxy (sabbath, date on which Easter is celebrated, etc.) were taken from the pagan religion of Rome and used to form certain Christian ideas. However, this does not strip away the story of Jesus and the foundation that we have built our faith upon.

The canonization of scripture was a long process that began over 125 years before Constantine. Because of persecution in Jerusalem the church was scattered and over the course of the first 200 years of the church there was no official New Testament. Different letters and writings existed but no official list of authoritative books was used. In 170 the Muratorian Canon was established as a guide for use in the churches and listed most of what we know as the New Testament today. The Muratorian Canon listed all 4 of the NT gospels, the writings of Paul minus Hebrews, the Acts of the Apostles, and Jude. Though the Muratorian canon was never officially adopted by the church as authoritative, it did give the scattered churches a unifying list on which to base their teachings. The full list of books that we know today as the New Testament is first recognized as coming from Athanasius of Alexandria in his Easter letter in 367, 30 years after the death of Constantine. The canon was not officially accepted until the meetings at Hippo in 393 and Carthage in 397. It would make better drama had Constantine ended the persecution of Christians, changed the course of Christian history, AND personally canonized the New Testament - but he did not!

While there is no doubt that Constantine had great influence in the history of Christianity, there is no basis for believing that he 'canonized' scripture and destroyed other documents to shape Christianity into his own religion.

I will post later this week about the Council of Nicea, Mary Magdalene, and the historical view of the divinity of Christ.

- Brian

I BEAT IZZY MANDELBAUM

2006-05-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

I told Shaun as we exited the car about the people that would run this 3.1 mile race in say, 18 or 19 minutes, and there were. What I failed to mention is that there would be some of the older persuasion that would inspire us all with their longevity and physical ability to still run these races, and there were. But the first guy I saw out of the car was a modern day Izzy Mandelbaum, slightly bent over and pushing the 90 year range but walking around with that fesity look in his eyes. My goal for the race quickly moved from just finishing alive to finishing alive AND beating Izzy when it was 'go time'! I am proud to say I did both. I finished in an ordinary 33:34 - but remember that is like 16,000 feet that had to be covered. I passed Izzy early on and never looked back.

TENNESSEE RUN 4 KIDS

2006-05-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

I am running in theTennessee Run 4 Kids tomorrow to benefit the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home. Shaun is the race ambassador (fancy way of saying the local celebrity that is pushing the event) but he has opted not to run in the 3.1 mile race. I have never run in a 5K but have been running for about 5 years for exercise. I don't plan on winning but hope to keep from embarrassing myself (that means making it through the race without losing my breakfast!) I will post pics tomorrow.

- Brian

DONE WITH DA VINCI

2006-05-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

I finished the Da Vinci Code last night and will post about it soon. I thought the book was one of the best fiction books I have read when taken solely as an entertaining, compelling story. I see why we, as Christians, would be offended by the premise of the plot in regards to the divinity of Jesus. I am not real interested in doing a point/counterpoint with details from the book but I am going to post a series of posts that deal with Constantine, the Council of Nicea, the canonization of scripture, and my thoughts on what opportunites are afforded to us because of the book/movie's publicity.

Here is an article from the Associated Press about how the church around the world are dealing with the movie's release (which got a pretty mediocre review in the USA TODAY.

'Da Vinci Code' Protests Widespread
Tuesday, May 16, 2006 3:35 PM EDT
The Associated Press
By ANGELA DOLAND

CANNES, France (AP) — Anger over "The Da Vinci Code," premiering Wednesday at the Cannes Film Festival, escalated Tuesday as Christian groups from South Korea, Thailand, Greece and India planned boycotts, a hunger strike and attempts to block or shorten screenings.

The plot of the movie, adapted by Ron Howard from Dan Brown's worldwide best seller, makes the case that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children with her.

In India, the government Tuesday put a temporary hold on the movie's release because of complaints.

In South Korea, which has 13 million Protestants and 4.6 million Roman Catholics, a court ruled Tuesday that a Christian group's request for an injunction to block screenings lacked merit.

"As it is clear that the novel and movie are all fiction ... there is no probability that the movie can make viewers mistakenly believe the contents of the movie are facts," chief judge Song Jin-hyun said in his ruling.

The Christian Council of Korea, an umbrella group of 63 South Korean Protestant denominations, said it respected the ruling but would lead a boycott of the movie, which it said defiles the sanctity of Jesus Christ and distorts facts.

In Thailand, Christian groups demanded that government censors cut the film's final 15 minutes, fix subtitles that are supposedly disrespectful to Jesus and screen messages before and after the movie saying the content is fictional.

"If they are going to screen this, we asked that they cut out the conclusion of the movie that Jesus still has heirs alive today," said spokesman Manoch Jangmook, of the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand.

The censor board has not yet replied to the request. The movie is scheduled to start running Thursday in Thai theaters.

In mostly Hindu India, which is also home to 18 million Roman Catholics, Joseph Dias, head of the Catholic Secular Forum, began a hunger strike in downtown Bombay and said other people were joining him.

"We want the movie to be banned," he said.

The film had been set for release in India on Friday and had already been cleared by the national censor board. But Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said he put a temporary hold on the movie after receiving more than 200 complaints.

"We are a secular country. On any sensitive issue, we should take action after we examine every aspect," Dasmunshi told reporters.

In Athens, Greece, some 200 religious protesters, waving crucifixes and Greek flags, demonstrated Tuesday in protest of the film. The protesters — including Orthodox monks and nuns — later marched peacefully to parliament.

"All religions merit respect, so why don't they show respect in this case instead of attacking all that we hold sacred?" said Athanasios Papageorgiou, president of St. John the Theologian group in Peania, east of Athens.

"I've read the book. It's despicable," he added. "The Muslims for one cartoon burnt anything, so what should we do?"

Greece's powerful Orthodox Church has blasted the "ridiculous content" of the movie but stopped short of calling for its boycott.

Philippine censors approved an adult rating for the movie but stopped short of rating it "X" because "it does not constitute a clear, express or direct attack on the Catholic church or religion" and does not libel or defame any person.

The movie-review panel's chairwoman, Marissa Laguardia, told The Associated Press that the movie would be a "test of faith" for many people in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines.

"Those groups, like the conservatives who want it banned, maybe they can tell their friends, discourage their friends from watching it," she said. "But it has to be shown. Otherwise we will be the only country that will not show this film. Thirty-six countries have already reviewed this film and they have not banned it. So are we just out of the Stone Age?"

The National Council of Churches in Singapore, which also had requested a ban, planned lectures to refute aspects of the film and the book on which it is based. The censorship board gave the movie an NC16 rating, barring viewers under 16, arguing that "only a mature audience will be able to discern and differentiate between fact and fiction."

WOMAN

2006-05-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

(Here is what Shaun wrote and read at IKON tonight - previously posted at shlog.com)

Genesis 2:19 So GOD formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name.

Hippopotamus. Platypus. Rhinoceros.

Orangutan. Elephant. Lemur.

