_awakening

Oh, How Times Have Changed.

Doing a bit of reading for tomorrow and came across this:

"Though each [Jewish] sect felt that its distinct perspective was determined by the meaning of Scripture, each sect was also heavily affected by sociological forces. The sects at the time of Jesus read the Scriptures in light of their own experience and situation. Since they felt that their own beliefs, in which they had been reared or to which they had been converted, were uniquely confirmed by Scripture, they quite naturally read Torah as if it uniquely prophesied their position."
[Alan F. Segal, Rebecca's Children: Judaism and Christianity in the Roman World, p. 45]

So good to see that things like this do not happen within all the various Christian groups today...

'Er, wait a minute.

'Tis the Season.

Last year, a good friend of ours turned us on to something called the Advent Conspiracy. As we move into the Christmas season, I think it's refreshing to see a movement to call us back to the spirit of the advent season. While last year we thought it was a great idea, I think this year we're going to sit down and really consider what it might mean for us as a family to embrace this kind of posture this advent season. More to follow...

A Weekend Away.

This past weekend, Megan and I headed up to Forest Home where we had opportunity to host their Father/Teen Daughter Weekend. It was a great weekend of dialogue and re-connection between Dads and their teenage daughters, and it was a much needed time even for Megan and I.

With the busyness that goes on in our house, it is all too easy to move through life and miss so much. So when Forest Home called and asked if Megan an I would be interested in coming up to to host the weekend, it was a no-brainer. Absolutely.

All I can say is that it was a weekend that we will never forget. Perhaps the highlight for us was the space we were given in each of the meetings to pray with and for each other, to talk about issues of image and what it means to find strength in weakness.

The memories, the laughter, and the conversations are things I will never forget. It was so good to get away and just enjoy a weekend with Megan. She is growing up into such an amazing woman, and I don't want to miss it. I am so proud of her and who she is becoming.

Here's a bit of what the weekend looked like:

How to Worship.

Absolutely classic! Especially the part about passing a kidney stone...

[HT: Skip]

U2 at the Rose Bowl.

So we're leaving in about an hour to head out to the Rose Bowl for tonight's U2 show. [Yes, we're leaving this early considering that there will be nearly 100,000 people packed into the Rose Bowl for the show.] Jamie and I are taking Josh and a friend of his. For both of them this will be their first concert, which isn't too shabby, you know... having U2 be your first concert.

Anyway, it's going to be quite the memory. I can still remember the first time I saw U2. It was 1984 on the Unforgettable Fire Tour at the Long Beach Arena. I can still remember being absolutely blown away back then. It was a show that still stays with me, even after all these years. I'm stoked to be able to be a part of the experience for Jamie, Josh, and his buddy - all of which have never seen U2 live.

I'll try and post a bit on Facebook throughout the day.

Dominican Republic.

This summer Josh and I had the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic as a part of a 18U baseball exhibition team. It is definitely an experience that we will never forget. Our team was comprised of high school players from several schools throughout Orange County - Sage Hill, St. Margaret's, Chadwick, San Juan Hills, and Capistrano Valley Christian. Most of the guys were juniors, seniors, or recently graduated. It was quite an experience considering Josh was the youngest player by far as an incoming freshman.

Before we left, I wondered how Josh would compare, but knew that this was exactly the kind of experience he needed. A few weeks before the trip Josh and I talked with his Cats Coach, Chris Price, about the trip. He said something that we would keep coming back to the entire trip, "Whenever you get the chance to travel and play, especially with older guys, you need to take it. It will show you where you stack up."

How true that statement would be.

We flew from LAX to Miami on Sunday and would take a morning flight on Monday from Miami to Santo Domingo. We were scheduled to play three games while we were there - Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Our games would be in the morning, while the afternoon would be spent at the Arizona Diamondbacks training facility working with their coaching staff. Thursday and Saturday were to be days off - opportunities to rest, see the sights, and do a bit of shopping.

Our first game was in the Old Stadium in the heart of Santo Domingo. This was the field where every Domincan player who has made it to the MLB has played before. So much history packed into one place. I think our guys were in a bit of culture shock as we stepped off our bus and saw hundreds of people assembled to watch us play. We gave up four runs in the bottom of the first and never recovered, losing 6-4.

Our second game was at the Diamondbacks facility and featured in a much better result - a 6-3 win, which would end up being our only win of the trip.

Our final game was played back in Santo Domingo at a neighborhood field. The humidity and heat were unbearable, as it was mid 90's and humidity to match. We face a team of professional hitters, losing 12-4. One guys on their team was being scouted by Division I schools here in the states. He hit two mammoth home runs, well over 400 feet a piece. They were some of the longest balls I have ever seen hit.

