the journey

A simple labyrinth

I ran across this simple labyrinth earlier this morning.  Enjoy.

If you need something with more structure, then start here. 

Source: Soupablog

Tags: labyrinth

Evangelicalism's excessively rationalist approach

Here's an excerpt of an article I ran across today:

I believe one weakness in evangelicalism the emerging church is responding to is evangelicalism's excessively rationalist approach to truth and salvation that birthed a stubborn "we're in/you're out" mentality. There has been an impulse in evangelical fundamentalism towards a.) an intolerant judgmental exclusivism, b.) an arrogant, even violent, certainty about what we do know, and c.) an overly-rationalized hyper-cognitive gospel that takes the mystery out of everything.

Many of us grew up with this. This was most obvious in the way we made hell the selling point of the gospel. We said if you do A and B you’ll be pardoned from sin and escape hell. Those who do not do A or B are going to hell. We built an apologetic that defended this to prove to people outside the church they were doomed. It came off arrogant, coercive, unloving, and indeed antithetical to the very nature of the gospel. In a world of democratic pluralism, the gospel's witness became shut off, dispassionate and downright sectarian. It became impossible to represent such a gospel as "good news."

Read the remainder of this article here.

Tags: Out of Ur, David Fitch, emerging church

Flickr Fridays

Fly on Fruit
Originally uploaded by mplonsky

[Click on photo for larger view.]

This photograph is too exquisite not to post. Wow. I love the rich detail in the eyes (larger view only).

Incidentally, I picked up three comic books at Lone Star Comics this afternoon (as mentioned in the previous post). In the 1960's they would have cost a total of 45-60 cents. Today, they set me back 11 bucks.

Oh well. I guess I shouldn't complain because today's comics have a better artistic quality. Be safe and be sure to kick up your feet & relax this weekend.

pax,
meb

Another train ride

Years ago, my mother and I took a train from St. Louis (our home) to Jefferson City.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to visit my grandparents who had recently been transferred there by Gulf Oil.  Though I was too young to remember a sufficient number of details, I do remember purchasing a few comic books at the train station (one of which was Sad Sack, my favorite as a child), having my shoes shined (another first), and eating sandwiches on the ride there.  It's strange what we remember from childhood.

As it turns out, that was the first & last time I've taken a train ride.

Next weekend, however, I'll be traveling by Amtrak from Cleburne to Longview to preach at a friend's church.  Its slighly less expensive than driving. So, I couldn't resist the opportunity to travel by train again.  Besides, it's conjured up an excitement I haven't felt since childhood.

In fact, I'm very tempted to visit Lone Star Comics in Ft. Worth to purchase a few comic books for the ride--just for old times sake.  :-) 

Tags: Amtrak, Sad Sack

Everything is spiritual

I purchased a second copy of Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis today--the other one is in storage. I've decided to read it again for devotional purposes, particulary his explanation of the Hebrew primary school system (i.e., Bet Sefer, etc.).

If you're not familiar with Rob, here's a link to his Myspace site.  And posted below is a brief tidbit about spirituality. 

Tags: Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, spirituality

The rhythms of community life

This is one community's attempt at being faithfully Christian:

PRESENCE
We commit to journeying together with God and each other, by meeting together as a community in prayer, in worship, friendship, grief, and happiness. Being a hopeful sign of an open community in the city rather than just a group of individuals or anonymous people.

ACCEPTANCE
We desire to accept both ourselves and other people as they are, and to allow people to say what they believe without fear of judgment. We want to create a safe space where people feel at home and welcomed. We hope to learn from all those inside and outside the community.

CREATIVITY
We want to have an open approach to how we learn, live and encounter God in the plurality of our city and the world. We wish to be creative in our worship, in prayer, in our lives, in learning, and with the christian tradition, in our theology and with the arts.

BALANCE
We aspire to live with integrity in the city, striving as a community for balance between work, rest and play. We wish to develop healthy spiritual disciplines, such as daily prayer, meditation and contemplation, drawing on the ancient Christian paths. We want to live within our means, living sustainable lives. We desire to not simply be consumers, but people committed to giving and receiving in all of life.

ACCOUNTABILITY
Within the Rhythm of Life, we desire to be accountable to one another, to grow and journey together, listening to each other and the wider Christian community for wisdom, rather than trusting only ourselves. We want to have a willingness to share life, rather than to privatise it, and we seek to walk together in a deep way rather than as strangers who only know the surface of each other.

HOSPITALITY
We wish to welcome all whom we encounter, when we are gathered and when we are dispersed, extending Christ's gracious invitation to relationship, meaning and life in all its fullness.

Source:  MootBlog

Tags: MootBlog

More novellas by Stephen King

Now that I've nearly completed Different Seasons (I've yet to read Apt Pupil), I've decided to explore a few more of Stephen King's novellas.  This time it's the short stories featured in his book Four Past Midnight. It was only four bucks at the local half-price bookseller.

If you're unfamiliar with this book, Wikipedia has a good overview of it.  It includes tales such as The Langoliers and the Secret Window.

I hope to post more about these stories later.

Tags: Stephen King, Four Past Midnight

Questioning the megachurch phenomenon

Here's something interesting from David Fitch:

I have no doubt, and I believe with all my heart, that THERE ARE GOOD THINGS, AMAZING THINGS, INDEED KINGDOM LIFE CHANGING THINGS, GOING ON IN THE MEGA CHURCH. And I also believe that not all mega churches are the same.

Nonetheless I still contend that we must question the nature of Kingdom work being furthered through the megachurch phenomenon of evangelicalism in America. There are important questions that need to be asked concerning a.) how the structures/rituals of megachurches form Christians into passive observers, consumers of entertainment and gospel information, b.) the inherent structural encumbrances which are enormous hurdles to overcome in actually being the living, organic "body of Christ" in the sense that the pages of the NT call us to, and c.)the challenges structurally to overcome in simply maintaining a leadership that is in integrity with what it means to be a servant in the sense that our Lord himself calls us to.

Read the entire article here.

HT: NextReformation

Tags: David Fitch, megachurch

Learning to say no

Here's something new from Barbara Brown Taylor.

HT:  Maggie Dawn

Tags: saying no, Barbara Brown Taylor

The Slab

Homeless and Hoping
Originally uploaded by Jan's Cat

I worshipped at The Slab yesterday.

It's an outdoor ministry that embraces the poor, homeless and hungry in downtown Ft. Worth (off Rosedale), and has become a beacon of hope for the marginalized. They meet on a large tent-covered slab, offer a lively worship service & provide a hot noontime meal to anyone who stops by.

In the past, I've enjoyed taking groups & serving there, and thought I might enjoy hanging around old friends.

The testimonies were a little too contrived for my tastes; and the sermon was little more than 30 minutes of rambling. But it was good to be around the least, the lost and the forgotten.

I have the weird suspicion that Jesus would feel most comfortable in settings like this.

[This is an unrelated photo found on Flickr.]