Dog. Cat. Goat.

Fly.

Genesis 2:20 The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn't find a suitable companion.

Cow. Salamander. Zebra. Not one he called Friend.

Genesis 2:21 GOD put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. 22GOD then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man.

This one God named. Woman, he called her.

She was His final creation. The finishing touch on a masterpiece. What was missing. The world was not complete and neither was Man until she arrived.

Genesis 2:23 "Finally! Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh!"

And man said, "Wow! This is good! Really really good! She's more beautiful than Peacock, more graceful than Eagle, better conversation than Monkey. She's perfect. I don't ever want her to leave. I can't believe I ever lived without her. I must have been living half as much."

Genesis 2:24Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh. 25The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they felt no shame.

One. Not by paper or principality.

Naked. She stands bare before him, untainted by corrosive self-doubt injected by magazines and peers. She has no peer. She has no ideal. She is pleased because her Maker is, confident and prized because she is His.

Then flesh rests against flesh. Relaxed. Valued. Belonging. What was separate, housed in two bodies, joins. The depths of two souls woven together in an instant. No shame. No lonely. No distance.

Day and night, waters and skies, birds and cattle. All of this was incomplete without man and man was incomplete without her. And she is so treasured and essential that God couldn't pull His pen through even one book of His epic without her flowing from His heart and onto the page. There she is on the pedestal of Adam's adoration and God's provision.

Before model's measured her and husbands forsook her. Before companies passed over her and children fatigued her. Before magazines dieted her and age bent her. Before religion veiled her and preachers silenced her. Before governments controlled her and fathers ignored her. Before the world fell and rose only to stumble for eons as a crippled amnesiac unable to recall her worth - she was Woman. Friend. Lover. Beautiful. Valuable. Essential. Completion. The final brushstroke on God's canvas.

THE OLDEST BATTLE TONIGHT AT IKON

2006-05-16T07:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight at ikon we enter the oldest battle in the bible: the battle of the sexes. Does God value women less than men? Does the apostle Paul? Are men and women equal or not? Different or the same?

The early church in Corinth has some questions about the sexes sure, but the real core of their confusion centered around trying to live like people declared free by God in a culture potentially offended by the exercise of that freedom. How do we live like there is no longer male or female, Jew not Greek, in a society that still operates as if there is? What if exercising our freedom actually hinders the believability of the Jesus story?

But Paul's answer to these questions are full of references to the culture for which they were written. This poses a problem for modern American Christians doesn't it? how much of Paul's answer still applies today? Here's a piece of it:

1 Corinthians 11:7-12 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.11In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

We'll ask all this and more tonight at 8PM. See you there Nashvillians.

THE DA VINCI CODE

2006-05-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

My wife finished the Da Vinci Code last night and dropped it on my nightstand to read. I am a church history nerd so I have all of my Council of Nicea, Constantine, and Arius notes ready to go. I am diving in tonight (right after the season finale of Grey's Anatomy, which I reluctantly admit I like being that it borders on 'chick television) so if I have not emerged in a matter of days - send someone in after me.

- Brian

IS OPRAH AMERICA'S PASTOR?

2006-05-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

USA Today (the paper written at a 4th grade level which makes it easily my favorite paper) ran a story last week titled, The Divine Miss Winfrey?. I read the paper that day but just skimmed the article and saw nothing of any real interest, just more pop culture fascination. Over at SHLOG Shaun posted Oprah or Poprah? and I again skimmed the info finding it interesting that Oprah, who is a great talk show host, was being compared to Mother Teresa.

Today I found these quotes from the article posted on the conservative blog Newsbusters:

Claire Zulkey, 26, an Oprah follower who has written about Winfrey in her online blog at zulkey .com, says, "I think that if this were the equivalent of the Middle Ages and we were to fast-forward 1,200 years, scholars would definitely think that this Oprah person was a deity, if not a canonized being."

In a November poll conducted at Beliefnet.com, a site that looks at how religions and spirituality intersect with popular culture, 33% of 6,600 respondents said Winfrey has had "a more profound impact" on their spiritual lives than their clergypersons.

Cathleen Falsani, religion writer for the Chicago Sun-Times, recently suggested, "I wonder, has Oprah become America's pastor?"

Now I realize that Oprah has a massive and devoted fanbase but for someone to claim that she is deity-like is just funny. The Beliefnet survey is what sparked my interest. 33% of respondents claimed Oprah, a figure on a television interviewing people, has more of a 'profound impact' on their life than their clergy. This brings about some possible reasons for this response.

First, we are just an entertainment driven society that places our celebrities, sports figures, politicians, and musicians on a level that is unhealthy and unrealistic.

Second, Oprah is just that powerful. I like her as a talk show host. I would even like her more if i showed up the day she was giving away free PS2's but she seems to be a good person that has more money than most industrialized nations. She says the name of a book and it shoots to the top of the NY Times Best Seller list. She is just powerful and we should not be surprised by the Beliefnet survey.

But the possible reason that I think sparked my interest was the fact that maybe it's not just that Oprah is popular or we have a unhealthy fascination with celebrities (I have a little crush on Reese Witherspoon but my wife is fine with that) but it may be that our clergy have stopped having that 'profound impact' as part of their own doing. Could it be that with the rise of megachurches and TV churches (see: Joel Osteen) that we have distanced our clergy from people and we have made them more pope like than pastor like? Could it be that the clergy of America, myself included, have spent more time entertaining and pacifying our people instead of challenging them and inspiring them. 'Profound impact' happens when we teach and model the counter-cultural life of Jesus not when we polish off a slick 30 minute sermon that makes people realize what great orators we are. It might jsut be that we, as clergy, have stopped living life alongside our people and they have turned to someone that shows up in their home every day at 4pm like clockwork.

It's just a thought on an article that took 5 days to make me think.

- Brian

READING PROBLEM UPDATE

2006-05-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have asked about my reading problem post (for the record, the number of those who asked is at 0) from last week - here is an update. I finshed (re)Understanding Prayer by Kyle Lake and The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture by Shane Hipps. Both of these books were good and will post some things from Shane's book this week in an effort to provoke some conversation. I enjoyed Kyle's book because it captured his personality well in the writing and that is hard to do. Kyle and I were hugging/non-Christmas card friends* from college and his death last year caused me to evaluate how quickly life can move and look at what I am doing with that time.

I will hopefully get to posting some of Shane's stuff today.

- Brian

* - hugging/non-Christmas card friends is defined as close enough to throw a man hug around each other a couple of times a year when you see that friend but not close enough to make the final list on your Christmas cards. Make sense?

ARTWORSHIP

2006-05-11T18:44:00.000-07:00

I first met Jeremy and Jamie Wells at Ecclesia in Houston, where my brother Chris pastors. Jeremy is an elder while he and Jamie travel around the country leading in corporate worship through art. They have done artworship at emergent conferences and services, the Purpose Driven Worship Conference, One Day (pre-cursor to the Passion conferences), and a Third Day concert in Houston. They are very talented and passionate about what they do, so go and check out their site.

