two interesting (albeit overstated in the title) tidits...
#1 the winds was given a Jackson Award earlier this month for being the best "house of worship" (which is, of course, funny in-and-of itself notwithstanding the nifty plaque they sent us yesterday)
and...
#2 we just passed 40,000 views on ustream (indpendent of our vodcasting/podcasting stats) since June of this year.
not bad, eh?
Showing posts with label fusion etc.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fusion etc.. Show all posts
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Leadership rooted in Justice (excerpt from this upcoming weeks fusion)
The church has been spellbound by the leadership myth for the last twenty years. We’ve all come to believe that everything rises and falls on leadership. Consequently, most of the books that most of our pastors are reading – particularly in very large church settings – are about how to be a better leader.
That’s not entirely bad.
Pastors, for better or for worse, are leaders. And, one of the major setbacks of churches in the early 20th C was poor leadership. So, it’s probably fair to say that a certain amount of leadership development is required in order to pastor well.
Personally, I have read over 200 books on leadership. I have read almost all of the top-this or top-that books on all those top-lists. I have followed blogs and articles. Sometimes, I think I could teach more on leadership than I could on most of the books in the Bible.
And there’s the problem.
At key points, leadership philosophy and Biblical wisdom diverge…and most of us don’t know when that happens.
Take King Solomon, for example, who is almost universally held up as an example of biblical leadership. He was wise, by all accounts he ruled well, and he wrote much of the poetry in the First Testament.
But, I’m not convinced that he was as great a leader, nor as great a follower of YHWH as we’ve been lead to believe.
Consider this:
• Solomon weakened his dynasty to the degree that after his death the kingdom was split in two
• Solomon disobeyed God and made treaties and alliances with his former enemies
• Solomon disobeyed God and took his wife’s gods to be his own, leveling himself in apostasy
• Solomon neglected justice in favor of military expansion – something God had spoken strictly about before
Anyway, my point is not to defame Solomon, simply to point out that most of our material on the “Leadership Secrets of King Solomon” conveniently neglect his failures.
Just as most of our books on “Jesus, the Leader” focus on the concept of “Servant Leadership”, but ignore what servant leadership really means.
Servant leadership isn’t about teambuilding, consensus, profit sharing, or good human resources departments.
Servant leadership isn’t about listening before speaking, or seeking to understand before you beg to be understood, or beginning with the end in mind.
Servant leadership is about death.
Leadership is martyrdom. You lead to bear witness. You die to yourself, to your preferences, to your greed, and to your pride.
Why?
So that others can live.
So that others can be made whole, can be healthy, and can have fullness.
Solomon, for all his successes and exploits, was nobody’s servant. Good King Wenceslas, however, and Good King Jesus, additionally, were.
Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would heal the world, bringing salvation to all the nations on Earth. Jesus suffered for his mission to bring healing. He was murdered, illegally and unjustly, for being the Great Physician.
He died so we could live.
That is servant leadership.
Leadership is not rooted in position or privilege, it is rooted in pain. People will follow someone who is passionate to a flaw, who is devoted beyond good sense, and who is willing to be the first to bleed.
That’s the most attractive thing, to me, about Good King Wenceslas: he bled. He walked barefoot in the snow, he worked in the fields alongside his people, he forsook his sexual privileges, he emptied his own pockets, and he gave himself to his land.
That’s leadership.
And it has inspired no shortage of followership – Wenceslas has become a saint, has his own Christmas Carol, inspired Pope Pious to imitate his humility, and has a collection of hagiographies.
John 12.24
Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Luke 9.24
Whoever wants to keep his life must lose it.
That’s not entirely bad.
Pastors, for better or for worse, are leaders. And, one of the major setbacks of churches in the early 20th C was poor leadership. So, it’s probably fair to say that a certain amount of leadership development is required in order to pastor well.
Personally, I have read over 200 books on leadership. I have read almost all of the top-this or top-that books on all those top-lists. I have followed blogs and articles. Sometimes, I think I could teach more on leadership than I could on most of the books in the Bible.
And there’s the problem.
At key points, leadership philosophy and Biblical wisdom diverge…and most of us don’t know when that happens.
Take King Solomon, for example, who is almost universally held up as an example of biblical leadership. He was wise, by all accounts he ruled well, and he wrote much of the poetry in the First Testament.
But, I’m not convinced that he was as great a leader, nor as great a follower of YHWH as we’ve been lead to believe.
Consider this:
• Solomon weakened his dynasty to the degree that after his death the kingdom was split in two
• Solomon disobeyed God and made treaties and alliances with his former enemies
• Solomon disobeyed God and took his wife’s gods to be his own, leveling himself in apostasy
• Solomon neglected justice in favor of military expansion – something God had spoken strictly about before
Anyway, my point is not to defame Solomon, simply to point out that most of our material on the “Leadership Secrets of King Solomon” conveniently neglect his failures.
