Elpida

Well i have been thinking a lot about the Elpida Society….

Something about this time of year… maybe it’s the Spring, the leaves, the tree’s all beginning to wake up… grafted branches…

Just has me thinking…

April 30th, 2008 - Posted in General, Prayer | | 2 Comments

Rockstar’s are good examples…

 Ok, I substituted leaders for the word “Rockstar” because I like it better…

But this morning I was reading Chapter 13, pg. 163 of 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and was really intrigued by this statistic: 

“According to Opinion Research Corporation of Ajilon Finance, American workers selected that one trait that was most important for a person to lead them: 

1. Leading by example                                   26%
2. Strong ethics or morals                             19%
3. Knowledge of the business                        17%
4. Fairness                                                     14%
5. Overall intelligence and competence         13%
6. Recognition of employee’s                        10%”

The number one choice is leading by example…  It’s fascinating to me that intelligence and competence are ranked 5th… I guess I find that as a relief…

Perhaps that is why this is a powerfull example

April 29th, 2008 - Posted in General, Rock Star | | 0 Comments

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

This is one of those books that I could read over and over and over again and not wrap my head around it…

I think John Maxwell is the king of how-to type books… His stuff is so practical, so timely and so insightful.   Although I have never met him, he seems to be a lot like Len Sweet in the practicality of the stuff he writes…

If you haven’t read this book there are so many points that are good I can’t even begin to quote them… He is just dead on…

T-Hunter turned me onto him a while back and I have a goal of reading all reading a lot more of his works… If you don’t own this one… It is worth the Amazonion $20 bucks.

April 28th, 2008 - Posted in Rock Star | | 1 Comments

Power Washing ADHD/OCD

Ever go outside, look around in the shop and see a power washer just sitting there?  Ever get the bright idea that since it’s sunny for the first time in 5 months and mud season is on, that it would be a good idea to hit the wheels of the car…. then the engine, then the doors, then the roof, then the sides, then the roof rack, the the underneath… then the house?

Somehow i started out on the car and by the end of the day, our house looked naked from paint… I had planned on painting the house this summer, but it was a compulsive vacuum that roped me in… next thing i knew i was on our extension ladder shooting up rooster tails of water 50′ in the air… hopefully well get some after’s, because right now the before’s aren’t looking too pretty.

April 22nd, 2008 - Posted in General | | 0 Comments

Frenched Head and Tail Light’s

Ok, I’m looking to french both my headlights and taillights on a 50 Chevy Coupe.

• What have you used and what works best
• If you have any pics, I would love to see them.

I am looking for a bucket recess kit for both the rear and front. I saw these for the front

on Night Prowlers site and it’s hard to tell from the photos how they will look.

I saw these on Mooneye’s
 

And they look alright

I like the idea of these in the rear (of the car )

(above also mooneyes)

• Since their all probably made by the same group of kids in China, does anybody know where to get them direct?
• Does anybody have some pics of how they look on your car and what kit you liked best?
• What have you used and what works best?

April 20th, 2008 - Posted in Art Projects, General | | 0 Comments

50 Chevy

I have been thinking I would like to chop a car… a real chop, not a T or an A but a legit choptop.  Anyone up for an adventure?

I am thinking something along these lines

 I have just the victim in mind… a 1950 Chev… MMMMMMn?

April 18th, 2008 - Posted in Art Projects, General | | 0 Comments

Death Cab for Cutie

So I haven’t heard much of the album, but I will say what I have heard I really like

++How I wish you could see the potential, the potential of you and me
It’s like a book elegantly bound, but in a language that you can’t read - just yet
You gotta spend some time–love, you gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you’ll find–love, I will possess your heart (x2)

There are days when outside your window, I see my reflection as I slowly pass
And I long for this mirrored perspective, when we’ll be lovers, lovers at last
You gotta spend some time–love, you gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you’ll find–love, I will possess your heart(x2)

I will possess your heart (x2)

You reject my advances and desperate pleas
I won’t let you, let me down so easily, so easily

You gotta spend some time–love, you gotta spend some time with me
And I know that you’ll find–love, I will possess your heart (x3)

I will possess your heart (x2)++

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in General, Prayer, Rock Star | | 2 Comments

Yankee Curse… Sock’s fan

I don’t know which is better, this story or the fact that I have friends in low enough places that know this guy…

How Classic NYC is this?

I’m super pumped on the new video feature…

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in General | | 0 Comments

Not sure on the layout

I am curious to know how this looks on a iPhone or Palm PC.  I am hoping the layout is better.

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in General | | 1 Comments

Welding without gas

Welding without gas is sort of like cooking without gas…  The food is pretty raw.

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in General | | 0 Comments

Teamwork

A freind turned me onto this…

www.powerofteamworkmovie.com/

Interesting stuff…

In

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in General | | 0 Comments

Updating posts…

Just updating the site with some older stuff… haven’t sorted it all out yet, but I should be able to get some art up soon…. Picture’s are taking me a little longer to figure out…

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in General | | 0 Comments

Blinded by Character

++how fortunate i am lord, that you put people before me who understand your ways and what your about, who understand your spirit and who have steadfastly followed you, and bring the wisdom of years in your yearning. i love you, and

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in Prayer | | 0 Comments

Stab in the Front

“friends stab each other in the front”

i wanted to share a learning moment i had on weds night because i think it is an awesome reflection to community as god intened. this is a depressing truth, but it captures the ongoing stuggles of living. we were at soccer practice and we were having a scrimmage. as always, we we were doing our best to yell out and coach the kids in a positve way. our pracitce feild sounds pretty loud for most of the practice. usually we have to yell because its outside, theres a breeze and the field is near a road with a lot of traffic noise. once you get around the fact that were yelling at 10year old girls if you listen a majority of the time were yelling things like come on or get it forward or stay in your zone. . .

i coach the defense specifically the fullbacks, we have been doing much better in games and in the last weeks there is an incomparible improvement from just a few weeks ago. my oldest daughter plays center fullback and is the only one of the fullbacks who hasn’t played soccer before. she now loves it and is excited to improve. she is one of the fastest girls on the team and is definelyt the tallest so she is perfect for the job, becuase she has never played, it has been challenging for her to understand angles, when to commit, when to cushion and when to determine if someone is in the kill zone . .ect. . and she is slowly gaining confidence in her ability. there is added diffiulty because she doesn’t get a lot of help yet, even though the other defenders have played soccer before, they really don’t understand angles either . they typically don’t pull their oppents off sides and also get burnt, leaving her often times in a 3 on 1 or at least 2. anyways. on weds night, i really really wanted them to stay in their zones and it just wasn’t happening.

its funny with all the other girls i have a lot of grace but for some reason with my own daughter who i obvioulsy love more, i don’t know why but i feel the freedom to yell more. she kept getting burnt and wasn’t playing well and i was keeping on her, and letting her know. i have been around sports all my life and competed from rec leagues to the proffesional level of international competition. i have been coached by and witnessed literally hundreds of coaches and even coached others at an international level i am only writting this to express that i really do understand athleticism. coaches that yelled never bothered me. coaches that were negative always did. the best coaches are those who can point out the right. focusing on the negative is easy, explaining how to get it right is just plain what a coach does. i am concious about negative coaches in perhaps a hyper vigalente sense. they have no place and are worhtless.

well, weds night i crossed over the line and definitly did it before i realized it. i thought i was helping but was just doing the opposite and it was horriblle. i constatnly need reminded of my presence, i just never think of myself as intimidaing and i definitly have no desire to come off that way. i know from the pains of life that i can and have initmitdated my own family before and the thought of ever doing so again is practically unbearable. its why i always jokingly use dallass willards name in vain (becuase had it not been for a great wife, friends and that book, i don’t think i would have realized the potential harm or damage i could have continued to invoke.) perhaps the saddest part is that i know better, for years i sat under the tootelage of a great leader ed piorek whose life passion is the father heart of god. the premise to his ministiry is that poor behaviors frrom earthely fathers, can impeded an individuals perspective on his heavenly father. so after reading much nouwen and living amougnst ed i know really do know all the damage that fathers can invoke. the baffling part to me is that i had the best earthly father i can imagine. i couple that fact with the concept in the OT of sins of the father repeating, and things don’t make sense. frightenly enough its like i am starting my own personal out of control lineage of yuchhh.

