Iranian Bloggers

Iran: A nation of bloggers from Mr.Aaron on Vimeo.

I thought this was interesting. I wish it would have been longer.

Zach kisses a rock

Here's the update I sent our to our community:

Tonight while playing ot my aunt and uncle's house in Sand Springs Zach and the other kids were jumping around on some big rocks in the back yard. At about 5:30 Zach slipped and feel and landed on his face, specifically chin and front teeth. We heard the scream and ran out back he was bleeding, like horror movie blood, spewing from his mouth.

He'd fractured the bone in the front of his mouth that connects his front teeth to his jaw. Meaning, three of his front 4 teeth were pointed to the back of his throat. (think horizontal).
Frotunately my cousin Chris is a dentist and he was there. We loaded up Zach and took him to Chris' office in Jenks (96th and riverside).

Chris took x-rays, and then snapped the teeth back into place. Then wired them front 4 teeth together temporarily. It looks like 2 of the teeth may die, we aren't sure yet, we'll schedule an appointment on Monday with some more drs related to this kind of thing.

Zach is on a liquid /soft food diet. Soups, smoothies that kind of thing.
He's doing well.
After the initial trauma of the accident he stayed calm, and I held his hand while Chris sat above his head and pushed his teeth back into place. Not something I'd like to ever see again, but it could have been way worse.

They don't think he broke his jaw. Nothing was showing up on the x-ray.

So that's the heads up. Thanks for those who inquired from my facebook or twitter updates. (pretty cool way to spread some word really quick)

Thanks for your prayers.
Pray that Zach sleeps well tonight and that we all survive him eating soft foods.
I don't think we need anything right now.
He's up and around, and other than not being able to talk real clearly, and a swollen chin he looks ok.

If you want, you are welcome to call Zach tomorrow (Sat.) and let him know you are thinking about him he at that age when he thinks it's pretty cool when adults want to talk to him on the phone.

Happy Thanksgiving

Full of inside jokes...but hilarious

Look what came in the mail today

How cool is that?

The Man who Called it

Peter Schiff called it back in early 07. His outlook for us is not good. I makes me think of Greenspan's interview from earlier in the year where he said, we need to let the bottom fall out (which to him was tied directly to the housing market) and it the video from Barnett I recently posted (which was shot 5 years ago) in which he has America as a second tier citizen of the world compared to China.

This video is worth your time. But it's not pretty, and it's not what you want to hear.

The Sarah Palin Turkey Massacre

This pretty much exemplifies the Palin I know. She's talking all happy, without knowing that they are cutting the throats of turkey's behind her. Who does this woman's media relations?

Inside the Mind on Ecampus

I'll be using "Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors" next semester for the seminary class I'm teaching on Leadership. I'm excited that it's on ecampus. If you're a youth ministry prof for a seminary or college, hit up YS for a free copy once they are available so you can see if you want to use it for youth ministry curriculum too. My apologies for the blatant self promotion. :-)

The US and the World

You simply must watch this video of Thomas Barnett. It's required. You will understand what's happening in our world so much better. I'm not kidding. You need to watch this. It's not that he has all the answers, but his ability to condense a tremendous amount of information into a 23 minute talk is pretty incredible. You will see the world differently. We will see ourselves differently. Watch it.

(Thanks again to Bevan)

"I'm not one of those... Christians"

The Onion does it again.

Link

Money Quote:

"My faith in the Lord is about the pure, simple values: raising children right, saying grace at the table, strictly forbidding those who are Methodists or Presbyterians from receiving communion because their beliefs are heresies, and curing homosexuals. That's all. Just the core beliefs. You won't see me going on some frothy-mouthed tirade about being a comfort to the downtrodden."

(Thanks to Bevan via email)

Fun Quote

I heard this quote last week, or I read it. So forgive me for not knowing.

"I'm not a universalist. But I hope God is."

Today I am a Jayhawk

Today I stand with my Jayhawk friends, especially Dan Mayes, and I'm pulling for a win against Texas. It doesn't need to be to be a big win. One point will do.

Rock Chaulk Jayhawk!

Parents don;t take your teens to Nebraska

This is really happening. It's unbelievable and heartbreaking. Parent's are using the vague language of a bill enabling parents to abandon their infants, to abandon their teens.

Link

The Risk of the New

It happens in the staff meetings where someone has yet to throw in the towel to become bystanders, or onlookers. Where one or more staff hope from something new. During the meeting a moment occurs, the group is presented with a new idea, a moment of inspiration that's not yet fully formed. It popped up 3 minutes ago, everyon got excited, until - and you know what's coming don't you - someone throws the wet blanket. They ask How? They may do this for their own personal joy, or they may simply be "practical". This person may ask, How will we pay for it? or How long would it take? or Has it worked somewhere else before?