Just as most of our books on “Jesus, the Leader” focus on the concept of “Servant Leadership”, but ignore what servant leadership really means.
Servant leadership isn’t about teambuilding, consensus, profit sharing, or good human resources departments.
Servant leadership isn’t about listening before speaking, or seeking to understand before you beg to be understood, or beginning with the end in mind.
Servant leadership is about death.
Leadership is martyrdom. You lead to bear witness. You die to yourself, to your preferences, to your greed, and to your pride.
Why?
So that others can live.
So that others can be made whole, can be healthy, and can have fullness.
Solomon, for all his successes and exploits, was nobody’s servant. Good King Wenceslas, however, and Good King Jesus, additionally, were.
Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would heal the world, bringing salvation to all the nations on Earth. Jesus suffered for his mission to bring healing. He was murdered, illegally and unjustly, for being the Great Physician.
He died so we could live.
That is servant leadership.
Leadership is not rooted in position or privilege, it is rooted in pain. People will follow someone who is passionate to a flaw, who is devoted beyond good sense, and who is willing to be the first to bleed.
That’s the most attractive thing, to me, about Good King Wenceslas: he bled. He walked barefoot in the snow, he worked in the fields alongside his people, he forsook his sexual privileges, he emptied his own pockets, and he gave himself to his land.
That’s leadership.
And it has inspired no shortage of followership – Wenceslas has become a saint, has his own Christmas Carol, inspired Pope Pious to imitate his humility, and has a collection of hagiographies.
John 12.24
Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
Luke 9.24
Whoever wants to keep his life must lose it.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
good king wenceslas (test art)
trying out a new technique i've been seeing a lot lately...i like the basic concept - text body,warhol face, vector frame, pop colors - but i'd love a little feedback too
Friday, November 7, 2008
An ever-increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure
Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy’s ground. I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His invention, not ours. He made the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage to humans to take the pleasures which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees which He has forbidden. Hence we always try to work away from the natural condition of any pleasure to that in which it is least natural, least redolent of its Maker, and least pleasurable. An ever-increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure is the formula.
- The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis
- The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis
Thursday, November 6, 2008
handing out free guns
ben and i were having breakfast today & talking about fusion. i told him that it's so hard to teach people the complexities of correctly interpreting scripture in just 30min once-a-week, but necessary if were ever going to get beyond this stupid commercial version of western church-ianity.
we laughed a lot.
but the problem remains: when you introduce people to the depth of the bible, and they don't fully listen, you run the risk of having them make up their own rules as to how the bible should be interpreted.
which is a big deal, and a big risk.
so, for example, during our genesis series we did a little historical-critical work comparing genesis 1 to the enuma elish and ancient israel to ancient babylon. we talked about how these things should be read in context, because context informs us.
which, then - somehow - caused a gentlemen to tell me that jesus' teachings really were all poems and metaphors that we shouldn't take seriously because he was responding to the enuma elish.
huh?
jesus was born 1800 years after the enuma elish, never interacted with it, nor was it part of the dominant narrative of the roman empire. he and it have almost nothing to do with each other.
this poor guy confused our homework that applies to genesis with our homework that applies to jesus. they are not the same things, but he - because he only half cared - confused them and combined them unthinkingly.
and the worst part?
he didn't care or BELIEVE me when i tried to correct him.
it was at this point in the conversation that ben asked me: do you sometimes feel like you're giving people guns when you preach?
meaning: do you sometimes feel that people have no idea how dangerous the bible is when they refuse to listen to the basic instructions for how to use it properly?
don't we understand how much is at risk when we're dumb with the bible? uncriticial? unthinking? unreflective?
and not just with the context or the history, but with basic stuff like jesus' commands to his disciples.
don't we get it?
we laughed a lot.
but the problem remains: when you introduce people to the depth of the bible, and they don't fully listen, you run the risk of having them make up their own rules as to how the bible should be interpreted.
which is a big deal, and a big risk.
so, for example, during our genesis series we did a little historical-critical work comparing genesis 1 to the enuma elish and ancient israel to ancient babylon. we talked about how these things should be read in context, because context informs us.
which, then - somehow - caused a gentlemen to tell me that jesus' teachings really were all poems and metaphors that we shouldn't take seriously because he was responding to the enuma elish.
huh?
jesus was born 1800 years after the enuma elish, never interacted with it, nor was it part of the dominant narrative of the roman empire. he and it have almost nothing to do with each other.
this poor guy confused our homework that applies to genesis with our homework that applies to jesus. they are not the same things, but he - because he only half cared - confused them and combined them unthinkingly.
and the worst part?
he didn't care or BELIEVE me when i tried to correct him.
it was at this point in the conversation that ben asked me: do you sometimes feel like you're giving people guns when you preach?
meaning: do you sometimes feel that people have no idea how dangerous the bible is when they refuse to listen to the basic instructions for how to use it properly?
don't we understand how much is at risk when we're dumb with the bible? uncriticial? unthinking? unreflective?
and not just with the context or the history, but with basic stuff like jesus' commands to his disciples.
don't we get it?
