Montreat West...Wednesday

Here are some pics from the last few days here at Montreat West. I'm having a ball with the leadership and my servant squad pretty much rules. I've been in two skits with the keynoter and been dressed as a woman both times...Awesome. I led music this morning as well. Poor Jeffrey didn't listen to my advice and ate at the Mongolian restaurant called Hu Hots (I mean, come on, with a name like that, you have to be a little bit wary) and his stomach didn't respond well. Anyway, here are some pics:

Montreat West...Sunday

The youth have arrived. Today was a crazy day of skit rehearsals, registration, rec events, scrambling, scurrying, and hurrying to make this place ready for a youth conference. I'm pretty wiped out at this point, so this will be short.

I'm totally psyched that First Presbyterian Church Columbia, MO is here. I already had some quality time with some of them. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos with them yet, but I will. There's something cool about hangin' out with folks from your hometown. I found out that the current youth directors have been hanging out with some friends of mine from Truman. Small world...small world.

Here are a couple of pics I took with a couple of my peeps:

Laurie Taylor Weicher and I at registration

Rex and I (I love this kid)

Montreat West...the day before

Here I sit on Saturday night. There's a lite rain sprinkling down outside the office window. Plannint team members are either scurrying about to be ready for the onslaught of tomorrow, or are taking a much needed break...a little calm before the storm. Rex is lying down with his head propped on his hand reading a book...his second during his time here. Robert and Jeffrey are finalizing the song list for Sunday night. J.Herbert is adding some visual flair to Monday night's worship service. I love to watch the dedication of all these people working to make Montreat a wonderful experience for the youth who will attend.

I spent the better part of four hours this afternoon in small group leader training. I can't say it's my favorite place to be, but it was good to meet the other folks who will be leading small groups this week. Unfortunately, numbers are a bit down, so it's a small crew. The word needs to get out that something awesome happens here at CSU every June.

Laurie Taylor Weicher arrived today. I love that girl. I love seeing friends like her...friends who make you feel known...friends who make your heart smile.

Tomorrow, the conferees arrive. Look for some pictures as I get into the midst of things.

Montreat West...in preparation

Hey folks. That's right, it's almost Montreat West time. I'm out in Ft. Collins helping the planning team get ready for the arrival of approximately 200 young people. I arrived here last night, dropped my bags, said hello to some folks, and went for a run. It's funny how good it feels to get out and run now that I'm past the point of huffing an puffing after five minutes. I actually only ran for about half an hour last night, because I had to be back for skit rehearsal, but I felt like I could have gone a good bit longer.

Anyways, it's fun getting to hang out with the planning team folks. And, I've met a couple of stage leaders who I'd always heard about but never met. For all of you out there who sang the praises of Jeffery Harpeth and Kenneth Slifer, I've found your singing to be right on key. I'm looking forward to seeing what they have to offer from the stage.

The theme of this year's conference is Crossing Boundaries. It should be interesting to see how the leaders dance around that line of which boundaries we're called to cross and which ones we aren't.

OK, more from Montreat West as the conference progresses.

All of this FEMA business

So, it turns out that when given money following Hurricane Katrina, some folks chose to spend their debit cards in ways that FEMA doesn't like. Apparently, people spent the money on NFL tickets, champagne, and other "frivolous" items. Folks at FEMA are upset because they don't think that's what the money was for.

Now, I'm not too excited about folks spending relief effort dollars on NFL tickets when people were struggling to get food and some people still don't have homes.

That being said, I hope that there are no Republicans on the hill crying too loudly. I mean, isn't it the Republicans who say that government should get out of the way and allow people to have more access to their own money? That it isn't the role of government to tell people how to spend their money? That Americans know best how to spend their money? The only difference, as I see it, between this latest situation, and the drastic tax cuts propegated by the current administration is that this time, the expenditures of "the people" could be tracked. I imagine that if we were able to track the money given in "tax relief," we'd find some similar trends. Meanwhile, the national deficit counter is back on in New York City.

My main point here, is that this situation ought to be an eye opener for those who argue for tax cuts for the sole reason that Americans know best how to spend their money. If people who have just lost everything buy NFL tickets and stay in fancy hotels with their relief money, I can only imagine what the rest of us do with our tax relief money.

