Ouch!

I just got my wisdom teeth pulled this morning. I chose to get put out for the procedure and it was great! I'm in some pain now, but I'm feeling much better. It doesn't look like I'll be out of commission for very long.

They gave me a sedative to take one hour before the appointment and I had quite the time getting to the dentist's office. Sarah drove me over to the office and I was pretty out of it.

My left cheek it pretty swollen, but I have to teach on Sunday in the Gathering so I hope its better by then.

More on Isaiah 58...

I've been thinking more and more about this chapter in Isaiah. I'm actually teaching on this chapter in our college group at Hillside on June 3. As I have been pondering this passage, I've run into a few people and had a few experiences that have shed some insight into the meaning of this. I'm searching for meaning and understanding because I feel that this chapter draws some very clear connections to the Christian culture we live in today.

One thing I have questioned is the authenticity of the Christian community I'm a part of (and all Christians for that matter). I'm in no place to judge them, and I've got my own problems, but I can't help but see more potential in people. Jon Havens wrote about a similar situation, so there must be something profound about Isaiah 58 if we both are contemplating the same ideas about our generation.

There are many things I'm concerned about, but specifically I believe that there is such a lack of community. What I mean is, people are not living in a way that they depend on God and each other. We have become self-sufficient people who have lost true community. For example, I've run into some people who don't mind talking with people who are not like them; discussing God, politics, family, whatever. They will go to outreach events and serve food to the homeless. But what happens then? They retreat back to their close knit family and friends who think the way they do and they never establish lasting relationships with these people who actually need it (I'm guilty of doing this also). There is still a separation between the Christian and the non-Christian. We don't accept them as we do our own kind. There is an "us" and "them" mentality.

Also, there are problems with how we connect to each other at the church. We get together and give each other Jesus backrubs at our small groups and put on a smile and act like we have it all together on Sunday mornings. Then we retire back to our homes and get away from the people that challenge us and are different from us. Why can't we be real and authentic? Why can't we relieve the oppression in our own lives and in the lives of others?

I think I'm just feeling cynical today, but there is so much potential in the church and its not being tapped into. We were created for so much more than emtpy religiosity and fake personnas. Read Isaiah 58, its amazing.

Public Transportation

I've decided to ride public transportation as often as I can. I get a VTA year pass from San Jose State, so I can ride any VTA public transit. My truck doesn't get very good gas mileage and I don't want to contribute to emission problems and American dependancy on oil. So, lightrail here I come!

Isaiah and Amos

I am convinced that these books are two of the most compelling and relevant books of the OT for our generation. The words Isaiah and Amos spoke carry so much power and weight today that I believe these are dangerous books to read.

I've been repeatedly convicted by Isaiah and Amos, among other things, about the condition of the American church (including my own church) and my own life. Allow me to elaborate.

Isa 58:5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?

Isa 58:6“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Isa 58:7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Isa 58:8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Isa 58:9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

Isa 58:10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

Isa 58:11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isa 58:12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

I have a friend who challenged me a few years ago by saying, "Spend your life on God". I didn't know what this meant at the time, but I'm learning what that means. I think Isaiah 58:10 sheds some light on what this means.


Am 5:21 “I hate, I despise your religious feasts;
I cannot stand your assemblies.

Am 5:22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.

Am 5:23 Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.

Am 5:24 But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Wow! What can I say? What good are our worship services when we ignore justice? How can we gather and worship when we don't make a priority of helping those in need?

Summer Reading List

I have been meaning to read these books for a few months, but life has been crazy. This semester was a little more difficult than I thought it was going to be. I had too many books, papers, and projects which have consumed most of my mental capacity. Although, I did read Irresistible Revolution last month. Here's the books I'll be reading this summer (if you want to have a book club, give me a call):

Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer


Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven, But Nobody Wants To Die by David Crowder


God's Politics by Jim Wallis


The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren

The Church

I've been contemplating the idea of "church". I've come across a few ideas recently which I feel give some insight to what church is.