Friday, October 31, 2008
today's activities: the carpet bomb of love
to promote "eat your heart out" at the winds, mexican j and i are going to be posting street signs in a variety of parking lots this morning.
look for these around jackson at: richmond agency, culligan water, big b's coffee, arrowswift, drake waters (cpa), and a few other spots tbd.
here's a sneak peak at the signs:
Thursday, October 30, 2008
the afterglow of our sexual acrobatics (excerpt from eat your heart out)
Our Sexuality is the portal of union and communion in this world with God, with others, with our true selves as image-bearers of God, and with the world.
Because that’s what we’re seeking: a way to be whole, to be un-separate, to find ourselves.
Of course, there are many distractions along the way – especially concerning our sexuality.
Many of us, for example, try to find complete wholeness through sex. But this is an illusion. Sex itself, having sex with another person, is not able to supply what we need.
No one ever believes this, though; we all seem pathologically incapable of grasping the fact that no orgasm is good enough, big enough, quick (or slow) enough, or repeated often enough to cure the sense of isolation we feel.
As soon as it’s over, we feel alone again, unless we are Loved.
But – again – no one believes this.
Sex is so much fun, it’s easy to put off the bothersome tidbit of loneliness we feel in the afterglow of our acrobatics. But the more we live the more we require to stave off that feeling. We have become a culture of sex addicts – always needing another quick fix – in order to just make it through another day.
Because that’s what we’re seeking: a way to be whole, to be un-separate, to find ourselves.
Of course, there are many distractions along the way – especially concerning our sexuality.
Many of us, for example, try to find complete wholeness through sex. But this is an illusion. Sex itself, having sex with another person, is not able to supply what we need.
No one ever believes this, though; we all seem pathologically incapable of grasping the fact that no orgasm is good enough, big enough, quick (or slow) enough, or repeated often enough to cure the sense of isolation we feel.
As soon as it’s over, we feel alone again, unless we are Loved.
But – again – no one believes this.
Sex is so much fun, it’s easy to put off the bothersome tidbit of loneliness we feel in the afterglow of our acrobatics. But the more we live the more we require to stave off that feeling. We have become a culture of sex addicts – always needing another quick fix – in order to just make it through another day.
sex on fire (some bullets + illustrations prepping for sunday)
We are made in God’s image, imprinted with His spark inside of us.
We are separated, sex-ed, and cut off.
There is something inside of us which longs for wholeness. That something is the Divine Spark. We want to be wholly with God, we want to be whole people.
The desire for wholeness with God is our spirituality.
The desire for wholeness as a person is our sexuality.
That Fire inside of us is the drive towards wholeness, whether spiritual or sexual.
Wholeness occurs through covenant.
The covenant between man and woman is marked by sex.
Wholeness happens through covenant marked by sex.
We want to be whole so we are driven to have sex; however, in the absence of covenant, sex doesn’t make us whole it commodifies us.
Sex must be exclusive and perpetual to be covenantal.
Sexual wholeness comes through exclusivity and perpetuity before God.
It is God who makes us whole sexually as author of the Covenant.
It is God who makes us whole spiritually as author of our humanity.
The Fire inside of us is the drive for wholeness, which can only be experienced through complete union and communion with God – whether sexual or spiritual or, most accurately, both.
eatyourheart.info
We are separated, sex-ed, and cut off.
There is something inside of us which longs for wholeness. That something is the Divine Spark. We want to be wholly with God, we want to be whole people.The desire for wholeness with God is our spirituality.
The desire for wholeness as a person is our sexuality.
That Fire inside of us is the drive towards wholeness, whether spiritual or sexual.
Wholeness occurs through covenant.
The covenant between man and woman is marked by sex.
Wholeness happens through covenant marked by sex.
We want to be whole so we are driven to have sex; however, in the absence of covenant, sex doesn’t make us whole it commodifies us.
Sex must be exclusive and perpetual to be covenantal.Sexual wholeness comes through exclusivity and perpetuity before God.
It is God who makes us whole sexually as author of the Covenant.
It is God who makes us whole spiritually as author of our humanity.
