the postmodern pop pastor

div>Chris Jordon takes pictures of excess. This photo depicts two million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes.

See more or watch his talk at Ted.

Labels: art, photos

I wordled chapter 3 (theology) of my dissertation. Seeing it this way, it was all worth it. :)

Labels: community, theology, Trinity, writing

Terra Nova is an Acts 29 Church Plant in Troy, NY. I've loved and been challenged by Ed Marcelle's talks on leadership from the Acts 29 site. He is the Lead Pastor at Terra. Check out how they define their roles. He teaches me, stretches me and confronts my idiosyncracies so that I learn to be a better team player. Here is a little piece from their site and a link to one of his messages from A29.

Terra Nova understands the role of elder and the role of pastor as one and the same. Therefore, all elders are pastors and all pastors are Elders. The New Testament books of 1 Timothy and Titus describe the qualifications for Elders/Pastors. Those qualifications involve behavior, character, knowledge, spirituality, and abilities—both innate and learned. Read 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 for a better understanding of these qualifications. If you would like even more detail on Terra Nova’s understanding of church leadership and government, pick up a copy of Biblical Eldership by Alexander Strauch.

Team Leadership in a Church Plant

Labels: church, church planting, elders, leadership, pastor, team

Some friends and online aquintances are participating in what they are calling a Missional Syncroblog addressing the meaning and use of the word "missional."

Brad Sargent from Futuristguy shares these values of those who are missional.

Some of the critical values for followers in a Missional Paradigm are these:

• We value integrating all systems for biblical, theological, and cultural study for us to learn how best to interaction in ways that allow contextualization to any culture. In part, contextualization means letting the everyday issues and concerns and needs of people in our neighborhood or other social setting create the agenda for our responses. However, within that, we will seek to empower instead of rescue, show compassion without compromise, and come alongside instead of control.
• We value ongoing relational-incarnational presence within our neighborhoods over occasional event-attractional possibilities at some other location.
• We value setting all theological divisions and disciplines in a larger framework of redemptive transformation. This requires us to develop strategies, structures, models, and methods with sustainability, anti-toxicity, and cycles of change and rest involving persons, cultures, and the earth.
• We value setting all lifestyle issues in a larger framework of respect and mutuality where individual and corporate participation are always held in dynamic tension. This includes sustaining our community by considering the potential consequences for future generations of our current decisions. Also, as a learning community, we seek to listen to one another, discern as a body, and learn to interpret together the observations and perspectives of all members.
• We value God’s providential provisions to use through the gifts of both individuals and the community. Every person “leads” through their spiritual gifts, though not all are called to be leaders. The contributions of any individual are never quenched by the group for the sake of conformity, and the actions of any individual are never allowed to lead to chaos in the group for no good reason.
• Life is meant to move toward Christlike transformation as individuals, and Kingdom Culture as groups. Therefore, discipleship is the largest framework for transformation because it includes and leads to evangelism and social activism.

Labels: missional, values

Billy Collins has created a series of animated poetry. Poetry is meant to be heard, seeing it does wonders as well.

Labels: art, beauty, poetry

God’s triune nature means that God is social or relational – God is the “social Trinity.” And for this reason, we can say that God is “community.” God is the community of the Father, Son and Spirit, who enjoy perfect and eternal relationship.
Stanley J. Grenz, Created for Community, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996), 52.

social model of the Godhead that does not recognize eternal differentiation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit based firmly in divine revelation easily loses all significant distinction. An egalitarian model of the immanent Godhead collapses trinitarian distinctions.
J. Scott Horrell, “Toward a Biblical Model of the Social Trinity: Avoiding Equivocation of Nature and Order,” JETS 47/3 (September 2004), 417.

I do not want to minimize the unfinished business of the new Trinitarian conception of God. Yet the near consensus that person is a relational concept suggests that the next major task of trinitarian theology may well lie in the area of theological anthropology. Theological insights regarding the manner in which the three Trinitarian persons are persons-in-relation and gain their personal identity by means of their interrelationality hold promise for understanding what it means to be human persons in the wake of the demise of the centered self and the advent of the Global Soul.
Stanley J. Grenz, The Social God and the Relational Self, (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001), 9.

The triune relations are the essential paradigm, our basic model for human relationships and relationships in the church.
Stephen Seamands, Ministry in the Image of God: The Trinitarian Shape of Christian Service, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 38.

