majority.

Just ran across a site with a very compelling/interesting agenda, and I wanted to be sure to share it with others who I knew might find it interesting as well. The best way to get the idea of what they are trying to do is to watch these videos which are short and really helpful in understanding part of our government's spending crisis.

I won't go so far as to say the information is completely without fault or doesn't strive to push an agenda, but it does seem fairly accurate for the most part.

Let me know what you think.

http://truemajority.com/oreos/
(About government spending/overspending on military "defense")

http://www.truemajorityaction.org/bensbbs/
(About spending specifically on nuclear weapons)

Note: I'm not asking you to join this organization, I haven't myself, but I thought it would be beneficial to share this information.

illumination.

If you somehow haven't noticed, the human eye is a miracle of creation.

Among other amazing things about the eye is the iris. The iris of the eye was created in a way that it adjusts to the light. Simply put, it opens in dim light to allow more light in, and narrows in bright light to allow less light in.

Many of you, like myself, took sixth grade science, and you are well aware of this and other mysteries of the eye so I won't waste much time explaining what little I know about the way it functions. For this is not at all to be a blog about the anatomy of the human eye.

No, this is an overture to illumination.

One of my favorite movies in the world is entitled Everything Is Illuminated, and I'm not too proud to admit that I have not yet read the book by the same name. However, in the film, the character Alex is writing a book about his adventures, and he titles one of his chapters "An Overture to Illumination." This has always stuck out to me as one of my favorite things about the film. Although small, and somewhat inconsequential, to me that phrase embodies a beautiful idea.

Simply because I want my life to be an overture to illumination.

Think about what that might imply.

"Overture," if being thought of by the definition, "an introduction to something more substantial," then consider the statement, "I want my life to be an introduction to an Illumination far more substantial than my own."

Do we not seek to be a forbearer of the King's Light?

At times we go to shine our light, although weak in comparison, in order to direct towards the One who created light. We are here to be an introduction to that beautiful Light, and reflect the goodness of God in a world broken by darkness, hatred, and death.

We can push even deeper to think of our "overture" as a musical piece. This idea is beautiful to me. Can we imagine our lives being a musical overture to the Illumination of God?

How sweet the sound would be, how gentle yet powerful, how colorful and joyous, how moving, how transforming!

Our overture to Illumination would be a breathtaking movement.

Different from the song of the world.

The sound of the busy streets, the scanners in the shopping malls, the bickering, the shouting, the gunfire.

This song, this overture, sounds like mercy, equality, healing, justice, openness, caring. This song sounds like Love.

However, in our struggle to sing the song of Illumination, to be the ones who announce its arrival, often our eyes fail to adjust to the brightness.

In the past few days, I have been showered in a blinding light. God is moving in my heart to see people as He sees them, and let me tell you the love with which he loves them, the love with which he loves us, is astounding. But I have been challenged in this light, because I know the truth is, my blindness comes not just from the brightness of the light I have been exposed to, but even more so by the failure of my eyes to adjust.

You see, although I have been exposed to great beauty in the loving acts of my Father, I had not yet prepared my eyes for the sudden change. I had not yet prepared my heart to be fully devoted to the cause of loving my brothers and my sisters. So, though I may be struggling to cling to a budding maturity in faith, I have been fighting the still living remains of my old life: the old life that is keeping my eyes from adjusting to the light and focusing on the glory which it reveals.

Walking in the Light takes much more than jumping in. There is something to be said for having a more comprehensive understanding of what it means to live an overture to that Light, but even when we do have some grasp on what that means, we must prepare our hearts to pursue it.

The overture to Illumination would be a beautiful song, but would pale in comparison to the song of the Illumination itself.

As a people called to image our Creator and a people called to let our own light shine before all humanity, we must first prepare ourselves in knowing the Light and hearing his song for ourselves.

Let us be still, so that we may listen to the song, but once you've heard it, don't just sit there. We can't just sit here! There is much to be done, an overture to arrange and perform, so that it may ring over the hills and the valleys, the peaks and the plains, through the bustling city streets, the quiet villages, the brick homes of the suburbs, and the tents of the forgotten. An overture to perform, so that a dark world may have new life. A song to sing that the world may know a Loving Healer. An announcement to be made that a new Kingdom is coming.

So would you join me now as we stand and sing?...