- Brian

NEXTgen AT TPC

2006-05-11T09:57:00.000-07:00

There is a new blog/website for the NEXTgen ministry of the The People's Church. The blog is the home of the new NEXTgen Pastor, William Guice. Check out his posts and opportunities to connect in this ministry.

- Brian

IT'S ALL ABOUT ME

2006-05-09T11:41:00.000-07:00

When my 3 year old, Nathaniel, and Shaun's 3 year old, Gresham, get together there are a few guarantees to the encounter. First, it will be loud. Three year old boys are just loud - there seems to be no such thing as the 'inside voice'. Second, it will be messy. They have not mastered the art of putting things back where they found them. In fact, they invented a game at my house one night called 'garbage truck' where they find anything and everything and pile it as high as possible in the closet. I did not discover this game until I opened up said closet and was met with an avalanche of toys, chairs, underwear, towels, blocks, and videos. The final guarantee is that there will be fighting. Not fighting about revenge or over deep philosophical issues but fighting over wanting it their way. Three year olds always want it and they don't want to share it. Three year olds always want to protect their own toys from the danger of other hands. Three year olds only want to play with what the other kid has. Three year olds are SELFISH. I'm glad we grow out of that phase. I'm glad we always care about other people before ourselves. I'm glad that we don't abuse our own freedom to the point that it makes others stumble. I am so glad we don't live our lives like a playdate with Nathaniel and Gresham.

Paul must have been writing to three year olds in the passage I am teaching tonight because it is all about focusing on other people. I guess I'll go ahead and teach it even though my assumption is all of us at IKON are way beyond that three year old stage.

See you tonight.

- Brian

Looking at it one way, you could say, "Anything goes. Because of God's immense generosity and grace, we don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster." But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well. With that as a base to work from, common sense can take you the rest of the way. Eat anything sold at the butcher shop, for instance; you don't have to run an "idolatry test" on every item. "The earth," after all, "is God's, and everything in it." That "everything" certainly includes the leg of lamb in the butcher shop. If a nonbeliever invites you to dinner and you feel like going, go ahead and enjoy yourself; eat everything placed before you. It would be both bad manners and bad spirituality to cross-examine your host on the ethical purity of each course as it is served. On the other hand, if he goes out of his way to tell you that this or that was sacrificed to god or goddess so-and-so, you should pass. Even though you may be indifferent as to where it came from, he isn't, and you don't want to send mixed messages to him about who you are worshiping. But, except for these special cases, I'm not going to walk around on eggshells worrying about what small-minded people might say; I'm going to stride free and easy, knowing what our large-minded Master has already said. If I eat what is served to me, grateful to God for what is on the table, how can I worry about what someone will say? I thanked God for it and he blessed it! So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you--you're eating to God's glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God's glory. At the same time, don't be callous in your exercise of freedom, thoughtlessly stepping on the toes of those who aren't as free as you are. I try my best to be considerate of everyone's feelings in all these matters; I hope you will be, too.

(I Corinthians 10:23-33 - THE MESSAGE)

EVOLUTION OF THE WHITEST KIND

2006-05-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

-Shaun

MY READING PROBLEM

2006-05-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

I enjoy reading. My problem is I read too many books at one time and don't finish them all. Take for instance last month, I was 2 chapters from finishing Kyle Lake's book about prayer when I ran across The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture and started reading it. I am now 2 chapters from finishing that book but I am also reading a book by David Sedaris and one by Donald Miller. At IKON on Tuesday one of the band guys talked to me about 'open theology' so I picked up The Openness of God and started reading that (which I started reading a few years ago and never finished.)

So, my goal this week is to finish at least 2 of the 5 books that are sitting on my desk. By the way, all of these books have been good reads so if you are looking for something new to read, here is my list:

The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture by Shane Hipps
(re)Understanding Prayer by Kyle Lake
Searching For God Knows What by Donald Miller
Naked by David Sedaris
The Openness of God by Pinnock, Rice, Sanders, Hasker, and Basinger

- Brian

KYLE'S FILM

2006-05-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know much about this film, honestly. I know that Kyle Lake's family is behind it, providing the film makers with hours of home video from Kyle's life. I know that proceeds from the film will go to support a college fund for the three children he left behind for us to care for. And I know the trailer, the second one, made me turn my computer off for the day and blow bubbles with my kids. See it for yourself and support this film if you can.

- Shaun

GOD AND MOVIES: A PROFITABLE PARTNERSHIP

2006-05-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

At the Tribeca Film Festival this week there was a workshop titled, What Would Jesus Direct?, aimed at marketing movies to the church. The church is a profitable and powerful consumer citing marketing success with The Passion of the Christ, Chronicles of Narnia, and Because of Winn Dixie.

Take this information and combine that with the post Shaun wrote today about the power, or lack of power, that movies have when it comes to evangelism. Shaun's post was inspired by the article, The Passion Reloaded, from Christianity Today's leadership blog, Out of Ur.

- Brian

HANK HILL GOES CHURCH SHOPPING

2006-05-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hank and Peggy have a falling out at their church over some pews and find themselves shopping for a new church. Check out the road they took to the town's 'megachurch'.

Watch the clip.

(HT: MD)

- Brian

THE TRANSPIRE PROJECT

2006-05-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

We met the founder of the The Transpire Project, Scott Erickson, at the Acting on Aids Conference at Taylor Univeristy this past February. Check out both of these sites for ways to get involved fighting the AIDS pandemic in Africa.

- Brian

TONIGHT AT IKON: TEMPTED, NOT TRAPPED

2006-05-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

There's an awful lot of fatalism out there. Do you see it too? Especially when it comes to temptation don't you think? It's as if because God knows all, can do all, and is over all that we humans sometimes decide we can do nothing at all to keep our noses clean - so to speak. "I'm this way because it's just the way I am" or "God must want me to be this way or He'd stop me." I've actually heard these two excuses offered before - even from my own mouth.

Yet Paul, in 1 Corinthians 10, writes a letter to early Christians reminding them that there is no temptation they can't resist. That's hard for me to swallow, honestly. I'd much rather look at my trail of mistakes, throw my hands up and exclaim, "What was I supposed to do?" Apparently, though, like it or not, every time I felt "trapped" there was a way out, a door left unlocked. If only I'd jiggled more handles.

See you tonight at ikon.

COMPASSION SUNDAY

2006-05-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was the national Compassion Sunday where churches all over the nation highlighted the ministry of Compassion International. My 9 year old daughter, Olivia, coordinated our Compassion Sunday at The People's Church in Franklin, TN. Olivia and her brother, Phillip, both sponsor kids in different parts of the world. When Olivia got some information from Compassion about Compassion Sunday she immediately said she was going to do this at her church. She contacted the staff and asked for a table in the lobby, a blurb in the bulliten, and an announcement in the morning services. On Sunday morning we set up a banner, laid out child packets, and answered questions about Compassion after both services. Olivia stood confidently at the table and told anyone who would listen about her friend Sylvia in Kenya and how she sends money to her each month, writes her letters, and prays for her every single night. During the morning we had 10 new kids sponsored and the church staff asked Olivia if she would set up the table again next week so more people could come by and talk to her about Compassion. I am so proud of Olivia and her boldness in doing what most adults fail to do - act. She saw the intersection of a need and an opportunity and did something about it. I thought my job was to teach her and this past week she turned that idea upside down and taught me to quit thinking about what can be done and just do it instead.

