The Gods Aren't Angry: Rob Bell

I took the Oakwood Hall staff to see THE GOD'S AREN'T ANGRY TOUR on December 2 in Cleveland. As I sat listening to the final portion of the teaching, a solitary tear ran down my cheek. A phrase was repeated over and over and over again and was the same phrase that I heard from my wife and a mentor during my journey in experiencing freedom. A video recording of the tour is now available on DVD and will begin shipping June 6. Students at MVNU are welcome to borrow my copy for personal use.
I highly suggest a viewing of this teaching for everyone but most particularly for all those who have made it the purpose of their life's existence to critique Rob Bell or any type of teaching that is seemingly emergent in nature. Click the image above to be directed to thegodsarentangry.com where you may preview and purchase the teaching on DVD.

The Greatest Film of All Time is...

Most award or reality TV shows wait until the end of the show or for the season finale to reveal the ultimate winner of any given competition. The "Subversive Reformation Writers Guild Film Awards" however is neither an award/reality TV show nor a competition. Rather, the SRWGFAs exist to rearticulate the goodness of good films. All bad films have already been completely dismissed.

The Greatest Film of All Time is...
BRAVEHEART (1995)

Here are the reasons why BRAVEHEART is the SRWGFA Greatest Film of All Time:

Narrator: I shall tell you of William Wallace. Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes.

Narrator: In the Year of our Lord 1314, patriots of Scotland - starving and outnumbered - charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets; they fought like Scotsmen, and won their freedom.

Princess Isabelle: The king desires peace.
William Wallace: Longshanks desires peace?
Princess Isabelle: He declares it to me, I swear it. He proposes that you withdraw your attack. In return he grants you title, estates, and this chest of gold which I am to pay to you personally.
William Wallace: A lordship and titles. Gold. That I should become Judas?
Princess Isabelle: Peace is made in such ways.
William Wallace: Slaves are made in such ways. The last time Longshanks spoke of peace I was a boy. And many Scottish nobles, who would not be slaves, were lured by him under a flag of truce to a barn, where he had them hanged. I was very young, but I remember Longshank's notion of peace.

William Wallace: There's a difference between us. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. And I go to make sure that they have it.

William Wallace: It's all for nothing if you don't have freedom.

Malcolm Wallace: Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it.

William Wallace: Every man dies, not every man really lives.

Peace.

Last night I went to sleep at 1:00 a.m. which is about 2 hours earlier than my usual schedule the last few weeks. I'm not really sure how I've functioned on the little rest that I have had. After sleeping for about one hour I awoke fully alert and unable to fall back asleep. I had originally fallen asleep with feelings of tension, anger, anxiety, and fearfulness. Upon awaking everything... seemed... well.
I had the fullest sense of peace.
Peace is not something that may be constrained to that absence of violence or hatred.
Peace is the idea that everything is in it's right place.
Peace is a reflection of proper Christian community.
Peace is the fullness of the presence of God.
I laid awake in prayer, in the fullness of the presence of God, for one whole hour experiencing the dynamic interplay of the transcendent YHWH entering the realm of my broken humanity and displaying his immanence. For once my mind was kept still. The usual philosophical thoughts and theological reflections that keep me questioning through the late hours of the night were captured by the grandeur of God's presence. At one point I got out of bed and went into Kyla's room to pray for her. I COULD NOT PRAY. At least I could not pray certain things. As I tried to pray for her as opposed the blessing that I usually pray over her I realized that anything that I would ask would be only a worry rather than a prayer. I have taught against the very idea of "worrying our prayers" and realized that I had been practicing that myself. All that needed said to my daughter was "peace be with you."
When the clock turned to 3:00 a.m. I asked God for rest. As if someone were actually speaking into my mind, the only thought I could think was, "Why do you need rest when you have peace?"

IN RESPONSE: part 5 (v).

"1. People Watching. The thing is if you are a student of human nature and/or enjoy sociology at any level, then you would find this entire experience to be well worth it. For me, I’d probably go even if I didn’t buy a single thing. It’s that much fun."