"The purpose of the church cannot be to survive or to thrive, but to serve. And sometimes servants die in the serving."
-Erwin McManus, Unstoppable Force

"I've been trying to remove the word 'churches' from my vocabulary. We are not churches, we are 'the church'."
-Shane Claiborn, Irresistible Revolution

"A fascinating question came in [during a Townhall Meeting] in which somebody said that they were concerned that in working with the poor, [Mars Hill] would not be partnering with any secular organizations. As I reflected on that later, [aside: 'I'm trying to edit'] let just say, if you have a piece and I have a piece and those two pieces match, I don't care this person's religion, background, worldview, perspective. I don't care whether they skip the 'under God' part of the Pledge of Alliegence; I don't care where they're coming from. If they have a piece that matches my piece, I want to hook those two pieces together."
-Rob Bell, We Already Are (Matthew 28), Sermon at Mars Hill, 4.15.07

Vocab

Here's a word I read in a book for school. I wasn't sure what it meant, so I looked it up.

indignation: a strong distaste for something unjust.

I hope someone would describe me with this word.

Check out the new look!

In other news, here is something the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans which I've been thinking about recently:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.

School

I'm having some trouble focusing on school right now. I've got so many things brewing in my mind concerning such bigger things. Seriously, Irresistible Revolution has really made me think and I'm still trying to sort through all that stuff. My view of the gospel has been challenged and I've got lots of questions. I consider that a good thing and I want to figure out what it means to follow Jesus. I'm just trying to figure out my place and how I'm supposed to live out my faith. It's a tough road, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Maybe school is a place where I can implement the things I'm learning. I just hate all the homework and long classes. Oh, well.

Any Thoughts...

So I read this parable of Jesus in Matthew the other day and I've been struggling with it ever since. Here it is:

Mt 22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
Mt 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
Mt 22:3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
Mt 22:4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
Mt 22:5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.
Mt 22:6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.
Mt 22:7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
Mt 22:8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.
Mt 22:9 Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
Mt 22:10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
Mt 22:11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
Mt 22:12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.
Mt 22:13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Mt 22:14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

WHAT! This guy killed the people who didn't come to his party and he burned their cities? Then he invited good and bad people to his feast and then kicked a guy out for not wearing the right clothes?

Does anyone have any thoughts?

A Must Read...

This book has articulated some thoughts, questions, and stuggles that I have been dealing with recently and you should read it. Shane Claiborne is a founder of the Simple Way (www.simpleway.org) and he has served alongside Mother Teresa (or Momma T as Shane calls her) and has been to Bible College and Seminary. This book gives incredible insight into raw discipleship, community, serving, and what the Church could be. I feel like this book is setting free some ideas and visions I have been having about what it means to follow Jesus. Please check it out. It is definitely on my must read list.

You can read a sample chapter from Irresitible Revolution here.

Rob Bell Q&A Recap

Wow.

I don't know what to say. Rob Bell is so inspiring for me that I'm speechless right now. I hardly slept last night because I can't figure out what I am feeling. There is this ache in my soul right now and I can only recall feeling this way once before: after the Origins Conference at Mosaic.

I went to a question and answer session last night at UC Berkeley with Rob Bell, author of Velvet Elvis and Sex God. I got a chance to talk to him for a few minutes and I loved it.

Rob Bell has challenged me to rethink my faith, ask questions, explore the possibilities, love God more, improve my relationships, and make a difference in the world. Through this, God has brought the brokeness in this world to the forefront of my mind. My soul is in pain because this world is in pain.

It hurts me to know that this world is broken. My soul yearns to make a difference. I want to focus my life on loving God, following Jesus, and restoring this world to the way God intended it by ending oppression, fighting injustice, and caring for those in need.

My soul aches because this world aches. As a Christian, I want to heal the pain.

Almost caught up

Today I actually feel like I'm caught up with my life. Almost at least.

I still have reading to do for school this week, but I've finished all my current projects for work. Maybe that's actually the only thing I've caught up on. I still have laundry to do and my room is getting messy again. Trying to keep my life organized always seems to be futile. I've got other stuff on my mind that keeps me busy.