"How?" when asked to early, kills transformation. "How?" is what we ask when we already know the answer. "How?" is the voice of the status quo. "How?" is the voice of the oppressor. "How?" is an excuse to be unfaithful.

Ideas that are 5 minutes old, are not worth asking How? about.

How? is what we ask, when we resist risk. When things look to big, for us, or God to do, we ask "How?" New things always require risk, engagement, and the opportunity for loss and possibility for a negative reaction.

If the only decisions your church staff make, don't cost anyone anything, are they really worth doing?

Simply because we don't have the answers now, doesn't mean it's not a good idea.

Transformation requires risk. Asking How? too soon will always assure that you never risk anything.

This doesn't mean you won't have problems. Problems aren't exclusively the property of risk. Problems will find you when you try to keep everyone happy as well.
It can become a downward spiral for a lot of churches.
But that my friends would be another post of the future.

Thoughts on Intimacy

People have the means to connect in new ways. People connect with personal and more intimate information. This is changing us as a people. I'm not sure what this means for me or the church.

On my Facebook status I mention that I'm listening to Yo Yo Ma. Soon thereafter, an advertizement appears on the sidebar for Yo Yo Ma's new Christmas album. I mention the artist, "Band of Horses" and you guessed it. Horses appear in the advertizement.

Amazon knows books I might like better than I will.

Apple's iTunes Genius is built around knowing music that you might know. I've taken advantage of

Music is a tough one isn't it? Music touches the soul and here a computer is suggesting music I might like.

Intimate information either changes what we understand intimacy to be, changes us and what we consider intimate, or is a dangerous substitute. Or is some complex version of all three.

All the facebook "Happy Birthdays" in the world can add up to a personal phone call. Or a friend who takes time away and drops by.

Perhaps this is some kind of warped view I have, based on a value system I hold, or a way I was brought up that no longer exists.

OR perhaps we are experiencing a pseudo intimacy. We go through the motions, because we are supposed to, but we still have space between us. We are still alone, no matter how intimate the information.

Certainly it is good to say, "Happy Birthday" on Facebook, or connect with people online. People we haven't seen in years etc. This is good.

But it is a new intimacy. Intimacy like REality TV. It's real, we feel like we are getting to know people intimately, but we don't really know any of them. Intimacy in this sense is one more way to attempt to control the world around us. I wonder if it often objectifies others, and reinforces the idea that I am the center of the universe, that I stand alone, and everything I encounter exists for me. Ever text I read, every tweet, every facebook status, every genius suggestion, tells us two lies. That we are individuals alone in the world, and that we have a holographic steak in front of us as we are starving, and in need of nourishment, but every time we try to eat it, we find it has no substance. Thus, we are alone and we feel crappy about it.

This isn't to say that twitter, facebook, im, text etc are bad. It is to say that it's not neutral.

But then I could be wrong. What do you think?

Pete rollins on Irony

I Twit

I have joined the twitter tribe. Here's my page if you twit as well.

https://twitter.com/riddlegroup

Sufjan- To be alone with you

When I think of Michigan. It's often to the tune of Sufjan. or maybe it's the other way around. when I hear Sufjan, I think of my friends and life in Michigan with a deep fondness and gratitude.

Jimmy on the AntiChrist

My buddy Jimmy has written some on the anti-christ. I would venture to guess that he's thinking about the subject because, in our neck of the woods, people are asking if Obama is THE anti-Christ. He doesn't say so. It's my take. And while you might write off such thinking as nutty, or completely out of touch with reality, it is in fact some of the very talk one might have seen popping up on facebook status on the eve of Nov. 4th. Or in a church near you this coming Sunday.

Here's Jimmy's take. on the anti-christ.

If you are a left behind fan, someone who thinks about the end times alot, or are a Kirk Cameron fan, then you really need to read what Jimmy wrote.

fun

Fundamentalism and Art

"Fundamentalism and Art are mutually exclusive. There is no such thing as fundamentalist art."
Steven Pressfield in The War of Art (Go buy this book.)

The artist and the fundamentalist are both individuals who are struggling with what do to with freedom. Art moves us forward to a new future, engaging new ideas, new realities, new experiences. To the artist, humanity is valuable full of possibilities for redemption. The fundamentalist moves us backward, to a better, more pure day, or time, or idea.

To the fundamentalist, we know the ideas, there's no need for new ones. They are driven to take themselves and the rest of us back to a time when it was right. There is only one right, and they know it. To disagree with them, is to be outside the bounds of God's understanding, to be unorthodox, to be heretical.

