I Am Moving...

Not physically, just my blog. I am now over at wordpress. It's not you it's me. I need something different and I like their layouts better. This is consumerism. I am a part of it. If you are one of the three people who read this blog, please link me over at

ronpai2.wordpress.com

See ya on the darkside,
ron

It's a Wonderful Life...So I've Heard

I saw "It's a Wonderful Life" for the first time the other day. I can honestly say that it was an okay movie. Is it me, or did it take forever to get to the point? Hailed as THE Christmas classic, I saw a little blurb about it in the special features, which made me laugh a little.

Did you know that when it was released, It's a Wonderful Life was seen as "okay". It was actually forgetten quite quickly. The reason that it became so popular is that in the 1970's the copyright ran out and somebody forgot to renew it. When this happened, television stations caught wind of it and began showing the movie because they did not have to pay any royalties. This is why it was on so many times a year. This is also what contributed to its popularity, because now a whole new generation had discovered this movie, thus thrusting it into becoming a Christmas Classic.

Just more crap to occupy your brain.

what's your favorite christmas movie?
ron

Snow Madness

Could it be? Could it really happen? Well they are calling for it, but when I took this picture the sun was coming up (@ 8:30!).

I love when there is a threat for snow here in Whatcom County. People get crazy around here. Walmart and Target are filled with a few more people than usual, and all everybody can talk about is the snow. It is exciting for us. The thing that I hate about the snow is driving in it. I don't mind it, but I get a little freaked out by the other people on the road. I'm the guy who is going fairly slow (5-10 under the speed limit) and doesn't care when he gets home. Then there is the other guy who "grew up driving in the snow" and is in his SUV and speeds around me going about 45 MPH. Those are the guys who freak me out. Those are the guys who get a little crazier when it snows.

It is snow madness. Whatcom County suffers from it. We all love it and hate it at the same time. Snow madness is why I want to move to hawaii and only visit washington during the winter.

54 WPM

With 94% accuracy. suck it.

www.typingtest.com

Flight of the Conchords

These guys are my latest obsession. I think that they are really funny. Think Tenacious D meets Beck's song Debra on his "midnight vultures" CD. enjoy.

Merry Christmas

If you want to see a Christmas movie that will instantly jump into your top 3 Christmas movies (if you are human and have a heart, I guarantee it will), than you need to see this movie. It is called Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas). Here is the write up for it on Netflix:

Inspired by a true story, this heartwarming tale unfolds on Christmas Eve, 1914, in the midst of World War I. As the French, Scottish and German soldiers prepare to open their presents, a momentous event occurs that changes the destinies of four people: an Anglican priest, a French lieutenant, a world-class tenor and his soprano lover.

I saw this movie last year and just remembered it. It is a beautiful story of war coming to a halt for one night, truly peace on earth, while men truly realize that they all have more in common than they know. If you work in a church, this will be the movie that you will show for a "movie clip" sometime during your christmas.

Netflick it now.
You're Welcome,
ron

Got Our Christmas Tree...

For the past five years, Cynthia and I have had a tradition with our friends Rob and Willow Weston to get our Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving. We do this to avoid the mall and the madness and just hang out together. We usually go to Stoney Ridge Farm, but his year we went to Lowe's. I know, I know. I thought that it was lame also, but Stoney Ridge was closed the day after Thanksgiving this year. Here are some pics from our tree expedition down the street from us.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful for my wife, Cynthia. She puts up with a lot from me. For the past 4-5 years she has been supporting me in going to school. I've been working various part time jobs during this time, but she has always encouraged me with music and how I can improve my skills. She also has encouraged me for better health and never settling for less than I am able to achieve. For my wife, lover, and friend, I am thankful.

I am thankful for my school debt. Though it is a lot of money that Cynthia and I owe, I know that this is a small price to pay for the education I've recieved. I feel as though I have been given a masters degree in a bachelor's degree because a lot of the books, philosophies, and ideas that I have been exposed to are ones that my friends who have masters degrees are constantly surprised to see in a bachelor's degree program. I have been exposed to many different things that have encouraged me and also made me question my own faith and worship of God. For this challenge, I am thankful.

I am thankful for my family. My mom who showed me the idea of love and respect toward other people who are different than me. My sister and brother in law who can talk with me about various and strange b movies from the 80's and still love them even though we realize that they are wonderfully horrible movies. My brother who has helped me believe that it is still possible to be a good father even though we grew up without one. And I am thankful for my little sister who is just starting her life as she turned 18 this year. For my family, I am thankful.

I am thankful for my church, Roosevelt Community Church, for letting me lead them in worship each week and being open to new and different ideas of what worship could look like. They have supported me, both financially and professionally, since Easter and continue to spur me on with their stories of God being shown to them in new and different lights. For their love, community, and support, I am thankful.

I am thankful for my friends. I remember becoming a christian about eight years ago, and one of my main worries was that I would have no friends. It's petty, I know, but God has blessed me with an abundance of people who I am proud to call my friends. Rob and Willow Weston continue to spur me on with challenging thoughts and discussions that last well into the night (and sometimes into the morning). Rob and Nicole Mathey and Chris Croft show me what being a friend without expecting something in return truly looks like. They are so giving of their time, money, and friendship it amazes me. Matt Martinson has shown me courage in facing life, the importance of education, and laughing in the face of life when it gets him down (really is there anything else we can do?). Baron Miller believed in me and gave me a Worship Directors job at Roosevelt Community Church, encouraged me when I needed it most, and introduced me to the shows Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and the British Version of The Office. Kelly Huckaby, my secret source to odd music that everyone always asks, "How did you hear about these guys". Ben Pries who plays and loves violent video games and Jesus...I kind of feel responsible for both of these. And Tim Ross, whose life that semi parallels my own at times (which is scary), gave me conversations over beers that ooze with sarcasm and makes me laugh. For these friends, I am thankful.

I am thankful for music and musicians. Music inspires me, encourages me, soothes me, welcomes me, and takes me to different worlds sometimes. A lot of memories I have are triggered by music. Music is my release, and for this I am thankful.