As for Josh, it was a maturing experience unlike anything I've really seen him go through. To play alongside guys two plus years older than him and against Dominican guys who were 18 years old or better [you know those Dominican ages...] forced him to step up the focus of his game. He didn't do too much at the plate, as he was pretty overmatched with the pitching, but on the mound was a different story.

Josh was scheduled as our starting pitcher for the second game. I remember Andy Berglund, our coach, asking Josh if was ready to go as a starter. "Sure, coach." Once we got to the field, we had a really short warm-up and then we were off. Josh got a short warm-up while we were batting and then off to the hill. What happened was one of those memories that he will have for the rest of his life - five innings of one hit baseball. He struck out three and walked one, leaving after five innings with a 4-0 lead. I will never forget the look he had on the mound - one of complete control. I'll never forget the look he had in between innings as he came off the field - he had a focus and an intensity that I've never seen from him before. This was his game, his moment.

As corny as it may sound, if you've ever been an athlete you'll understand. There are a few moments in life of an athlete that are watershed moments, one's that you leave different than when you entered. This was one of those moments for Josh. When he came out of the game after five innings, his confidence, his focus, his understanding of the game, and his maturity all changed. Pitching became a passion.

As we flew home from the trip, I couldn't help but be so proud of Josh - not merely for what he accomplished on the field, but for the type of person he is becoming. He grew up quite a bit on this trip - from the perspective of traveling to another country, to hanging out with upperclassman players [some of the stories are crazy], to seeing his heart for the little Dominican kids who mobbed our guys.

By way of postscript, not only does he want to go back next summer, he's already talked to a few guys about going along for the ride. So perhaps we'll make a trip of it again in 2010.

I wouldn't mind a bit.

[If you're interested in seeing some of the pics form the trip, I've made two photo albums on my Facebook page. So you can swing by there for all the visual glory of the trip!]

Church Battles Medicinal Marijuana.

When I opened the newspaper this morning, I came across this:

Calvary Chapel Lake Forest is unhappy with marijuana dispensary's patients using church lot to party

LAKE FOREST – A local pastor wants help from the city to get partying teens out of the church parking lot.

Pastor Jim Misiuk of Calvary Chapel Lake Forest said that he regularly finds teens in their cars playing loud music and partying before and after church services and functions.The problem, he said, has accelerated since the discovery of a nearby medical marijuana dispensary. Misiuk said when confronted, the teens say they are waiting for friends who are getting product at nearby Earth Cann Wellness Center. This week he and other church members took their issues to the City Council...

... Misiuk said the presence of teens in cars has picked up on Sunday evening during church services. He has also noted cars in the parking lot on Wednesday evening during the church's Bible Study and on Tuesdays during the Ladies Fellowship meetings.

"It doesn't provide a peaceful church environment," said Misiuk. "We don't want to focus on this negativity. We want to help them. This is adding to the addiction problem. It seems marijuana is very available here now."

I guess I can understand where the pastor is coming from, but something seems amiss here. Call me crazy, but perhaps people who claim to embrace the life and way of Jesus might want to consider a different course of engagement here. I would think that this is just the place Jesus would want to be - in the middle of life with hurting people, not merely seeking "a peaceful church environment." When we choose to follow the way of Jesus, it leads to a life that is at times both messy and uncomfortable. Maybe I'm missing something...

Thoughts?

The Distortion of Archaeology.

Eric H. Cline, Department Chair of Classical and Semitic Languages and Literature at George Washington University, has a very thoughtful article over at Bible Interpretation on the distortion of archaeology in the media and how the scholarly realm is trying to respond.

The Practice of the Better.

Many thanks to Zach, for this much needed reminder:

"New structures that can make the emerging church possible cannot be in opposition to any existing church structures; they cannot be against anything but merely for Something. "The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better" is one of our core principles at the Center for Action and Contemplation.

Don’t waste the next years of your life being against anybody, anything, any group, any supposed sin, or any institution. Just go ahead and do it better yourself. It’s so common sense when you hear it. As Mohandas Gandhi put it, "Be the change you hope to see in the world." And in the church!"

[Richard Rohr from What is the Emerging Church?]

"The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better." Isn't it so much easier to merely air your criticism rather than embody the "practice of the better?"

I need to not only do some more reflection on this, but seek to have this to transform how I live.

Classic.

Just too good not to post.

[HT: Jim West]