Reader Beware: Serious World Changing Stuff

Wow, I love Martin Luther King, Jr.! I just read a speech he gave in 1967 concerning Vietnam and I have been so inspired. I had to read it for one of my classes and I really think you should read it too.

Like the post title says, beware. This is a long speech, but completely worth it. I am going to be starting a discussion on the Gathering Internet Lounge (my other blog for the college group at church) about this speech. Please check out the speech by clicking here. It will open your eyes to some serious topics that touch our lives today.

Check Out The New Links ------>

I just updated my links to the right. There is now a link to three Gathering sites:

1. The Gathering Internet Lounge (Our blog with discussions, announcements, etc.)
2. GWAM: The Gathering Weekly Audio Magazine (Our weekly podcast)
3. The Gathering Homepage (Our website with pics, news, etc.)

Also, there is a link to the Origins Project. This is a leadership conference held in Pasadena, CA by Erwin McManus and his staff at Mosaic. I went to the conference last May and it was amazing. (If you want to read about my experience at Origins last year click here) I would recommend that you go, or at least check out the link.

Happy clicking.

Social Change

I'm taking an interesting class at San Jose State this semester: Social Change

The professor is pretty good and I think this one should be interesting. I've been sensing lately that God is stretching my worldview and perspective. I have been becoming increasingly aware of global issues is society, health, and economics. I feel such a strong compassion for people that are in need. I want to free the oppressed, heal the sick, and bring the poor out of the cycle of poverty. The world needs the transformational and redemptive power of Jesus. (I know I sound like a motivational speaker.) But I see this class as an opportunity to open up the discussion about how Christians should be treating social problems locally, nationally, and globally. I don't mean I am going to preach to my class about Jesus. I mean I am going to dialogue with the teacher and students about humanitarian issues and I am going to model how Christ would address social change. I'm really looking forward to this class.

Wedding Planning

Surprisingly, this whole planning thing hasn't been too bad. Of course, I haven't been engaged for two weeks yet, but we have already gotten a lot of planning done. I think it helps that Sarah has had this whole thing planned out in her head since she was conceived. Girls are like that. I think the planning will get much more difficult later, but for now I am surviving.

Big News

She said yes!


That's right, I'm getting married! I asked Sarah to be my bride on Saturday. It was an amazing day. More detail later.

We have set a date: July 7, 2007

Wasting Time

I've been thinking. There are so many people now-a-days that are arguing about Church, theology, and such. There are conflicting styles, different ideas, unique preferences, and weird issues that cause all kinds of drama in the Church. There are so many people that fight over things that are just a waste of time.

Ok, some of these issues need to be adressed because the church needs to continue to change and evolve to be impactful. But some of these problems are getting in the way of what is really important. Here's my rant:

There is so much hurt in the world and so many people that need Jesus. How can we be consumed in arguements about our style preference? There is so much good to be done and so many people to love in this world that I can't stand spending so much time being engulfed in self-absorbed arguements.

I believe that we need to concentrate on living out what we believe. Too many people spend their precious time and energy trying to prove themselves right when there are people in need. It's time to act. We are so blessed and we have so much stuff. This world is in pain and I want to love everyone in it. Let's exercise out faith, rather than become obese Christians.

Urbana 2006

WOW.

Urbana was amazing. Imagine 22,000+ college and young adults in one place singing, dancing, and praising God. It was an awesome experience.

This conference helped change my worldview and perspective. I heard messages from Christian leaders in Kenya, Sri Lanka, Canada, Europe, and the United States. These people helped give me an idea of what is going on in the world. I was greatly inspired about what potential there is in global Christianity as Christians from all 6 continents unite to fight global issues. I'm so inspired to be a part of it.

One of the coolest things was the last night's session with all 22,000 people. We had a gathering on New Year's and we ushered in 2007 while worshiping God. It was amazing. I would recommend that every Christian attends this conference at least once in their life. It is eye opening.