so here i am out on a soccer feild telling my own daughter that she is getting burnt, and she just cowards away, i am still haunted by her beautiful eyes welling up and the image of her as she turned away and ran back to her postition after our scrimmage team scored a goal. i saw here posture change and her beautiful little body fighting back the flood of emotion that she was feeling. it was all she could do to keep from breaking down. it was then that i knew i had blown it. what do you do? how do you recover from that one? why the hell did it even matter? my behavior is so contrary to how i feel. well it is no secret and i have been working on it intentially and gotten much mo betta over the years, but i had definitly screwed up. and then to make it worse my daughter told me after practice choking back tears of pain, that she had hurt her ankle and that was why she was defending poorly. she said she didn’t want to be like the other girls who fake injury or manipulate (her words) so they can get out of practice. infact she was the only one who voted to do laps at the end of practice. so by the end of that little conversation i was feeling like there are no words to describe.

but here is the part of community that was beautiful. practice was over, and we waited until all the parents had left as we always do, typically the girls play together, and i noticed that mark seemed a bit preoccupied but didn’t know why. (actually he was just protecting me) after the kids were in the car and all the stuff was loaded up mark came over gave me a hug and very privatley whispered the following words which almost broke me. “as a friend and as a brother, i think you stepped over the line with your daughter today” about all i could say was “yah i know” and that was it. that was all that needed said. that was all it took, because we practically live together i knew those 18 words spoke more and adressed more than words can capture. i knew from the look in his eyes he was doing his job as a memeber of my community of faith and holding me accountable. that was it. simple and quick. and then he got in the car and left. had mark not confirmed my suspicions (it took a real rocket scientist) of my own behavior, i may not have handled the aftermath the same. unfortunatly the damage was done and once again it is not as easy as a simple apology. i know when he got in the car his daughter probablly questioned him about it, and i also know that he represented me in a way that won’t further the damage i did. ulitmatley that is what is best for everybody.

we have an openness that can only come from relationship and there is nothing we would hold back especially in love. we have come to expect each others feedback and welcome it as naturally as our own thoughts. so philosophically not saying something is the sin. beth reminded me of a quote by oscar wilde who had a fascinating life of brilliance “friends stab each other in the front” well thats all mark was doing. stabbing me in the front. you know what i welcome it anytime, i want it, i need it, its like having eyes guarding your back. if we don’t confront sin or poor behaviour in our communities and hold each other accountable how will we ever move towards our own healing? even more how will we incept change and model the kingdom to those who are onlooking. if we are looking for life long inpact, it ain’t gonna happen without the relationship of brothers and sisters who adress our faults in love and want to see us move on. transparency is just part of it, being surrounded by those who challenge is the other. but the best part is that there is an openess amoung freinds that will represent, protect and gaurd out of mutual interests and allelon. if know if we can do this, if we can with dignity and honesty restore and build each othe up, we will see life lasting change. so go and challenge each other and live amoung freinds

++lord heal the wounds i create,
please restore my daughter and anyway ive screwed her up,
help me to model you to my own family and those who i have infected
i want to be more, say more and do more for your kingdom. thankyou ++

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in Prayer | | 0 Comments

Mercy me

++give me some more patience, help me to learn
allow me to be a better communicator,
teach me to see things many ways,
help me to see the other side of the story
help me at showing, and allowing rather than doing++

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in Prayer | | 0 Comments

Updating Stuff…

Just updating the site with some older stuff… haven’t sorted it all out yet, but I should be able to get some art up soon…. Picture’s are taking me a little longer to figure out…

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in General | | 0 Comments

Women

here is something i heard in dream and this is an attempt to remember it as best i can:

there is something happening amoungst women right now that i don’t remember seeing, they are beggining to get their voices back, voices that have been cruicified silent for many years and it has not been healthy.  equals in christ; it is ridiculous that they have not been heard.  where are they?  they have siliently been in our impossed solitude of submission but they are being/have been getting raised up and like wild lionesses they are getting ready to be realeased, released on the church, released on thier culture and released to be the women that god has called them to be. 

we have to provide the intentional interaction amoungst our women.  they are strong and vibrant, wonderfully brilliant and i can’t wait to hear them speak out, teach, prophesy, model, admonish, encourage. hopefully our place in doing church will reflect all the potential thats there for us to see them released into the various areas of being co-laborers with god and followers of his spirit. 

i fear that the church has grown tired, and is malnourished on the male centered voice, if we don’t provide our wives, daughters and sisters opportunities to be raised up, then how will we ever hear anything different?  we need to provide for them the same access, the same oppourtunities and the same selfless hearts they have given to us.  there voices must be heard, it is simply foolish and ignorant to think otherwise. 

how can we bless them more, how can we free them up, how can we restore what has been oppressed? what will it take to see them walk in ways they have been unable?  how can we allow them to step into the full blessing of daughters of god?  

we are at a pivotable time and sphere of influence, our culture has far surpassed our expectations within the church, and we must repent to see a change in the church.  those who are not followers of jesus will see the potential of what it means to be in gods family and it will be inviting.  it will be right and it will be very refreshing.  can you imagine a church that can actually look at women in healthy ways?  how prophetic. what more could speak to the world then that alone, what could be more of a statement about how we view our king?  what could be more honoring to jesus?  spririt we need you to teach us.  teach us to be a renewed  people of god, not renewed men. 

god is jealous for the fullness of his daughters hearts, but he has allowed them to serve us for unknown reasons.  lets serve our wives the way they have served us and lets allow our wifes, daughters and sisters to see what it means to have his full attention.  

++bless the fellowship that you are bringing about in women of your church, and forgive us(men) for being so dominereing, so contemptous and so fragile that we have not understood their hearts, restore the centuries of slavery that has been put upon them, encourage them and lift them up as worshippers of your kingship and lordship reighn over them and exalt them, free them from the oppression of the decades and allow them to speak your words freely without holding back, allow them to prophesy and worship in profound ways, raise them up to be teachers, and give back thier voice

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in E-Say's | | 0 Comments

Dream’s

Dreams

Amongst the emerging Church, as earlier stated, there is little encouragement to dream in other than the utopian or philosophic sense.  Amongst our generation, there has been growing acceptance of dream interpretation outside of the Church.  At cultural milieus such as Burning Man, and Freakstock, it has been noted that there are many “Dream Prophets” who will interpret dreams for a nominal fee if not for free.  A simple google search for “Dream Interpretations” {google interpret dream: } will currently yield a search of 21, 600 queries, if the same search is refined adding the words “Jewish dream interpretation”{google jewish dream: } it returns over 103.  Substituting “Muslim Dream Interpretation” {google muslimn dream: } yields 8; however if the same search is performed adding “Christian Dream Interpretations“ { google christian dream: } there is only 3, and 2 have nothing to do with the subject!  Why, is this?  Why is it that the Church has not embraced this too?  If any people group should gain the skills to become proficient at this it should be Christians, it is difficult to think that we would be unaffected by these statistics.  What could be more Missional, than going to these sorts of events and setting up a booth titled “Dream Interpretation; Hearing from God for free” This is one avenue that the Alt-Church has atrophied. 

As a people group, we as Christians are just as capable to hear from God when we are awake, as when we are a sleep.  Much of this is common sense, however it is my hope to discuss and dialogue about this, so that we as the Church can become better equipped to understand how God is speaking to us.  Dreams are perhaps one way that God speaks to us{The way it was pg.167: }.  The purpose of including them in this essay is to address a few practical means to how this could be accomplished.  In praying for this project, I felt that rather than talking about dreaming, I should ask God for a dream that would be a fun opportunity to interpret that would also serve as a basis for entry level and user friendly interpretation practice.  The purpose of this was not to be mystical, but rather to give others an opportunity to get practice on a non-consequential, and practical scale.  It is my assessment that the apostolic does not always have an instantaneous maturation period, but rather is something that is developed over years of practice and training{God’s Empowering Presence pg. 897: }.  Again, its not that I feel particularly over equipped to deal with this, however I feel that in just talking, dialoguing and writing about this, others can learn, be inspired, and become better equipped, at fanning to flame.