I love camp

I spent all of last week, June 4-9, at NaCoMe, which is a camp within the bounds of my presbytery. It was a great week. I just love all that is "camp." I love that youth get to disconnect from their hectic lives and simply enjoy God's beautiful creation with a bunch of other youth. I love standing around a campfire at night and singing songs...or yelling songs as in Screaming Jesus. If you haven't heard that one, you simply must find someone who knows it. I love it that high school students still wear t-shirts from their various clubs, sports teams, musicals, bands, choirs, etc...you know, the t-shirts that kind of brag and bring attention to the love that that youth has for a particular activity. When do we quit wearing shirts like that? I guess I still do with my Cavaliers shirts, but mine don't have fun slogans on them. I love those t-shirts. I love games called Jedi and Ultimate. I love worship services that are seriously rockin' with the Holy Spirit. I love watching quiet youth come out of their shells. I love watching the loud youth be at a loss for words. I love simply walking around from place to place...walking, not jogging, not running, not driving, not even biking...just walking. I love silly fun songs that youth sing to bless meals. I love it that youth have to sing if they get too much mail or packages or e-mails from home. I love it that most of them act like they hate it but secretly ask Mom or Dad to send a package so they have to sing. I love it that camp is a place where thousands of youth experience God each and every day of the summer. I love it that God sets apart special places for youth (and adults for that matter) to recharge their batteries before walking back into "the real world." I just love camp. Thank God for camp.

Pride and Prejudice

I just finished reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It's definitely a funny book, and Austen does a wonderful job of describing the characters in such a way that makes you feel like you know them personally. I think I chuckled out loud in each chapter. However, I'm a bit stumped as to why so many women think that Mr. Darcy is the quintessential example of what a man ought to be. In some ways, he's kind of a jerk, and while he eventually overcomes his prejudices, it's not so much because of self reflection for self reflection's sake, but because a girl he likes calls him on it. To be sure, his willingness to handle the situation with Lydia was noble, but he had the money to do it without really sacrificing much. Is it that he is so attracted to a free thinking woman? Is it his patience? Is it his willingness to be molded and scolded? I just don't understand why he's so much beloved by all of you women-folk out there. Give me a shout out and help me understand.

Hope in the midst of it all

I'm so tired of tuning into NPR every single day and hearing how many people have died in roadside bombings or some other sort of violence in Iraq. I'm tired of hearing about United States troops acting inappropriately and even murdering Iraqis. How does that happen?!? How does that make us any different than the thugs who served (and still serve) Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden? I'm so tired of it. I have seriously been on the verge of tears a few times in the past week as I listen to the state of affairs in the Iraq and Israel and the Sudan and now, again, Indonesia. It is so hard for me to understand.

But then, as I look ahead to Pentecost Sunday, I read a text that says:

"For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do now know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit interecedes with sighs too deep for words."
Romans 8:24-26

In those moments when all the collective hate and violence of the world seems to press in on me, choking me, stifling the very hope that would well up inside of me, I listen for the sighs of the Spirit, and I am thankful...thankful that in our weakness, the spirit prays for us and intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. In the midst of all my sighs, I pray for hope and for peace and for understanding and for compassion and for God to cast a web of love over the hearts of those who would do violence to their fellow human beings.

After

Well, folks, after waiting so patiently, here are the After pictures of my place. I didn't get them taken before I moved in, so I had to wait until I had things in a relative state of order. Of course, those who know me, now that my place is never really what you would call "tidy," but at least there aren't too many piles of stuff on the floor. :) As you can see, the paint really lightens up the place and the new floors are wicked awesome. I look forward to hosting any of you want to come and hang out in Nashvegas for a few days.