Finally, but it should be first, I am thankful for The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All of them sustain me and give me hope when I feel hopeless, strength when I feel weak, and remind me that I am loved when I feel lonely. They remind me that they are all I need to feel sustained and that material things and social status does not matter in light of God's Kingdom. For their gift of true life, salvation, and inspiration I am thankful.

For my God, wife, family, friends, and hobbies, I am thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving.Ron

I've Always Wanted To Do This...

I've compiled a list of CD's that I've listened to over the past year that I think are some of the best music I've run acrossed in the past year. Here, in no particular order, are those CD's. (Keep in mind that these CD's didn't come out this year, in fact a lot of them came out a while ago, I've only just discovered them.)

Amos Lee – Amos Lee
A mix of Tracy Chapman’s story telling and Norah Jones’ Blues, Amos Lee’s album will easily become one that you will listen to over and over. Amos Lee is also the master of getting to the point. Ten songs all around three and a half minutes long. Perfect.
Highlights: Keep it Loose, Keep it Tight; Arms of a Woman; Love in the Lies.

Sufjan Stevens – Come on Feel the Illinois!
I can’t remember when I got this album, but all I know is that it continues to inspire me to write music and appreciate great song writing every time I listen to it. A couple of my favorite lyrics: “Tuesday night at the bible study, we lift our hands and pray over your body but nothing ever happens…” and “But in my best behavior, I am really just like him…”
Highlights: Decatur or Round of Applause for Your Step Mother!; Concerning the UFO Sighting…; Casimir Pulaski Day; John Wayne Gacy Jr.

Justin Timberlake – FutureLove/SexSounds
Don’t hate, participate! This CD was an incredibly amazing step into something different. Seriously. This is a good CD…although all of Timbalands stuff sounds the same.
Highlights: My Love; What Goes Around; Damn Girl.

Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
I am a sucker for R & B music. Not Keith Sweat or D’Angelo (though I do love them also), but the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, etc. Amy Winehouse brings back rhythm and blues and adds her own twist to it. Though the content isn’t really great, at times it is hilarious and sad at the same time. Think Lauryn Hill with a major drug and alcohol problem that she brags about constantly.
Highlights: Rehab; Me and Mr. Jones; Addicted.

Robin Thicke – The Evolution of Robin Thicke
Yes, the son of Alan Thicke. This album was one of the smoothest albums I heard all year. He sings in his falsetto a lot showing that Robin Thicke was an obvious Prince fan. With the likes of Faith Evans, Lil Wayne, and Pharell showing up as some of the highlights how can one go wrong with these guests?
Highlights: Lost Without You, Would That Make You Love Me?; Wanna Love You Girl.

Ben Harper – Diamonds on the Inside
Folk Rock/Gospel/Funk. Could it get any better? I stayed away from this album for a while. I regret it now.
Highlights: When Its Good; Picture of Jesus; She’s Only Happy In The Sun


Death Cab for Cutie – Plans
Another band I tried to avoid, I tried to avoid DCFC simply to deter the hype of the Northwest, but I came to find out that I actually liked them. Great lyrics + Catchy melodies = unavoidably likeable. I tried not to conform. I really did!
Highlights: Marching Bands of Manhattan; Soul Meets Body; I Will Follow You Into the Dark.

Eva Cassidy – Song Bird, Live @ Blues Alley, Time after Time, and American Tune
All four albums are incredible. Eva died in 1996 of melanoma. She has one of the purest voices you will ever hear.
Highlights: Fields of Gold; Song Bird; Time after Time, and Aint No Sunshine

Copeland – In Motion
These guys made me believe in the magic of the hook again.
Highlight: Pin Your Wings

Jay-Z – Unplugged
Jay–Z + The Roots = awesome. If you are a fan of the Jigga Man and the roots this is a must listen. If you are a fan of just one of the two, it is still a must listen. If you are not a fan, this will turn you into one.
Highlights: Izzo (H.O.V.A.); Big Pimpin’; Jigga What, Jigga Who; Song Cry; I Just Wanna Love You.

Xavier Rudd – Solace
Literally a one man band, Xavier uses a Didgeridoo, Djembe, Lap Steel Guitar amongst his many instruments. A native Australian, Xavier is also an advocate for the Aborigines and who speaks and sings about the importance of their history and teachings in showing us how to preserve the land and the ocean.
Highlights: Let Me Be; Yirra Curl; No Woman, No Cry.

Jonny Lang – Turn Around
Liked him in the 90’s, but I liked Kenny Wayne Shepherd better. Where did Kenny Wayne Go? This album is full of Gospel, Funk and R & B. Great Album.
Highlights: The Other Side of the Fence; Thankful; That Great Day

Damian Marley – Welcome to Jamrock
Taking reggae to a different level. I think that his uncle would have been proud of this.
Highlights: The Master Has Come Back; All Night; Pimpa’s Paradise

The Roots – Game Theory
I LOVE THE ROOTS! I have loved them ever since I saw them open for Rage Against the Machine when Wu Tang got kicked off the tour. This album is a strange step away from their usual music but well worth a listen.

Did I forget any? What were some of your favorites?

ron

Community

Just finished a book called "The Transforming Vision: Shaping a Christian Worldview". It was overall a great read and good insight into looking outside of ourselves and opening up to the world with the love of Christ. Here was a comment that really stuck to me about community:

The Community is God's means of empowering people. THe Christian community...should work for justice in political life. The church should be a place where the elderly and disbled contribute meaningfully. As a multidimenshional community, it should be a place where the arts are encouraged and aestetic life flourishes.

...the christian community should foster a responsible economic lifestyle which radically breaks with the narcissistic consumerism that surrounds it.

...when married people feel pressure to give up on their marriages as conflicts arise, the Christian community should provide a supportive and healing environment, perhaps even offering profesional assistance.

What makes the christian community Christian is its worship. A radical community, it subverts the dominant culture because it worships, serves and prays to a different God. It's worship sets teh pattern for its whold life. Rather than being conformed to the world, it is a community being trasformed by the renewing of its communal mind - its world view. Consequently its worship is not relegated to just liturgical activities, but it gives its whole life to God as a Sacrificial offering (Romans 12:1-2). Herin is the essence of a Christian cultural witness in a society in decline.