Here is a real life example of the practicality of this being worked out:
 

“i  had a great dream that i feel like could be a cool opportunity to interpret, i think i have some ideas, but i would really be interested in hearing comments and see what could become of it, if ANYONE would like some interpretation practice this could be a fun one:

there where many who were living in a monastery, the monastery was a beautiful old stone building similar to a cathedral like Notre Dame.  it was in need of new rain gutters so there was a crew who was installing them.  the entire upstairs had been renovated in a way i didn’t think was possible,  all the rafters had been stripped of insulation, cut and restructured and it allowed way more room.  in the monastery we had all been instructed to wait for the fire of god, we were literally given torches that we were to keep ready when the fire came, they were made out of cork and synthetic type of gauze that burned easy.  once our torches were lit, we were to take them to Priam, a sort of holy temple, which was close to a college and show them to the board of elders there.

i noticed mine was lit so i brought it down the stairs and began the long walk to Priam, it was about a 1/4mile and went across the college campus, i remember that there were very strict fines for crossing this campus and the whole institution was based on the premise of waiting for this fire from god to come down and light, i was excited as i walked across the quad campus but when i got there to ask where the leaders were they were in a meeting and i was only greeted with doubt and contempt, i didn’t know where the leaders were but finally some told me that they had gone to Priam and it turns out thats where they were.

i finally made my way to Priam and walked into a the building which was also like a beautiful cathedral, and was greeted by a leader who was dressed in liturgical, and sort of a ceremonial type robe, covered with gold embossed embroidery and with sort of a pontiff looking hood, it was almost mormonesque, catholic looking. he immediately wanted to take the fire, he questioned and argued that this was not the fire of god, and tried numerous times to talked me out of it, coerce me, question me, and i could see all the while that he was reaching for the fire trying to get some, i sensed that he was not honest, and lacked integrity but at the same time i knew it was my job to hand him and Priam this fire.  then i awoke.” Comment [6] { comments 1279: }

The following is a beginning grid for dream interpretation and explanation included with a “beta portion” where people can respond, part of our notion for our project is that the Spirit will raise up those who are qualified to teach. The included comments section in the aforementioned dream and some of the interpretations are examples of that.  In particular  both KimJ { comments 1279: }and Genesis { comments 1279: } give great explanations along with interpretations of what it is they feel the Spirit telling them.  This was an excellent opportunity to see how this sort of sharing could transpire in a Socratic fashion.  We Todd {sfkl: }and I are still sorting out the most effective means to be spiritual directors in this project.  Even this Essay is unique in that the examples included are also real time, individuals can still comment, coach and interpret and give feedback as this essay is online.  We need wisdom and ideas about when to end the links, and more efficient ways to incorporate them into documents.

Within a Kingdom paradigm it is pointless to hang onto the best material and horde it for ourselves, if the Spirit gives us something it is our duty to give it way.  Since its all from the Spirit there is a built in Kingdom mindset that these gifts are not only meant for ourselves but for the equipping of others{power evanglism pg.11: }.  It is a relief to understand this kingdom mindset, when begging to pray for gifts from the Spirit.  It helps in relieving the angst of “having to perform”.  Its up to us to respond to the Spirit, and after that, it’s the Spirits responsibility. My premise is this that god speaks to us more than we realize and dreams are one way that its usually has the potential to be clear.  Like many things of the Spirit, I have noticed, as we ask/give away and use the gifts that the Spirit gives us, the Spirit gives us more to accomplish our goals. 

The following are some generic nuances that are over generalizations but meant to be helpful starting stances to proactively hear from the spirit. Dreams are so exciting fun and significant.  Typically, I believe that if we ask God to make things clear to us, he will{power evanglism pg.151: }.  In this not only is interpreting or decoding dreams useful, but it’s typically very encouraging.  Dreaming can become an incredibly exciting way to listen to the Spirit when we are awake, and asleep.   

The following are only meant to be suggestions or one means to derive interpretations from dreams.  I have noticed with dreams that the more I can write down{Understanding the Dreams you dream pg. 6: } when they happen, the more sense they make to me later, and the more I remember.  Often times if I have a dream I try to wake up as quickly as possible thereafter and write it down.  At times I have used a mini tape recorder which I kept in our room beside, so we wouldn’t have to get out of bed, but since that usually woke up the other person (and one or more of the kids who has climbed into bed) we stopped that practice.  Typically we go to another room to write them down too many times there has been a missed opportunity because of falling back asleep.  In writing them down, and creating a dream journal, it becomes clearer to see a patterned theme of what it is God is speaking{Understanding the Dreams you dream pg. 4: }, it is also very encouraging to go back and re-read what it is God has spoken over the course of weeks, months and even years.  In addition when recording it seems practical to write down what feeling or immediate impression the dream left you with. By waiting and doing this hours, days or even weeks later the inspiration is lost.  This not only helps one to remember appropriate inspiration but also a more accurate application of the dream.

It seems that there are physiologically{dream stimulants: } different types of dreams.  There are some which have been labeled pizza dreams, some from sleep inducing drugs, some from alcohol, dreams from specific herbs such as fenugreek and various types of over the counter sleep aids such as melatonin{melatonin: }.  Those seem difficult to address and one needs to personally assess potential physiological stimulants, which may contribute to this.  For the purpose of this discussion we will focus on dreams, which seem to specifically be from the Sprit.  As a reminder dogmatic interpretation, should be the rare exception, but here are a few loose definitions. I have heard people describe that a “pizza dream” is when you go to bed on a full stomach and dream all kinds of funky stuff. Although research doesn’t support this{Dream Physiology, Journal: }  I have spoken with some who have these sorts of dreams on a regular basis; personally I am not one of them.  All to often I wonder if legitimate dreams from the Spirit are dismissed as “Pizza dreams” because individuals don’t feel led to take the time to pray and discover what it is God is speaking. In the light dismissal of shrugging a dream off as “insignificant” there is the potential of something lost, something that God is speaking that isn’t heard{Understanding the Dreams you dream pg. 4: }.  The prayer work of really waiting to see it’s meaning, is never invested and therefore a moment or opportunity is lost. 

It’s a similar dynamic to being awake, its not like the spirit is sleeping too! The Spirit is at work!  Just as opportunities to co-labor are missed continually when we are awake, if lighthearted and dismissed they can be missed while we’re asleep{dreams lucidity 1990: }. However, borrowing from psychology, and physiology the body and brain needs down time and times to process, I believe there are moments when this is what is occurring.  This could be similar to thoughts or the thinking process when we are awake-not every thought is some god inspired inspirational moment.

There is danger in dogmatic interpretation-that everything (all dreams) have specific and exact meaning across the board, this stance needs some nihilistic influence. I don’t believe that certain symbols in dreams are continually representative of absolutes but danger becomes present when dreams are treated in this manner.  One example of this created the Mormon faith.  It is possible to imagine that perhaps Joseph Smith was hearing from God with accurate inspiration but horrible application. Comment [6] {comments 1324: }

The Spirit is creative enough to use similar dreams with interpretations that are specific to the “user”.  Cracking the mystery of dreams essentially boils down to interpreting the symbols in a dream.  As example here is  a very short lucid {Dream Physiology, Journal: }dream that I recently had and used for stimulating ideas surrounding interpretation: <o:p></o:p>

“ people were lining up to swallow a sword, once lodged in their throats it would cause them to drool, as it turned out the sword was shaped like a crucifix”

This is a fairly clean dream and inspiration as well as application is accessible.  What I interpreted it to mean was that “Once people ingest Jesus into their body, they will want more.”  A significantly useful tool in a dream arsenal is from<?xml:namespace prefix = v ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml” /><v:shapetype id=_x0000_t75 stroked=”f” filled=”f” path=”m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe” o:preferrelative=”t” o:spt=”75″ coordsize=”21600,21600″> <v:stroke joinstyle=”miter”></v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn=”if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0″></v:f><v:f eqn=”sum @0 1 0″></v:f><v:f eqn=”sum 0 0 @1″></v:f><v:f eqn=”prod @2 1 2″></v:f><v:f eqn=”prod @3 21600 pixelWidth”></v:f><v:f eqn=”prod @3 21600 pixelHeight”></v:f><v:f eqn=”sum @0 0 1″></v:f><v:f eqn=”prod @6 1 2″></v:f><v:f eqn=”prod @7 21600 pixelWidth”></v:f><v:f eqn=”sum @8 21600 0″></v:f><v:f eqn=”prod @7 21600 pixelHeight”></v:f><v:f eqn=”sum @10 21600 0″></v:f></v:formulas><v:path o:connecttype=”rect” gradientshapeok=”t” o:extrusionok=”f”></v:path><o:lock aspectratio=”t” v:ext=”edit”></o:lock></v:shapetype><v:shape id=_x0000_s1026 style=”MARGIN-TOP: -521.9pt; Z-INDEX: 1; MARGIN-LEFT: -90pt; WIDTH: 42.75pt; POSITION: absolute; HEIGHT: 67.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-left: 0; mso-wrap-distance-right: 0; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-vertical-relative: line” o:button=”t” o:allowoverlap=”f” href=”http://beanbooks.com/interpretingthesymbolsandtypes” alt=”Interpreting the Symbols and Types: ” type=”#_x0000_t75″><v:imagedata o:title=”InterpretingtheSymbolsandTy” src=”file:///C:/DOCUME~1/ADMINI~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.gif”></v:imagedata><?xml:namespace prefix = w ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word” /><w:wrap type=”square”></w:wrap></v:shape>a book by Kevin J. Connor Interpreting the symbols and types{Interpreting the Symbols and Types,  pg.172: } that basically is like a dictionary, that gives biblical significance and references for each word.  In the context of that brief dream the word “Sword” is a pretty clear cut word, and general meaning (when it appears in dream) can fairly easily be perceived or derived, but for example, the book is a great reminder that sword had numerous contextualizations.  The included is and example of the word sword.