To the artist, God is transforming the world (individuals, communities and his creation) into a new creation. The hermeneutical lens is fundamentally different for the artist. They see Jesus as bring restoration, but a restoration for a new future in which God co -labors with us.

In the christian ghetto, artists are neutered of the power of new idea, to question, to wonder and wander, to say things in new ways because the least mature person, ie the fundamentalist, see new ideas as dangerous and against the very realities of God.

This my friends is why we have such crappy art. Why our books have little to know edge, why our art is generic or moralistic or simplistic or about the lowest common denominator of faith.

This is why the artist is often on the fringe of society anyway. They are exploring the things that make us uncomfortable, whether it be music, preaching, writing, dance, or painting.

Art and fundamentalism are mutually exclusive. Take heart... if you are in the sites of fundamentalism, your art probably holds more power.

Otherwise, go see Fireproof this weekend.

RLP writes to his 15 yr old daughter

Real Live Preacher is a gifted writer. This is a letter he wrote his daughter who is 15. A beautiful letter communicating many of the things a young woman needs to hear from her father, or adult in her life. I pray that when the time comes I can communicate like this to mikayla. there are things that also need to be communicated to boys, but that's for another day.

And to any girl who needs a blessing.

Beloved daughter, we have arrived at the time of life where I cannot give you everything you want and need. We have come to the time where you must learn to walk alone. That is hard for me, but it is right and good. It is the way things should be.

Listen to me now, for there are things I want to tell you as you stand, trembling, on the edge of womanhood.

I know that boys have become fascinating and mysterious to you. They live in a strange world of their own, the world of young men. It is a world of new muscles and deepening voices. It is a world of astonishing energy and physical movement. I know your eyes are drawn to them. I know your heart beats faster when you watch them. And I know you dream of a boy who will love you.

I also know there are girls at school who giggle and fawn over the boys. They lean in close, laughing hysterically at something he said and letting their shoulders bump. They know how to let their hand rest gently on his shoulder or his thigh, just for a moment. Just long enough. No, I do not know where they learned to play this game so well.

Now, my young woman. Now have come the days of your choosing. You are both discovering and deciding what kind of woman you will be. You are deciding what of your life will be hidden and what you will show. Choose carefully, for what shames you now may serve you one day. And what serves you now may one day make you ashamed. Many girls will lose themselves in this time. They may find themselves again someday, but many years will be lost.

Hear me now, daughter, for my place in your life grows smaller every day. And I would give you a blessing while I am able. Come to me, because I know you. I know that you still sleep with your blanket. I saw the Dr. Seuss book laying beside your bed. I know you have one foot in each world. Come to me now and receive my blessing.

You are a strong young woman. Your mind is strong, as are your opinions. Strong and well-formed. You have not traded what is precious for what is fleeting, though life these days would have been easier in some ways if you had.

You are a tender young woman, compassionate and kind. You believe in goodness and work for it. You care about the feelings of others. You are a loyal and faithful friend. You are brave enough to trust others, and others are not afraid to trust you.

Your faith in God is not simple or falsely stated. Your understanding of God is a growing, hurting, questioning, struggling thing. This too is as it should be.

You are a young woman who knows what love is. You have been loved and are loved. You understand love and will settle for nothing less. You will accept no facsimile, reasonable or otherwise. Listen to your heart when it comes to love, because your heart is as soft now as it was when you were young and your heart rested gently in my hands. I guarded that heart as long as I could.

Those are the things I know about you. Here is what I think you should do:

Walk the halls of your school with your head held high. While others may worship at the altars of camouflage, conformity, and compromise, you stand above those shortcuts and soul slayers. Rise up, young woman, and do not be afraid. Rise up and be true to yourself. Let the strength of your presence transcend hair and clothing and music and boys. Let your true colors show in the halls and know that many in high school have scales on their eyes. They only see what they want to see. Many will not see you. There will be times when you walk the halls and feel invisible.

But here is a secret that I know. One boy will see you. He will see you in the middle of the noise and the energy and the hype and the crowds. He will see your strong walk and your eyes. He will listen to the answers you boldly call out in class. He will hear your voice and know your power. He will watch you until he knows you, and then his heart will fall into his stomach, for he will understand that there is only one like you.

Look for him. He is the only one that matters. Do not listen to boys who say they love you. Instead believe in the boy who wants to cherish you. If you hide now, ducking into the crowd like so many others, dressing and looking and acting and praying for safety, you might indeed be safe, but the only boy that matters will miss you. He will miss you because he is looking for a girl like no other. And you will have become just another girl in the crowd.

