Obama beats Jesus!

A recently released Harris poll shows that Obama is America's top hero, beating out Jesus and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.! You can make your own observations about this survey; what surprised me more was reading that Bush was in the Top Ten list.

1st Church of Musky Fishing

I attended church today at the Milwaukee Musky Fishing Sports Show. I went in support of my neighbor, Kevin Moore, a guide who gave a talk on 'Fishing High Pressured Water.' What stood out in my mind were the similarities between a local evangelical church and what I found at the Musky Show. The demographics were homogeneous -to each context -in both the church and the Musky Show, the comparable dress code (jeans, and 2 day old stubble, and a fishing cap vs. business casual found in most churches), both took an offering ($10 entrance fee at the door vs. voluntary giving as part of the service), the unique inside vocabulary (I listened to my neighbor's 45 minute presentation, and understood about 1/2 of it vs. a similar employment of an inside 'religious' vocabulary used in church), and repeated references to what I call, 'local heroes' (I met the man who holds the world record for largest Musky vs. the 'local heroes' w/n the church of Rob Bell, Mark Driscoll and Andy Stanley).

And as is the case for many... I didn't feel like I fit in. Unfamiliar with the dress code, vocabulary, the local heroes, or the demographic of the show... Maybe the Evangelical Church can learn from the 1st Church of Musky!

The Pastor as CEO, Surfer Dude, Hunter, or Coach

I've seen different personality types in the role of Pastor. The CEO Pastor, sits atop his organization, ruling from on high. The Surfer Dude Pastor, rides the wave of coolness, letting culture dictate his style. The Hunter Pastor, regales his followers with exploits from the wilderness. The Coach Pastor, is constantly motivating with that type A personality. Scot McKnight is his Out of Ur blog, makes the case to be just called 'Pastor.' Excellent work Scot!

In praise of Third Place

Sociologists use the term 'First place' to refer to our homes, the primary location of our main social interactions. 'Second place' refers to where we work, and 'third place' describes that which allows for creative interaction between people while not at home or at work. Its Thursday night, February 12th, 2009 and I'm writing this post in a local Starbucks. Next to me is a medical student, studying for upcoming exams. In front of me is a group of 12 young people from Eastern Europe, chatting amiably about life. Students, older people, young moms, all congregating, sipping expensive hot drinks, everyone coming together in a social setting that is only possible at a Third Place. The health of any community depends on the amount and quality of these Third Places!

Seen on the back of a Volvo

Bumper sticker that read: Eschew Obfuscation

Got to love it!

Is Jesus our Model for living?

Or is he something more... I was looking through some archived sermons the other day from a well-known mega-church pastor and came across a sermon on Philippians chapter 2. The application drawn from the passage was that we need to be humble and subscribe to downward mobility -following the example of Jesus... It occurred to me that while this is a great truth, i wondered if we were reducing Jesus to a mere model. Is he a model for us, or is he something more... It is my understanding that Jesus is our Savior first, and to those who are followers of Him, He then is also a model. I wonder if some have fallen into an error of reversing these priorities.

Buying your way into heaven?

Paul Vitello, reporting for the New York Times, describes the return of Indulgences here . For those versed in Church History, we remember that Luther took to task the Catholic Church over the selling of these dispensations. Indulgences are avenues to avoid time in purgatory or at least reduce the amount of suffering one must endure. The Vatican is making it clear that these indulgences are not for sale, however are available for those who will make charitable donations. The implications of this move are seismic in nature. Evangelical theology teaches that forgiveness of sins is final at the Cross of Christ. Christ paid for every one's sins once and for all. I wonder if people find Indulgences appealing for it gives us the ability to influence God's forgiveness?

Growing Spiritually at No Regrets 2009

Each year Elmbrook Church in Brookfield Wisconsin sponsors a regional men's event called No Regrets... This year over 5000 men attended seminars held in 3 different locations. I spoke at the Westbrook location on the topic of Spiritual Growth. All 74 speakers can be heard for free by clicking HERE We had over 25 guys attend from our church, and each one of them came away motivated in their relationships to Christ, their families, and to their spouses. Definitely an amazing experience!

Music Review: A Hundred Million Suns, by Snow Patrol

Snow Patrol's latest album is an artistic work of soring sounds, lush lyrics, and delightful melodies. 'Crack the Shutters' and 'The Planets Bend Between Us' are 1st class songs. Ireland's lesser sons of rock, Snow Patrol continues to create rich textures with its lyrics and music. Their songs 'Run,' 'Chocolate,' and 'Chasing Cars,' have been staples on Top 40 stations, since they were released in mid 2000. A Hundred Million Suns is a mature, intricate and beautiful collection of songs.

