Sunday, February 24, 2008

Oscar is not a good name.

For those of you named Oscar please do not take offense. I actually really like the name Oscar for human being or for a grouch just not for an award. I am trying to think of a name to call my Film Awards that I am beginning in March. Some of you already commented with a few of your thoughts. Without giving any certain order or category, here are the films that are in the running to be mentioned. Please add your nominations.

Shawshank Redemption
The Green Mile
Braveheart
Reign Over Me
The Prestige
Forrest Gump
Lord of the Rings: Two Towers
A Beautiful Mind
Pay it Forward
Crash
Mr. Holland's Opus
Saving Private Ryan
Kingdom of Heaven
The Matrix
Fight Club
The Bourne Ultimatum
Cinderella Man
Blood Diamond
Batman Begins
Dangerous Minds
Finding Forrester
John Q
Antwone Fisher

This list is definitely not exhaustive or complete. Please add your nominations.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Non-Conformist.

I was just browsing Shelfari and came across a member whose screen name is "nonconformist." Isn't it somewhat conformist to claim oneself as a nonconformist? There are enough people claiming the label of "nonconfirmist" that it is now conforming to do so. The pattern toward which conforming is really taking place is that of arrogance. There exists a certain connotation toward pride of self when one labels oneself as a person who does not "conform" as if everybody else does conform to some measurable standard or cultural norm. So to all self-proclaimed "nonconformists," I say, "Quit conforming" to the patterns of this world.
May we seek humility.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Our Lives and Minds on Film.

Coming soon to a Subversive Reformation near you.
Opening Saturday, March 1.

Subversive Reformation will be posting a series of entries dedicated to the screen play writing, the cinematography, the digital editing, and the acting that is the religious and culturally formative film industry. I will be composing several posts that include the competitive ranking of films in pliable labeling systems including:

Most Intellectually Stimulating Film
Best Picture on Reality
Most Inspiring Monologue
Best Character Development
Most Meaningful Film
High Entertainment Value

Please post your film recommendations for any of the above categories and also suggest other categories.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

NOOMA Open | 019 Rob Bell: A Preview.

Click here --> NOOMA Open | 019 Rob Bell by 12:26 Wednesday. The newest NOOMA short film is available for preview on Facebook for only 48 hours prior to its release on February 22. You may preorder your copy at www.nooma.com.

The discussion board / wall is filled with all types of personal praise and criticism. I do not desire to get involved in that activity. Feel free, however, to add your thoughts about certain theological statements and assertions. The purpose is not to glorify or curse Rob Bell. I have better things to do with my time. The items discussed though affect our lives depending on how they form us. I'll begin with one question: How do you respond to the command, "Don't ask God to feed someone who is hungry if you have plenty of food?"

Serving and Controlling.

"One who would be a leader, I am cautioned, has a greater weight of responsibility to honor the despised, share his earthly possessions, model interdependency, and encourage the use of gifts concealed in the unlikeliest among us. To the leader, then, the gift of humility is offered - the gift is the salvation of the proud, which comes from great difficulty from learning to receive from those who are least on Earth, yet greatest n the Kingdom.
:: Robert Lupton: "Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life: Rethinking Ministry to the Poor."

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Blogging is the new "devotions?"

Remeber that term "devotions?"
"Did you do your devotions today?"
"I need to spend 15 minutes a day in my devotions."

What did that even mean?

I can only presume that the language of "devotions" was used as the idea of being devoted to God. So did that mean that only 15 minutes a day was devoted to God? I have always preferred the idea of the disciplines. Reading, solitude, writing, and prayer are all fundamental elements of the Christian life. I maintain a personal journal that I do not publish here but have also found that blogging has become a source of fulfillment as a discipline. We are able to read the thoughts and lives of fellow sojourners and learn and grow from one another. When I ensure that I have time to post and read others' posts I feel more creative and imaginitive as a hopeful follower of Jesus.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Good People.

Today is good.
Today is good.

Kevin Peterson :: Lucy Peterson :: Simon Peterson
Kyle Meyers :: Kelsie Meyers :: Francis Xavier Myers
John Ballenger :: Adam Sylvia :: Heather Hofacre :: Anna Feeney
Andrew Hendrixson :: James Smith :: Steven :: Tom West
Tim Barenscheer :: Brittney Barenscheer :: Tony Stemen :: Caleb Epperson
Joe Hughes :: Katie Hughes :: Mandy Taylor
Steph Heayn :: Joe Farmer :: Tyler Delong :: Holly Delong
Sarah Keller :: Kyla Keller :: Travis Keller

Several friends and their friends came to Mount Vernon today to hear Shane Claiborne speak in chapel (Click here for the Podcast). We gathered in our apartment for a wonderful shared meal prepared by my wife. We had potato soup, sandwiches, Kyle and Kelsie's bread, spinach salad, crackers and cheese, and raw vegetables. Brittney brought some dessert and helped Sarah prepare. The conversation was casual but rich and whole.

Today is good.
Today is good.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Comments on The Church.

