Eternal Story?

Want to feel like your life will go on after you have died?

Found this in Wired yesterday


Vidstone offers an LCD on your tombstone for $1500. It is weatherproofed, comes with headphone jacks, and guarenteed to replay your 15 minute video for 15 years.

A compelling image of 1) people want to be part of a larger story than their temporal lives, and 2) we are a culture with way too much money.

Postmodern Architecture

While in Chicago, I had a wonderful time looking at the variety of architecture: art-deco, modern, and postmodern. I found the postmodern architecture fascinating because it shows how the postmodern religious discussions have often missed the point (or misrepresented postmodernity).

Case in point:


Similarities: Postmodern architecture tends to have things in common. First, they are still buildings. Secondly, they have three sections, though not uniform. Third, they do not have a pedestal, but rather come straight down to the street--art meets the canvas without a frame.

Function over Form: This building is not a wonderful example, but often PM architecture wishes to reveal how the building works (example: that trendy coffee shop with the exposed duct work).

Respect for Tradition: If you look closely, this building "tips it hat" to the modern building to its right by having an emblishment at the same level of its neighboring building's roof.

These are just a few of the things one can notice when examining postmodern architecture...I think if alot of the religious folks better understood postmodernity in regards to these elements (at the very least) they would not be so fearful of the impending cultural shifts.

Similarities: it is not anything goes, you still have to have walls and windows, and certain norms that identify a building as a building. So too for postmodern religiosity.

Function over Form: rather than masking the necessary components such as steel, girders and duct work. Postmodern architecture reveals these innerworkings so that people can have a better understanding of it's complexity. So too with postmodern theology (we embrace tension rather than rationalize it).

Respect for Tradition: Architects are will versed in what has occured before, and all new innovations have to spring forth from a earlier tradition. So as much as postmodern religious movements wish avoid tradition, it is an intregal part of being postmodern, which we should find creative ways to "tip our hats" modernity.

Unity:

I just sat through a 2 hour presentation on the Task Force for Peace Unity Purity in the Presbyterian Church.

There is way too much to digest and way too much controversy to adequately post my thoughts on here. As you can tell I prefer more interesting things such as football, running, poker, and art than the controversial issues in the Presbyterian Church regarding ordination standards.

However, this meeting has allowed for me to come to a conclusion regarding ordination standards. If you are interested in my perspective then we need to get a cup of coffee because I do not want to be yet another blog posting yet another individual perspective with an air of authority.

What I will say is that the Authorative Interpretation (A.I.) feature of the Task Force's Final Report, recommendation #5, is an intriguing move. I believe that it helps the PC(USA) church embrace the current cultural tensions of modernity and postmodernity. It suggests that there are normative factors in the Christian Faith (modernity), while also acknowledging that any list of essential standards for ordination would be inadequate (postmodernity).

I guess we will have to wait and see...

Here is an important statement I think the PC(USA) church members need to hear:
"• Those of us who identify our views as liberal came to understand how alienating it is for conservatives and evangelicals when their passionate commitment to holy living and upright conduct are labeled rigid and judgmental.
• Those of us who identify our views as conservative came to understand how alienating it is for liberals when their passionate commitment to justice and compassion are labeled unbiblical.
• Those of us who identify our views as moderate came to understand how alienating it is when those with passionate concerns on either end of the theological spectrum are labeled extreme and divisive.
• Many of us came to understand how alienating it is for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons to be so regularly identified as a major threat to the peace, unity, and purity of the church.
• Many of us also came to understand how alienating it is for those who support a ban on the ordination of non-celibate gay and lesbian persons to be accused of prejudice, and how alienating it is for those who oppose such a ban to be accused of moral laxity.
• All of us came to see that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in its current factionalized state that we have all created together by our mutual stereotyping and misuse of power, fails to offer a suffering world a sign of the peace, unity, and purity that is God’s gift to us in Jesus Christ."

Not presbyterian and wondering what the hell I am talking about...
PC(USA)
Peace Unity Purity

Karma Versus Grace

Grace is a radical concept that goes against the natural, physical laws of the universe. What an interesting concept...and to come from a musician.

Taking Bono's argument from another angle, it may help understand why we unconciously to gravitate towards a karma-legalistic-"an eye for an eye" structure. That is the natural order of things, "for every action there is an equal reaction," that's what we learned in 9th grade. And that is the system that we experience everyday while playing billards, running, or doing everything in this universe.

Except, for God karma is binding, and grace is boundless. Grace interupts then disrupts our understanding of the world's order. It irrates us because ignores the order of the universe.
Suddenly, for every action there is grace.

As Bono says "It [Grace] doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity. I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity."

New layout

The old one was annoying, and depending on your screen the coding would not work well.

-let me know if there are any problems with the coding (i.e. not fitting to screen, the sidebars (left and right) not appearing.

Unexpected Ministry

Racin' Photos

3:50.49

It's official!

Though, I was 1 hour 42 minutes and 13 seconds behind the winner, the Chicago Marathon was awesome.

I will try not to bore you with too many details, but Lindsay and I had a great time--she finished in 3:50.08. We were able to run 25 of the 26 miles together when she decided that she wanted to sprint the final half mile, without telling me. Mind you, at that point I had no energy left to even attempt such a feat.

photos




For those who wondered what happens if you don't have pastee's while running...
bnips

the calm before the storm

We arrived in Chicago safely. The hotel we are staying at is awesome, right on the river with a baywindow seat to watch the city from.


A nice alcove for morning prayers...before the 26.2 miles.

If you read this before Sunday 8am, I ask that you pray for Lindsay and I. We have trained for 6 months for this endeavor, and the nervousness is kicking in. My knees are wondering why and if I will be able to complete the entire race; My mind is saying you better...or else.

On my first training run, the quote from Jesus popped into my head:
If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.

Check back tomorrow afternoon because should I survive the run I will try to post some pictures (of the race not me)

A big sigh of relief

This is not the Word of God.

As I prepare for my multiple preaching opportunities this semester, I am tentatively excited. Then I stumbled across a great point by Ronald Byars in Christian Worship: glorifying and Enjoying God...Sometimes the Word of God is the exact opposite of what the preacher is proclaiming.

So, with that understanding, I have given myself the grace to preach to the best of my ability knowing that sometimes I will draw people closer to God, but in reality I will probably push them further from God. And I have faith that the Spirit of God will meet them where I failed to show them God's grace and hope.

It is prayer that this would not be said, "Whoever came to church desperate for a word from the Lord had to do without." Because whether that word comes from my mouth, or is in response to some asinine comment I make, the gracefilled word of the Lord needs to be proclaimed at worship.

Training is done...

for the most part.

With one week until the marathon, I have completed all of the major runs. And, I realized this afternoon I need to apologize for certain comments I have made this past month, such as:

It was only a ten mile run today.
We ran for just 2 hours today.
Today was a slow day.
I haven't lost that much weight, just 5-10lbs.

Please forgive the insane comments I have made this past month. I promise come October 10th, I will not utter such nonsense.