I suggest that next year one goes and does not buy a single thing. There is an incredible sense of freedom to be experienced when one dismisses that commercial exploitation of Jesus and expresses the love of Jesus to others who are in genuine need of our monetary wealth and overall possession of resources. It is joyful. It is hopeful. It is peace. Not that I have already obtained this, but I press on against my desires for more that oppress my neighbors.

DIRTY, DIRTY CONSUMPTION

Jesus wept.
It is a sentence often quoted as the shortest verse in the Bible. On Friday, it was a reality. Not just because of Black Friday monetary spending but because of the addiction to consumption and lust for material possession and/or entertainment.
Jesus wept.

Poetical.

When the last living thing has died on account of us,
how poetical it would be if Earth could say,
in a voice floating up perhaps from the floor
of the Grand Canyon, “It is done.”
People did not like it here.

—Kurt Vonnegut

M.A.R. Missional Leadership

I am working on my Master of Arts of Religion in Missional Leadership from Northwest Nazarene University. I am thoroughly enjoying the program at this point. It is all online and I am discovering the consumption of time that occurs with active engagement in my courses. I am also finding that my mind is provoked to think continually about our discussion/post topics. I wonder why it is that relationships and conversation online seem more intentional toward authenticity and committment. Maybe it's that there are sweet people in my class who value shared experience and time with each other? Maybe it's that we don't have on masks in an attempt to try to prove ourselves as ones who we are not? Maybe it's because we are required to spend time in virual dialogue so that we are not distracted by all the distractions in real conversation?

Imprecation

Now listening to: Dashboard Confessional, Dusk and Summer album.

Does anyone have any thoughts on "divine vengeance?" A friend of mine sent an e-mail to me discussing "imprecation psalms" to defend the position that violence is not always wrong because it may be being carried out by God. You may read the except that he copied into the email at http://theologica.blogspot.com/2007/09/crying-for-justice.html. My response was as follows:

"So... maybe there were people in other countries praying hard enough for divine vengeance against the United States, thereby we could call Hurricane Katrina imprecation. God bless the U.S.A."
Please note: The preceding sentence is laced with a double-dose of sarcasm. I am not of a reformed mindset nor do I claim that any natural disasters are caused by or initiated by God.

Thoughts?

Consuming Me.

I am reading Matthew Sleeth's Serve God, Save the Planet. After quickly reading through chapter (1) I found myself broken, guilty, and in need of repentance. The book is not intended to be "guilt-trip" inducing (at least I didn't read it that way). The author confessed his previous sin of consumption and is passionate about his cause and calling and has demonstrated his commitment to a different way of living. It is, indeed, challenging (for lack of a more powerful word).
While the book is likely to continue specifically with creation care and love as the central theme, it provoked me to dig even deeper into myself to ask, "What really controls me?" I am broken right now - disgusted at myself. I have allowed materialism, status, and acceptance to reign in me and my attempts to be otherwise have been futile at best. I would try to explain my existing methods and praxis for being a steward of creation and wealth but I would merely be attempting to justify my lack of true commitment to giving and ultimately to worship of YHWH. May grace cover me and change me and my family and community.

Freedom and/or Apple Pie.

A post from my previous site on January 4, 2006:

last night: trouble sleeping. tired but restless. sleepy but sleepless. hopeful that the pseudo-life of a motion picture could distract my mind enough to allow at least a few hours of rest. morgan freeman, however, captivated my attention once again in the shawshank redemption. and god captivated my attention when "the warden" gave "andy" an apple pie. apple pie. andy and red had a sense of freedom when they ate apple pie or shared a beer in the open air on the roof during a work break. it was like a taste of freedom. i started thinking about apple pie - with a cup of coffee. i could sit and enjoy apple pie and coffee whenever i want - as long as i make the time to sit and enjoy. the same with a baked potato - the skin rolled in salted, melted butter with fresh steamed brocolli and bacon on top. i rolled over in bed to admire my wife sleeping. suddenly, i was free. suddenly, i could sleep.