In Louisville, Kentucky

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Here's Joe Thorn's post on our trip so far...

Us Steve and I have come down to Louisville to meet with friends and dialog about church planting and church planting networks. I have benefited from our denomination, and believe our church will remain Southern Baptist as long as doctrinal integrity and healthy cooperation remain in play. While I can imagine both of these things disappearing in 10-20 years, I like to think we will only grow healthier. Time will tell. NAMB is a great way to plant a church (we planted Grace via NAMB), but the alternative networks (Acts 29, Sovereign Grace, etc.) are producing great results as well. I really want our church to both partner with others in the planting of healthy churches and to be directly involved in planting as much as possible. This is why we are here. This and the Scotch Eggs at the Irish Rover. I’ll share more as I can.

I just want to add that ear X-tacy adds a lot to the trip.  Hitting it tomorrow.

Bill Hybels Loves Mark Driscoll

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Hybels_driscoll_banner_bubble_3It just kills me how hard some folks (can anyone say Missouri Baptist Convention?) are trying to distance themselves from the "emerging" Acts 29 organization and Mark Driscoll.  Driscoll is all pomo and truth has no meaning for him.

Then in Bizarro world Bill Hybels (a pastor of a moderately influential, smallish church in suburban Chicago) has poked him publicly for his fundamentalism after viewing Driscoll on video at the National New Church Conference.  He basically didn't like Driscoll's male-centered approach to church planting and let that be known from the platform.  That resulted in Acts 29 eating thousands of Driscoll's videos because the conference decided not to hand them out as originally planned. 

From Driscoll on the Resurgence website...

Last year I spoke at a large church planting event along with a number of other church planters and church planting movement leaders. The event was held in Florida, went well, and did a very encouraging job of bringing together a number of denominations, networks, and organizations that otherwise would not have benefited from such a partnership.

This year I was invited back but declined because the few-day round trip from Seattle to Florida to give a very short message (last year it was less than twenty minutes) seemed like too much in light of other responsibilities. So, the sponsors of the event asked me to instead put together an eight-minute video on church planting that could be shown at the event and then handed out to each of the 1,500 attendees. So, in an effort to be helpful, the video crew from Mars Hill Church and I spent half a day in freezing weather at a military cemetery shooting scenes that were then edited for the video. Apparently the video was shown at the event, was well received by the attendees, and then criticized by Bill Hybels from the stage because it did not speak of women church planters. And, not wanting a bigger fuss, the organization hosting the event then made a decision not to hand out the video as they had promised, leaving the guys from our Acts 29 Church Planting Network who had hauled suitcases of the videos to Florida with thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of wasted effort. The leaders of the event are good guys whom I still consider friends, and I've never met Bill Hybels so I won't speak about him personally. But, I thought we should at least post the banned video online, so here it is:

The Forgotten Ways

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ForgottenwaysAlan Hirsch's book, The Forgotten Ways, is causing me to ask a lot of good questions of my theology, my ecclesiology & missiology.  It's good, challenging stuff and I recommend you pick it up.  I've been meaning to read/review this book for some time and it has been too long in coming.  Over the next few weeks or so I'm going to make the effort to post a few quotes, reflections, and/or questions about the book and the issues it raises.  Please feel free to interact with the ideas.

Alan_hirsch_2 I wish I had time to do the book more justice, but Scot McKnight (for one) spent a good deal of time on the book (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).  You might also want to check out Jordan Cooper's epic first half review here. I encourage you to go to these links for a good recap of the arguments of the book.

If the heart of discipleship is to become like Jesus, then it seems to me that a missional reading of this text requires that we see Jesus's strategy is to get a while lot of little versions of him infiltrating every nook and cranny of society by reproducing himself in and through his people in every place throughout the world. (p 113)

Music Monday 4.23.07

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A couple of albums have me spinning lately. 

Blonde_redhead2Blonde Redhead: 23
(MySpace, Reviews: Metacritic, Drowned in Sound, The Village Voice, Lost at Sea)

Wow, this is good stuff.  Atmospheric, heart-wrenching, experimental indie-rockish shtuff.  The title track, "23," is a great introduction to the album.  Hear it on their MySpace or watch their video of "23".  Some quotes...