A friend and resident of Oakwood Hall who shall remain nameless (Ryan Walker) asked me visit a website that was just launched by a community of Jesus followers from his hometown. Please visit www.darnthechurch.com and add your perspective.
My comment is number 8 and reads as follows:
"The church is beautiful. It is just the institution that we have come to call the “church” that is disenchanting, imperialistic, distracting, and arrogant. We will only see the fullness of the beauty of the church upon deconstructing its current consciousness and embracing the radical call to be a compassionate, missional people, viewing ourselves as the covenant community of followers of Jesus."
I am still searching for other adjectives and descriptors of the carnality, beauty, and wholeness of the church. What would you include or disclude from my comment?

Monday, February 11, 2008

A Problem with a Solution.

Resurrection. New Life. Hope.
Please visit the International Justice Mission and CLICK HERE --> to WATCH THE VIDEO. The injustice of child sex trafficking is part of why Sarah and I are planning to adopt a little sister for Kyla. What are you going to do about it?

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Jesus and the Globe.

A post from one of my Mozilla Firefox RSS feeds dealt with an article from the Boston Globe about New Monasticism. Click here --> www.jesusmanifesto.com <-- to check out a review of a small section of the article and to link to the full article. Also click here --> Easter Ad Campaign Reaches Unchurched at Record Numbers <-- to read a beautiful satire.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Shane Claiborne @ MVNU + Lunch.

Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution and member/participant/advocate (I'm not sure what descriptor goes here) of The Simple Way, is teaching in chapel at MVNU on Wednesday, February 13 @ 10:20 a.m. Sarah and I have had several of our friends contact us about visiting and sharing a meal with us sometime after the service. We will be hosting lunch in our apartment for all or our friends and their friends. If you are interested in joining us for a shared meal please post a comment here or e-mail me so that we know how much food to have ready. We will be serving potato soup, sandwiches, fresh vegetables, spinach salad, and we're taking requests as well. Simply let us know that you are coming and then meet us in our apartment attached to Oakwood Hall after the chapel service. If you are unable to make it to the service the message should be available on the MVNU podcast.

Emergent Assignment.

I am currently working on my Master of Arts in Religion degree from Northwest Nazarene University. The actually title of the degree is M.A.R. in Missional Leadership. Another version of the M.A.R. that I considered was Spiritual Formation. I have been very pleased with this program so far. It is much more progressive than what I expected from another Nazarene University. I suppose it would have to be progressive since we are primarily dealing with issues of cultural context and a missional approach to the way of Jesus within the scope of postmodernity.
I am especially excited about my current assignment. There is the possibility that my writing will be published in a journal as a part of a project conducted by our professor. My paper is likely to be entitled, "The Silent Historical Framework of the Emergent Church: Recovery of Genuine Wesleyan Theology in Postmodern Context." I will be reviewing Eddie Gibbs' and Ryan Bolger's book entitled "Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures" in light of Wesleyan theology (which I have discovered is highly misunderstood by Wesleyan based churches and theologians).

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Good (or... I is a preposition 2.0).

What is good? Is man essentially good or evil?

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

I is a preposition 1.0.

In a small gathering of college students the question was posed, "Does God inherently exist in every single person?" I could answer the question affirmatively if the preposition "in" was changed to among, around, beside, over, and under (there could be other qualifying prepositions but I will spare you and myself the agony of exhaustive list reading and making). I then must consider that I exist among, around, and beside people. If I am found to be in Christ and Christ is found to be in me then, even aside from a mystical omnipresence, the presence of God may exist among, around, and beside people in a very tangible way.
Should the Christian response to the original question be affirmative or negative?

Geometric Philosophy.

The actually title of this post is:
"Geometric Philosophy (and the theological implications therein; as if there can't be theological implications)"
I didn't have a very good geometry teacher in high school. In fact, my best friend and I sometimes actually taught the class. Geometry and philosophy are things that have always just "clicked" for me.
There is a somewhat commonly used phrase cited as, "It (meaning something) comes full circle." Can something really "come full circle?" What does that even mean? If a circle is not a full circle then it is not even a circle at all. A not full circle would be an arc (not to be confused with anything involving Joan, the Covenant, or Noah). The entire concept of a circle, however, may only be accepted if one presumes that an infinite number of points between two other points can proceed infinitely to connect with yet another point.
Confused? Try to understand God.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Minimal 1.5

It is fair to conclude that the state of one's heart/soul/mind/being is core to the issue of simplicity and minimalism. Assuming one's motivations and intentions are pure and good then should he/she seek a simple life in terms of minimizing his/her possessions? Do pure and good motivations and intentions necessitate such minimalism?

Friday, February 01, 2008

Minimal 1.0.6

I have appreciated the conversation on minimalism. I resonate deeply with some thoughts and am in terrible disagreement with others. Shall we venture to unpack and deconstruct the language and question in a more SIMpLE way (the "p" is purposefully typed in lowercase to complicate the word and as an image of the complexity that is created when individual differentiation is sought)?
What is simplicity?
Is simplicity right or wrong?
Did Jesus live a simple life?
Is it right or wrong to purge possessions simply to simplify (organizationally or aesthetically)?
Do individual possessions aid in the continued trend/formation of an anti-communal culture?
Is it right or wrong to give SIMpLY for the sake of giving?

Matthew 5:38-48, NASB

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone want to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only you brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."