Worship beyond the church walls? Helping peopel inside and outside of your congregation? A place where everybody is welcome? Sarcasm aside, this book brought up many thoughts that I thought that I would share.

peace,
ron

Inspired.

This song leaves me breathless lately. It's Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama singing Ben Harper's song "I Shall Not Walk Alone". Seriously...breathless.

We've Tried It Before...

let's try it again. I've made a new Hot Tub Theology blog. Let's start discussing again!

ron

The Hour

I've been talking a lot about the television show "The Hour with George Stromboulopoulos". It is one of the most culturally relevant shows on television right now. You need to go and watch some of the interviews that they have on there. If you still don't believe me, here is a snippet that I took from their website to describe the show:

The Hour is a national current affairs show on CBC television hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos. It’s not a newscast. It’s not a magazine show. The Hour a different take on the news through the lens of George and company. While news shows cover the issues of the day, The Hour dissects the issues within the issues. Always unconventional. Often controversial. Never predictable.

The Hour has interviewed some of the most interesting and influential figures on the planet: from big thinkers like Al Gore, Noam Chomsky, Jesse Jackson, Lewis Lapham, David Suzuki and Deepak Chopra, to establishment shakers like Bob Geldof, Henry Rollins and Bono, to world-renowned musicians like Coldplay, the Foo Fighters, Ludacris, and The Killers.

Throw in a bunch of A-list actors like Ed Norton, Rachel Weisz, Matt Damon, Viggo Mortensen, Catherine O`Hara, Alan Rickman; add a Prime Minister - Stephen Harper, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, Scottish comedian Billy Connolly, and you start to get a sense of the program. A different take on the news? You decide.

You can watch interviews with various people and if you miss a show you can watch entire shows.

enjoy!
ron

In Case You Missed It...

Kurt left this in the comments section of one of my blogs. I've been thinking about this since I read it and have come to the conclusion that this is why I do not want to hold the title pastor in front of my name...because I don't do any of these things.



"One of my professors was talking with Gustavo Gutierrez before he became a prof, and when Gustavo heard he was going to teach theology he asked him "before you do that go and hold the hand of someone suffering in the hospital, pray with someone who is dieing, eat a meal with the poor" i thought this was profound, before we start talking about the gospel we better make sure we are entering into the suffering that God entered into, the greatest mysteries are never actually known or understood only experienced."



Thanks Kurt!

New Stuff

Hey,

I added a couple new links to the side. Check em out. If you go to Spacebar 2000, my record is 45. It's the beauty of being a bass player.

ron

Questions About the New Era

I am really struggling with the thought of production vs. worship. I've been seeing worship leaders oggling and blogging over churches like Hillsong/North Point/Willow Creek's production, and wishing they had that money/production quality. I wonder if that is really what it is all about? It seems like church is becoming a show and people continually want to do what they are doing. I know this is cliche to think or say, but it is so true. For decades now we have seen a shift in church and we are now in the middle of a new reformation.

During the first Reformation, theologians began to notice a shift where people were not worshipping because it was all entertainment. The songs were too hard to sing because they were in a different language and also because it was a huge production in this other language - really the only people who were attracted to church were people who understood Latin, were artists, or were musicians who could sing along with the songs. People like Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin began to take notice of this. They saw that people were disconnected from the church because they were not a part of it - there was no participation. These men saw that the gospel was bigger than what the Catholic Church had made it out to be. What it involved was the participation of the people - literally a liturgy or "work done by the people". Matt spoke about participation in relation to Paul Tillich over on his blog which he linked to Jordan Cooper.

Today, most people cannot remember a sermon beyond the weekend. It doesn't stick. It is the same with a lot of the songs that we sing; they are difficult to sing or filled with performance and solos. It is a disconnect to people. Maybe the things we sing and hear at church aren't memorable because they are just regurgitations of what we had sung or heard the week before. Most tell us how to love Jesus, but not why we love Jesus. We are given the steps to loving Jeus, but not the story of how we got to this point in Christianity. How dangerous it is that we are told to love Jesus, but not how to follow him.

So what is the answer to all of this? I don't know. That's the beauty of the bloggosphere is that we can pose questions or ideas and see if anybody else has any ideas. I wonder if educating people will help? Maybe helping people discover the Christian story that they are a part of. Talking about the narrative that is the bible. Maybe singing songs that explain what we believe and why. Hymns are a good example of this. If you read some, not all, of the "old hymns of the faith", some of them truly explain what we believe from everything from the trinity to the atonement to why jesus calls us to serve. These are just a couple of ideas, I'm sure there are tons of ideas. I'm just curious as to how we got to this point and how we can get out of it.

Barth Man

I was reading a passage from a book I never read last semester, The Epistle to the Romans by Karl Barth. Though it is simply a commentary that Barth wrote in 1918, I find myself in many "Holy Crap" moments (some would call these "wow!" moments) while reading this book. I wanted to share this one because I've been really wrestling with trying to figure out where western culture went wrong in modernity. Where did we lose Jesus?

"The Gospel is not a religious message to inform mankind of their divinity or to tell them how they may become divine. The Gospel proclaims a God utterly distinct from men. Salvation comes to them from Him, because they are, as men, incapable of knowing Him, and because they have no right to claim anything from Him. The Gospel is not one thing in the midst of other things, to be directly aprehended and comprenended. The Gospel is the Word of the Primal Origin of all things, the Word which, since it is ever new, must ever be received with renewed fear and trembling.

The Gospel is therefore not an event, nor an experience, nor an emotion - however delicate! Rather, it is the clear and objective perception of what eye hath not seen nor ear heard. Moreover, what it demands of men is more than notice, or understanding, or sympathy. It demands participation, comprehension, co-operation; for it is a communication which presumes faith in the living God, and which creates that which it resumes."

I think that Barth hits one of the many nails on the head when he describes the Gospel that Paul is sharing. I can relate to what we are making the Gospel out to be. Maybe we are making it into an event when we reach to our personal saviors or when we have alter call, rather than trying to simply participate in the story that is the Gospel. Maybe the Gospel is walking with the broken and noticing those who are hurt along the way rather than trying to give them an experience only to walk away from it without having talked to them about what had happened. Any immediate thoughts come to mind?