23 is exactly what we've come to expect from this trio: a tension-filled exploration of the human psyche, blistering but still atmospheric.

23 is a delirious fever-dream of an album that continues to impress with each consecutive listen.

This is the next record you have to buy. Absolutely. Unequivocally.

Headlights Headlights: Kill Them With Kindness
(MySpace)

Under The Radar: "Kill Them With Kindness is an impressive debut proving that the remaining members of Absinthe Blind are not living in the past but continually experimenting into the future."

I believe Under the Radar has Kill Them With Kindness as their #15 album of 2006.  A number of reviews are not quite there, but I think it's outstanding.  It's happy, fun music.  Tracks that stand out to me are "Your Old Street" and "Signs Point to Yes (But Outlook Not So Good)."

YouTube: "TV" Video (or "TV" Live), also "Signs Point to Yes (But Outlook Not So Good)"

NPM: A Few Poems

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A few poems to continue with National Poetry Month.

Czeslaw Milosz (found in)

"A Confession" (via)

My Lord, I loved strawberry jam
And the dark sweetness of a woman's body.
Also well-chilled vodka, herring in olive oil,
Scents, of cinnamon, of cloves.
So what kind of prophet am I? Why should the spirit
Have visited such a man? Many others
Were justly called, and trustworthy.
Who would have trusted me? For they saw
How I empty glasses, throw myself on food,
And glance greedily at the waitress's neck.
Flawed and aware of it. Desiring greatness,
Able to recognize greatness wherever it is,
And yet not quite, only in part, clairvoyant,
I knew what was left for smaller men like me:
A feast of brief hopes, a rally of the proud,
A tournament of hunchbacks, literature.

Translated by Czeslaw Milosz and Robert Hass. 

Haiku from Billy Collins (first two via, third via, found in)

Mid-winter evening,
alone at a sushi bar—
just me and this eel.

Awake in the dark—
so that is how rain sounds
on a magnolia.

Moon in the window—
the same as it was before
there was a window.

Robert Frost

"The Road Not Taken" (via - with audio, found in)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Phriday is for Photos 4.20.07

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Field of Dreams

Steeee-rike!

What a fun night.   I took my two youngest boys, Daniel and Elijah, to see the Woodstock High School Blue Streaks varsity team beat the Grayslake team.   It was a blast.  Elijah even got to shag a foul and throw it back.  That was obviously the highlight of his night.   Gotta love it.   Then we went to Taco Bell, an important place for male bonding through meat-like product consumption. 

My Photography ||  Flickr Friday Photo

Reasons Why I Love Us

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Here's a reason why I love the SBC: Ed Stetzer. Stet_3Some good news from LifeWay...

Three Southern Baptist entities - LifeWay Christian Resources, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the International Mission Board (IMB) - have forged a collaborative research effort in which LifeWay Research will conduct special research projects on behalf of NAMB and IMB.

As part of the new initiative, Ed Stetzer, missiologist and senior director of the Center for Missional Research at NAMB, will become director of LifeWay Research, effective June 1. Stetzer also will serve as LifeWay’s missiologist in residence.

Ed Stetzer is a friend and I'm happy to see him doing some new things for the SBC and larger Christian mission in the world.

NPM: Billy Collins Poetry Reading

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BillycollinsIt's not everyday a world renowned poet, a former U.S. Poet Laureate, and the author of the poem you read at your Mom's funeral comes to your hometown.  So I just had to go see Billy Collins (via poets.org, bigsnap.com, bestcigarette.us) author of "The Lanyard," when he came to Woodstock today. 

We didn't know he was coming until a few days after Mom's funeral.  So I immediately contacted the Woodstock Opera House for tickets and learned they were sold out.  That was disappointing.  But I talked to a friend and Opera House employee about it and he called the next day with the news that some tickets opened up.  We picked up two.

Lanyard_signature_use This morning we dropped off the two youngest at a friend/church member's house and went to see Billy Collins.  He read poems for about an hour: a sonnet or two, a handful of haiku, and the rest his typical, informal-style poetry.  He was funny, thoughtful, and engaging.  The crowd clapped and laughed, and even gasped at insightful lines.  It was brilliant, just brilliant.  I can't believe anyone can think poetry is over their head if it comes from Billy Collins. 