The Fire inside of us is the drive for wholeness, which can only be experienced through complete union and communion with God – whether sexual or spiritual or, most accurately, both.
eatyourheart.info
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
BOOK LIST FOR SEX SERIES
1. Images of Atonement, Message 7, Dave McDonald
2. Real Sex, Lauren F. Winner
3. The Four Loves, C. S. Lewis
4. Soul Cravings, Erwin Raphael McManus
5. A Woman’s Place, C. S. Cowles
6. Death by Love, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
7. Fed on Lies About Love, Message 1, Dave McDonald
8. Liquid Love, Zygmunt Bauman
9. Marriage, A History from Obedience to Intimacy, Stephanie Coontz
10. Searching Issues, Nicky Gumbel
11. Sex God, Rob Bell
12. Slaves, Women, and Homosexuality, William J. Webb
13. The Three Hardest Words, Leonard Sweet
14. Organic Unity, Message 6, Dave McDonald
15. Paul for Everyone, Tom Wright
16. Project Love, Andrew Marin
17. Three Philosophies of Life, Peter Kreeft
18. Forgotten Among the Lilies, Ronald Rolheiser
19. Life is High School, Ben Redmond
20. The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman
21. The Holy Longing, Ronald Rolheiser
22. Mating in Captivity, Esther Perel
23. Original Blessing, Matthew Fox
24. Why Guys Need God, Mike Erre
25. Simply Christian, N. T. Wright
26. PowerPoint sources
27. Leadership, Currents
2. Real Sex, Lauren F. Winner
3. The Four Loves, C. S. Lewis
4. Soul Cravings, Erwin Raphael McManus
5. A Woman’s Place, C. S. Cowles
6. Death by Love, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
7. Fed on Lies About Love, Message 1, Dave McDonald
8. Liquid Love, Zygmunt Bauman
9. Marriage, A History from Obedience to Intimacy, Stephanie Coontz
10. Searching Issues, Nicky Gumbel
11. Sex God, Rob Bell
12. Slaves, Women, and Homosexuality, William J. Webb
13. The Three Hardest Words, Leonard Sweet
14. Organic Unity, Message 6, Dave McDonald
15. Paul for Everyone, Tom Wright
16. Project Love, Andrew Marin
17. Three Philosophies of Life, Peter Kreeft
18. Forgotten Among the Lilies, Ronald Rolheiser
19. Life is High School, Ben Redmond
20. The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman
21. The Holy Longing, Ronald Rolheiser
22. Mating in Captivity, Esther Perel
23. Original Blessing, Matthew Fox
24. Why Guys Need God, Mike Erre
25. Simply Christian, N. T. Wright
26. PowerPoint sources
27. Leadership, Currents
SEXY TIME (an introduction to "eat your heart out")
SEXY TIME
In 1969 the world was shocked at the first appearance of stark, sexual imagery used on network T.V. This footage featured a man and a woman in bed together for the first time on screen.
That deliciously seductive show? The Brady Bunch.
The Brady Bunch was the first show on television depicting a husband and wife sharing the same bed, and even showing them in bed together – albeit clothed in modest pajamas. Prior to this, shows had either neglected to depict the bedroom altogether or chosen to show husbands and wives sleeping in separate beds a la Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
We’ve come a long way, and – wow – things have certainly loosened up.
Over the course of this last week (October 2008), watching “normal” TV, I have seen images of startling sexuality (meaning, much more graphic than the Brady Bunch) on the following shows:
• the X-files (syndication)
• Lost
• Fringe
• Pushing Daisies
• Battlestar Gallactica (directed by Ron Moore, 2004 - )
• Firefly
• CSI Miami
• the Office
• Chuck
• Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles
Now, you might read that list and think that it’s really just a matter of choice. After all, of course you’re going to see sex on a show called “Dirty Sexy Money” or “Sex and the City” or “the ‘L’ Word.”
But that’s precisely my point.
We live in a day and age where such shows are not only permitted on network TV, but they consistently top the ratings.
These are the most popular shows on TV (barring reality television…which brands its own kind of sexual cavalcade).
Sex is everywhere; and, because of that, the Church needs to do a better job of framing sexuality in the right way.
After all, sex isn’t dirty, or clandestine, or taboo.
Sex is good…great even! And it was created by God for us to enjoy within a marriage between a man and a woman.
So this Teaching Atlas is a foray into the wonderful, exciting, stimulating and energetic world of kinetic sexuality and spiritual submission to God.
Those two things do go together, by the way…more on that later.
A couple caveats, first though:
1. This isn’t a how-to manual.
There will be no diagrams, illustrations, or “steps” you can follow. This is not the Christian kama sutra, nor is it a guide to bedroom trapeze. This is an investigation into the sacramental nature of sex.
2. This isn’t always going to be comfortable.
Talking about sex is awkward. In my case, Carmel and I are very private about our own sex life; so, at times, I may be sweating more than you will be while reading this. That’s fine. This is still something we need to address, even if it feels weird. But be careful how much you expose your children to; then again, if they’re in elementary school, chances are they know more than they should anyway, so exposing them to straight talk from a biblical perspective on human sexuality may actually be a good thing…but still, exercise discernment with your kids.
3. This isn’t all about intercourse.
In fact, most of what this Teaching Atlas will cover is about what sex IS when properly understood, not how to HAVE better sex. We believe that sex has been so distorted by our media and our culture, that it remains the task of the Church to straighten those distortions out…which is largely an issue of understanding, not a technical issue.