Confession of Ministry

I've been thinking a lot about the "call to ministry". So many times we are told that ministry is a calling, but this often makes me question if I am actually called to ministry. Am I supposed to be leading people in worship of any kind? I lead musical worship at Roosevelt Community Church, and I love expressing songs to God in new and different ways. I want to introduce people to worship in even more ways, but I sometimes come back to the question, "am i called to ministry?"

How can anyone really feel that they are called to ministry? I wonder if we went wrong when we began thinking that we had to be perfect in order to "work for Jesus". What I mean is, I wonder if we put such a high expectation on people as ministers that we forget that they are human - that they are just as susceptible to sin as anybody else. I have a relationship with God, but I find myself looking at women a little longer than I really should, not praying as much as I can, and sometimes even thinking thoughts of an extremely malicious and violent nature toward other people. I want a house and I secretly become jealous when at friends houses. I listen to and enjoy music that is degrading toward women, glorifies drugs and alcohol, but I tell kids not to listen to it. I want children but feel that I can't afford them and don't trust God enough that he will provide for me and my family. I have no other skills other than musician/warehouse worker, so what am I to do? Am I called to ministry?

What about a person qualifies them to be working at a church? is it their knowledge of Jesus and the Bible? is it their management skills? is it the way that they pray in prayer circles or on stage? I enjoy reading people like Kierkegaard, Barth, and Donald Miller more than I enjoy reading people like Paul, John, or Moses. I do have extensive knowledge about the Bible, but I don't read it as I have been taught in my enlightened circles; in fact, I read it quite differently than I have been taught. Maybe I've got it wrong. Maybe snippet scriptures will teach better than the narrative. I enjoy leading prayer through the book of common prayer or through scripture before trying to think of one of my own prayer off the top of my head. And also, I wonder if maybe managing people will build worshippers more than relational contact. Maybe by telling people to "feed themselves", this will bring them closer to their "personal Jesus" and save me time and allow me to manage people more thoroughly. I always thought that it was the heart of the person, not their administrative skills. Anyone who knows me, knows that administration is not my strong point - am I called to ministry?

I really do love working at a church, because it allows me to use my creativity for the glory of Jesus. With this, I am able to see people worship in new and different ways than they are used to. I am also allowed to challenge people to think about their faith and what they believe. I myself become so upset and feel ripped off sometimes because I've been told that Jesus is happy and clappy but never upset. I've been taught how to rejoice, but never how to mourn properly. I've been taught in my christian upbringing that Jesus saves but not what he saves me from exactly - am I called to ministry?

Maybe I'm too cynical for ministry. Maybe I question too much. I don't think there is anything wrong with it, but deep down inside I feel something telling me that I am totally wrong for the job. I feel these attacks on my heart saying, "you are really good at sinning and not good at teaching people to love jesus." I just feel the need to ask these questions once in a while. this is my confession of minstry.

Long Awaited Heresy

Kurt said he missed my heretical thoughts. Here is a sermon I did a bit ago. Give it a listen and some feed back.

peace,
ron

haven't been here in a while

I haven't had a lot to say lately, but I wanted to show you my friend ben's Survivor Audition.

...and that's why we have auditions.

Seriously, you need to watch the whole thing. It is more painful than funny (although I started to laugh toward the end) but at the same time I have to point out that people always ask why worship teams audition. Darryl shows us why.

Gimme My Props!!!

I was talking with Monkey briefly about the idea of citing sources in talks. It's kind of a dilemma, because if these words are truly for God should they even be cited? I have heard quite a few talks where I know that they were given by somebody else. For Example, I heard a talk down at Mars Hill Seattle and came to bellingham and heard it at another church - almost word for word at points. And it makes me wonder (sure does) if we should be citing our sources. Should the church be giving the places where they recieve their talks from? If it is truly for the kingdom, should the author care when they find out that they were not cited? The same goes for worship music. We pay copyright fees and acknowledge writers, but if the song was written for God's glory, do they really need acknowledgment?

I understand the thought that we needs to get paid. I totally agree with this thought. Artists need to get paid for their art; this is why we have copyrights in the first place. I guess what I am trying to say is that if we are willing to acknowledge musical artists, shouldn't we acknowledge the spoken arts as well? Shouldn't the person using somebody else's words acknowledge the source it came from. My humanity wants it props - why should the other guy be termed a genius and I am not even seen - but my spirituality says, "to God be the Glory". It just sucks that my humanity is bigger than my spirituality sometimes.

I'm a Catholic!

At least for the next three weeks I am. I am in a class in the catholic school at TWU. It is a class on Christian Moral Theology, and I love it. I found out what Utilitarianism is, and that some of my friends fall under this umbrella (I laughed anyways). I enjoy the class because we discuss social justice in both the Evangelical and Catholic perspective. We have two profs: one is an Anglican Priest who converted to Catholicism and the other is a Political Science/Sociology Teacher who is an Anabaptist. Awesome. I must say though, it is wierd to have the Pope and other Popes continually staring at you for three hours.

A Psalm of Sorts

Everything you have heard is backwards!
Turn all that you know around!
For our God is a God of mercy for all
He is a lover of the diseased
His Kingdom is filled with people you would not expect to see
His people are ugly in our enlightened eyes
The lame dance in his streets,
While the pious look on in disgust
The undesirable sit at His right hand,
And the religious cannot understand this settlement of sinners through grace
Financial offerings mean nothing to Him
Social status makes no matter
For His justice is for the poor
His favor is for the needy
God over all of our “gods”
Nothing compares to Him.

WOW!