- Brian

DAY WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS

2006-05-01T20:47:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we had a discussion in Shaun's front yard about the immigration rallies that happened across the U.S. today and the impact of changing the immigration laws in our country. After that brief discussion we loaded up our minivans to eat at La Hacienda, a local Mexican food restaurant, only to find a hand made sign on the door stating it was closed for the day. There was no explanation for the sudden closing but after spending the last hour reading articles online about the Day Without Immigrants rallies, I am only concluding the closing is a sign of solidarity with the statements being made by the 1 million people who skipped work today to protest possible legislation that would change the punishment for being 'illegal' in this country from a 'civil offense' to a ''felony' and adding the possible persecution of those who aid or comfort these aliens.

I will admit that this is a complex issue that is pregnant with passion and emotional stories. I have read the arguments about border safety, terrorism, and the problem with drugs and gangs that accompany many immigrants. I know that there are those who argue these illegal immigrants are hurting the economy and making the problems of poverty and sub-standard education a much larger issue. There are also those who aruge that these same people are the backbone of the economy doing minimum wage (or lower) jobs that many of us would never consider taking. The houses we live in, the fresh fruits and vegetables we eat, the trash that is no longer piling up in front of our house and many other priveliges of our lives are present because of these hard-working people. A large number of those who cross our borders without permission are searching for the promise of a better life and hope for themselves and their families. They are looking for the hope we constantly hold up and show the world.

I am commiting myself to read more over the next few weeks about the possible legislation changes and the church's role in this debate and discussion.

Read what Sojourners Magazine has to say about the pending legislation.

I will be reading and posting both sides of this debate in the coming days.

- Brian

MAY DAY

2006-05-01T11:56:00.002-07:00

I did a little research on the holiday we are celebrating today known as May Day. The roots of the day, also known as International Workers Day, go back to 1886 when the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Union called for the beginning of the 8 hour workday to commence on May 1 of that year. The call by the union triggered a strike and a riot in Chicago known as the Haymarket Riot. May Day has since become a popular day for protests and demonstrations, particularly with the socialist and anarchist types.

So, take off of work a little early and celebrate your 8 hour workday on this first day of May!

- Brian

SAM BOWIE ALL OVER AGAIN

2006-05-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

I would guess that most of you have no idea who Sam Bowie is (unless you are from Kentucky and over the age of 30). Sam was the second player taken in the 1984 NBA draft. He played 11 years in the NBA and lives in relative obscurity in Lexington, KY. The Portland Trail Blazers had the second pick in the draft of 84 and had to choose between Sam and another talented player from a major university. The Houston Rockets had already taken Akeem Olajuwon, who would become one of the greatest centers in NBA history and bring the only two major sports championships to Houston. The Trail Blazers were looking for that ‘next superstar’ to turn their franchise around and bring championships to the Pacific Northwest. Portland chose the 7’1 Bowie to be that guy and it just did not work out. He was a fine player and a good man but the guy they passed on is what haunts them to this day.

On Saturday, my Houston Texans had the first pick of the NFL draft by virtue of a 2-14 record last year. When you are that bad you have too many holes to plug by just picking first in the draft. But this year there was a player with the electricity and skills that are rare – a player that can change the course of a franchise and turn 2-14 into 14-2. That player was sitting their for the taking on Saturday morning and the Texans pulled a ‘Sam Bowie’ on us and took a defensive player from NC State named Mario Williams. Mario is 6’7 so if he asks, I am all for the pick. In the end Williams might turn out to be a good player but 10 or 15 years from now we will mark this draft as the time the Texans missed on the pick and became the next Portland Trail Blazers.

Sometimes it’s not what we do that haunts us but more often we fail to do that is always in the back of our minds. Missed opportunities and the luxury of hindsight are enough to drive you mad. The Texans could have taken Reggie Bush from USC and would one day be hanging his jersey from the stadium rafters and sitting by proudly as he is inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Trail Blazers hoped that Sam Bowie would be that guy. He wasn’t. But the guy they passed on was a skinny 6’6 guard from North Carolina that was taken by the Chicago Bulls with the third pick. You might have heard of this guy – his name is Michael Jordan.

The Portland Trail Blazers would like to officially welcome the Houston Texans to the conversation about the worst draft day decisions. They are grateful for the company.

- Brian

THE PILEDRIVER AND JESUS: A NEW WAY TO EVANGELIZE

2006-04-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

I grew up watching wrestling with my brother, Robbie. We would watch Saturday morning wrestling on television from the Sportatoruium in Dallas. Our favorite wrestler was anyone from the Von Erich family, but Kerry Von Erich was our favorite. We would tape the matches on our beta vcr and then practice moves on each other in the game room. When I say 'practice' I really just mean I would do the moves on Robbie, he would cry, and my mom would call me by my first and middle name ,and I would receive the same lecture about harming my baby brother again.

Now that I know wrestling is fake (I found out a few weeks ago) it has lost some of its luster. But I ran across a blog by Mark Driscoll about Christian wrestling. I knew this exsisted but never checked it out. Evidently, wrestling matches are staged and then someone preaches to the crowd. This fascinates me!

Read the rest of Mark's blog about the newest form of personal evangelism.

You can also read about how this works at the Christian Wrestling Federtation website.

- Brian

HOME

2006-04-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

We just arrived in Waco, TX so Shaun can play chapel at Baylor University tomorrow morning and a show at the historic Hippodrome Theater tomorrow night. Shaun and I both attnded Baylor and driving here tonight felt like driving home.

I grew up going to summer camp at Baylor every year and then became a student here in 1991. I could have chosen less expensive schools (Baylor is a private school and I left with a good deal of student loan debt) but I never looked anywhere else and had an amazing time in school. I graduated in 1995 and worked in the Admissions/Recruiting office until 1998. I met Amy (my wife) during my freshman year, took my first church job at Meadowbrook Baptist Church when I was 18, got married and lived here after school, and our oldest child Olivia was born at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center. It just feels like I am back home.

We will do our normal concert routine for a good portion of the day tomorrow but we will also see good friends, visit former professors, and try to remember what it was like to be 18 again when the biggest stress in my life was that Physics class I don't understand and when I was going to fit a nap into my schedule.

- Brian

ROLLER COASTER MAN

2006-04-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

We met a man last night at the Compassion International event that invents amusement park rides for a living. He fell in love with sky diving and bungee diving so he invented the Skycoaster, which can be found at most amusement parks in the USA. He also just finished a new ride that he claims will 'revolutionize the roller coaster industry'. This new ride is the Unicoaster. Check it out for yourself.