Now, with all that behind us, here is a brief preview of what we’ll cover in the following chapters.
Chapter one will cover the idea of gender-as-separation and sex-as-wholeness. We’ll explore what it means to be erotic, meaning full of eros (passion), and talk about a holistic chastity. Chastity, here, refers to enjoying everything fully in its appropriate context.
Chapter two will look at all the different ways in which we love. We’ll explore those loves as healthy loves, and also caution ourselves against distorted versions of those loves.
Chapter three will be a collection of all the issues I have no desire to address because of their controversial or graphic nature, chief among these being homosexuality. I encourage everyone to this chapter closely, and not to assume they know what I will say or what I will emphasize – though it is fair to note that I am a conservative pastor, and that obviously frames my outlook on these issues.
Chapter four will talk, finally, about sacred sex and the holiness of sexual covenant. We’ll explore the biblical promise of marriage and the formation of a household. Additionally, we’ll be talking through “things we wish we’d known” before getting into our married lives.
Some final notes:
• First, let’s all begin by acknowledging that we are – each of us – deeply flawed and wounded by our distortions about sexuality. Beginning here, it is easy to understand that scripture may have something to teach us about being whole.
• Second, perhaps more than anything else, this Teaching Atlas is about how to live differently from here on out. Many of us have painful memories and mistakes in our sexual past, and the good news is that we can move past these things and into a new future. Jesus promises us new life, and that new life can help us forget, move past, and make right our previous errors.
• Finally, let us all be aware that – even if we feel fine about sex and even perceive it as something worth joking about – many of those who will journey with us in this life are decidedly NOT fine. As such, we must understand that it is not okay for us to joke about them, their sexual errors, their sexual struggles, or make light of their pain.
At the end of each chapter you will find a series of questions designed to help your personalize the meaning of each chapter. Those questions are best answered in a group, so you may find one of our Westwinds satellites helpful. For more information on satellites, contact becky.veydt@westwinds.org or call the church office at 517.750.1111.
In 1969 the world was shocked at the first appearance of stark, sexual imagery used on network T.V. This footage featured a man and a woman in bed together for the first time on screen.
That deliciously seductive show? The Brady Bunch.
The Brady Bunch was the first show on television depicting a husband and wife sharing the same bed, and even showing them in bed together – albeit clothed in modest pajamas. Prior to this, shows had either neglected to depict the bedroom altogether or chosen to show husbands and wives sleeping in separate beds a la Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
We’ve come a long way, and – wow – things have certainly loosened up.
Over the course of this last week (October 2008), watching “normal” TV, I have seen images of startling sexuality (meaning, much more graphic than the Brady Bunch) on the following shows:
• the X-files (syndication)
• Lost
• Fringe
• Pushing Daisies
• Battlestar Gallactica (directed by Ron Moore, 2004 - )
• Firefly
• CSI Miami
• the Office
• Chuck
• Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles
Now, you might read that list and think that it’s really just a matter of choice. After all, of course you’re going to see sex on a show called “Dirty Sexy Money” or “Sex and the City” or “the ‘L’ Word.”
But that’s precisely my point.
We live in a day and age where such shows are not only permitted on network TV, but they consistently top the ratings.
These are the most popular shows on TV (barring reality television…which brands its own kind of sexual cavalcade).
Sex is everywhere; and, because of that, the Church needs to do a better job of framing sexuality in the right way.
After all, sex isn’t dirty, or clandestine, or taboo.
Sex is good…great even! And it was created by God for us to enjoy within a marriage between a man and a woman.
So this Teaching Atlas is a foray into the wonderful, exciting, stimulating and energetic world of kinetic sexuality and spiritual submission to God.
Those two things do go together, by the way…more on that later.
A couple caveats, first though:
1. This isn’t a how-to manual.
There will be no diagrams, illustrations, or “steps” you can follow. This is not the Christian kama sutra, nor is it a guide to bedroom trapeze. This is an investigation into the sacramental nature of sex.
2. This isn’t always going to be comfortable.
Talking about sex is awkward. In my case, Carmel and I are very private about our own sex life; so, at times, I may be sweating more than you will be while reading this. That’s fine. This is still something we need to address, even if it feels weird. But be careful how much you expose your children to; then again, if they’re in elementary school, chances are they know more than they should anyway, so exposing them to straight talk from a biblical perspective on human sexuality may actually be a good thing…but still, exercise discernment with your kids.
3. This isn’t all about intercourse.
In fact, most of what this Teaching Atlas will cover is about what sex IS when properly understood, not how to HAVE better sex. We believe that sex has been so distorted by our media and our culture, that it remains the task of the Church to straighten those distortions out…which is largely an issue of understanding, not a technical issue.
Now, with all that behind us, here is a brief preview of what we’ll cover in the following chapters.