Light of the World, show us your glory, but do not let us be blinded by it. Allow the eyes of our heart not to be slow to embrace your Illumination, but to quickly take your challenge to shine brightly in our dark and broken world. It's not what you created it to be Lord, lead us to heal it with your Light. Let us shine your mercy, your justice, your hope, peace, and love, God. Let that be our overture. Let us declare your coming remedy for our brokenness. Let us sing a song with our lives that is far more vibrant that the dull gray of the the world that surrounds us. We are yours, Father. Take our hands, take our feet, make them Yours. Teach them to serve, teach them to heal. Take our lives, take the old, make us new as we submit to You.

We love you Lord, show us your Light, teach us how to love each other like You love us.

Amen.

green.

I've had a sticker on my Nalgene bottle for about a year now (because you're not cool unless you have a Nalgene bottle covered with stickers... for more of my lessons on "how to be cool," please reference another blog here.) that is a green circle with the words "God is Green" on it, and around the edges of the circle you can see the silhouettes of animals, etc. I received this sticker as a gift from someone who had visited Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan (Rob Bell's home church), as that congregation had done a series of study under the same name. I've gotten plenty of questions and cheesy remarks about the odd claim the sticker makes, but the point is, of course, that I believe God cares about environmentalism. More appropriately, I believe God cares about that which he has created.

However, although I have supported the idea of a Christian responsibility to the environment, I had not thoroughly researched the topic until just recently. For my maymester class, systematic biblical doctrine, I was required to research and write a paper on a topic of biblical teaching. For this assignment I chose to explore the Christian ethic of environmentalism. So, if you would like to read my paper, here it is in all it's glory... just take a deep breath, because it's a long one and certainly not as interesting (I wouldn't think) or brief (in comparison) as my usual posts. But I had a few friends who wanted to read it so this is mostly for their easy access. Enjoy.

            We live in a fallen world. We live in a broken creation. We can read in the papers and see in the news the constant and seemingly unstoppable, ongoing damage human actions have taken on the planet, and it is rare to hear a Christian portray a sense of responsibility to our environment out of devotion to Kingdom living if at all. However, before humans fell away into this brokenness, God offered a look into the wholeness of what creation was intended to be. He offered a glimpse of a world that was thriving and healthy. And from this original plan it should be clear that the Father intended something more pure, something more complete, of creation.

So where might we start? In Genesis we can find a much clearer picture of what God intended the world to be than we can find on the nightly news. The creation story paints a picture of God’s intentions for wholeness in creation, and then it explains when mankind began to stray from a life of full satisfaction in the Father. It is my stance that this straying from the completeness of creation is the cause of the brokenness of our environment today, and in light of that brokenness, I also believe it is our duty and responsibility as Christians and stewards of God’s creation to defend the wholeness that God, the architect, originally foresaw in the world.

So let us start at the beginning. At the dawn of creation, the Lord formed each part of the world by simply speaking it into existence; the oceans, the land, the rivers, the mountains, the valleys, the creatures of the sea, the birds in the air, the beasts on the land, and everything else under the sun, God spoke into existence, all the while declaring his creation “good.” However, it was not until God spoke mankind into existence, and breathed into them the breath of life that the Lord declared his creation “very good.” It was in the creation of mankind that the triune God agreed that humans would bear the responsibility of, “[ruling] over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."[1] But God did not only entrust humanity with dominion over the earth in this passage, he also made it clear that mankind was created to image our Creator, the core purpose of our existence.

This short passage[2] will serve as the backbone for my theological discourse on the Christian ethical responsibility to God’s creation. From the original mention of creating humanity in verse twenty-six God declares humanity is to be made in ‘his’ own image and will be given dominion and responsibility over the rest of creation. Then in the next verse, readers are once again reminded as God creates mankind that all of mankind, male and female, were created in the image of God. Finally, the charge for these people living in the image of God to serve as rulers over creation is repeated in verse twenty-eight in order to emphasize the responsibility which God is entrusting humanity. Therefore, it seems clear to me that because God put such great care into creation, created mankind in God’s own image, and entrusted mankind to care for creation, that environmental stewardship is very much an issue that is close to God’s heart and something that is certainly an issue of faith even today.