Your heart now rests in the hands of those who might hurt you. That’s hard for me, but it could not be any other way because you would not leave your heart in my hands. If I must give up your heart, then listen to my words.

Stand up. Stand out. Be smart and strong. It may be some time before you find the one who can appreciate who you are. So be it. Settle for nothing less. Because if your heart must rest in the hands of another man, I want him to be a man strong enough to love a strong woman.

Go into the world, my string of pearls. Go into the world and make me proud.

Daddy.

Surreal moment at the poles today

It’s election day in the US and where I live in the southern Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow, that means it’s likely that McCain will have a big turn out. While Pam was taking my 5th grader to school with a few other classmates early for their 5th grade choir, the conversation was around the elementary school’ mock election. “McCain will win,”said one student. “No one will vote for Obama.” Another 10 year old chimed in. “There are a couple kids who will vote for Obama, they are always talking about him.” The first kid responded. “Yeah, but they’re weird.”

Nice. My wife tells me this story when she gets home in the kitchen as my 7 year old comes into the room and tells us he’s voting for Obama. Interesting. It’s one of those moments filled with temptations as a parent. Moments to tell you child, to be quiet about who they are voting for, so they won’t get picked on. And then reality comes crashing in, that this would be the absolute worst thing to tell him. To hide what you believe in because it might not be popular. This isn’t what I want for my kids.

Then later, Pam and I have arranged to do tag-team vote because my 3 year old daughter isn’t in school. I’ve voted and sitting in the minivan with Mikayla, who’s strapped in her carseat, still in her nightgown. Pam is inside waiting in line. I’m spending my time reading and talking with Mikayla, when I notice an elderly man in my passanger side rearview mirror. He’s sitting in the grass with his legs draped over the tall curb and he’s breathing heavy. Heart-attack heavy. There’s a small woman in her 40’s attending to him.

At this moment I’m playing catch up. Questions are racing. Do these people know each other? Is he just relaxing and waiting for a friend who is voting inside? I begin to look for details. I see people walking by, within feet of the two of them. They don’t stop. They keep walking in to vote. I decide I’m getting out to check on them, but Mikayla’s in her PJ’s. So I look again. The woman has left the man and is walking to her car.

Is everything ok now? Does she think he’s okay to be left alone?
I sit back down in the car, but continue to watch the man. How he’s breathing, the look on his face. Something was still not right. I could tell, even from the distance I was sitting. The woman returned and took out a bag with a blood pressure gauge. She was a nurse and she was getting his vitals. This made me feel better, but I felt there was a need for more help and I start counting people walking by.

It’s a busy polling place. No less than 75 people walked by to vote, or to leave. Within feet of an elderly man getting his vitals taken there on the curb. I can wait no more. I tell Mikayla to sit tight, and lock the doors behind me (I’m only walking 30 feet to where the man is) and I ask, “Is everything okay?”

The old man tells me his story. He says he was walking into vote when he got dizzy and faint, struggling to keep his feet underhim, he fell over the curb in the grass. The nurse said, his vitals were settling down. Together we stood him up. He needed assistance for a moment. The nurse took him into vote.

I sat back down for a moment in awe of the moment. I can’t really describe what I felt at that point. There was a mix of anger, sadness, frustration and hope. It occurred to me.

Voting is the lowest form of citizenship a person can actually participate in. Voting, for all the commercials telling you how you are changing the world with your vote just might make you feel good, but are misleading. The fact is, if all you do today is vote, you have failed the rest of us and you have failed yourself.

How can 75 people walk by an elderly man in distress and do nothing. Nothing except vote. Friends, voting is less important than your involvment.

I don’t care who you voted for.
If you voted for Obama, you can’t be dependant upon him to change the world to make it want you want it to be. That’s not engagement. If you are interested in helping the poor through the government, then you’d better be doing it yourself. A vote for Obama isn’t a vote for change. You helping a elderly man on your way into the polling place is the change you are looking for.
If you voted for McCain, and you don’t think that it’s the job of government to care for the poor. Then you’d better get off your butt and do something. You talk a good game, and I know you had socialism, but you have a poor track record of actually making a difference. No government has kept you from making a difference on this level. So quit crying foul and stop for the elderly man who needs you. For all your talk about not wanting someone else in control of your government, you seem pretty happy just to vote and then complain when things don’t go your way. I know you want government to leave you alone. We can tell. You want the rest of us to leave you alone too.

I’m not going to tell you who I voted for, but I’ll say this. We need more citizens in our world and less folks who only want to be voters.

So, if you are a 10 year old voting at the elementary school, or an adult voting at your polling place, remember what it means to be a citizen of the planet. To love your neighbor as yourself.

Ray Lamontagne - Shelter + one

subtle and beautiful.