Chapter one will cover the idea of gender-as-separation and sex-as-wholeness. We’ll explore what it means to be erotic, meaning full of eros (passion), and talk about a holistic chastity. Chastity, here, refers to enjoying everything fully in its appropriate context.
Chapter two will look at all the different ways in which we love. We’ll explore those loves as healthy loves, and also caution ourselves against distorted versions of those loves.
Chapter three will be a collection of all the issues I have no desire to address because of their controversial or graphic nature, chief among these being homosexuality. I encourage everyone to this chapter closely, and not to assume they know what I will say or what I will emphasize – though it is fair to note that I am a conservative pastor, and that obviously frames my outlook on these issues.
Chapter four will talk, finally, about sacred sex and the holiness of sexual covenant. We’ll explore the biblical promise of marriage and the formation of a household. Additionally, we’ll be talking through “things we wish we’d known” before getting into our married lives.
Some final notes:
• First, let’s all begin by acknowledging that we are – each of us – deeply flawed and wounded by our distortions about sexuality. Beginning here, it is easy to understand that scripture may have something to teach us about being whole.
• Second, perhaps more than anything else, this Teaching Atlas is about how to live differently from here on out. Many of us have painful memories and mistakes in our sexual past, and the good news is that we can move past these things and into a new future. Jesus promises us new life, and that new life can help us forget, move past, and make right our previous errors.
• Finally, let us all be aware that – even if we feel fine about sex and even perceive it as something worth joking about – many of those who will journey with us in this life are decidedly NOT fine. As such, we must understand that it is not okay for us to joke about them, their sexual errors, their sexual struggles, or make light of their pain.
At the end of each chapter you will find a series of questions designed to help your personalize the meaning of each chapter. Those questions are best answered in a group, so you may find one of our Westwinds satellites helpful. For more information on satellites, contact becky.veydt@westwinds.org or call the church office at 517.750.1111.
theosis (christianity today article)
christianity today just did an article on theosis, which you can read here.
my friend matt just told me about it, and i'm pretty excited because much of what we've been jiving on at the winds lately is simply a re-formatting of this ancient doctrine.
my friend matt just told me about it, and i'm pretty excited because much of what we've been jiving on at the winds lately is simply a re-formatting of this ancient doctrine.
in the beginning...god danced through existence
(from a series used in fusion)
In the beginning…
God danced through existence in the solitude of Threeness
The tune roared through All
Singing space and keeping time
Until there were angels and heavenly creatures marked onto the score
And the dance got a little bigger.
The universe shouted for joy
And the stars jeted and tumbled
Pieces falling and collecting
Into planets
Into orbits
Into mystery
And in to life.
The dance was joy
And peace and hope
It was holiness and romance
And all who were in the dance were One.
From the farthest reaches of space
You and I woke up to the sound of the drums.
You tapped your toes and I cleared my throat
And we began to dance in our room.
Our invitation came right away
And we accepted.
You dressed up, but I stayed cas’
And we joined in the spinning circles of interplanetary majesty and salvation.
Now, in the dance, we’re looking out at the whole
And we’re texting our friends saying
Come dance, come dance
It’s good
It’s all good
The dance just keeps going on and on
And the pleasure never stops
It’s a party
And a ball
And a prom
And a wedding
And a feast
And it’s never gonna end.
In the beginning…
God danced through existence in the solitude of Threeness
The tune roared through All
Singing space and keeping time
Until there were angels and heavenly creatures marked onto the score
And the dance got a little bigger.
The universe shouted for joy
And the stars jeted and tumbled
Pieces falling and collecting
Into planets
Into orbits
Into mystery
And in to life.
The dance was joy
And peace and hope
It was holiness and romance
And all who were in the dance were One.
From the farthest reaches of space
You and I woke up to the sound of the drums.
You tapped your toes and I cleared my throat
And we began to dance in our room.
Our invitation came right away
And we accepted.
You dressed up, but I stayed cas’
And we joined in the spinning circles of interplanetary majesty and salvation.
Now, in the dance, we’re looking out at the whole
And we’re texting our friends saying
Come dance, come dance
It’s good
It’s all good
The dance just keeps going on and on
And the pleasure never stops
It’s a party
And a ball
And a prom
And a wedding
And a feast
And it’s never gonna end.
Monday, October 27, 2008
in the beginning...the universe was created in a big, hot bang
(from a series of creation narratives used in fusion)
In the beginning…
God authored the universe in a big, hot bang.
The universe expanded from an extremely dense and hot state,
and it continues to expand today,
carrying galaxies with it like raisins in a rising loaf of bread.
Yup…it all started 16 billion years ago +/- 2 billion years.
For the first million years after the Big Bang, the universe expanded, the temperature dropped, and nuclei and atoms began to form.
Matter began to come together and make sweet galaxies under the force of gravity.