It is worth noting, however, that this passage is often misinterpreted or misunderstood. Many Christians in America have actually used this very same passage in order to justify humanity’s right to do whatever it may with the world.[3] This understanding draws from the idea that the “rule” over the earth God granted mankind was not a rule of stewardship and caring for creation, but, rather, a complete dominion and tyranny over creation. It seems as though much of this misunderstanding comes because many people have misunderstood the calling to image God in his love and care as Creator of all things. It is clear to me that our God-given rule over creation is not one which allows us to destroy or exploit our environment, but one that is given out of the understanding that mankind was created to image a Creator who greatly cares for the wholeness and beauty he spoke into being.

How can we be so sure that God intended our “rule” over creation to be one of stewardship and not one of tyranny? We need only to look at the history of God’s model of leadership.[4] As we are to image God, it is our goal to reflect all of the characteristics we know of God and have seen displayed throughout biblical history. The narrative of Scripture has taught us that God is Lord and Ruler of all, but God is a just and righteous God whose name is Love. This model of God’s rule is also very clearly expressed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Although Jesus is Lord and proclaimed the Kingdom of God, he did so with peace, compassion, and love. Therefore, we would be remiss to assume the rule or dominion God granted mankind over the rest of creation in Genesis was to be one of tyranny and exploitation, because we were created to be an image of our Creator here on earth.

So it is clear that Scripture is, and always will be, read with some form of previously established worldview. Those worldviews will shape and mold the text into a certain understanding in one way or another. With the specific issue of environmentalism, Christians have often been at odds with the idea of responsibility to the environment as an issue of faith because of the divide that has opened between many members of the Christian community and the scientific community primarily over the debate of evolution versus creationism. This rift has created a hurdle to many Christians as they may find it difficult to align with the scientific community on the issue of environmental conservation when, in large, the scientific community refutes certain beliefs contained within conservative theology.[5] Therefore, it may be necessary to come to an understanding that Christianity and science are not mutually exclusive entities before delving into the concept of environmental responsibility.

There are many places in Scripture where God’s care for and delight in creation are on display. Throughout Scripture, it is shown that God cares for even the lowliest of creatures, but when truly taken into consideration, God’s love for creation is quite compelling. For example, just in the immediate context of Genesis 1:26-28 one can glean a few different points of the importance of creation to God.  Just before the creation of mankind, as each of the other parts of creation was spoken into existence, we can see that the Father blessed each individual facet of his creation, declaring each of them “good.”[6] Therefore, despite humanity’s special gift of dominion over the other works of creation, mankind is to acknowledge the blessing that God has issued over all of nature.

We might also consider the importance of God’s actions through Noah and the flood.[7] God did not only order Noah to gather every living creature to be spared from destruction, but God remembered all the animals onboard the ark with Noah’s family and brought an end to the flood.[8] When the flood was over, God issued a covenant that included all of creation, saying, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, […] And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.”[9] Clearly, God holds creation in a high regard, and man should as well in being stewards of that very same creation as the Creator offers an everlasting covenant to all of creation.

Evidence of care for creation can also be found in God’s commands such as, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” because an ox should be allowed to eat as it works.[10] It is also commanded in Deuteronomy that people are not to take a mother bird along with her eggs when seeking food.[11] And even in reference to vegetation, it is commanded that even when laying siege on a city over a long period of time, soldiers are not to cut down trees that bear fruit because it would be unnecessary to punish nature in process of besieging a city.[12] In citing these same three texts, Roger Gottlieb writes, “As humans pursue legitimate purposes—threshing grain, finding food, making war—there are limits to how we can treat other living things in pursuit of our own ends.”[13] So we can see in these passages that humanity’s “dominion” or “rule” clearly does not allow for blatant exploitation of our fellow created.

Even beyond humanity’s stewardship as opposed to tyranny over creation, is the idea that all of God’s creation is to live in communion, if not partnership. Obviously, mankind was created in the image of God to rule over the created (Genesis 1:26-28) and placed only a little lower than the heavenly beings (Psalm 8:5), but is it not clear that nature and the animals it contains are not also of great value simply because they were also created by God, for a purpose?[14] The inherent value of that which is created by God calls for a sense of respect from mankind and calls humanity to enter into communion with creation. One expression of this call to communion of the created is Sabbath.