“sword-symbol for the word of god, Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; Isaiah 49:2; rev 1:16; Deuteronomy 32:41; Zechariah 13:7; Romans 13:4; also instrument of war judgment and slaughter of the wicked; gods judgment on the flesh. Leviticus 26:25; Isaiah 34:5; Psalms 17:13; Ezra 21:3-5 is a judgment on the flesh” {Interpreting the Symbols and Types,  pg.172: }

Personally having this additional information makes the dream that much more significant, literally consuming Jesus (crucifix) is a literally a judgment on the flesh, in addition-swallowing swords hurts. Comment [6] { comments 1335: }

It seems one of the essentials in dream meaning is figuring out the dreams purpose, I think its easiest to do in conjunction with the overall impression of the dream but often times it can take the counsel of others {dreams lucidity, dreaming while awake?: }.  A good starter question when begging to interpret a dream is  “what’s the reason for the dream”?  Is this a warning dream? or is this meant to be directive, or perhaps just encouraging. 

Very similar to having prophetic insight or prophetic words of wisdom, I think warning dreams are really cool.  As example:  One morning I had a very quick dream{dreams lucidity 1990: } about a woman who was in a church setting.  In the dream she had a husband two kids, and was attractive.  In the dream I saw a shadow around her and heard the shadow named “spirit of adultery”.  (I don’t even know if there is such a thing or if there is what that spirits role is exactly{demons pg 93 in power evangelism: }… but it didn’t seem important in the dream)  what seemed important was the idea to keep my distance from this girl.  When I awoke that morning, I ended up going to a church gathering and saw the woman in the dream there, I hadn’t noticed her before the dream, but saw that her husband played in a band up on stage.  I asked the leader of the band a close friend of mine if we could talk after the morning set.  I said this probably means nothing {Understanding the Dreams you dream pg. 6 II : }(ALWAYS a much safer stance than “thus sayeth the lord…”), and I don’t want to taint your view of this person, but this morning I had dream and in it  I had an impression that I feel is significant.  I told him, and then he then went on to explain in private that they had just had some marital unfaithfulness, and she had initiated a relationship with another man.  We ended up praying for the couple{power evanglism pg.93: }.  As a sad update I saw them recently and they were divorced. 

I felt that dream was more of a personal warning to stay away, and not get sucked into a bad situation.  Sometimes the trickiest part of warning dreams is knowing who to talk to.  I always like to first bounce out the ideas to some like-minded friends{Understanding the Dreams you dream pg. 6: } before going into detail.  If the dream seems to be personally significant enough, much like discerning a prophetic word, then perhaps appropriate action is necessary.  Like anything else, discerning and understanding what the Spirit is saying sometimes takes time{Understanding the Dreams you dream pg. 6: }.  It would be a shame to get diressed over bad application, and even worse to falsely accusing a woman of adultery.  A much wiser friend once told me “really, really, really be careful with these sorts of dreams”.  I think what he means is, until you begin to understand and get used to dreams and what they mean, be quicker to keep them silent and pray about them, then blurt them out.  Comment [4] { comments 1344: }

Pat’s dream{Loughery, Pat: }

In an effort to begin to encourage others to practice, we posted this experiment{Understanding the Dreams you dream pg. 8: } in preparation for this essay as a working example of this very application here is a dream and some interpretation that follows is included in the comments section:

“First I was in a classroom setting with another bunch of pastors.  Young folks.  The teacher was throwing an angry control fit, and we were all silent.  Soon I realized that confronting the teacher and his effect on the class was going to benefit us together, so I got up and went into the next room (thouogh everybody could hear) to tell the teacher that his anger wasn’t helping, and that it was particularly impacting the best students.  I named one person in particular (I remember this as R M, in his teens or twenties).  I distinctly felt that there were three of us who were especially “ahead of the class”, but that wasn’t a prideful thing.

Soon the dream changed.  There were a bunch of us (again, of the same job – pastors, I think) who were in a luxury jet.  Seated not in rows, but around a living-room style setting.  We were on takeoff.  It was raining heavily outside.

As we were taxiing to the runway we had to go down a very very steep hill.  Because it was so wet, we lost traction and slipped off the hill, and were out of control.  We all were praying hard because it was a life or death situation.  Gradually the plane got down to the gentler slopes, and we  bounced and jangled across the runways perpendicular to them  always narrowly missing the planes on them, but close enough to the control tower for each runway to see those peoples’ concern, which over a few runways and more control would give way to impish grins towards us.  We started waving.

Eventually we stopped at a terminal, and they let us all off the plane.

Now it was like we were the crew for a rock band, because they gave us each laminated cards that were like passes.  As soon as we left the airplane mobs of people came by, groupies, looking for the band.  If we had our passes out, we got mobbed too, but if we kept them hidden we were okay.

I looked for one of our cohorts specifically, because I was attracted to that person.  I don’t know who it was or why, I just felt attraction.  I found her in the hotel bar and asked her a few times out to lunch, but she was coy and basically made me keep asking.  Meanwhile another couple of girls who were also attractive, but I wasn’t drawn to, (more like friends) – I asked if the 4 of us could go out to hang out, and they were excited to, but my initial target wasn’t liking it.  I was trying to decide which way to go when I woke up.

I was thinking when I woke up that the things we radically pursue aren’t always the right ones, and that the opportunities we pass up may make the most sense for us, be the best fit.  I got the impression that this was mean to inform me about our church.”Comment [3] { comments 1350: }

As is often the case with some dreams some seem to be meant for personal application and are not necessarily meant for corporate application, its not unlike hearing the Spirit speak something in a gathering of believers.  At times it seems like the Spirit is asking to speak the insight out, and at other times it seems that it is meant for personal reflection{God’s Empowering Presence pg. 217: }. There is something mystical about hanging out with like minded thinkers and as can be the case with the prophetic, being near others who seem to have inclinations towards receiving from the Spirit in the same ways, has benefit. When other are gathered who seem to be forward thinkers in terms of the prophetic, there is a confidence and certain level of expectancy that is difficult to verbalize. Perhaps this is one reason that Samuel and “the band of prophets” used to travel together{band of prophets pg. 12: }.  There is something very inviting about talking and bouncing dreams off of each other.  In discussing this openly, I have found that it almost always stimulates a certain degree of faith that brings others along in the quest.  On many occasions after teaching about this in local church settings, I have heard stories and reports, that the local church previously visited has had a hyper pneumatological experience.  I think that this happens at times because merely changing the ways people are listening to the Spirit is faith building.

I know several people who have had their lives radically altered because of dreams{Hamon, Jane pg. 2: }. Often times dreams and their applications seem unconventional and atypical, but that’s because they can be pneumatological intervention, so typical rational paradigms don’t fit. Our generation and their hearts are seeing an attraction to the mystical that science has left void.  I know many who are seeking answers, and have many dreams.  My hope is that we can all get better at discussing dreams and that they won’t get dismissed as insignificant. 

+ encourage me, let me listen
speak to me, let me listen
convict me let me listen
break me, let me listen
grow me, let me listen
show me how to be good to my friends +

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in General | | 0 Comments

Pneumatology

p n e u · m a · t o l · o · g y    n . T h e   d o c t r i n e   o r   s t u d y   o f   s p i r i t u a l   b e i n g s   a n d   p h e n o m e n a ,   e s p e c i a l l y   t h e   b e l i e f   i n   s p i r i t s   i n t e r v e n i n g   b e t w e e n   h u m a n s   a n d   G o d . 2)  T h e   C h r i s t i a n   d o c t r i n e   o f   t h e   H o l y   G h o s t . p n e u ‘ m a · t o · l o g ‘ i c ,o r   p n e u ‘ m a · t o · l o g ‘ i · c a l   a d j .  p n e u ‘ m a · t o l ‘ o · g i s t   n .  

”we are spiritual beings with and eternal destiny trying to be human. . .”

                                                                                    Dallas Willard

The demonstration of the kingdom is in itself an apologetic.  No hype, no manipulation, but rather spiritual expression.  Power demonstrated in the immediate, power demonstrated in the actual and power demonstrated which can only be defined as pneumatological.  It is through this kingdom which is now and not yet,[1] that we as spiritual directors have responsibility to act.[2]  A responsibility, to describe, to language to voice, to encourage and to guide.  As we begin to employ direction and help prepare individuals  to live, and a means to fulfill that vision, a connection needs made to the spirit. The absence of this pneumatological expression will not only stifle the process, but will never holistically fulfill it.