It seems that we have a lot of opinions on just war. I would have posted it on the Hot Tub, but I forgot the password. I have to make another hot tub. Here are a couple of interesting sides that I found on Just War:

When I think of a soldier fulfilling his office by punishing the wicked, killing teh wicked, and creating so much misery, it seems an un-christian work completely contrary to Christian Love. But when I think of how it protects the good and keeps and perserves wife and child, house and farm, property, and honor and peace, then I see how precious and godly this work is; and I observe that it amputates a leg or a hand, so that the whole body may not perish. For if the sword were not on guard to preserve peace, everything in the world would be ruined because of lack of peace. Therefore, such a war is only a brief lack of peace that prevents an everlasting and immeasureable lack of peace, a small misfortunce that prevents a great misfortune.
-Martin Luther

and on the other side:

The scriptures teach that there are two opposing princes and two opposing kingdoms: the one is teh Prince of peace; the other the prince of strife. Each of these princes has his paricular kingdom and as the prince is so is also the kingdom. The Prince of peace is Christ Jesus; His kingdom is the kindom of peace, which is His church; His messengers are the messengers of peace; His Word is the word of Peace; His children are the seed of peace; and His inheritance and reward are the inheritance and reward of peace. In short, with this King, and His Kingdom and reign, it is notheing but peace. Everything that is seen, heard, and done is peace.
-Menno Simons

I have to admit, Luther's thoughts begin to make sense to my humanity, but my spirituality is moved by Menno Simons. I feel that we are called as christians to be protectors of peace, but through violence is - like kurt said - like deep fried health food; it doesn't make sense. When Jesus was seized, Peter drew his sword and cut off an ear but Jesus stopped him and healed the soldier's ear. It was almost a reconciliation to keep peace.

what are your thoughts?

Peace

I was talking with a friend of mine this past weekend about peace and how it fits into our Christian faith. I brought up the usual "Turn the other cheek" arguement, but he began asking if peace could come from peace, or do we need to physically fight for it? It was an interesting discussion to say the least, but I was wondering what you guys think about peace.

1. Can it (peace) be achieved without violence?

2. Biblically and theoretically, what is your position?

3. Right now, what is your position on this topic? Are we so sheltered from the rest of the world that it is so easy for us in the west to do nothing and so we just protest?

I want to know what you are thinking.

ron

Have a Happy Easter

...or else the kid gets it.

Slow Down

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters"
-Psalm 23: 1-2 (NIV)

"Slow down everyone you're moving too fast
Frames can't hit you when you're moving like that..."
-Jack Johnson "Brushfire Fairytales"

I've come to the conclusion that I am on the go too much. I hate this time of school because I am so rushed with papers and finals. I am sick right now (I think due to school, church work,and hanging out with kids), and even though I am sick I am still working. In the Psalm, I found it interesting that it says "He makes me lie down in green pastures". It is the thought of forcing you to slow down, much like a shepherd would for his flock in the middle of the day. It's finding rejuvenation in a quiet,tranquil and serene place. I found this video of a beach just a walk up the way from my favorite beach in the world, Kailua Beach.

As we are entering into one of the most busiest times of Church work, Easter, we need to take ten minutes out of the day and just relax. Watch this video and just escape for a little time. rejuvenate.

"There are two types of Mormons: Later Day Saints and Later Day 'aints".

Today I had a visit from the mormons. It was pretty interesting. We talked for a while, but usually when I tell them that I work at a church and also study christianity and culture at TWU they back down. This didn't happen today. It was interesting because I was asking them about how they felt about their beliefs and they were very open with me. I really appreciated our conversation actually. What I want to tell them is I want to be their friend not their project. I want to hang out with Jerry the person, not "Elder Jerry" the missionary. I also want to know more about the magic underwear. Minus the magic underpants, maybe this is how people feel about us Christians.

While researching my new friends and their faith, I came across this video. I thought that it was ridiculous and funny. It looks like "superfriends" meets propaganda. Don't worry, I am still a christian. I loves me some Jesus and I love my neighbor, even if their beliefs are different than mine. Now if only I could meet a true buddhist like Merton.

Playing Catch Up...

It's been a while, so I'll catch you up on the going on's in the life of Ron:

- Getting ready to write papers and take finals. One of my papers is going to be called, "The Kingdom is at Hand and You Won't Believe Who's There". It will be about who is really "in" the kingdom of Heaven. If you have any resources, I would like to borrow them. So far I have Kraybill's "the upside down kingdom", McLaren's "the secret message..." (would like to use "generous orthodoxy" if you have it), and some Gustavo Gutierrez writings.

- Writing more papers. One on the verse, "Be Still and know that I am God": is it a meditation, or is God speaking out against the war that is going on? Another on Kierkegaard (the shizness), and one that's due next week on something that I have no idea what to write about.

- Signed up for classes. Summer classes will be 1)Moral Christian Theology and 2)Digital Recording. Fall Classes will be 1) Catholic Spirituality in the Modern World, 2) Contemporary Christianity, 3) Developing a Christian Worldview, 4)Sociology of Religion, 5) Popular Physics and 6) Basketball.

- After taking these classes, my chances of graduating in december are good to great.

- Going through the rocky quintology before I watch Rocky Balboa again. Also watching scrubs through netflix.

- listening to Van Morrison. Why didn't anybody tell me about this guy before...well one of my prof's did, but he's kind of a tool.

- Will be planting Roosevelt Community Church on Easter. A day of new beginnings and liberation. Free at last, Free at last, Thank God Almighty we're free at last.

- trying to get in shape again. Lost 15 pounds in a month. It's my once a year thing I do. I'll probably stop at the end of the summer again only to start again in the new year.

How are you doing?

ron

Faceless Love

This one is going to rabbit trail a bit...I'm stuck on this thought of a faceless love. What is tripping me up is the thought that once you've put a face to love it is no longer love but just a form of affection. I say I love my wife, but is it true love or is it that we wear rings that say that we love each othere and we also said it in front of a bunch of friends? That being said, do I truly love her? I know everything about her, but now I have a face on that love! Where is the mystery? Of course I love Cynthia, but is it simply an earthly love? If there were no identity to this love, would this love be even more? I wonder this about my love for Christ also.

When I think about Jesus, I have a face on him. He is attractive, white, and quite honestly a bit effeminate. I picture the jesus in the picture at your grandma's house. I wonder if by putting this face on him if my love is skewed in any way? There is no mystery. With this face put on Jesus, now I have a saviour that I can understand. It's the thought of iconification in which once we have a face on someone or something, we make them into whatever we imagine them to be.