In Exodus 20:8-10 and Deuteronomy 5:12-14, God commands the Israelites to keep Sabbath, not only for themselves, but also for the animals.[15] The Sabbath law is inclusive so that mankind will respect the animals God has placed under their rule. In Exodus 23:10-11, the Sabbath law is laid out for how humans are to give even the land a Sabbath rest. Those who work the fields are to use the land for six years, but on the seventh year they are to give the land rest. This Sabbath of the land is commanded so that people will not exploit the land and rob it of its fertility. This idea is supported by the account in Leviticus 25 and 26 where God asks the Israelites to trust in the sixth year of working the fields that God will provide more than enough for the Sabbath year. Therefore, the people of God are to trust in God and follow the command to give the land rest so that the land will continue to bear fruit.[16] These are just a few of the many references to God’s Sabbath law for all of creation that can be found in Scripture.

All of these references throughout Scripture clearly point back to God’s original intention for mankind’s role in creation, that is, to be a steward and a servant to the co-created. Seeing as how the earth and everything in it belongs to God the Creator (Psalm 24:1), and because God delights in the work of his hands, declaring it all “very good” (Genesis 1:31), there must be a greater sense of urgency among Christians today to be a part of God’s restorative work in creation. Because humanity was created in the image of God, we were created to reflect the heart, the deepest longings and desires, of God as well as reflect his rule over creation.[17]  Therefore, it is imperative that Christians overcome the false barrier that stands between faith and science in order to begin the healing our environment so desperately needs.

In his essay on Christian environmentalism, Dr. Ray Bohlin made a point to reference Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.[18] In his reference Dr. Bohlin poses a challenge to those of us who may be guilty of, in essence, burying our talents by not taking action about the deterioration of our environment. He does so by saying, “When Christ returns, His earth may well be handed back to Him rusted, corroded, polluted, and ugly. To what degree will you or I be held responsible?”[19] We are called to be good stewards of what was entrusted to us, and God entrusted us with stewardship over creation! We must take this charge seriously as an issue that derives from our devotion to reflect God’s image here on earth, and we must begin to take our places as agents of the restorative movement of God.

Bibliography

-- Bohlin, Ray. Leadership U. “Christian Environmentalism.” Probe Ministries International, 1992. http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/ecology.html. (accessed May 22, 2009).

-- Bouma-Prediger, Steven. For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Company, 2001

-- Bratton, Susan P. “Teaching Environmental Ethics from a Theological Perspective.” Religious Education 85, no. 1 (Winter 1990): 25-33.

-- DeWitt, Calvin D. Leadership U. “Three Biblical Principles For Environmental Stewardship.” Copyright: Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies. http://www.leaderu.com/theology/environment.html. (accessed May 22, 2009).

-- Gottlieb, Roger S. A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet’s Future. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006.

-- Van Dyke, Fred and others. Redeeming Creation: The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.

---

[1] Genesis 1:26

[2] Genesis 1:26-28

[3] Ray Bohlin. Leadership U. “Christian Environmentalism.” Probe Ministries International, 1992. http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/ecology.html. Accessed May 22, 2009. It should also be noted that I specify “Christians in America” here only because of my own, limited experience with Christian environmentalism outside of America.

[4] Fred Van Dyke and others, Redeeming Creation: The Biblical Basis for Environmental Stewardship (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 89-93.

[5] Susan P. Bratton “Teaching Environmental Ethics from a Theological Perspective.” Religious Education 85, no. 1 (Winter 1990): 26.

[6] Genesis 1:3-25. Steven Bouma-Prediger, For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House Company 2001), 95.

[7] Bouma-Prediger, 97-99.

[8] Genesis 8:1

[9] Genesis 8:21

[10] Deut. 25:4

[11] Deut. 22:6-7

[12] Deut. 20:19

[13] Roger S. Gottlieb, A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet’s Future (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006), 25-26.

[14] Gottlieb, 26 (idea expressed in a quote from Andrew Linzey)

[15] Calvin D. DeWitt. Leadership U. “Three Biblical Principles For Environmental Stewardship.” Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies. http://www.leaderu.com/theology/environment.html. Accessed May 22, 2009. Gottlieb, 26. Much of this section on the Sabbath draws from DeWitt’s essay and Gottlieb’s chapter.

[16] Leviticus 26:3

[17] Van Dyke, 95-98.

[18] Bohlin, “Christian Environmentalism”

[19] Bohlin, “Christian Environmentalism”

dance.

I don't care to dance.

Maybe it's because the majority of dancing that takes place is to music that I couldn't care less about. Maybe it's because I don't really know how. Maybe I just don't want to, I don't really know... but I do know one thing...

There is some music that moves me to dance.