View from back door

Living Room from corner

Living Room from front door

Guest Bedroom/Office

Dining Room

Master Bedroom

Random thoughts

These are just a few random things I've encountered in the past week or so:

• There's a federal agency involved in this wiretapping/phone record searching thing with the initials B.F.F. No lie.
• Pabst Blue Ribbon (yes, the beer) is now a corporate sponsor of National Public Radio. I'm not sure if it was the national version or the Nashville version, but I got a kick out of hearing PBR sponsoring public radio. The little ad talks about the beer winning the Blue Ribbon in whatever year. I'm kind of wondering if the NPR crowd is really the main demographic for PBR. I mean, I love it, but it makes you wonder.
• The 7th graders at Brentwood Middle School get my respect for standing up to "the man" during lunch on Wednesday. In the face of threatened home room lunch and quiet lunch, they rallied and cheered and banged on their tables in defiance of a blustery coach yelling at them. Way to stand up to authority!
• Related to that topic, what is it about middle school lunchroom supervisors? I mean, why is it so crucial that the students stay quiet and reserved? Don't they spend the rest of their day paying attention to adults? Why can't lunch be a time for them to let loose and enjoy one another's company? Is there anything inherently valuable about a "civilized" lunch? I say no. Adults can be so lame sometimes. :)

Before...

Here are some pictures of my new place before I painted and before new floors went in. The floors are being put in right now, so next week, I'll post some pictures of the finished product.

Guest Bedroom (more baby blue than it looks in the picture)

The Kitchen

Master Bathroom (yes, it's Pepto Bismol colored)

Master Bedroom

Dining Room and Back door to patio

Dining Room

Living Room

All this oil business

Wow, the last couple of weeks flew by quickly. After hearing stories about oil prices on NPR everyday for the past week or so, I thought I'd weigh in:

• First of all, can republicans and democrats (intentionally not capitalized since they're acting like children) quit pointing fingers and blaming one another for everything. Yeah, we have oil barons in the white house. I'm not sure they have the power to single handedly raise the price of crude oil all around the world. Yeah, the dems blocked legislation to drill in Alaska. We probably wouldn't have gained that much oil anyway. Quit trotting out 101 lame excuses about how it's the other guy's fault.
• Second, as I see it, this crisis has little to do with all of those lame excuses mentioned above. It has a ton to do with the fact that we are bottomless pits of oil consumption. We all drive around in our cars BY OURSELVES and wonder why gas prices go up. In response to a question about how we can drive oil prices down, one expert simply said, "Drive less." Wow! What a concept. Now, I drive around Nashville by myself a lot, so I'm totally complicit in this, but I'm also not complaining that the oil companies keep gouging us. Does it suck? Yes. Is it all their fault? No. We keep paying the prices that continue to rise, because we just have to get to work in 15 minutes when it would take 30 minutes by bus or train.
• Third, I wonder if our lawmakers could make some headway by actually introducing legislation designed to address the problem of so much individual consumption. What about subsidies for municipalities that are willing to bolster mass transit services? I can tell you that if there was a bus system of some sort that ran throughout Williamson County, I'd use it to get around. What about more bike paths when the department of transportation widens roads? What about anything besides pointing fingers and being upset while standing at the pump filling up our cars?
• Finally, maybe some of us need to do some serious self reflection about this issue. What kind of vehicle do we drive? How often do we drive when we could walk? Could we conceivably carpool? Do we need to encourage our local towns and counties to think more seriously about mass transit options? If we're unwilling to make some of those sacrifices, I'm not sure we should be quite as upset with the oil companies for doing what they've been trained to do in a free market capitalist economy, which is get as much money as you can for the product you have to offer from those who want the product.

In the words of my former brass caption head Bill Watson, "That is all."

Church sign

"Christ desires fellowship with us. That's what the cross is all about."

These words are on a church sign that I drive by everyday. Each time I see it, I think, "Um, that's not really it." I really thought the incarnation was all about Christ desiring fellowship with humankind. If they substituted "reconciliation" for "fellowship," I could get down with it, but as it is, I just don't think it captures the heart of things. Any thoughts on this? Am I ridiculous to be bothered by this?

So much to blog about...

There have been so many times in the past two weeks that I’ve been somewhere or seen something and thought, “I really need to blog about that.” Unfortunately, it usually slips my mind while I have internet access and returns only when I’m back in the car or at home, where I have “limited or no connectivity.” So, here’s my best shot at summarizing my recent blog thoughts/experiences:

Last weekend, I attended a multidimensional learning conference in Chicago. It was kind of a primer on workshop rotation and other innovative Sunday school models that take multiple intelligences into consideration. Good conference, although, for a multidimensional learning conference, we did a lot of sitting in a room listening to a presenter talk at us.

While at the O’Hare airport in Chicago on my way home, I walked out of a newsstand/gift shop and saw the Mike Tyson, former heavyweight champion of the world, walking around talking on his cell phone. He walked right by me. He’s actually kind of short.