- Brian

A NIGHT WITH COMPASSION

2006-04-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

Shaun and I are in Orlando tonight with as guests of Compassion International. Shaun played tonight at a small event at a home intended to mobilize several families to get involved with the ministry of Compassion. Wess Stafford, the President of Compassion, spoke and shared the history of Compassion along with stories of his childhood growing up in a small village in the Ivory Coast. Wess shared several stats that were compelling but not new (30,000 children die each day, there are enough resources in the world to give every person a 2,000 calorie per day diet, etc.) but he pointed out the two reasons why those of us who have more than we need often don't get involved.

First, we don't know what to do.

Compassion has a system in place that connects sponsors with children in the impoversihed countries throughout the world. Throughout this partnership these children and their families are fed, clothed, loved, educated, and taught they are important to God and his church. All of this is done through a local church in the community and the people who work with these children every day live in their neighborhood. Compassion currently has almost 700,000 kids in projects and over 1,000,000 kids have been in the program in the 50 plus years of its exsistence.

Second, we don't know who to trust.

Compassion has consistently been regarded as one of the best managed and most trustworthy non-profit organizations in the world. When I visited the Compassion office in El Salvador we were handed the books by the accountants and encouraged to ask questions. Over 80% of every dollar that is given to Compassion goes directly to the projects for the children. Compassion wants you to go see their projects. They want you to make sure they are people of integrity.

I believe in these people and what they are doing. My oldest children sponsor kids in Kenya and Haiti and correspond with them regularly. My faith has so often been a theory - a list of answers and beliefs that were not fully rooted in action. Thanks to Compassion for moving me out of theory and into practice.

Visit the Compassion website, pick out a child and begin your relationship with a child that needs something you can give.

THE GREAT AMERICAN PASTIME

2006-04-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

I love sports. Other people listen to music, some read, some ponder the deeper issues of life - me I just like sports. I will temper my confession with the truth that adulthood (marriage, children, jobs, different passions) have slowed down my obsession but it is April and that means baseball is being played, and will be played thoughout the summer, all over America.

Most of the things we have in the USA have been adapted or taken from other cultures but baseball is one of the staples of our young country. I think it's all the games I watched from the outfield seats in the Houston Astrodome that drew me to the pace and drama of baseball. Yes, the season is 162 games. Yes, it moves at an incredibly slow pace. Yes, those guys are wearing really tight pants. But it is the sport you can take your family to, relax and the let the game become secondary for most of the afternoon until the Astros win the game in the bottom of the ninth, the stadium speakers burst with Kool and the Gang's 'Celebration', and your parents let you pick up all the plastic Astros soda cups you can carry that other people left behind. Ok, that last one seems a little nasty in hindsight but that was my summer year in and year out. It was family time, everyone went and even though we were with 30,000 other people it is some of greatest childhood memories.

I now live 800 miles from the Astros ballpark but I am as loyal as when I was 8. My Golden Retriever is named Bagwell (after the great Astros 1st Baseman, Jeff Bagewell, picture above) and I had tickets to go Game 5 of the World Series last year before they bowed out in 4 games.

Grab your family or a few good friends and find a ballpark, any ballpark will do, and take in America's greatest pastime.

- Brian

OBSERVATION

2006-04-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

I miss things. I'm not absent-minded or gullible but I just don't see everything that really creative people see. I appreciate the sunset but I am not going to write, sing, or paint it. I think all of that ability and passion is given to only a handful so that the rest of us can be shown what we are missing.

I took my wife to see author and playwright, David Sedaris, in downtown Nashville. It was a much needed respit from 4 wonderful and messy children where 2 adults could sit in a room and listen to one of my wife's favorite authors. I have never read one of David's books but have heard pieces of one of the audio books. I am ordering the book NAKED today to read next week. There was no amazing set, no 'intelligent' lighting (I am still wondering when lighting became intellectual), and no major fanfare - just a podium, a mic, a pitcher of water, and a glass. We spent 90 minutes listening to his essays on life. Essays that are taken from his life - some stretched to make a point or get a laugh but all essays that were centered in the observation of the world around and inside of him. We even heard an essay about a crow, a ewe, and meditiation. David is not a Christian so there was no invitation or offering but the night was a reminder for me to stop and to observe. Don't just look ahead and see what you know is already there-look to the sides, above, and below. Discern where you are and then describe it. Tell funny stories. Do something unexpected.

I am not a writer so I was not inpspired to write better. I am just a normal guy that wanted to take his wife on a date to hear a writer she really likes but somewhere in the middle of all the laughter and the liberals I learned a pretty good lesson.

- Brian

THE RETURN

2006-04-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have failed to post on here in about two weeks due to a busy travel and work stretch BUT I am back now and the goal is seven new blogs in seven days. The goal has no real significance other than the fact that I only really succeed at things that I make up some goal to accompany the task. Just a little personality quirk.

- Brian

THIS WEEK INSTEAD OF IKON: THE LAST EYEWITNESS

2006-04-10T07:48:00.001-07:00

The apostle John was the last living disciple of Jesus' - the last eyewitness to the story and man that changed the course of civilization, that still fills church pews around the world, feeds hungry bellies, clothes naked bodies and brings peace and completion to the conflicted and busted. He wrote his recollections of Jesus down in his "Gospel." Tomorrow night at The People's Church in Franklin, TN ikon presents John's words to the Nashville community through words by author/communicator Chris Seay, painter Rob Pepper, musicians Robbie Seay Band and Waterdeep and film. John's words and his portrait of Jesus come to live tomorrow night at 7. Admission is FREE and open to all ages from anywhere drivable. Ikon has brought this touring company of story tellers to town tomorrow night but THE EVENT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Let me reiterate for those used to coming to ikon at 8pm in the ikon room at the people's church. Ikon will meet with the rest of the public coming to see The Last Eyewitness in the sanctuary of the people's church at 7pm. We'll get back to our regular time and place next week.

The Last Eyewitness has already been well received at Axis in Chicago, Tyndale College in Toronto and elsewhere. This is a rare opportunity to hear the story of Jesus in a new language - the language of film, art and music.

See you there.

Shaun

PS. Feel free to get the word out by saving this image to your disk and e-mailing it to anyone in the area. Mac users, cntrl+click it and PC users right click it. Thanks.

THIS WEEK INSTEAD OF IKON: THE LAST EYEWITNESS

2006-04-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

THE LAST EYEWITNESS: WATERDEEP

2006-04-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

The Last Eyewitness is coming to IKON/The People's Church in 4 days so if you are in the Nashville area, get in some sort of automobile and join us at 7pm on Tuesday. It costs nothing and will be a great night preparing for Easter through music, teaching, film, art, and communion.