There have been times I have been accused of being boring for my unwillingness to 'break it down' on command, as it were (I think I might be using as many cheesy alternate phrases for dancing as I can in this blog). However, I have come to a conclusion that there is good reason I typically do not care to 'shake it'... as it were.

Simply put... there are only so many songs that truly move me to dance.

As other people enjoy 'grooving' (as it were... and yeah, I'm done) to Soulja Boy, Sir Mix A Lot, Lil' Jon, Nelly, or... whoever graced society with expression of musical genius that is "The Electric Slide."

Or, actually, even my friends that go swing dancing on Friday nights... I just cannot bring myself to be moved by those songs. I honestly wish I could, but I just can't.

On the other hand, get me on a good day and put in something like Mates of State, maybe some Dr. Dog, and I will have reason to dance. 

There is something about some songs that moves me to dance.

Allow me to introduce a vocabulary term: Perichoresis (I don't mean to make myself seem intelligent by doing so, I only learned this term a few days ago myself).

Early church fathers used this term to describe a certain relationship within the triune God. Actually, if you break down the word into its original Greek parts, you have "peri" (around) "choresis" (dance). Therefore, this word, perichoresis, describes the way that the Trinity moves and dances within itself.

Just picture that... The Father, Son, and Spirit... gliding around one another in perfect rhythm, moving with each other as one body, yet still remaining three distinct entities. I think that is beautiful to imagine.

But there is something even more beautiful about it. The perichoresis of the triune God is no closed affair. As a matter-of-fact, it is far from it.

Father, Son, and Spirit have invited us into the dance by creating us in their image.

By calling us to live in their image, we have all been called to live as expressions of the dance... living in community, living with a passion for the created, living in Love, just like the our triune God.

I don't like to dance... but there are some songs that move me to dance.

The song that the Trinity is dancing to is one that moves me to dance... Actually, I would venture to say that, heard clearly, that song is one that would move us all to dance... to join hands with the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and dance.

We have been called to participate in The Dance.

It's time to kill our inner-wallflower, step out onto the floor and join in the beautiful movement.

It's infectious.

The song we hear is irresistible.

It's is doing something to us.

It is calling us.

It is drawing us in.

It is moving us.

Do we really have to stand here and decide?

What are we afraid of?

Let's step away from the safety of the wall.

Let us dance.

Father, Son, Spirit.

Your dance is beautiful. I am so thankful to be a part of it Lord. When I lose step, when I trip over my feet, Lord, carry me until I find my rhythm again. Sometimes I don't feel confident, I don't think I can keep up with you, find me in my weakness, fill me with your strength.

Thank you Lord for singing a song that moves me to dance. Thank you for making your song Love, Compassion, Grace, and Mercy, Lord. That is the song I want to move my feet to dance. That is the song to which I want to attune my praise, to which I want to attune my life. Help me move with you God. Guide me, teach me, help me be who you've called me to be.

Amen.

bells.

"Ring them bells Sweet Martha, For the poor man's son,

Ring them bells so the world will know That God is one.

Oh the shepherd is asleep

Where the willows weep And the mountains are filled

With lost sheep.

Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf,

Ring them bells for all of us who are left,

Ring them bells for the chosen few

Who will judge the many when the game is through.

Ring them bells, for the time that flies,

For the child that cries When innocence dies."

-Bob Dylan "Ring Them Bells"

Ring them bells! Today is a celebration day!

I have officially concluded my junior year of college, and as much as I hate to say that, it is most certainly true. If you wonder why I hate to say it, allow me to refer to the imminently looming "real world" that is creeping ever nearer as the pages on the calendar wistfully float to the floor and the hands on the clock slip, steadily and purposefully round-and-round. Oh, how I am not ready for the "real world" (don't worry, I [probably] will be eventually!).

But back to the celebration! I like that part.

As of today, I have about four days before I'm back in a classroom, something I have never experienced before. How do you take an intensive Bible class in three weeks? We shall see.

After my Maymester experience it is time to start camp-hopping. That is... eleven week of church camp. That will be wonderful and draining. Prayers are more than welcome for my strength of spirit as I embark on that journey.

All told, I'm excited to see what this summer brings. There are sure to be amazing new opportunities and experiences that teach me how to live.

As for this blog, my class that it started for is now over, but I hope to keep updating every so often I think it's been good to get thoughts on "paper" as it were. I think God programmed me to understand myself through hearing myself talk or writing out my thoughts... So forgive me as I babble.