Growing Spiritually

The email requested that I speak on the topic of Growing Spiritually. I'm a huge fan of No Regrets, the regional men's conference hosted at Elmbrook Church, having attended many years in the past. 'Ah, the humor of this topic...', I said to myself... So on Saturday, February 7th I'll be addressing this topic in front of up to 700 men! My plan, to point to God's Word, specifically the path of wisdom that is found in the book of Proverbs. More to come...

Implosion

History tells us that the majority party splinters under its own weight, while the minority party, by virtue of its underdog status is more nimble and focused. Looking back through past elections, we see the cyclical pattern of the political parties rising and falling along predictable historical time frames. For the past 8 years the Republicans espoused their big tent philosophy, which came crashing down in record levels this past Tuesday. Those identifying themselves as Republicans voted in such low numbers, that one has to go back 28 years to find comparable statistics. Sure the mismanagement of the economy and the ‘war on terror’ had much to do with McCain’s dismal presidential run, as did the magnetism and the desire for change that Obama embodied.

Republicans will endure the necessary ‘wandering through the wilderness’ speeches and editorials, all attempting to illuminate the path back to victory. If you were to do a postmortem on the Republican failures in this election, where would you begin? Let me offer a suggestion:
· Handling of Post 9/11 America. Bush faced a united country where patriotism and nationalism were at all time highs. Instead of trading in this currency of good-will, President Bush quickly called for a war on Iraq. By allowing Cheney, Wolfowitz, and Rice to steer him towards Saddam Hussein, Bush replaced the need for justice, with the desire for revenge. It is in many ways sad now to look back at the furor over Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, their nuclear capability and the fact that the country was a training ground for terrorist groups.

What Evangelicalism Does Right

Professor Scot McKnight released this post today detailing the strengths of Evangelicalism. While there are many calling for the demise of Evangelicalism, McKnight displays the strengths of this American religious movement, while still leaving room for future correction and growth. What do you think?

Overheard while Trick or Treating in Franklin

"It's like 1933 Berlin here in this town." This past Sunday while scaring the neighbors for candy, I ran into two Obama canvassers. Our city of Franklin, Wisconsin appears to be heavily in McCain's camp, and this was their response when I asked them how their work was going. Nazism seems to be all the rage as hyperbole supersedes actual issues and content. Some Republicans in Pa, are using this Nazi label.

A History of Food

Gourmands devour books like Michael Pollan’s, The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Anthony Bourdain’s, Kitchen Confidential. Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat’s, A History of Food, is the definitive guide of all things gastronomic. A History of Food is encyclopedic in nature, effortlessly written, and comprehensive in scope. The chapter on coffee presents an interesting connection between Armenians and Turkish people.

The Myth of Redemptive Violence

Does war bring peace? President Bush stated after 9-11 that America would, 'rid the world of evildoers,' which would bring safety to America. But will it? The Roman Empire had a saying 'Peace through victory.' I wonder if their mantra is now Americas? Can violence bring about peace? Walter Wink's provocative essay challenges the reader to reject the impulse to fight and instead urges a different path towards war and violence. Read it here and give me your thoughts...

Why do we blog?

Excellent article by The Atlantic writer, Andrew Sullivan. Maybe it has something to do with the glasses.

Overheard at an Evangelical mega-church

Displayed on its two jumbo-tron video screens… ‘You are loved.’ Upon seeing this, I turned to my wife and said, “Look, the video screen says, ‘I’m loved’.” Marshall McLuhan would be proud. In his seminal work, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, 1964 he posited the truth ‘The medium is the message.’ McLuhan wanted us to know that how we convey something is as important if not more important then the actual idea that we are intending to express. So after that worship service, the most personal of messages was just conveyed to us in the most impersonal of means.

Overheard at a McDonalds

‘Daddy’s buying the Big Mac so he can win a million bucks, then you don’t have to go to no school no more…’

My son the Poker teacher

Its true, the other night while we were camping out in the backyard, Jacob taught me Poker. Last year he received The Dangerous Book for Boys, which chronicles everything that a boy needs to know in life. Topics such as: how to make a kite, build a go-kart, descriptions of pirate flags, 20 important Latin phrases, and yes, how to play Poker. So there we sat, using Whoppers and Lemon Drops as our chips, and for the next hour and a half, we played Poker together.
This leads me to the question… ‘What have you learned from someone who’s significantly younger then you?’