One of the highlights of the night will be Don and Lori Chaffer out on the road with the tour. Don and Lori fronted the band, Waterdeep, for about 10 years. They don't tour much these days with Don producing (Sara Groves, Derek Webb, Songs From the Voice, etc.) Lori doing some solo work, and living life as parents of a 2 year old.

Read more about Waterdeep.

**While the entire band is pictured, please note that Don and Lori are the only members of the band participating in 'The Last Eyewitness'

-Brian

IKON THIS WEEK 4.4.06: ABOUT FOOD OFFERED TO IDOLS

2006-04-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

At ikon we're still teaching through Paul's letter to the new Christians in the city of Corinth (1 Corinthians) in our series titled, "A LETTER TO SIN CITY." And we're in the middle of some weird stuff we really don't deal with today: food for sale at the supermarket that was just blessed by a god we don't believe in. I've never once stood in the check out line wondering if I should or shouldn't put that pork chop back in the freezer section because it was sacrificed to a golden cow god just days before. Never.

But what chapter eight, the chapter we're talking about this week, does talk about that I have much experience with are the twin sisters legalism and license. One sits on a shoulder pounding her fist and yelling, "DON'T LISTEN TO THOSE PEOPLE MAKING RULES FOR YOU LIKE THEY'RE GOD! THEY CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT TO DO! YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO..." And the other sits nervous on my other shoulder, her notebook open, her pen writing feverishly every rule I must keep, checking each one off as I do. Her voice is quieter and shaky but relentless - "And don't do that either, that's dangerous - might offend somebody. What if Jesus came back while you were in that place doing you know what?"

So which voice do we listen to? How do we decide when rules are to be heeded or tossed aside altogether? Shoot, how do we even know what the rules are? Seems like everybody - especially Christians - have a few more to add to our already long list. If you're in the Nashville area and you see the world in stark black and white you might get a little irritated this week at ikon - but you're welcomed anyway. If you see no black and white anywhere you'll also have reason to squirm - but you're welcomed to. I'll squirm with you both as we have our ideas of right, wrong, love and community reshaped - and discover whether we should eat food offered to idols. You know, in case that ever comes up at the HEB or Publix in the future.

-Shaun

LETTERS TO WAR

2006-03-29T12:02:00.000-08:00

On April 8th IKONers are invited to the IKON room at The People's Church to assemble care packages that will be sent to U.S. Soldiers in Iraq who are not receiving mail from anyone back home. These soldiers are possibly lonely, surely would like some good old saturate fat from a U.S. grocery store and may just like to know someone cares about them. We're aiming to meet all those needs together. One of our IKONers has a brother stationed in Iraq who alerted us to this need and will be helping us get the packages to the right people the right way. Again, April 8th, 5:30PM in the IKON room. E-mail Katye to reserve a spot for yourself and to find out what supplies we need if you'd like to make a donation to this cause.

This is one of the many "GO" opportunities provided for folks at IKON (Thanks to Katye, our volunteer Go Coordinator this semester for bringing us this opportunity.) IKON is a twenty-something community led by me and Brian Seay meeting at The People's Church in Franklin, TN every Tuesday at 8PM. Our goal is to represent God on earth by learning, going, giving, praying and just being together in community. Visit us on-line at IKONCOMMUNITY.COM or call 615.794.2812 for more info.

THE LAST EYEWITNESS - ROB PEPPER

2006-03-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

IKON is hosting THE LAST EYEWITNESS on Tuesday, April 11 as we prepare for Easter. The night is an alternative worship time with music, teaching, communion, original film, and art. Each of the artists/speakers has unique abilities that they are combining with the goal of engaging and preparing people for Easter with story of Jesus, through the eyes of the Apostle John.

Over the next 10 days I will spotlight each of the people involved with the night to give us a better picture of who will be leading us.

ROB PEPPER

Rob Pepper is a London based artist who teaches at the Art Academy in central London and works in his studio when he is not teaching. He lectures on the role of contemporary art in culture, works with lower income neighborhoods on specific projects, and has a daily blog that features his drawings. Rob's blog, Daily Drawing Diary, was started as a contrast to the predominately text world of blogs.

Rob has a unique style of drawing that is described on his website as, 'Conscious Reflex Drawing'. Here is the description of how it works:

'Pepper sits upright before the subject he is drawing: feet on floor, pad on lap, pen in hand, eyes up look with no contact with the paper – almost a posture of prayer. One hand cradles the book with palm raised up in supplication. The pen-grasping hand skates intentionally across the page, almost in mirror-opposite motion to fingering the prayer chain of a rosary. Lines appear on paper, almost as if invisible inkings make themselves manifest by a reagent. Only Rob himself is the agent. And what at last appears on paper – though peripheral to his view – captures the essence of what he perceives. These creations are like espresso for the eyes.'

Rob has worked on THE LAST EYEWITNESS book and the upcoming VOICE project, both published by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

THIS WEEK AT IKON 3.28.06: NOW, ABOUT VIRGINS...

2006-03-26T21:09:00.000-08:00

Last week at ikon Brian taught from the first half of 1Corinthians 7 where Paul is answering questions from the new Christians in Corinth about relationships. Paul was fielding questions like a first century Dr.Phil or Dear Abbie:

Should I avoid the opposite sex altogether?

I'm married, should I stop having sex with my spouse now that I'm a Christian?

I'm single, should I stay that way?

Can I leave my spouse because he/she is not a Christian like me?

This week Paul answers questions about virgins and tells us if it's better to be married or single:

1Corinthians 7:25-34 (NIV) Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. 26Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. 27Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. 28But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

29What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

32I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord's affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

See you there.

BLOG ON TOUR

2006-03-22T09:09:00.000-08:00

Shaun and I are loading up the tour bus (it's actually a 2001 Nissan Maxima) and taking off today for a week of concerts in the great cities of Greenville (IL), Portage (IN), Wheaton (IL), Williamsburg (KY), Lexington (KY), and Mishawaka (IN). So, I will be taking the blog on the road with me and share some stories of the people we meet and the places we see over the next 6 days.

I had multiple questions after IKON last night about the relationship talk from I Corinthians 7. I will answer those on the blog during the week.

- Brian

THIS WEEK AT IKON 3.21.06: MARRIAGE?

2006-03-20T22:11:00.000-08:00

We're still in our series on 1 Corinthians at ikon called "A Letter To Sin City." If you're in the area (the people's church in franklin, tn.) stop by. Here's just a little bit of what Brian will be teaching from this Tuesday March 21.

1 Corinthians 7:7-9 Sometimes I wish everyone were single like me--a simpler life in many ways! But celibacy is not for everyone any more than marriage is. God gives the gift of the single life to some, the gift of the married life to others. I do, though, tell the unmarried and widows that singleness might well be the best thing for them, as it has been for me. But if they can't manage their desires and emotions, they should by all means go ahead and get married. The difficulties of marriage are preferable by far to a sexually tortured life as a single.

It's not enough to call marriage difficult huh Paul? You just had to call singles tortured too. Um, Mr.Sunshine, is there anything you DO like?