On Monday, April 3^rd, I became a homeowner. That’s right, I sat in a room for two hours signing a bunch of papers that basically made sense when the woman explained them, but will probably look like gibberish when I look at them by myself. My new home is a two bedroom condo in Franklin, TN. I’ve spent some time this week taking down wallpaper. Man, is that a pain in the ass. I’m hoping to move in by the end of April as long as all of my interior decorating goes as planned.

I want to give a big shout out to my friends Bettie Parsons Barger, Jake Wilson, and Katie Wilson, for celebrating with me on Monday. I wasn’t planning to do anything, but they insisted that we go out and have a nice dinner and celebrate my grown up-ness. Sometimes I’m reticent to suggest celebrations for myself, which I’d imagine most of us are, so I was really thankful for the celebration.

OK, this post is now eternally long, so I’ll wrap it up. I hope that everyone is getting psyched about Easter.

Ordination of Men

I'm reposting this from The Shiverian:

Top Ten Reasons Why Men Should Not Be Ordained

10. A man's place is in the army.
9. For men who have children, their duties might distract them from the responsibilities of being a parent.
8. Their physical build indicates that men are more suited to tasks such as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be "unnatural" for them to do other forms of work.
7. Man was created before woman. It is therefore obvious that man was a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment, rather than the crowning achievement of creation.
6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. This is easily demonstrated by their conduct at football games and watching basketball tournaments.
5. Some men are handsome; they will distract women worshipers.
4. To be ordained pastor is to nurture the congregation. But this is not a traditional male role. Rather, throughout history, women have been considered to be not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more frequently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.
3. Men are overly prone to violence. No really manly man wants to settle disputes by any means other than by fighting about it. Thus, they would be poor role models, as well as being dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.
2. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep paths, repair the church roof, and maybe even lead the singing on Father's Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the Church.
1. In the New Testament account, the person who betrayed Jesus was a man. Thus, his lack of faith and ensuing punishment stands as a symbol of the subordinated position that all men should take.

Soul Man

As I was headed home for lunch today, the song "Soul Man" came on the radio, and for some reason, I was transported back to Rock Bridge High School circa 1995. My Dad was the host of the annual talent show, which has a clever name that I can't remember right now. Anyway, my Dad was co-hosting with another teacher named David Graham. In between acts, they would play off the fact that Dad was older and David was younger. At one point, the two of them came out dressed like the Blues Brothers and danced to Soul Man. I seem to recall somebody cracking a joke about Dad being the Old Man. It was one of those moments when a child is awfully proud of his Dad. There he was, respectable Mr. Bancroft, the English teacher, acting totally goofy on stage. There ought to be more teachers out there like Mr. Bancroft who are willing to be real people. Anyway, that was a fond memory, and I thought I'd share it with you folks.

Up early on a Saturday

• So, it's 7:15 on a Saturday morning and I'm actually up and dressed. What's wrong with this picture? I'm house/dog sitting for the Joneses and I could tell the natives were getting restless, so I got up to let everybody out. In a little while, I'm headed out to have breakfast with Biff and Mary. I really look forward to my Saturday mornings with them. They're great people.

• This week, as I was cruising toward downtown Nashville, I got behind a car that had a sticker in the rear window that read Truman State University-Excellence is no Accident. I pumped a fist and cheered right there in the car. When I pulled up next to the car, I didn't know the person, but it's good to know that there are a few other Truman Staters hangin' out here in Nashville.
• I close on a condo in just over a week...April 3rd to be exact. I feel like I'm making a grown up commitment here, and it's a little bit scary. Melissa Britt, my realtor, and friend, has been wonderful about explaining everything and walking me through all of the various steps. I totally understand why some people are never able to buy a home. There are so many upfront costs...appraisal, inspection, earnest money, etc. Anyway, on April 3rd, I'll be a homeowner.
• I'm preaching tomorrow on John 3:15-17. I'm also using the Old Testament text from Numbers where Moses puts a bronze serpent on a pole so people can look at it and survive snake bites. Check it out at Numbers 21:4-9. I'm going a little bit dark...playing with fears a bit. We'll see how it goes, I guess.
• OK, off to breakfast. I hope everyone has had a wonderful March.
  