This makes me sad because I wonder if since Ive been living with this icon of jesus in my head, have I ever truly loved "Jesus"? I've had plenty of girlfriends of whom I told that I love, but today I never talk to or about any of them - they are only a memory. If I stopped following the Jesus I know today, would I still love him ten years from now? Would I miss him, or would he be like my girlfriends and become one of those we don't speak of?

Maybe Jesus and I need to go to marriage counselling and reconnect so that the mystery will come back. Maybe it is simply that I need to find the mystic Jesus that nobody really "knows", much like the Orthodox church. I don't want to become one of those guys who simply worships christ because it is cool, but instead is worshipping because God is with us. I wonder if Jesus' humanity is what is killing the church because now that there is a face on him, we can control him. "if our god is for us, than who can be against us"? Now Jesus works for us instead of us working for him.

thoughts?

A Couple of Emergent Thoughts...

Lately I've been having a discussion with people regarding the "emergent" church. It's a funny concept really. Ive been reading Peter Rollins "How (not) to Speak of God" (which I think would be fun to discuss in the hot tub soon), and I've been enjoying it because he makes it clear that the emergent church is not a church or denomination - which some people try to make "emergent" churches into - but instead is a dialogue. Dialogue is the buzzword for the emergent crowd, which I think is overused but we it's hard to find another word, that describes what is going on in the movement rather than what they are all about.

He speaks on faith versus theology and I must admit that my eyes were opened at this thought. Faith is the experience of God, while theology is the reflection on the experience. This opened my eyes, because so many times I find my self reflecting on God rather than experiencing Him. Rollins went on to discuss the thought of our reflections becoming an idol that we have built.

"The arguement is made that naming God is never really naming God but only naming our understanding of God. To take our ideas of the divine and hold them as thy correspond to the reality of God is thus to construct a conceptual idol built from the materials of our mind."

This was on page 2 of the book. This is why we need to bring this book to the Hot Tub. I feel like there will be a lot of discussion forming from this book.

Peace,
ron

PS - New post at the Hot Tub

Valentine's Day

Here's what Valentines day is based on. It may not be just a hallmark holiday!

"In the third century, the Roman Empire was ruled by Emperor Claudius II Gothicus. He was nicknamed Claudius the Cruel because of his harsh leadership and his tendency for getting into wars and abusing his people. In fact, he was getting into so many wars during the third century that he was having a difficult time recruiting enough soldiers.

Claudius believed that recruitment for the army was down because Roman men did not want to leave their loves or families behind, so he canceled all marriages and engagements in Rome. Thousands of couples saw their hopes of matrimony dashed by the single act of a tyrant. And no one seemed interested in standing up to the emperor.

But a simple Christian priest named Valentine did come forward and stood up for love. He began to secretly marry soldiers before they went off to war, despite the emperor’s orders. In 269 AD Emperor Claudius found out about the secret ceremonies. He had Valentine thrown into prison and deemed that he would be put to death.

As Valentine was awaiting execution, he fell in love with a blind girl, who happened to be the jailers daughter. On the eve of his execution, with no writing instruments available, Valentine is said to have written her a sonnet in ink that he squeezed from violets. Legend has it that his words made the blind woman see again. It was a brief romance because the next day Valentine was clubbed to death by Roman executioners.

St. Valentine gave his life so that young couples could be bonded together in holy matrimony. They may have killed the man, but not his spirit. Even centuries after his death, the story of Valentine’s self-sacrificing commitment to love was legendary in Rome. Eventually he was granted Sainthood and the Catholic Church decided to create a feast in his honor. They picked February 14 as the day of celebration because of the ancient belief that birds (particularly lovebirds, but also owls and doves) began to mate on that very day."

Don't forget to get a card for your lady friend. Hope you Valentines Day is filled with Sweet Love Making and Chocolate.

Peace,
ron

I Go To an Ugly Church

This past weekend I was leading the singing part of our church and I looked out at the congregation and realized what an ugly bunch of people I lead. We have people who have marital problems, drinking problems, learning problems, sexual problems, people who have and/or are very open about their psychiatric problems, and people who are either "semi-homeless" or actually homeless who come to our church. We have the socially awkward, the socially inept, socially abandoned, and the socially weak. We have people who have lost their children to the state, have lost their spouses to disease, lost their lives to infidelity, "almost" had chidren out of wedlock or actually had their child out of wedlock - all come to our church. We have hippies, bankers, annoying people, liars, free loaders, slanderers, and gossips. We also have the poor, the marginal, the middle class, and the poorest by our standards. Now you are probably saying "Welcome to ministry Ron, We have these people in my church also", but the beauty of this weekend is that I realized that I know them by name.

I know all of these people who by the standards we have been given are considered ugly. Then there is me. I am the ugliest because I see these things. But now I've realized that these things that are ugly about them are the most beautiful part. It is the thought of them coming to Roosevelt Community Church to find someone who loves them and knowing that this person is Jesus. Some come to church because they feel that this is what good people do, but others come because jesus has begun healing them of their ugliness.

As I led the congregation in singing, I began thinking that this is what heaven is probably going to look like. Sorry, but I truly believe that the Kingdom of Heaven is not going to be a pretty place. We like to imagine that it will be, but I really believe that it is going to be one giant ugly place. Jesus spoke about this when he told the story about the King who threw a party. None of the pretty people showed up and when he sent his servants to remind the pretties, the servants were either told that the pretty people were too busy or the servant was killed. This is when the King told them to invite any who will come. I believe that the hopeless will make it into the Kingdom before the hopeful - better yet, the ugly will make it before the beautiful simply because the beautiful see the ugliness and decide that that is not for them. We are all drawn toward the attractive - it's true. We like the attractive things about culture - music, fashion, film, literature - but recently I've been gravitating toward the ugly. I've been leaning toward the broken before the fixed. I've seen the attractive and it is very inviting, but the ugly seems to be more real to me.

My church is ugly. As a worship leader, I point them in the direction of the One who sees them and makes them beautiful. I love it.

Artistically Cruel

“For anyone to love a man, he must be hidden, for as soon as his face is shown, love is gone.” - Dostoevsky

I finished the Grand Inquisitor the other day and came away with the thought of "artistically cruel". Dostoevsky used this term to describe the ways that the Turks were torturing people, but I can see it used by Christians.