SWEET SIXTEEN

2006-03-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

The NCAA Tournament is down to 16 teams, often called the SWEET SIXTEEN. Here is point breakdown for my family:

Brian - 25 points for Round 1, and 13 of the sweet sixteen correct = 51 points
Amy - 17 points for Round 1, and 9 of the sweet sixteen correct = 35 points
Kids - 19 points for Round 1, and 5 of the sweet sixteen correct = 29 points

I don't feel good about dominating my family in this innocent game of sports prognostication. But this morning at breakfast I put on my foam #1 finger and danced around the room making sure everyone knew who was leading. It was a little awkward and my youngest started crying - but it was worth it.

For the record, all of my Final Four teams are still playing.

- Brian

TOURNAMENT UPDATE

2006-03-18T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here is the March Madness update after the first round. I filled out a bracket, my wife filled out one, and I had my 4 kids (ages 8,6,4 and 2) tell me who would win as I called each game out to them. I wanted to see if my obsessive knowledge of sports would pay off against opponents who knew nothing of the game.

FIRST ROUND RESULTS:

The Kids - 19-13 (19 points)
Amy - 17-15 (17 points)
Brian - 25-7 (25 points)

So far I have a comfortable lead but the second round is worth 2 points per game and if my kids are right and every school from Texas and Tennessee advance, I could be in trouble.

- Brian

SAINT PATRICK and THE EVIL EMPIRE

2006-03-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

I tried yesterday to get to this blog and post about St. Patrick and his life and how he evangelized tribes that the traditional church had deemed 'unreachable', etc. BUT Darth Vader go in the way. My oldest son, Phillip, will turn 7 in a couple of weeks but since I am traveling all of next week and the following week is Spring Break at his school we decided to throw his party yesterday. Phillip loves Star Wars. I don't mean just enjoys it or has seen the movie but lives, breathes, and sleeps the battle between the rebel forces and the evil empire. We didn't mean for it be an obsession, it just happened. So, instead of blogging yesterday I had a great day putting together Vader masks, searching for a Star Wars balloon, and itemizing what we needed for the X-Wing Fighter Scavenger Hunt, and corraling 8 1st graders who were enamored with hw loud they could burp while eating their pizza.

So, here's the Patrick post a day late:

I didn't read much about saints growing up but always knew every March 17th you were supposed to wear green and look for those who failed to do the same so you could get away with a free pinch. This is all I really knew about Patrick until several years ago when I read a book titled The Celtic Way of Evangelism that told the story of Patrick's life. Patrick was a teenager that was kidnapped by savages who took him to Ireland and forced him into slavery. He escaped several years later and returned to England. He was going about his life when he felt called to return to Ireland and share his faith with them. Patrick studied for the priesthood and convinced the church to send him to Ireland. The church sent Patrick even though they warned him that the people that lived in Ireland were beyond reach and he was wasting his time. Patrick and a small team from the church began living with these nomadic tribes of people and telling them about faith through stories, songs, and images - something the Irish could connect with. Patrick often focused on the leaders of the tribe and when they came to faith many of their tribe followed. There is a great deal of myth associated with Patrick (as there is with most saints) but what we do know is that he was passioante about sharing Jesus with the Irish even if the mainstream church deemed them 'unreachable'.

Read more about St. Patrick here.

- Brian

THE LAST EYEWITNESS

2006-03-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, April 11th IKON will host THE LAST EYEWITNESS, an alternative worship experience aimed at connecting people to the story of Jesus through scenes from the Gospel of John. During the night, worship will take the form of art with UK artist Rob Pepper, music with the Robbie Seay Band and Don and Lori Chaffer ofWaterdeep, and experiential teaching with author/pastor Chris Seay.

All of these artists are collaborating on THE VOICE, a project designed at reconnecting people to the story of scripture. Other contributors to this project are Donald Miller, Brian McClaren, Lauren Winner, and many others. THE VOICE will be available in 2007.

-Brian

DOUBT NIGHT WITH ROB BELL

2006-03-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

"DOUBT NIGHT" AT MARS HILL Bible Church in Grandville, Mich., promises an evening of brutal honesty and searching. Rob Bell, the church's 33-year-old teaching pastor, fields questions about anything related to Christianity and life. One night last December, a brave young woman put Pastor Bell on the spot: "I doubt that God will forgive my sins, when I can't forgive a babysitter who raped me repeatedly when I was 10 years old." And so it began. The young woman that evening raised the first of many deeply personal issues ranging from suicide to addictions.

Mars Hill started with a small group in 1999 and five years later claims more than 10,000 weekly attendees. Church leaders say such growth was not the result of a grand master plan. "Doubt Night" displays Mars Hill's emphasis: the Bible applied to real-life situations with a level of authenticity not previously found by a new generation of churchgoers.

Read more
NOOMA videos
Mars Hill Church Grand Rapids
(HT:Resurgence)

- Brian

AND THE WINNER IS...

2006-03-13T21:48:00.000-08:00

FINAL FOUR: Texas, UCLA, Connecticut, Florida
CHAMPION: The University of Texas at Austin

I realize this looks to be a biased and emotional pick with my Texas ties and my past residence in Austin. But if you are to look further into the intricacies that is the tourney bracket you will find that this is also a very good pick.

What is your final four? Champ?

I am having my kids guess at a bracket and having my wife fill one out even though she does not care at all. I will then compare theirs against my educated bracket (I am a nerd who reads espn.com and listens to sports radio) to see if my knowledge gives me an advantage.

- Brian

THIS WEEK AT IKON: PAUL SPANKS THE COURT

2006-03-13T14:49:00.000-08:00

See you there.

-Shaun

MARCH MADNESS

2006-03-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

I love the NCAA tournament! There was a day (pre-marriage, pre-children, pre-job, etc.) where the only time I got off the couch during the Tournament was to order more pizza and make a quick trip to the bathroom. I am filling out my bracket right now and will post my final four later in the day.

I am fully aware this is not a topic of faith but we will return to our normally scheduled blog posts after this brief interruption by college basketball.

- Brian

THE SAD ACCORDIONS

2006-03-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

Let me introduce you to some friends of mine that go by the name, The Sad Accordions. This band is based in Austin, TX and they also double as the music portions of Mosaic, a church in Austin that I helped plant and co-pastored for a couple of years. These guys (and un female) are making their first CD in Austin and play regularly in clubs, bars, and other music venues in the Live Music Capital of the World. They have one song up on myspace - go check it out.

-Brian

FAMILY MEETING

2006-03-09T04:40:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a great family of 5 kids, 2 parents, and an occasional dog. One of the staples of our family was the 'family meeting' that my parents would call for a variety of reasons. We would all gather in our living room and act like we had better things to do while my parents would dicuss the topic of that moment. I never thought much about the family meeting but as I grew older I missed those times and we often make fun of those days when we get together.

