Zoe Confeence II: Missional?

First of all, I was so glad to see all of my blogger friends. I felt like I was meeting my family for the first time. It was a bit surreal for me. I sit at my computer screeen and communcate with you all, have been for a year. And then I get to meet you live for the first time, but not for the first time. Seeing your faces was a real treat for me. I wish I had hours with everyone there. I really like you all.
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At the Zoe Conference I had a chance at a "missional opportunity." What this meant was taking some boxed lunches and $10 to a few select areas of Nashville and giving them to homeless people. OK, I knew I was not the best minister inn the world, but this one takes the cake.

I had the lunches and money, along with my wife and sister, and found this homeless guy on the north side of Nashville. It was a broken down, kind of nasty part of town. We met Sammy. We offered Sammy some food. He refused. We offered him money - cash - no strings attached. We didn't evenm say we were Christians or anything. He refused.

I can't even give money to a homeless guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not only was I unable to give, it was hard for me to receive. He gave us affirmation, advice, and direction. He affirmed our work for the Lord, told us where the really dangerous spots were around town and that should stay away from them, and he pointed us toward a couple of "al-KEE-holic" brothers living in the vacant lot across the way. I walked away from Sammy stunned.

I was exposed.

We never found the al-KEE-holic brothers. We went back to the conference site with food and $10 in hand, just as we left. Only I was not the same. Sammy is haunting me - even now.

I have spent over a year asking God, intensely, what he wants out of me and I get nothing clear. No, I get nothing at all. I hear nothing. My life is a mystery. So, when I get this little chance to give, I am rebuffed. This might not seem like a big deal, and maybe it isn't, but I was humiliated at my absolute incompetence. I defy anyone to be turned down by a homeless guy when you offer him money. It isn't going to happen.

"We view the poor as needy because we are materialistic." -Larry James

Zoe Conference I

If you weren't there, oh man, you missed it. Art, drama, worship, scripture, preaching - Jesus. Let me try to help fill you in.

The best part of the night, bar none, was Donna Hester's incredible drama. She portrayed six women in the genealogy of Jesus from the book of Matthew. Somehow she integrated Rolling Stones music, Jerry Springer, World War II, ironing, hanging clothes out to dry, and a bunvh of stuff with Eve, Ruth, Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Mary. You will have tears if you get the chance to see it.

Mike Cope retold the Sermon on the Mount in way that could not be legalized.

The worship was strong, moving, and Jesus honoring.

Zoe and thought

I am off to the Zoe Worship Conference later this evening. I wish I could be at the Leadership part of the conference, but I just can't pull it off. I look forward to meeting all of my blogging friends Saturday morning around 7:30 AM at the Zoe INTERNET Cafe.

If this is indeed an internet cafe, then I plan to be blogging the conference while I am at the conference. For those of you who would like to go, but cannot, I will probably have a fews posts from the conference to help you feel a part.

And now, for a thought:

The only effective mercy God reserves for the man (or woman) who clings too much to something is to rip it from his hands, violently if necessary. This is a mercy that transcends even forgiveness.

So, what do you think about that one?

Want a great story to go with this quote? Click here. Waiterrant will have you spooked and humbled.

Book Blogging

For the past couple of months I have been blogging over on this blog about stepfamilies. I want to let you know that starting Monday, October 10th, and for every Monday after that in 2005, the Successful Stepfamilies Blog will be blogging through one of the best books on stepfamilies that is out on the market. It is called, The Smart Stepfamily.

If you are in a stepfamily, this book is a must. Get it. Then check out the Successful Stepfamilies Blog on Mondays for blogging through this book. Certainly there will be other stepfamily related posts between Mondays, but Mondays are the days we'll be blogging through the book.

Please join us with your readership and especially your comments - and please spread the word about this blog to any people who are in a stepfamily, which is more than you might think right off the top of your head.

OK God, if that is your real name #2

This series makes it sound like I am questioning God. I'm not. Now, I'm not against questioning God, but that is not what this series is about. This series is about questioning how we interpret God.

We have spent a long time as a people looking at God through a microscope. We have used the Bible as the thing that goes under the microscope, and called it God. We have analyzed it, disected it, legalized it, scientized it, modernized it, and on and on. We have gotten so good at looking to the Bible as THE SOURCE that we have a heard time thinking about any other sources.

We need to spend more time looking for God through a telescope. We need to explore as much as we have reduced. We need mystery, awe, wonder, and experimetnation. We need to use all sources God made available to us in order to learn more of God, to experience more of God.

It's not about getting rid of the Bible. That would be a terrible thing to do. However, worship of the Bible as if it were God is a terrible thing to do as well.

Restorationsists feel safe with the Bible only and feel like it is too risky to understand God with anything else. But we do risk idolatry, missing God, legalism - in short, our Bible fetish (OK, that was overstated) gets us into league with the first century Pharisees much more than it does the first century Christians. It also leads us away from being 21st century Christians - ah, that's another post.

The Line

"You crossed the line," someone said to me once. I was not sure what he meant besides that he didn't like what I did. "The Line" is subjective. I've got my lines and you've all got yours.

I've had some feedbcak on the vodka piece, so I pulled it off the blog.

Now, I'm not going to make it practice of just pulling things off the blog just because people don't like it, but I decided to go ahead and pull this one.

Also, speaking of the line, Sumer has crossed the line. 90 degrees today. This summer is like a psycho girlfriend you can't rid of.

Go away already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wade Speaks on Speaking where the Bible Speaks

If you liked my post, "Speak Where The Bible Speaks...," which set an all time comment record (45, which is big for my piddly blog), then you will like Wade Hodge's post on synogogues.

Let's Pretend...

Hollywood gets low scores for showing life as it is. Compare the sex and drugs consequences of Hollywood movies to real life sex and drug consequences.

Ipod Gollum and Orc potty

There are some sweet photos just like these here. Thanks to the Tall Skinny Kiwi for passing this one on from Worth 1000.com.

These photos are classic pomo blending of the unblendable, mixing fantasy with contemporary. If you think a little further, you can imagine..., nah, it's just for fun.

OK God, if that is your real name #1

Let's suppose everything in the Bible is a communication from God about His nature. Let's assume it is all true. Let's even assume we could interpret the Bible with the same meaning God inteneded - in other words, we get it without contamination.

I know, these are some big assumptions. But let's get to the question.

How much of God's totality is revealed in the Bible?

Is God completely revealed in the Bible? Half revealed? One tenth of one percent? What do you think?