It started to rotate,
ultimately making spiral shaped galaxies like ours.
Within those galaxies hydrogen and helium were drawn together,
and got hot and heavy – literally, they got dense and warm.
Nuclear fusion commenced – lift off!
This process (still) provides the major source of fuel for stars.
Larger stars burn faster, smaller stars burn like cosmic crock pots.
As they begin to burn out, stars make heavier elements like carbon and oxygen.
Early in the universe (within the fist few hundred million years) such elements appeared only in the core of these dying stars,
but some of these stars blew up,
flinging heavier elements back into the gas in the galaxy.
Our sun is a second- or third-generation star,
a spatial step child
formed about 5 billion years ago by a great coming together of intergalactic debris.
Other debris, close by but not close enough to get sun-sucked,
became the planets in our solar system.
And, at first, our earth was a very inhospitable place.
The planet was constantly bludgeoned by giant asteroids and meteorites,
one of which actually tore the moon loose from the Earth – the first divorce.
Not surprisingly, rocks dating back 4 billion years or more show absolutely no evidence of life.
A piddling 150 million years later, the earth was crawling with life run amok
– a daystar daycare.
All of these steps in the formation of our solar system are now well described and unlikely to be revised on the basis of additional future information…
aka: we’re really, really sure this happened just like this.
Nearly all of the atoms in your body were once cooked in the nuclear furnace of an ancient supernova.
Yes, Paris – that is hot.
You are, truly, made of stardust.
Nothing grew on land until 400 million years ago,
at which point plants appeared on dry land, derived from aquatic life forms.
Beginning about 230 million years ago, dinosaurs dominated the earth.
They all died a sudden and catastrophic death about 65 million years ago,
at which an asteroid the size of Cuba fell crashed into Mexico,
creating what is now the Yucatan peninsula.
Fine crash-ash has been found around the world.
It ruined the environment and killed the dinosaurs.
This gave room for the mammals to take center stage.
That asteroid may have been the only possible way the dinosaurs could have become extinct and we could have come to power.
We probably wouldn't be here if that asteroid hadn’t slapped our neighbors to the South.
Bones of more than a dozen different man-like species have been discovered in Africa, with steadily increasing brain sizes.
The first proof of “modern” man showed up about 195,000 years ago.
Other men-folk appear to have encountered dead ends:
Neanderthals existed in Europe until 30,000 years ago,
and "hobbits," tiny people with small brains who lived in the island of Flores in Indonesia survived until 13,000 years ago.
No serious biologist today doubts the theory of evolution to explain the marvelous complexity and diversity of life.
Evolution, as a mechanism, can be and must be true.
But that says nothing about the nature of its author.
For those who believe in God, there are reasons now to be more in awe, not less.
In the beginning…
God authored the universe in a big, hot bang.
The universe expanded from an extremely dense and hot state,
and it continues to expand today,
carrying galaxies with it like raisins in a rising loaf of bread.
Yup…it all started 16 billion years ago +/- 2 billion years.
For the first million years after the Big Bang, the universe expanded, the temperature dropped, and nuclei and atoms began to form.
Matter began to come together and make sweet galaxies under the force of gravity.
It started to rotate,
ultimately making spiral shaped galaxies like ours.
Within those galaxies hydrogen and helium were drawn together,
and got hot and heavy – literally, they got dense and warm.
Nuclear fusion commenced – lift off!
This process (still) provides the major source of fuel for stars.
Larger stars burn faster, smaller stars burn like cosmic crock pots.
As they begin to burn out, stars make heavier elements like carbon and oxygen.
Early in the universe (within the fist few hundred million years) such elements appeared only in the core of these dying stars,
but some of these stars blew up,
flinging heavier elements back into the gas in the galaxy.
Our sun is a second- or third-generation star,
a spatial step child
formed about 5 billion years ago by a great coming together of intergalactic debris.
Other debris, close by but not close enough to get sun-sucked,
became the planets in our solar system.
And, at first, our earth was a very inhospitable place.
The planet was constantly bludgeoned by giant asteroids and meteorites,
one of which actually tore the moon loose from the Earth – the first divorce.
Not surprisingly, rocks dating back 4 billion years or more show absolutely no evidence of life.
A piddling 150 million years later, the earth was crawling with life run amok
– a daystar daycare.
All of these steps in the formation of our solar system are now well described and unlikely to be revised on the basis of additional future information…
aka: we’re really, really sure this happened just like this.
Nearly all of the atoms in your body were once cooked in the nuclear furnace of an ancient supernova.
Yes, Paris – that is hot.
You are, truly, made of stardust.
Nothing grew on land until 400 million years ago,
at which point plants appeared on dry land, derived from aquatic life forms.
Beginning about 230 million years ago, dinosaurs dominated the earth.