The kingdom of God is the range of God’s effective will, where what the spirit chooses to accomplish is done.[3]  This Spirit is available to us now, in the immediate.  It transcends cultural milieu’s, it’s not bound by circumstance, and is not bound by will (footnote biblical reference) Recently Dallas Willard made the beautiful statement “It is our job to lead and teach people about Jesus”[4] a rewording of this statement with a singular substitution of “show”, for the word “teach” has significantly more powerful implications and aligns itself better theologically with biblical accounts, stories and reports of earlier friends of Jesus[5] .  It raises one of the questions and focus of this essay. How we as practitioners in the emerging church can show people about Jesus?

Kingdom Paradigm

As a leader Jesus, demonstrated a Kingdom mindset, and brought into the lives of his followers a means of spiritual and trans/formation.  He relationally seemed to accomplish this through the demonstration of his kingdom authority, (seldom with explanation)[6]  “Jesus was misunderstood all the time and never tried to run around and fix it. . .he never felt paranoid of not doing stuff. . .never felt the need to explain”[7]

 The result was a model that took care of both the physical and spiritual needs of the individual whom he was involved with.  Normatively he first accomplish this through a pneumatological demonstration of his kingdom.  This included (and is not limited to) physical healings, the riddance of demons, the use of phenomenological experience and various other miraculous signs.[8]  These demonstrations were the means by which he typically captured the hearts of individuals.  Consistently and reportedly, he used/uses this means as a learning modality, pedagogy and androgological discourse, to provide an understanding and basis for his work. 

This precept transcends our culture.  Still living within the biblical context and continuation of the biblical story, the 21st century continues to provide an eloquent platform for the demonstration of kingdom works.  The boundaries and provisions of our culture indeed are poised and prepared for a resurgence of this understanding and demonstration.[9] As we move away from the constrictions of modernity and move towards cultures and historical influences which embrace the: mystical, the liturgical, the ceremonial, the ritual, the phenomenological, the paranormal, and as we are inundated with reports of the miraculous, it is becoming obvious that we are a culture which embraces phenomena.

“our culture is wrong but we can’t just dismiss it. . .that’s our world, these are the people we deal with”[10]

We are living in a culture that values experience. “In the last century  the Church has been preparing individuals to die, however, we should be preparing them to live”[11] To live as a renewed humanity, and as an empowered people; specifically, empowered by the Spirit of God.  As thinkers in the 21st century our inclinations and understandings of polemics, discourse, content and even truth are blurred, the value of truths are no longer a priori rationalizations, or pragmatics which derive value from reasoning. We are currently living in the biggest philosophical shift in at least the last 200 years.  And the church lives in such a sub-culture rentreanchant mentality that it often times doesn’t understand the important shifts in the ways that people think, and the way that they process reality. Truth has been know as a series of propositional statements that can be proven though science, logic, technology  and reason. However, in the words of Mark Driscoll “Truth is a person his name is Jesus Christ and as you come into relationship with him you have access to the truth, but that truth doesn’t come by science or technology but that it comes by faith and faith is a gift from God”..[12]  Truth, needs demonstrated, and the value of collective reasoning, is considered; no longer is it perceived as absolute.[13]  As addendum to this thought collective reasoning takes on new form perhaps not dissimilar to corporate guidance.  In terms of intentional communities/emerging this concept needs teased if the church is raising followers of Jesus

As spiritual directors our duty is to demonstrate, and value Gods Kingdom in our ordinary context.  Understanding Ladd’s agenda of Kingdom[14] this definition of Kingdom Power becomes a reality of power; a power that can exist independent of bodies. This power is devoid of personal means, made up of thoughts, feelings, evaluations or even choice and habits involving creative will.[15]

As metaphysical conditions for spiritual growth, potential followers of Jesus need a vision for the kingdom of God within their communal context, a vision, which will define their humanity.  This link toward spiritual formation has to be connected to the Spirits Power, there is some nuance of this in literature but very little praxis.[16]  As we fully understand the implications of the following statement:
“There are no ordinary people you have never talked to a mere mortal.  Nations, cultures, arts, and civilizations, these are mortal; and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry snub, and exploit–immortal horrors or everlasting splendors… nest to the blessed sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to you senses”. . .[17]

This understanding will radically alter our worldview, a worldview that is culturally dormant in understanding their actual spiritual heritage and origins.  We live in a society and culture that does not embrace their pneumatological formation, and the very ethos for which they were created.

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience.[18]

This notion of experience and its starting point from a spiritual context radically speaks against our culture, a culture that so values experience. Sociologically current culture has an axiomatic juxtaposition to its starting point.   The starting point and scoreboards of our culture measures human experience and values those in terms of quality of life.[19]  However, life as a spiritual being can only be completed by living from a kingdom that is governed by the heavens.  Through being lead by Jesus, we are able to fulfill a mandate that is eternal. As we recognize Gods kingdom and the reality of truth and power, we can begin to understand and develop a reliance and expectancy of his works, and presence amongst us.  As sub-contractors and co-laborers we guide through the context of time and place, “of our own experience”[20] and through the experiences of others.  We guide through the context of his work and his kingdom.  We co-labor with angels and the hosts of God who are in conflict with the Satan and his subordinates, working against us to oppose God.[21]  This is our platform, this is our context, this is our story, this is the relational field at which we are poised to influence, this is our sphere.  As Eugene Peterson says “the kingdom is the invisible part of the Church”[22] . . . The church and the kingdom ideologically would be one in the same; but the kingdom of God is where we are clarified, where we are given expression, where details are fulfilled within the spiritual realm and where we can have immediate access to God’s presence.

A worldview or life style of dualism gives observation to the both/and.[23] Recently this anomaly has provided cultural explanation for the interpretations of cultural truisms. One example of this is the inward/outward journey, a wonderful metaphor; however we don’t live in the dualistic, we live in the here now, we live as it happens, we integrate and synthesize.  Dualism is an abstraction from what we are doing that’s independent.  It’s important to realize that these terms[24] and specificities are merely semantical and non-pertaining to the realities of following Jesus.

“the devils first attack is on lectiography, he likes to twist words so they don’t mean what they say”- C.S. Lewis

Culturally a sociological worldview presents us with a perception that we can live integrated or disintegrated.  This distraction is in opposition to the Kingdom of God;  a distraction which continues to keep the world at bay from the realities of a Kingdom perception.[25] Culturally we have the freedom to choose that which we perceptively belong to.  It’s like we have this ability to created mind hotel’s that we can check into and be free from a Kingdom mindset.  Culturally we can immerse ourselves in consumption’s such as: clubs, organizations, teams, secret sins, and pleasures that bring us happiness.  We can create our own autonomy, our own destiny our own future. We can biologically alter our DNA.[26]  We have cultural permission and encouragement that this is normative and expected if it is within our means.  However, from a Kingdom standpoint this is in opposition to the teachings of Jesus.  There is no distinctions, no exemptions, and no clauses.  It ALL is Kingdom, and it’s all in the midst of God.  Although at times invisible to our cultural minds. . .  in the Kingdom, its all integrated, this IS reality now,  Kingdom now, not something to be applied, this Is what’s happening, this Is our story, the story now.[27]

Emerging Church

The voice of the emerging church is largely one calling out to itself, it has become radically outside of mainstream culture. Some within the Church who are listening has heard the cry of reformation, but largely that sphere of worldly influence has dwindled through the disintegration of Christendom.   That voice has had small exposure, and difficulty finding a unifying front, largely this is due to the fact of its ideological agenda not based in praxis.   Networks, such as the Ooze, Soularize, Emergent, Off the Map, Not-Alone, Kingdom Living;  authors such as Lesslie Newbigin,[28] Darrel Guder,[29]  Richard Foster,[30] Stan Grenz,[31] Dallas Willard,[32] Leonard Sweet,[33] George Hunsberger,[34] Stanley Hauerwas,[35] Greg Boyd,[36] and various other aquifers of numerous brilliance;  All of this aforementioned ideological, and intellectual prodding has done much to further the cry of change.  Their impact has been large, and time will prove their influence. The battles they have been waging are necessary and have begun a revolution of change that is slowly stirring the hearts of leaders, and culture within the Church.  This can be visibly evidenced through recent educational tracts of seminary’s and programs[37] that set out to study what it means to be a leader in an emerging world.[38]

Recently much time and dialogue has been forced to inwardly focus on the Church’s reformation.  In cloning the times, thrusts such as Generation X[39] churches and alternative services spent a great part of the 90’s rearranging the furniture and lighting candles. This was an honest attempt at keeping up with trends like MTV’s unplugged; however this was still only a response and being culturally reactive.[40]  In speaking of efforts made by those whom had hoped to see reformation one scholar commented that “The Church will never be reformed”[41] (Within context) This is because it is made up of sinners, who will never embody perfection, or represent the Church in its fullness,

The problem and fascination with reforming the church has been a reactive response rather than preventative maintenance; understanding culture is certainly a helpful tool, but those living within that culture need no predictors, or hypothesis as to where the church will be in the next 10 years.  Understanding genetically bio-engineered humanoids or meta-sexual’s[42] and the online church can be fascinating, however it isn’t a Kingdom agenda or one that produces practitioners.  Rather, it just continues in the vein of theorists and the trans-laying of cultural relevancy.  Technology and emergence is not a purporter to the single mom, with 2 kids.  And, neither is slipping a tract of the four spiritual laws under her door.  We need to raise practitioner leaders in the emerging church.  Leaders who are both experiencing the personal transformation of being Christian.  And leaders who are outwardly practicing the experience of spiritual transformation.  We need to DO Christianity.