Let's go back to the quote at the beginning of my current babble. This is a lyric, written by Bob Dylan, covered in a song by Sufjan Stevens in honor of the movie "I'm Not There" a movie about Dylan. Despite never having heard Dylan's version, which I'm sure is a shame, he is a genius, the emotion in Stevens' version captures very purely the feeling of celebrating the simple moments in life when we know God is near.

The world needs to hear the bells: the bells that proclaim that God is here, that God is alive and well.

I think those bells sound a little something like Jesus, and they probably look a little like him too, as they walk, and talk, and carry on as people who love with grace and mercy the others around them.

May we ring like bells arcross hills and valleys, through the streets and through the meadows. Let the world hear your song, Father, ringing loudly and beautifully as we proclaim the Joy you have brought us by loving us so purely, so graciously.

Let us be your song.

Let our lives sing it loud.

Ring them bells.

Amen.

cool.

Cool is a drug.

I'm addicted.

You're addicted.

We're hooked.

Apple. Indie music. Pearl snaps. Barack Obama. LOST. Cardigans.  Wayfarers. Starbucks... better yet, independent coffee. Pea coats. Photo Booth. North Face. brb. Vintage. Sarcasm. Twitter. Plaid. Facial hair. Creativity. Long boarding. FML. Indie films. Scarves. lol. Colbert. Toms. Garageband. Gadgets, V-necks. YouTube. Stripes. Frisbee. Tattoos. Blublockers. Chacos. Going Green. Moleskine. Playing guitar. omg. Bedhead. The Office. Emergent. Chucks. iPhones. Concerts. Wes Anderson. Knit caps. Whole Foods. Youth. Art. Celebrity. Irony.

We sell our souls to these things... Why? Because they are Cool.

People like people who like these things.

So we seek out things that are well-liked by the common populous, yet not quite too well-liked. Because if it's too popular then clearly, it has lost its cool... we don't stand out in the crowd for being Top 40 cool.

That is... if we do want to stand out in a crowd. I'm not sure, we haven't decided yet.

These are the things we have sought out very carefully, arranged them neatly, so that they may define us. We drove our hybrid to Trader Joe's with a specific intention of selecting the most unique, interesting, funny, creative, artistic traits or favorite music, movies, television shows, blogs, and social justice causes from the shelves so that we may consume them, and, hopefully, become what we eat.

We put on Cool. We wear it. We jump through its hoops. We love Cool. 

We primp it, we preen it, we make sure it's well fed, so we are sure to keep searching for the latest and greatest in Cool's world. I loved that song before it was ever on that Apple commercial. It's kind of overplayed now. We parade Cool around as much as possible, every day is a new opportunity for the Westminster of Cool. I'm not sure if I can make it, I'm going to a show later. I'll text you. We build relationships on Cool, the solid rock, so that we may have inside jokes about the things that only you, me, and Cool know about. Did you not see my Tweet about that party? Everyone was there.

We love Cool.

Cool is a drug.

We are hooked on Cool.

Thank God for Cool... 

...... 

Does it work that way? 

Does that seem right?

Did God beget Cool?

Do we believe that the God who created us naked and unashamed was happy when we realized we were exposed? Was He happy when we started covering ourselves so the watchful eyes of man wouldn't judge us so harshly? Was He happy the day we started seeking to impress each other instead of Him? Did he cry when we first began to gather our self-assurance from men, and not Him?

We we lost that intimate, face-to-face, all consuming relationship with God because of our first sin... Cool was born.

Okay, sure, so Cool has a place in my heart, maybe a place with a flat-screen TV and an extensive Blu-ray collection, but it could never take... it could never take the place of... 

of God?

... but I'm kidding myself... I know it could.

I know it has.

The fact is, Jesus' episode of Cribs would be pathetic.

At best, a manger... at worst, twelve guys and maybe a borrowed donkey.

No in-home theater, no stainless steel appliances, no pool, no Escalades on DUB's, nothing... 

pathetic.

Jesus was not Cool.

Jesus was what may arguably be the opposite of Cool.

Jesus was... Alive.

And I'm not just talking in the sense that we believe that Jesus is alive. 

Indeed he is alive, but, in this sense, I am talking about the physical, walking-around-talking Jesus as he appeared on earth.

Jesus was the epitome of what it means to Live. He came to show us what it means to be Alive... not what it means to be Cool. 