They all died a sudden and catastrophic death about 65 million years ago,
at which an asteroid the size of Cuba fell crashed into Mexico,
creating what is now the Yucatan peninsula.
Fine crash-ash has been found around the world.
It ruined the environment and killed the dinosaurs.
This gave room for the mammals to take center stage.
That asteroid may have been the only possible way the dinosaurs could have become extinct and we could have come to power.
We probably wouldn't be here if that asteroid hadn’t slapped our neighbors to the South.
Bones of more than a dozen different man-like species have been discovered in Africa, with steadily increasing brain sizes.
The first proof of “modern” man showed up about 195,000 years ago.
Other men-folk appear to have encountered dead ends:
Neanderthals existed in Europe until 30,000 years ago,
and "hobbits," tiny people with small brains who lived in the island of Flores in Indonesia survived until 13,000 years ago.
No serious biologist today doubts the theory of evolution to explain the marvelous complexity and diversity of life.
Evolution, as a mechanism, can be and must be true.
But that says nothing about the nature of its author.
For those who believe in God, there are reasons now to be more in awe, not less.
Friday, October 24, 2008
help me to live differently (prayer for fusion, week 6: genesis)
GOD –
THIS WORLD IS FULL OF VIOLENCE AND I AM SPENT ON CONFLICT.
I AM TIRED OF FIGHTING,
I AM TIRED OF DEFENDING WHAT WE DO,
AND I AM TIRED OF BEING THE ONLY PERSON TO ASK:
IS THIS RIGHT?
IS THIS WHAT IT MEANS TO FOLLOW YOU?
I WANT TO LIVE BETTER.
I WANT TO SHADOW YOU IN WAYS THAT BRING HEALING.
I WANT TO MEND THE WORLD.
AND WELCOME YOU MORE FULLY INTO IT.
PLEASE HELP ME TO FIGHT CLEAN,
TO FIGHT FAIR,
AND TO FIGHT WITH THE RIGHT WEAPONS.
I WANT TO BE A LOVER,
NOT A PUGILIST.
I CONFESS MY GREAT FAILURE IN THIS AREA
AND I CONFESS MY ANGER, MY RESENTMENT, AND MY GRIEF.
TAKE THEM FROM ME.
GIVE ME SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN RETURN.
GIVE ME EYES THAT SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN THIS WORLD.
GIVE ME HANDS THAT HELP.
GIVE ME LIPS THAT PROFFER DEVOTION,
THAT READILY SAY TO YOU: WHEREVER YOU GO, I WILL FOLLOW.
WHEREVER YOU NEED ANYONE
PLEASE KNOW
THAT I AM HERE
AND YOU
CAN SEND ME.
AMEN.
THIS WORLD IS FULL OF VIOLENCE AND I AM SPENT ON CONFLICT.
I AM TIRED OF FIGHTING,
I AM TIRED OF DEFENDING WHAT WE DO,
AND I AM TIRED OF BEING THE ONLY PERSON TO ASK:
IS THIS RIGHT?
IS THIS WHAT IT MEANS TO FOLLOW YOU?
I WANT TO LIVE BETTER.
I WANT TO SHADOW YOU IN WAYS THAT BRING HEALING.
I WANT TO MEND THE WORLD.
AND WELCOME YOU MORE FULLY INTO IT.
PLEASE HELP ME TO FIGHT CLEAN,
TO FIGHT FAIR,
AND TO FIGHT WITH THE RIGHT WEAPONS.
I WANT TO BE A LOVER,
NOT A PUGILIST.
I CONFESS MY GREAT FAILURE IN THIS AREA
AND I CONFESS MY ANGER, MY RESENTMENT, AND MY GRIEF.
TAKE THEM FROM ME.
GIVE ME SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN RETURN.
GIVE ME EYES THAT SEE WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN THIS WORLD.
GIVE ME HANDS THAT HELP.
GIVE ME LIPS THAT PROFFER DEVOTION,
THAT READILY SAY TO YOU: WHEREVER YOU GO, I WILL FOLLOW.
WHEREVER YOU NEED ANYONE
PLEASE KNOW
THAT I AM HERE
AND YOU
CAN SEND ME.
AMEN.
free sex atlas
in case you're curious about what we'll be teaching concerning sexuality, we've made the teaching atlas available in advance as a downloadable .pdf file.
as always, let me suggest that one of the best ways you can actually "get" something from the teaching in fusion (or in any other sermon, lecture, oratory, speech, etc) is to prep a little in advance, and then review a little later on.
trust me - that'll be a whole lot easier with material like this :)
you can download it for free here
(you can also download other atlas pdfs for free here )
as always, let me suggest that one of the best ways you can actually "get" something from the teaching in fusion (or in any other sermon, lecture, oratory, speech, etc) is to prep a little in advance, and then review a little later on.
trust me - that'll be a whole lot easier with material like this :)
you can download it for free here
(you can also download other atlas pdfs for free here )
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