Predictably the Church would look different if we focused on being more proactive in its leadership in reference to lead, and to teach people to be truly human.[43]  Providing individuals with the four spiritual laws is no longer effective, evangelistic stadium crusades are a dying breed.  Futuristically even the seeker church model will find suffering, because they too are based in a modernist model of church thinking largely based in an apologetic.  As America closes its historical run under the mantle of Christendom, we will be forced into new delivery systems, which are accessible and relevant.[44]

Unless the emergent church begins to become more outwardly focused, it will become nothing more than talk shops for intellectual growth.  Perhaps most perplexing is the recent identity emerging church’s discovery and overlay with their fascination with the traditions of Celticism.[45] This is interesting because of what is becoming the emerging church’s staple-introspection and spiritual reformation of the individual.  The inward journey of the Celts, has terrific ramifications, however what seems to go unrecognized is their equivalent and arguable mission,[46] to go out and preach the gospel fulfilling the mandates of a Kingdom (MT,28) agenda seemingly in direct defiance of cultural norms.[47] 

As the emergent voice has struggled to find its identity in encouraging leadership and corporate voice, it has passionately neutered the very individuals who have the autonomy to lead it.  Struggling to find their places within the context of local community[48]  leadership is often forced into a roll, that is “anti-ceo”  this role is in perhaps a backlash to CEO style of leadership that has become prevalent, however the danger in this line of thinking finds churches with passive voice and leadership that has neutered their platform to speak; and that have lost their prophetic voice..[49] 

Culturally, the emergent church, is hyper concerned with culture and dangerously resembles the liberal church of the pre Wesleyan Anglican Church who were early vigilantes of intellectual thought constructs.  The liberal church has become idle in efforts of being anti-culture, no longer are they defiant, no longer are they visible in terms of being cultural iconoclasts. It is a fear that the Emerging church could follow this vein.  Contrarily, the historical early church was radically defiant of their culture, its practices liturgy and voice was culturally heretical.  Sundays’ Sabbath, was a statement of defiance, not complacency, it was not an embrace of the Starbuck culture[50] of the day but rather opposition to it.[51] The voice, its kingdom message its mission was in the face of both Roman and Hebraic thought arguing for a call of allegiance to a new king and emperor.  This Roman heritage has remained entrenched in the emerging churches paradigm.  Its slavish reformation attempts and introspection remains a stigma of critique.  They must regain a prophetic voice, a voice the will be in defiance.  Sadly it’s difficult to be an orator for a kingdom message, if that message is lost in the rearranging of intellectual philosophizing.

 
Practitioners

How can leaders move from ideological practitioners, in talking shops, if they have never been taught to hear God’s voice?  I am not proposing gaining intellectual understanding of biblical texts and dogmatic teachings, literally and specifically I mean hearing Gods voice. There is much material regarding, inner journey, retrospection and inner voice, however, the praxis and instruction regarding the aforementioned question has not yet emerged.  If we are called to prophesy, where are the how to books of the emergent church.  The ideological thought fomenter’s are visible, but where are the practitioners? Who in this emerging paradigm are working through this? Who is hearing gods voice, Audibly, silently, through dreams, visions, prophetic words of understandings?  How can we as the Church have interpretation for unknown cultural knowledge if we don’t know how to hear Gods voice? The concept of waiting upon the spirit or leading within a corporate setting borrowing the Quaker, Brethren notion of “corporate guidance[52] presumes, following the Spirit. This clearly is not normative in teaching of prominent emergent church voices.  Who is equipping the church in this vastly undernourished tool, how can we be complete without it?  How can we be lead, if we don’t know how to see the leader?

The largest component of Spiritual Formation that is void in the Emerging Church is the Absence of the (”kingdom” = “reign/rule” = “power” = Dunimas)[53] or gifts of the Spirit.  Of  the aforementioned emerging authors and organizations, there is very little mentioned in terms of spiritual praxis.  The charismatic battle was waged in the 1970s and won.  The purpose of this paper is not to defend that statement, but to rather focus on the absence of that message within the emerging church.  There is much talk about community,[54] heightened discussion on personal reformation,[55] and recently the dialogue has begun to turn Missional.[56]  The voice of the emerging church is failing to train its leaders in matters of deciphering pneumatology.  It’s not that leadership doesn’t believe in the practice of gifts, its just that that leadership has no priority to fulfill that component of spirituality and has not yet given it priority. The seeker movement has had great effect on this and recently a prominent Christian scholar, leader and author said “that seeker[57] ) was the most destructive force to yet attack the Church in the last 2000 years”.  This attack is on the position that if it raises controversy or hyper awareness, than attendance will be effected[58] A reductionalist Gospel with a value for public opinion must be radically positioned when compared with practitioners in the early church[59] who were in defiance of cultural sensitivity[60]

The Spirit of Gods or Holy Spirit’s role in the emerging church[61] has been reduced to a means to accomplish personal spiritual transformation.  Within personal transformation and spiritual formation, lays the dormant force and the next phase for healing the emerging church.  However, it would seem that an obvious precursor or addendum would be hearing Gods voice.  It would seem a difficult postulate to determine what Gods heart and vision for accomplishing that transformation is, if an individual had no understanding or paradigm for listening to, or hearing God’s voice.[62]  A synthesis and marriage of this concept needs to take place within the emerging church.  How is it we can be prophetic, if we don’t know what gods voice sounds like?  How is it we can pray for others, if we don’t have a paradigm to see what the spirit is doing?[63]  How is it we can pray to see and individual healed if we have no understanding of physical healing?  How, in the middle of conversation can we be spiritual guides and leaders if we don’t know how to discern god voice?  As guides and spiritual directors it would seem a precursor to know what it is we are guiding towards and a means to determine the directions to the destination.  How is it that we can gain understanding of the spirits activity if we can’t see the Spirit.[64]  How can we creatively co-labor if we don’t have knowledge of spiritual matters?  How can we be signposts of the kingdom, if we can’t read the sign?  How can we pray if the Spirit, is not heard?[65]  These are ridiculous rhetorical questions (in the spirit of 1 Cor. 12:29-31) however the emerging church is encouraging this, without answering the questions.

Where are the visible models that radically intersect sin.  Perhaps if one has a problem with addiction they pray for guidance and wisdom, ask for help and of course thank God for their prophet the psychologist.  Continuing on, they eventually get to the sin motivators of that issue and through steps and guidelines suggested by their counselor, eventually they are able to control their addictions.  Perhaps a prescription of self-help, a peer group and even accountability structures are set in place.  Wonderful, amazing, and glorious. . . but, were are the models of divine intervention and why is it that those “prescriptions” are not brought about, demonstrated or written of with more regularity.

In the recent book (Stories of Emergence; Moving from Absolute to Authentic) composed of a diverse group of Christian leaders, whose purpose was to comment on culture and direction of the Emerging Church, there was not a single account of pneumatological expression-not one!  This wasn’t a surprise in fact it only took a perusing of the book to predict this.  It’s a message that has simply escaped this group of leaders. How sad! How Absolutely Un-Authentic.  There is much material ensuing on the praxis of inward journey, but very little on the praxis of apostolic. If the Church is writing on hearing and finding a voice, wouldn’t a precursor to that be hearing Gods voice?