Now there are still 5 kids but we have added 4 spouses and 14 grandchildren and I live 800 miles from the family living room. So when a family meeting was called for yesterday we turned to technology to make it happen. We hooked up our i sight cameras and had a full-on family meeting. I sat in Nashville and Dad, Mom, Chris , Jenn, and Rob sat in a suburb of Houston and we did the 'family meeting'. Amazing! Thanks to Steve Jobs, the brilliant minds at Apple, the people who packed and shipped the isight, and the team that cleans the offices there so people can manage, make, and ship such incredible products.

*Family Meeting Records will show that the youngest sibling (17 year old Jessica) had an excused absence due to an engagment where she was giving a speech about Teen Leadership in Salado, TX

- Brian

HOW EVANGELICAL ARE YOU?

2006-03-08T07:16:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it is just healthy for us to make fun of ourselves. Are you willing to do that? Take the Evangelical EQ test.

- Brian

THE ANTI-SPITTING CAMPAIGN

2006-03-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

If you were thinking of visiting Beijing anytime soon and during that visit you were thinking of spitting - think again. The governement has implemented an anti-spitting campaign aimed at cleaning up the streets and promoting good manners leading up to the 2008 Olympics to be held in the city. Volunteers are handing out 'spit bags' just in case you have the urge to let one go and can't wait until you return to a private place. Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Officials on Wednesday identified spitting as Beijing's worst habit and vowed to crack down -- supported by a new hi-tech police unit. They will be fighting tradition and geography. For most of Beijing's 14-million residents, spitting is considered not only acceptable but necessary to clear the throat of the dust and grit in one of the world's driest and most polluted cities."

Read the entire article here.

(HT:SN)

HAPPY SPRING BREAK

2006-03-06T08:15:00.000-08:00

Again, no ikon this week. See you March 14th.

PS. If you didn't receive this image and message from us today, it means we don't have your e-mail address in our supercomputer. If you did give it to us already but you still aren't getting mail from us it means I lost your address, sold it or mistyped it. My bad. If you'd like to be spammed, I mean updated once a week with ikon related stuff just e-mail me your address and I'll add you to the list - I promise this time. Thanks.

-Shaun

THE OSCARS

2006-03-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

I love movies and the stories they tell but I typically don't care for the Oscars because it is industry insiders voting for what they think is the 'best' and that just seems a little mundane to me. Not to say they are always wrong (see: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King or Life is Beautiful) but the night is way too long and the list of people that the sound editor or the makeup person has to thank just gets a little old. But I watched last night and a couple of pretty big surprises took place so I thought I would give out some of my thoughts about the night.

-Reese Witherspoon- Best Actress for Walk the Line - My wife is fully aware, and even somewhat supporting, of the crush I have on Reese. The movie was good but the acting was great by Reese and Joaquin Phoenix. She also delivered one of the best acceptance speeches of the night. (Read her quote here) Reese and her family live not too far from our house here in TN and I thought about going over there to congratulate her but my wife thought that might look a little too stalker-like.

- CRASH - Best Picture - In an upset, Crash took home the Oscar for Best Picture. This was the only one of the 'Best Picture' nominess that I have seen (but I have plans to see Capote, Good Night and Good Luck, and Munich) and it was an amazing movie. It was filmed in such a way that your own issues, prejudices, and thoughts were brought right into the movie along with the characters. It showed how racism is complex and is not bound to a single race, class, or area.

- Philip Seymour Hoffman - Best Actor for Capote - This guy is one of the best actors today. He can act in an uwatchable move like Along Came Polly (undeserving of even a link here) and make you laugh until you cry when he shows up on the screen. He can then move into a dramatic role (see: Magnolia and Love Liza) and connect with your deepest emotions. He was also great in Punch Drunk Love.

Additional thoughts:

- Jon Stewart was very funny. Sarcasm at its finest! Good choice by the Academy for the host. At one point in the the night there was a tribute to 'powerful social movies' and Samuel L. Jackson set it up in dramatic fashion. In his deep, haunting voice he talked about how Hollywood tackles the tough issues like poverty, AIDS, and intolerance. The montage flew through these movies and the drama was enhanced by the music. But when it was over and the lights came back up, Jon Stewart leaned into the mic and said, "And none of those issues was ever a problem again." The joke was met with nervous laughter from a room that was too busy patting itself on the back.

- Amy Adams was great in Junebug and I was disappointed she did not win. I just saw this movie on Friday and thought she was very impressive.

- I realize that 99% of actors and actresses are out of touch with the common person (due to the fact that they make millions, live in small compounds, wear sunglasses all the time, and pretend to be other people for a living) but in my little world I like to think that George Clooney is a guy you can just hang out with. So, it was good to see my 'good pal George' win Best Supporting Actor.

That's all.

- Brian

NO IKON TUESDAY - A LETTER TO SIN CITY RETURNS MARCH 14

2006-03-03T12:45:00.000-08:00

(pic: ancient temple in Corinth)

Just a reminder that we are not meeting this Tuesday (March 7) because of Nashville area Spring Break.

- Brian

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEXAS!

2006-03-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my native state! Today is Texas Independence Day. On March 2, 1836 the Texas Declaration of Independence was penned and Texas declared it independence.

A couple of things you need to know about Texas:

1 - She is the only state in the union who can vote to secede (and we will return from TN if that day occurs!)
2 - She is the only state in the union who can fly the state flag at the equivalent height to the USA flag.

Take a moment today to wish The Lone Star State a happy 170th birthday.

- Brian

THE HIDDEN POWER OF ELECTRONIC CULTURE

2006-03-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

I am starting this book today. I was pointed toward this book earlier in the week and found it intriguing. Check out the Shane Hipps site to order the book or read more about it.

-Brian

ASH WEDNESDAY

2006-03-01T07:03:00.000-08:00

Growing up in my church it seemed like we were always afraid of charasmatics and Catholics. Not in a 'keep your hand on your wallet' sort of way but with the fear that we might show too much emotion or turn our faith into a ritual. I don't know who, if anyone, told me to be fearful of these people and their practices, I just was. So when my good, faithful, Southern Baptist sister started practicing Lent I felt like maybe we should have some sort of intervention. I realize that all of our faith traditions have their issues and faults but the more I learned about Lent, the more I connected with its purpose. The season of Lent has historically been practiced as a season of fasting and preparation for Easter. Today, fasting is still a major part of the season but it also can represent searching yourself for areas of your life that stand betweeen you and God and abstaining from those during this time.

We always just showed up on Easter Sunday with our best clothes on, some chocolate eggs in tow, and an appetite for some honey glazed ham that was sitting on the table waiting to be eaten after we sing 'Because He Lives' one more time. And all that is fine, but there was no real preparation for that day. So I began practicing Lent.

Prepare. Sacrifice. Focus.

Now when Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday come I feel as though I am more connected to the story, sacrifice, and celebration. It does not make me any more spiritual, but it does remind me that our faith is more of a process instead of a series of events.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of Lent. A day when many believers will put the palm ashes on their foreheads to symbolize their commitment to the cross and the story of Jesus. It seems a little odd and radical, but isn't that what makes it beautiful?