Labels: community, God, ministry, Trinity

One Spring 2008 student at the English L'Abri (which is the closest thing to heaven I've ever experienced) wrote this blog post about becoming traveling to take part in the L'Abri a community:

At English L’Abri I contribute three hours a day to working around the property. I take another three in which to look for answers to my questions. I pay for a bed, three meals a day, and two tea breaks. Nearly all of my time revolves around community. Therefore the correct response remained, “I’m visiting a community.” Still, no stamp appeared. My passport lay open, the customs agent’s eyes remained glazed, and the question was repeated, “What is the purpose of your visit?” I decided to ramp it up a notch since the word community continued to baffle him. “I’m visiting a religious community. I’m very religious. It’s like a monastery. I’ll probably pray a lot.” His eyes focused immediately into a baffled but humorous stare. “So, you’re going to a monastery… to pray… to Jesus… for three months.” After a minor Machiavellian struggle inside my conscience, but without breaking eye contact I smiled and said, “Yep, that’s pretty much it.” He laughed, shook his head, stamped my passport, and replied, “Well, say a prayer for me then.”

Read more about community that is subtle, exchange, participation and no easy thing.

Labels: community, prayer

Other the past 24 hours God has graciously brought affirmation of the long slow work of mission here in Corona. Through several circumstances people of the community gave thanks to the Lord for the presence of Northpoint in Corona and the good work of grace that we are about.

Labels: grace, ministry, missional, social action

Today I am celebrating the good gifts of God. First, friends. Ronnie stirs me to great dreams for God and challenges my heart to be faithful to God.

Thank Ronnie.

Labels: friends, grace

I've been listening to some audio from the Soma Communities training center. Soma is an Acts 29 church in Tacoma Washington. Now, I want to exaggerate a bit. Other than L'Abri, I cannot think of anything that has so stirred my heart for mission as the vision of Missional Communities at Soma. I would risk my life for this mission.

Check them out on iTunes, especially the messages on Missional Communities.

Labels: church, church planting, community, missional, outreach

My calendar reminded me this morning that today is Julie Campbell's 15th anniversay and that makes it mine too. 15 years is a long time, much water has passed under the bridge, sometimes high water and sometimes low water. But it's our bridge, our water, we are together in it. I love being Julie's husband. As I reflect this morning, I am grateful.

Labels: anniversary, marriage

A brilliant use of resources.

Labels: community, economy, justice, service, social action

This is not my photo. It was on interesting photos of the day from flickr.

Can you believe how fantastic this is.

Go thank them for posting it.

Bread makes me happy. Actually, bread is crusty, crumby happiness. It is happiness in a loaf.

Labels: art, bread, ministry, pastor, sabbath

I spent last Sunday openning the word with my friends at Taft Avenue Community Church. We preached about the fear of the Lord. Pastor Bob Burris recommended the book, "When People are Big and God is Small." It has been fantastic for my soul. In writing about the reality that in fearing the Lord and giving up self-protection, you will get hurt, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes intentionally. He gives Gomer and Hosea as an example of the covering, comforting and accepting love of God.

God looks at his creation from the perspective of the consummation. From that vantage point he sees what his Gomer will be. She will be a radiant bride, honored and glorified. She will be presented before God's glorious presence without fault, and she will be received by him with great joy. It God is passionate about pursuing an adulterous wife, you can be certain that there will be great celebration, laughter and joy when his wife is glorified in his presence forever...

The shamed are covered and glorified. They no longer have to hide from the gaze of other people or the gaze of God. They are seen from the perspective of eternity. To them, Jesus says, "Come, come."

The threatened are comforted and glorified. They are comforted because they know that their husband is the sovereign King over the earth. Will there be suffering? Yes. He wil allow refining suffering to come to his bride, but it will be suffering that will lead to good. It will teach his bride to trust in him alone. As a result, blessing will outweigh pain. The blessing of being more like Jesus is greater than the hardship of the refining fire.

The rejected are accepted and glorfied. They should stand in awe that God is passionate for them. His acceptance is not begrudging. Instead, it is accompanied by his rejoicing and singing.

Do not fear man. They can do no damage that will not be covered, comforted and accepted by Christ.

So stand in the face of those who hold the sin of your past against you.
Stand in the face of those who have sinned against you and brought shame upon you.
Stand in the face of those who threaten you with power or position.
Stand in the face of those who reject you.

Fear the Lord and serve him only!

Labels: fear, love, preaching

I was the accidental photographer at a United Way event last Friday night. It was loads of fun and the kids were fantastic.

The United Way has organized a group of community leaders to create a model partnership between the school, parents and community to increase parental involvement. This was our first event to honor kids and parents when the children are being "redesignated" from English language learners into the main stream school program.

I love the colors here.