The are obvious models that raise controversy and one needs only to turn the channels on a Sunday morning, to see them.  Having attended numerous conferences, and being significantly involved in conversations regarding emerging church in recent years, I have yet to see intentional instruction or dialogue regarding pneumatology.   Recently In the Last year, at Allelon’s National Meeting, in January,  and recently  Allelon’s Regional Church Planters Weekend  we intentionally set out to model and discuss the topic of pneumatology and were shocked to see the backlash that ensued,  some where angry, at the mention of the spirit, and had their own baggage of poor models.  However, many were upset.  Upset that they had never heard, seen, or understood this to be a component of Christianity that was real.  Upset that their relationship to the Holy Spirits activity was hyper atrophied, they were and are desperate to understand more.[66]

Conclusion

The Emerging Church is asking its congregation to be girl scouts without giving them the cookies.  This has to change, this project hopes to see it happen we desperately need practitioners who can voice, and demonstrate Kingdom.  We need forums, chat rooms, and places where this can be discussed.  Most importantly we need the theology that supports, this agenda, and accessibility for those who wish to learn. 

The books have been written, the research has been done, and information is overwhelmingly abundant.  In the words of Eddie Gibbs, President of Fuller Seminary “We’ll never know if power evangelism worked because nobody ever tried it”.  I want to be part of the generation that tries it.  I want to see the emerging church, dabble play and consume this Kingdom mindset and way of living.  I want to see it move from rhetoric and ideology to praxis

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in E-Say's | | 1 Comments

I AM the DNA

i heard this this morning when i was praying but i sensed it was for more than just me to read, actually i felt it was for the eMerging church crowd, so i am posting it.  i think it will take more modeling than we can comprehend

+you are so beautiful

they ways you are gathering and the ways your are listening have been brought about by technology,
but don’t be mislead about who is spawning this.
this is all within my heart
practice your thin space because i am continueing to speak. 
teach listening,
teach listening
teach listening
teach your relationships how to listen to me,
you have the ways to communicate,
you have established this as a valuable resource,
now listen to me,
hear what it is i have to say
and
put that into your practices,
put that in your podcasts
be bold to speak what it is i am telling you. 
be bold to say ALL that you are hearing
be bold to speak it out
be bold,
be bold
what do YOU have to loose? 
demonstrate what it looks like to proclaim my words AND USE THEM
- they are far more powerful than your own,
they are far more relevant to your culture than any language you can concoct. 
they are the words of life. 
more than flesh
more than blood,
they are the words that can form into being
and they are the words that draw beings. 
i am the DNA

speak me+

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in Prayer | | 0 Comments

Boomer’s

the boomer’s time is not over. their realm has not reached it’s threshold, they will be used in the most powerful of ways.  The wants and vision they started some 40 years ago are just now coming to a fruition they originally lacked the humility and understanding to fathom.  Fruition in themselves and fruition in who they are called to be, now running out of steam for the folly of their youth they will enter a time bringing countless with them when possibilities other than their issues, and those larger than their limited ability can solve.  They now will come to find the source Power that can accomplish   the vision they so long ago had for the world.  Issues will surpass them; they will enter a time when their destiny and futures are challenged.  In this challenge, they will come to terms with their own faith; age and the visible effects it has on the human body has a beautiful way of accomplishing this.  This realization will bring many into the Church.

Now wealthier than they could have dreamed of, and with the adage of 401k’s and savings, they will gain a new way of demonstrating what it means to be provided for and provision.
Their legacy will be a legacy of countless coming to the realization that theirs is a God and King who loves them more than any totality of all their vision they could have capsulated for the last fifty years.  How exciting to watch them grow up, to see the things they have fostered, to capture their vision and see them come to full fruition in the kingdom.  I can’t wait to see them at the front of our churches, at the front of our mission projects, at the forefront of our communities, now leading with all the time they fought so hard to achieve in retirement.  Now balanced with maturity, experience and wisdom they are finally walking into their gifting and calling- A calling that will begin to break in 2010 as they entire into their retirement years in unprecedented ways.   Forgoing the values of pleasure, they will once again see what it means to be selfless, and beautiful in the eyes of the kingdom.  I can’t wait, bless our fathers, our mothers, our aunts our uncles, our neighbors who for so long have dreamed.  This will be their time.  This is their legacy, to BE the church, to act with vision and fulfill the call they started so long ago.

++Bless their health, bless their strength, give them strength. Boom baby boom. Boom with numbers, explode with love++

April 16th, 2008 - Posted in Prayer | | 0 Comments

How To be a Rock Star

How to be a Rockstar

 
“if you don’t dream somebody will dream for you, and next thing you know you’ll be living their dream not your own… what a nightmare”
 

intro
i have been spending a lot of time thinking about the correlation between kingdom and vocation… not so much the two bi-vocationally coexisting in a platonic sort of way… but rather how a poverty model vs model of wealth can shape our views of
o kingdom
o self worth
o goal setting
o philo love
o body kinesthetics
o addiction
really, just how influenced we are…  it could be how to be a rockstar, and thematically it seems better… but for now, i’ll call it something else…
 
wtf?
i can still remember the feeling of intrigue when i heard a college prof. say in a super contemptuous voice, the kind profs only use when their trying to impress impressionable young minds…
“come on just how hard is it to become a doctor?  sure it takes some intelligence, but mostly it’s just consistency in the classroom…”
it was almost as if i had been betrayed when i heard that.  my initial thoughts were that he was jealous of their Md even though he had a Phd.  but the more he elaborated, it was obvious he was just stating what he viewed as facts.  but what he was saying was contrary to every thing i was really ever told…
o ”to be a doctor you need to be good at math”
o ”to be a doctor you have to do really well on SAT’s”
o ”if you don’t get into a good college you’ll never be a doctor”
o ”you need straight A’s if your even remotely planning on being a doctor… do you have any idea how competitive medical school is?
o ”at this point, it’s really too late for you to consider becoming a medical student… by the time you are you’ll be in your 3o’s
i’m not sure why i have been thinking about this so much lately, possibly because i have been bombarded with it as of late, but it seems so clear to me that people end up doing the things they do based on environment…
 
 
warrior
recently i was speaking with a 15 year old girl who was sharing her frustration of living in a very rural and small town.  her mom left the family when she was 9, and she lives with her father, who is a logger, and her brother (7 years older) who is a logger…  she shared that she doesn’t have anybody to teach her how to do anything else… she has a great head on her shoulders and knows that carhartt’s aren’t exactly fashion wear, but she said it’s what her family  (dad and brother) wear, and it’s what she now likes…  she sadly was predicting her future and said 
“i’ll probably get pregnant in the next 5 years and maybe it will even be by somebody i like, i’ll live in the same house i am in now, because that’s all i know, and my family has said “there’s no point in doing anything different because that’s who we are, and this is what we do…”
contrast this to another recent conversation i had with a 3rd generation medical doctor friend of mine….  he grew up with fair schooling, went to a fair high school, went do a fair college, and i am sure he is an exceptional doctor.  when he has told me his story in the past, one thing that stood out was that he said
“you know it’s not like i really even planned the whole thing out… my grandpa was a doctor, my dad was a doctor… it was just sorta of like… oh, i guess that would be a good job, mmmn, i’ll do that”… he later added ” it wasn’t as if i knew how to do any other kind of thing, i didn’t really have any other skills that i had picked up along the way…”
laughing about it later, i was reminded of a guy i saw on american idol last night who was a farm boy from texas… when interviewed about farming he said
“this is my family farm, my grandpa farmed it, my dad farmed it, and now i farm it….”
almost the same factors, family influence, demonstration… and a basic assumption that life was static.
it seems like it is more about exposure than anything…
 

where is the how to?
i notice it a lot in athletics… there is a system, a certain mentality and a way of going about being an athlete that i think is just as much taught as caught…  i see it all the time in sports, really well meaning parents that want their kids to be successful in athletics, but really dont’ have a clear road map to get from point A (pop warner) to point “M” (the major leagues)  it sort of feels like that infomercial that airs on saturday mornings on every channel around 6 am.
“learn the secrets of real estate that only successful millionaires, know . . . how to retire with 35 thousand dollars a month, without ever investing your own money….”
i am sure there is a system in place to accomplish becoming a real estate mogul… lol, i certainly don’t know that one… but with a great deal of certainty things stick out to me in athletics… i don’t know if it’s because i have been around them so much or what… 
just recently a friend of mine who played really competitive college hockey was standing at the end of the rink… we were watching some coaches line kids up… and he said… “that just bugs the crap out of me… come on, why the_____ would that guy line the kids up against the wall?  it defeats the whole purpose of the drill… (this stood out to him, who had been around the sport, the drills, who understood the in’s and out’s, the purpose of the drills and what they were to accomplish… but to the well meaning 40 year old volunteer who was only a page ahead of the 8 year old kids he was coaching it wasn’t intuitive…
i can’t help but think there is something uniquely kingdom on that last sentence…
 