Dsc_000220070419 I have three of his books and wanted them signed, so I got in line and met Billy Collins.  I told him I read "The Lanyard" at my Mom's funeral.  The lady next to him (I don't think I've ever met her before) said something like, "Are you the guy with the Woodstock blog?  I was telling Billy about what you said on your blog."  How cool is that?  He was very personable and showed real concern.  He asked how well I got through the poem, you know, without crying.  I told him I did fine.  So then he signed my three books, including just above "The Lanyard" poem, and then we posed for a photo via my hot wife.  He said the photo would probably end up on the blog.  He was right. 

I think Billy Collins has become my favorite living poet.  Watch his animated poetry, buy his books, listen to his live readings, or attend a live reading.  Here's a big archive of Billy reading poems.  I think you may just learn to love poetry, or love it even more.

Kiss the Sky

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I spent some time hanging with Joe Thorn today.  It was partially because he's my best friend and it's fun to catch lunch with him.  But it was mostly because I wanted to go to Kiss the Sky, a nice Geneva, IL music store with a great selection, to pick up the new Eluvium album, Copia.  I also picked up Bert Jansch's The Black Swan and Loney, Dear's Loney, Noir.  I had to leave so many good CD's behind, stuff I've been looking for.  Glad I was able to bring home a few.  Photo credit to THE Joe Thorn.

Large_kiss_the_sky

Reasons Why I Hate Us 4

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From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch...

The Missouri Baptist Convention has toughened its alcohol policy forpeople who receive money from the organization to start new churches.

Individuals who help found new churches were already required to sign a statement agreeing to abide by the organization's policy on alcohol consumption. Some of the new language requires those who receive money from the convention to go a step further and "teach the strong Biblical warnings of the consumption of alcohol for all Christians."

[...]

Missouri Baptist Convention interim executive director, the Rev. David Tolliver, said he did not know what precipitated the need for a policy change, saying only that the new policy "reflects the position of most Missouri Baptists."

He said the Journey was not affected by the toughened policy, because its leaders simply borrowed money from the convention to buy a new church building. "This new policy has nothing to do with them," he said. "It won't affect them."

NPM: National Poetry Map

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Npm_mapMan, this is so cool.  Poets.org has a National Poetry Map so you can click on a state and find out about local poets and poetry, the state Poet laureate, literary organizations, poetry friendly bookstores, writers conferences, etc.  For example, when I click on Illinois I find out that Li Young Lee is one of our local Chicago poets (already knew that) and that Kevin Stein is our Illinois Poet laureate (didn't know that).

This is a great resource for finding local stuff as well as expanding your horizons.  The more I use Poets.org, follow their RSS feed, and listen to their Poetcast (podcast), the more I love this site.  Get on it.

Music Monday 4.16.07

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Some music on the radar, but not yet on the iPod...

Story_2 I have a feeling Brandi Carlile's new album, The Story, will be a good one.  Her debut album was fantastic (as I pointed out last year).  Her song, "The Story," was free on iTunes a few weeks back.  You can see her video for "The Story," though I like this live version better.  Man, what a voice.

Eluvium I'm entranced by the music of Eluvium.  I've been back to their My Space regularly to hear it again.  Beautiful.  Can't find the CD's in my local stores so I may have to order them.  The new one, Copia, is getting great reviews.

Some music I'm loving and will probably post on in the near future: Besnard Lakes, Blonde Redhead, Headlights, Low, Patrick Park, and The Shins.

NPM: What is Poetry?

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The spontaneous overflow of powerful feeling recollected in tranquility. –William Wordsworth

The art of doing by means of words what the painter does by means of colors. –Thomas Macaulay

What ideas feel like. –Karl Shapiro

The art that offers depth in a moment. –Molly Peacock

Memorable speech. –W.H. Auden

Perfection of form united with a significance of feeling. –T.S. Eliot

Poetry essentially is figurative language, concentrated so that its form is both expressive and evocative. --Harold Bloom in The Best Poems of the English Language

This, I believe is the ultimate direction and goal of poetry, metaphor, and symbol—to express what is inexpressible, to fuse together what still remains separate. --Robert Siegel, The Christian Imagination, 351