Burglar update

This morning, I decided to walk to Notables, a coffee shop/eatery that's become one of my favorite haunts. It's on the route I ran the other night when I lost my key. When I came to the corner and prepared to cross the street, I looked down, and lo and behold, there was my key on its blue Lakeside 2000 keychain. I swear I spent five minutes searching in that very spot the other night. Anyway, I thought some of you might like the update. :)

Burglar Bancroft

So, this evening, when I got home, I decided to go for a "joggy jog" as Kevin Day would say. I put my spare key, my stocking cap, and the Rio Nitrus (mp3 player) in my pocket and set off to run as I listened to Angels and Demons which I recently downloaded from the Nashville Public Library. Awesome idea, huh? Download books and you get a three week license to listen to them. Brilliant. Anyway, I went for my run, and surprisingly ran for 35 minutes before slowing down to walk the last quarter mile to my apartment. As I was climbing the stairs to my apartment, I reached in my pocket for that spare key. Alas, it wasn't in either pocket. Now, did I put it in my back pocket that zips? Hell no. I put it in one of my front pockets, which apparently doesn't hold keys very well. So, I decided to retrace my steps a bit and look around at the couple of places where I stopped and pulled out the Rio Nitrus. Did I find the key? No way! After traipsing around for 45 minutes, I was back in front of my apartment door with no way of entering my apartment. The front office to my complex was already closed, by the way. So, what's my only viable option? That's right, Renderings fans, I had to break into my own apartment. I climbed on top of the fence around the patio that sits below my little deck and then pulled myself up onto the deck. Thank goodness for Lat Pulldowns at the gym. Keep in mind that I'm wearing a black long sleeve running shirt and a stocking cap at this point. Thankfully, I had left the bedroom window that opens onto the deck unlocked. I slid off the screen, slid the storm window up, and then opened the window, and climbed through the mini-blinds that were all the way down. At that moment, I was so thankful that I had decided against putting one of my bookshelves directly in front of the window. Upon entering my apartment, I turned on the lights, and ate a dinner of a peach, a sweet potato, and Spicy Thai Tempe from Wild Oats Grocery Store...All part of a balanced nutritious burglar's diet. Oy.

Gems from Newbigin

Here are a couple of quotes from Lesslie Newbigins The Gospel in a Pluarlist Society. They both come from a chapter entitled "The Congregation as Hermeneutic of the Gospel. This book is truly amazing:

Jesus, as I said earlier, did not write a book but formed a community. This community has at its heart the remembering and rehearsing of his words and deeds, and the sacraments given by him through which it is enabled both to engraft new members into its life and to renew this life again and again through sharing in his risen life through the body broken and the lifeblood poured out. It exists in him and for him. He is the center of its life. Its character is given to it, when it is true to its nature, not by the characters of its members but by his character. Insofar as it is true to its calling, it becomes the place where men and women and children find that the gospel gives them the framework of understanding, the "lenses" through which they are able to understand and cope with the world.

I love those words in the middle that say It exists in him and for him. He is the center of its life. I, personally, need to be reminded of that from time to time. I get so caught up in the daily tasks of preparing lessons, visiting people, planning lock-ins, preparing meals, etc. that I forget that the busy-ness of the church is not what it's all about. The church exists for Christ and Christ is the center of its life. I'm not the center, youth group isn't the center, the building campaign isn't the center, what we sing at what time isn't the center...Only Christ is the center. I also love the opening words about Jesus forming a community. Again and again, we must remind ourselves that Christ calls us into community.

Almost everything in the "plausibility structure" which is the habitation of our society seems to contradict this Christian hope. Everything suggests that it is absurd to believe that the true authority over all things is represented in a crucified man. No amount of brilliant argument can make it sound reasonable to the inhabitants of the reigning plausibility structure. That is why I am suggesting that the only possible hermeneutic of the gospel is a congregation which believes it.

If I had to summarize my time at the emergent convention last May, I think I would use this snippet from Newbigin. I am more and more convinced that tight theological treatises and "brilliant arguments" are not the way we will convince people that the God we worship is one of love and grace and One worthy of worship. The community of believers must live the gospel in such a way that others look and say, "Wow, I want to worship that God and know that Lord and Savior."

Great stuff from a great mind.