docstar how to i get a job? 
a friend of mine tells the hilarious story of when he was 27 on the verge of a divorce, living in a snowed in cabin in montana in the winter time… he was at the bar on a sunday night with his brother, then 32 celebrating the deer they had poached earlier that morning (late january) when his wife stormed in… she had made the 5 mile drive “into town” in their beat up jeep cj5 that had no roof… literally driving to the bar, in the snow with their new baby in the front seat (actually as the story goes on the floor because it was “safer” ) to tell him that news ”
“if you don’t get a job i’m leaving… ” he said after she left, he asked his brother “did she seem mad to you?” and then after they were done laughing about it, he said:
“hey, how do you get a job… i mean, is there like an office you go to? or is there a place you go to get one?”
over hearing the conversation, they sort of turned to the bar tender who he said was almost as puzzled as they were told them.
“i think you can look in the want adds….” 
so that night they started looking in wants adds for a “job”…
for the next 3 days, he said he walked the 5 miles back to the bar, to look in the paper.  at 27 years of age, he had just gotten out of the coast guard where for the previous 10 years he said he was a cook, and basically never got above deck.   so he said during those 3 days he decided it would be “cool” to be an electrician or a janitor…  so he ruled out the petty jobs, holding out for the career move as an electrician or janitor… days turned into weeks…
 

how to be a Rockstar
you know the drill those weeks turned into more, and eventually the ultimatum was on the verge of fulfillment… the solution?
move, get out of the groove, shake things up and go to california… they literally traded the jeep for a 66 chevy pickup and drove to san louis obispo (with the baby on the floor of the truck)where john got eventually got his dream job as a janitor, then later electrician… all the while writing music doing the other thing that brought him life… like playing his music… 
things turn out when mercy is involved… 
very long story short…he went on to make several albums, his wife won an emmy or a grammy (i don’t remember for being the most recorded song of the year… and stuff happened…
hearing them retell the tale is worth 100x the cup of coffee (even at starbucks), or meal it will cost at (at Rembrandt’s as well as the laughs about poaching in montana….
o but who woulda thunk?
o what would have happened without the move
o what if a divorce
o what of the kids
o what now
 
 

i’m going to be dr.
i met jim in jr college.  although i was the only white guy in the class and he was the only asian, we were both the only ones in our English class that spoke it as a first language… infact we might have been the only ones who even spoke it.
  it’s fair to say i matriculated low, quite low on the entrance exam pre-tests… grammar never has been a strong suit, but i felt like a rockstar as i properly separated the conjunction couldn’t into two words and the rest of the class looked on in awe, (i now realize that it was actually only a look of confusion, but at the time i had really impressed myself)… the class looked like that bud light commercial “i don’t speak english”…
jim was about 30 years old, had a VERY recently divorced ex-wife (they were still moving out stuff into his condo) a 2 year old daughter, and as far as i could tell he was still really broken about it.  he was a mechanic at the toyota dealer and we were both sort of freshmen.  occasionally we hung out after “English” class as we packed up our bags.  one day after class and out of the blue he just announced to me 
“i’m going to be a doctor?”
“a dr?  seriously?…. ”
“yep”
“are you good a math?”  was my first question
“nope ” he said laughing. . .  as it turned out we were in the same crappy low level math class too
“how long is it going to take to be a doctor” i asked
“the guidance counselor told me that, if i take 3 years of junior college i can probably transfer to cal state fullerton as a sophmore, then i’ll have to take at least 3 more years to graduate with a BA, then if i can get into med school, i’ll have between 8-10 and then i am hoping to have it within 15 years, so i guess that’s about 21 years from now…”
“dude”
“i know”… he added “but hey i’ll be 50 by then, and if i am lucky i’ll be doing what i love… and right now i really hate where i work”
“how much will it cost to be a doctor”
“i figured it out last night… I’m guessing between $250-300K” he said
(btw just yesterday Jan 08 Dartmouth College voted to waive undergrad tuition for families that make under $75K a year)
like a scene out of fight club, i remember staring at him and seeing his conviction…
we saw each other quite a bit over the next couple of years, but since he was mostly a math/ science major, and i was trapped inside pre-pre-pre English 101, we didn’t have too many classes together…
after moving away to NYC for a few years, we moved back to so-cal and i happened to run into jim at a grocery store… we talked and i asked, how the medical pursuit was going?
“oh that… it turned out that was unrealistic… i gave it a go, but i’m back at the toyota dealer…” staring at him, i noticed that look in his eyes, a glaze over meets water, the look of somebody who has been broken, or through a brutal divorce, where love is still involved, and feelings are deep.  the sort of look that a movie, or song can beckon… it would have been the perfect scene depicting a loss… (at that point i should have pulled out my fight club gun, and put it to his head)
he didn’t need to explain, why he had been beaten, he just had… and like so many he gave up on his dream…
 

movingstar
i still remember exactly were i was when my buddy brad got finished telling me he was going to compete in the kumite.  sure he was good at martial arts… he had been doing them since he was a kid… sure he was strong for his size… i had heard one story of how he defended himself at a high school party and without breaking a sweat put the toughest kid in school in a submission hold… and this was before, tapout, ultimate fighting and even the tough-man contest… sbut still… fighting in the kumite (most people didn’t even know what that was 15-20 years ago… ) seemed a bit of a stretch for a small town kid from idaho…
as brad finished telling me of his plan:  to win kumite and then move to hollywood to be a stuntman… it seemed about as realistic as my other buddy who was with us… who said, he too had a plan… to be a famous extreme skier…  so brad continues to do a few pull-ups and then says that he is going to be a stuntman, and jump out of buildings and use his martial arts background to be this wicked stunt double that everybody in the world wanted… (i think he even had a karate kid style sweatband on… i might have too :o) when he was telling us this…
well that summer passed and i was out of town for a couple of months… a few summers went by… and i heard that brad had moved to been going to college in LA…  no surprise he was a waiter to pay the bills… but we also heard he had been working out at a martial arts studio… we also heard that he was working towards being a partner in the studio… working towards owning it…  rumor had it, it was a really nice studio, in fact a really, really, really nice studio that had a really, really really a good reputation…  and quite a few of the clients were movie stars…
you already know where this one is going… 
to be cont’d.
 

movie star
a couple years went by, when i saw brad and was catching up with him…  after first asking how his sister was… (she was  a complete hottie)… i said so what’s new…  “how’s the stuntman business… ?”
“pretty good”
“pretty good… what do you mean?”
“well, i met up with some stuntmen from my studio… they hooked me up with somebody, and i got some small parts in a couple of movies… that lead to bigger parts…”
“come on… you serious?”
“yeah… its cool and business is good… i love it…”
ffwd>> a decade… so last i had talked to brad, he just finished filming a couple of movies, big movies… not the TBS specials and ninja turtles (which he has also done)… but the real deal blockbuster types (ffwd>> another decade and another buddy was just telling me brad’s company is the largest stuntman company in hollywood… they do the biggest and the best work…) their jobs have included matrix, batman, x-men, spiderman etc… etc… not bad for a kid from a small town in idaho…
how cool is it to drive the bat mobile to work, or surf on the green goblins surfboard?…
more to come…
 

kent
one of the other people in the gym when brad made his announcement that he was going to be a stuntman was kent.  kent was a friend of a friend who was a really good athlete, a phenomenal soccer player, and into fun stuff.  we went rock climbing together, mtn biking, and he was a downhill ski racer…  i first sensed the urgency in his heart when he skipped out on a ski race to “shoot a video” with another friend who wasn’t much of a skier at the time, but some how got his hand’s on a video recorder.  if i remember he worked/ volunteered at a recording studio (where stevie miller recorded jungle love)…  i’m not sure how shawn did it, but he “borrowed” that camera numerous times for a day… or 2 or 3?
so shawn and kent had a video player, shawn was going to be the “videographer”, cinematographer, and kent was going to be the star of the movie… back country sawtooths mountains never have a shortage of couloir’s and cliffs, and teenage boys seem too innocent to know better than to lack vision. 
i think they produced a couple hours of footage all in VHS.  because they were hiking most of the mountains after school and on weekends most of the shots were short and broken up… none the less i can still remember the video release party…. ok, it was more they brought the video over to my buddies house and we gathered and were mildly impressed…  there were a couple of “big air” cliff jumps… (12-15 feet)  a couple of pancake landings, a couple of good crashes and some tweaked bones… hardly the stuff  back country saga’s were made of… 
 
 
 

pace the race
as it turned out… kent nor shawn didn’t give up… they kept at it… all the while, shawn remained in his day job, honing his editing skills, learning how to mix sound, set staging, and dabbled in marketing… kent, continued to bag big cliffs… learn para-gliding and parachuting… so he could begin to execute the big stuff and they stuck at it…
recently i saw both of them… kent has basically bee in every big ski film for the past 15 years.  he fly’s around the globe in pursuit of snow and has a large fan base.  i have seen him in base jumping movies, (he not so long ago b