Christians are called to love God and love others even if they don't like them. The funny thing is that we are so quick to "help" other Christians when they stumble. It is artistically cruel because our accountability is a wonderful act but it is done with the wrong intentions. We love to call others out on their sins, which is a needed thing, but we love to call them out on their actions that are very public and wrong. What about the sin of not hanging out with their family enough? What about the sin of over loading thier schedule? We seem to only focus on the juicy stuff - the really good sins. Artistically cruel.

I love the truth inside Dostoevsky's quote above. Love must be a faceless love in order to truly be love. What if our faith is not "true" love, because we have put a face on teh God who loved us first? What if the Jesus of our agenda is not faceless anymore, so therefore we just love ourselves. Artistically Cruel. We take this love, this perfect and powerful love, and we lose it because we can picture the one who gives it to us. What if this is our "personal Jesus"?

thoughts?

PS- Our Friend Rob has joined the blogging world over at ADD Theology. I can't wait to see what he has to say. Check him out on my newly alphabetized blog list. God doesn't play favorites, so neither will I...until someone donates money toward my guitar fund.

Two Amazing Movies That I Saw

This past weekend, I watched two movies that I loved: Little Miss Sunshine and Favela Rising.

It seems cliche to say that I liked Little Miss Sunshine, because everybody who watches The Office (american version) loves it simply because Steve Carrell is in it. The reason I liked the movie is that it shows a broken family. It's the realism of this movie that captivated me. There is a father who is laying unbelievable amounts of pressure on his family to be "winners", a mother who is ready to quit the family, a grandpa who is a heroin addict, the wife's brother who is a gay professor who attempted suicide because of his lover leaving him for his nemesis, a son who hates so much that he decides to not talk to him, and a daughter who is not "beauty pageant" material, but is accepted into the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. I would say, if I had to compare the movie, that Little Miss Sunshine was like National Lampoons Vacation only darker and hits closer to home with dysfunction and what is happening to some of today's families (though not the exact same problems).

Favela Rising is a documentary showing a ghetto in Brazil. Here is a story of a favela (ghetto) run by drug lords and dirty cops, and a guy who's brother was murdered by the cops decides to do something positive instead of sinking deeper into the world of the drug lords. He starts a music group which sings about what is going on in his neighborhood. They begin gaining the respect of the neighbors because of their positive impact and message, and even gain respect of the drug lords. They begin the Afro Reggae movement and even begin teaching kids how to play the drums. This is what was so impactful about this movie for me. I began wondering what I have to offer the kids in my neighborhood. What could keep some of them focused and away from the drug scene? This movie really challenged me to think "what am I doing to make a positive ding in the Roosevelt Neighborhood". This is a dangerously inspirational movie. If you've got Netflix, flick it now.

Hot Tub Theology - the blog!

We've seen Jesus Camp, now let's discuss...

book mark it on your sites.

peace,
ron

Interesting article

here is an article I read from Sam's friend/mentor, Wade Hodges.

This article is an interesting look at a "come and see" (numerically driven) church moving into the role of a "go and do" (gospel driven) church, and I felt is a glimmer of hope for the direction of church and the gospel.

peace,
ron

jesus camp showing

Just letting you all know, that I will be watching Jesus Camp at my place at 12:00 Noon on Friday, February 2nd. All five of you who read this can come. Actually, you must come. Until then, here is another video to keep you entertained until then.

Hot Tub Theology

For all of you Hot Tub theologians, I got the movie "Jesus Camp", and we need to set up a time to see it. It really depends on you, because my schedule is pretty open. Until we figure this out, here is the trailer for you to see.

Matthew 21:32

"Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him."

I'm still wrestling with the thought of the kingdom of God.

What about this guy?







And what about the guy in this song?

Lyrics to "John Wayne Gacy, Jr." By Sufjan Stevens

His father was a drinker
And his mother cried in bed
Folding John Wayne's T-shirts
When the swingset hit his head
The neighbors they adored him
For his humor and his conversation
Look underneath the house there
Find the few living things
Rotting fast in their sleep of the dead
Twenty-seven people, even more
They were boys with their cars, summer jobs
Oh my God

Are you one of them?

He dressed up like a clown for them
With his face paint white and red
And on his best behavior
In a dark room on the bed he kissed them all
He'd kill ten thousand people
With a sleight of his hand
Running far, running fast to the dead
He took of all their clothes for them
He put a cloth on their lips
Quiet hands, quiet kiss
On the mouth

And in my best behavior
I am really just like him
Look beneath the floorboards
For the secrets I have hid

what about this guy...



and what about this "monster"?

It seems that we've written them all off as not being in the kingdom or not having a chance to even meet or reconcile with God. But this is the black and white world of christendom that I was talking about earlier. It is the black and white world which tells us who is going to heaven and who is not. I think it begins with knowing God and realizing that we are children of God first. After this, we need to realize that everybody else is a child of God, and then asking them if they believe they are hurting others through their actions. The Kingdom is not cut and dry, but instead it is very complicated and hard to understand. I don't know, I'm rambling now. what do you think?

Brokenness is what we long for?

It's the thought of brokenness that confuses me as a christ follower. If we are truly broken, then why do we feel that others need to be saved before we do (remember to invite your coworkers and neighbors to friend day...but not the homeless or the drugdealers - that's too far out there)? Jesus tells us that the prostitutes and tax collectors will make it into the kingdom before we will. It's because they are broken. They realize that they are not worthy to even hang out with Jesus, but he still wants them. Jesus is the king of the "losers"! These are the people he longs to be with.

I wonder if where we went wrong is when we began mistaking the gospels for our morality. It's like we've taken the thought that we are made in the image of God to mean that we are to be God himself - pure, perfect, and above everybody else. Our quest for holiness has fogged our vision so that we don't see others and in the end, our morality has trumped out faith. But our moraily is far deeper than faith; doesn't God want faith before virtue?

Kierkegaard, my current favorite theologian/philosopher, showed this when he spoke about Abraham. He talked about how Abraham was about to act on God's call to murder his son, and he does this out of faith - his virtue of not killing another is nowhere to be found, but his faith is clearly there. How freaky would it be if God had asked you to kill your son to show your love and faith in YHWH? But Abraham did so with tears rolling down his face, I imagine, and God stopped Abraham because he saw this faith - Abraham was broken but still faithful. He was willing to give it all up to God.