In fact, he was so Alive that despite the fact that he lacked any physical features to draw people to him, even though he lacked all the glitz and glamour of the time... the finest designer jeans, the latest $80 Urban Outfitters shirt, the iPhone, the new Fleet Foxes album... he was so Alive that people were drawn to him by the thousands. Not just collective thousands over the span of his three-year ministry... thousands at time. We know the stories. We know how they longed just to see him, just to touch his cloak... his dusty, dirty, tattered cloak.

Yet he had nothing of the world to offer them. No house, no money, no food, no gifts, no Cool... just Love, just Grace, just Mercy... 

...Just... 

...Just Life...

That is what it means to be Alive.

Jesus was the definition of Life in full, Life as it is intended to be lived.

Jesus was Alive. 

So, may we let go of the the treasures of this earth... the constant weight and burden of Cool. May we realize that Cool is a drug, and it has us by our hands and feet. We are dancing clumsily as Cool pulls our strings, our puppet master we hardly realize we are living to serve. May we yearn to have these strings broken. 

The weight of my arms will be heavy on my own, Lord, don't cut them yet! But God I want to know what it's like to dance on my own now, cut the strings, free me from my constant tangle. My arms may be heavy, but in You they will be lifted. I'll be light again. I will float on a breeze. I will know what it means to dance, not like it used to be, not like it was when man told me to move. But now. Now Lord I will be inspired to dance. There won't even be a choice to make. I will move because your Beauty makes me move. Because your Grace makes me move. Because your Love makes my heart beat in time with the songs the angels are singing, Father. It's a beautiful song, like a siren's song to my soul, I am drawn to its majesty. It would be so good to dance. It would be so good to Live. 

Cut the strings, Lord. I'm ready to dance, I'm ready for Life. Real. Life.

Amen.

risen.

Here are a few reflections as Easter passes...

- My Easter was: Woodmont Hills in the morning (the first time I've gone to a Sunday morning church service this year.), brenner for lunch with a dear friend, a few great games of frisbee in the afternoon, Ethos with my parents joining me at 6, a great meal with my parents after church, and sharing time with great friends late tonight... My Easter was: wonderful.

- I needed the reminding today, and thank God I found it.  It takes too much shaking and too many smacks in the face to awaken me from my slumber sometimes, and it was so good to be alive again.

- It was flattering this morning to hear Dean quote excerpts from my blog at an Easter Sunday, which he did for three services to a couple thousand people. This is not to mention that through him that message was able to reach a group of people who I am glad to have heard it (which is not meant to be an indictment, but rather a challenge to myself and the others who partook in that message this morning). I certainly don't mention this out of pride, but out of sincere flattery that my thoughts would be considered worthy of that setting. The message was relevant and authentic. I am thankful to be a part of the continuing story.

- I was also struck with a simple phrase while at Woodmont. Dean started his teaching by saying "Christ is risen" and the congregation was then directed to respond "Christ is risen indeed."  This call and response lead me to the realization of how beautiful it would be to share that as a greeting among my brothers and sisters in Christ. So, tonight I mentioned this to a few dear friends that I would love to start sharing that experience with one another. Instead of exchanging something such as "Hey, how ya doin?"..."I'm good"..."What's up?"..."Not much"... we can actually share the joy of the resurrection in a simple way that will remind us of what we are living for. I hope this goes well and never becomes a rote exchange.

- I love playing frisbee. I played a lot this weekend, and my legs and feet know it. I think that time was well spent with God and man.

- The service at Ethos tonight was precisely what my soul was searching for.  The worship was heartfelt and well thought out, and the message was simple and True.  God was present as always, but it was clear there was a room full of people who had invited Him into their hearts and minds... the Church was alive. I sang with all my heart, I choked back the tears, and I remembered. I am continuously blessed to be a part of my family at Ethos; I thank God for leading me there.

- Simple truth is universal. It can touch any heart and transform any life. Our Loving Father is sovereign.

Hallelujah! Christ is risen! He has conquered Death, it has lost its sting. Whom shall we fear? I will not live in my fear any longer. Our Lord is a Strong and Mighty Fortress, who could stand against Him? He makes us strong. He leads us through the fire. He leads us through the waves. He lifts us up on wings like eagles. He is our Protector. He is our Provider. He is our Love. He is our Peace. He is our Grace. He is our Father. He is our Everything, and He is RISEN!