Sam asked, "What is good worship". It's a pretty open ended question for sure, but I believe that what we are talking about is the first step into "good worship" - worship that is pleasing to God - this idea that we are broken and no better than anybody else or that there are no second class citizens. Good worship is the realization that we are all on the same level, on the same earth, with the same God, and with same problem: our morality. To some this sounds a lot like the social Gospel, to others it may sound similar to communism, but to me this is the Kingdom of God. You can find this kind of worship in Alcoholics Anonymous. Could you imagine a faith community built upon authenticity (sarcasm implied)? What if the AA steps were an intro class into your church or ministry - knowing that you are not any better than anybody else on that stage or in that congregation (I know that Christ the King church in Bellingham offered it at one point in time).

The rich young ruler was almost there. He told Jesus that he was a follower of YHWH and obeyed his rules, but in the end he couldn't give up his securities (his possesions). It's the brokenness that Jesus was looking for and the realization of what the ruler was truly following; this is how we've been taught to look at this passage, but what if he would have said "Okay" to selling his possesions? What would Jesus have said next? I wonder if he would have kept finding other things in his life and would have kept going from there until the ruler finally went away sad? Jesus was searching for his brokenness and a realization that brokenness is beyond what we are comprehending in Christ. The Kingdom of God is a love for other people, not other things.

What do we see in today's Church though? The happy christendom where everybody is striving to achieve the norms given to us by the culture and the church! People are being told how to be good christians and good americans and how to be "normal". It is this aesetic which numbs to the point of no differences, and in the end we all look and act the same. The anaesetic? Where is it? What will wake us up? Where is the pill that will make us see? When will we realize what makes us a "real boy or girl"? What will take away the numbing and help us realize that we are still striving for the same thing as the rest of the world? I think it could be the realization of sin and the color that it brings to our black and white world. The realization of our sin is beautiful because it is the brokenness that we long for.

seriously...simpsons rule.

Influential Christian Thinkers

Kurt and I are both in Influential thinkers together. It is a long class (6:00-9:30). If you don't like "rabbit trails" within conversations, this class would drive you nuts. During our break, Kurt and I walked out in a sort of daze and asked "what the nuts was he talking about?".

We discussed Abolition of Man and now the book is starting to take shape. I'm actually enjoying it a little more, but this seems like a book tht you would have to discuss or else you are screwed. The prof kept quoting Nietzche, Plato, Augustine, and Aristotle along side the book. Matt would be excited, because we will be discussing Heidegger next week.

My Christianity and Culture class is the balls. I'm pretty much finished with "Myth of a Christian Nation". It was an interesting book. The premise of the book is that it looks at Christianity and thier involvement in war and conflict, and how un-christian that is. Basically throughout christian history, beginning in the third and fourth century with Constantine's conversion, christianity has been involved with war in some way. From the reformation to the New World to many of today's conflicts within the last 15 years, Christianity has been involved. There was a wonderful quote describing christianity and their actions saying,

"love is patient and kind; enslaving and torturing people is neither. Love is never rude; burning people alive is. Love does not insist on its own way and is not irritable or resentful when others disagree; compelling people to agree with you by using force is the direct antithesis. Love doesn't rejoice in wrongdoing, even if (especially if) those rejoicing credit God, who supposedly gave them the power to do it. Love bears all things while believing the best in others and hoping the best for others; imprisoning, enslaving, and killing others inthe name of your religious views is not bearing their burdens, believing the best about them, or hoping the best for them."

Hmmm. Interesting thought. I wonder if we christians have lost our voice in our culture? With our ugly past and loss of imagination, how does christianity regain a voice in culture without trying to take it over? We already took america away from one culture, and now it seems that the church rallies around the battle cry to "take back america for God". I don't think that christians want to take back america for god, but instead for Christians. It's like we are striving for everybody to think like us because we can't stand to be around non christians. How many times do christians get excited to find out that somebody of some kind of importance is christian (sports stars, both popular and unknown musicians, doctors and nurses, presidents of a country, etc.). It's like the spirit is thought to move more through these people rather than ourselves and brings us closer to christian thought by changing laws, thoughts and sports.

I'm rambling. I'll stop. Let me know what you think.
ron

disappointed

I finished reading "the abolition of Man" yesterday. All I can say is, "I don't get it". I mean I understood most of it, but there were times I would be reading it and literally feel my eyes begin to glaze over. I thought that this was supposed to be Lewis' best work! I didn't feel that way about it. It seemed like a bunch of big words given for the sake of using a bunch of big words. At least it wasn't a big book to read.

Now reading: Myth of a Christian Nation by Gregory Boyd. Just started this one. Seems pretty interesting, but usually when you agree with the premise of the book it turns out pretty interesting.

I added my friend Colin Potts to the mix. Check out his blog. He's trying to keep up with it on the regular, plus he started a blog called "Books that don't suck" that never got past one post.

Peace,
ron

School is in...

and I get to buy new books!

Here are some of the books for my future reading fun:

(Influential thinkers of the Twentieth Century)
Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
Pensees - Blaise Pascal
Confessions - Augustine
On Christian Doctrine - Augustine
Birth of Tragedy and the Case of Wagner - Frederich Nietzche
Fear and Trembling - Soren Kierkegaard
The Present Age - Soren Kierkegaard
Technology and Justice - ???
Closing of the American Mind - Bloom
Epistle to the Romans - Karl Barth

Then in my other class:

(Christianity and Culture)
Living Thoughts of Kierkegaard - W.H. Auden
Myth of a Christian Nation - Gregory Boyd
A Peculiar People - Clapp
The Grand Inquisitor - Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Secret Message of Jesus Christ - Brian McLaren
Geneology of Morals - Frederich Nietzche
How (not) To Speak to God - Peter Rollins

I also have a class on Psalms and the Wisdom books, the History of Christianity from the reformation up to the present and my music theory class. This semester will be filled with a lot of reading and paper writing. I'm excited for that and I feel nerdy about it. Oh well.

peace,
ron