Cyber Dredging (or, Help Me - I'm tucked away in a dark corner of Blogger, waiting to be published!)

In case you hadn’t noticed, things have been pretty silent on the blog over the last week. I’ve had some technical problems with the hosting which has basically kept me from publishing anything. But, as you can see, it didn’t keep me from trying. I’ve still been posting. It just hasn’t shown up in cyberspace.

Recent Links of Note:

• It’s unfortunate when you lose touch with old friends. Especially old friends that have left a big impact on your life. Case in point, my old youth pastor and his wife, who are writing and performing with their band, The Shiny Things, will be starring on the reality TV show, Trading Spouses. Would love to catch up with them and hear about their experiences!
• Some say you can find medical evidence to support just about anything you fancy. Here’s my “medical finding” of choice.
• What makes a movie good? Click on the link to find out. Some great thoughts.
• The Irish government has plans to invest a good chunk of money in developing the organic food market in the country. We’re quite happy about that, as we’ve had a difficult time finding organic food here, much less affordable organic food. (I know – that’s a bit of an oxymoron.)
• Interesting article from the BBC regarding adult attitudes towards teens. I always found this interesting when I lived in England. Time and time again, the “solution” to the “youth problem” is “structured activities like drama and sports clubs.” The wording along of this “problem” is a clear indication to me that the “problem” isn’t so much the youth as it is British adult attitudes towards young people. Therefore, the solution isn’t “give them something to do to keep them out of trouble.” Rather, it’s change the way adults view young people. Believe that they can make a contribution to society. Believe that they can make the world a better place. This especially goes for communities of faith who trust in a God who can do big things through young people.

Live Show at Whelans

On Sunday morning, I was handed a flyer and invited to a show at a venue called Whelans. So last night, I met my friend Alan at the concert and had a brilliant time meeting new people and enjoying some great live music.

I was especially impressed with The Blood Red Mountain Band, though at first I was skeptical with their bluegrass Americana sound. The longer they played, however, the more I liked them and realized that they have the same "neo-bluegrass" kind of sound as Bright Eyes or even some Sufjan Stevens. It's folk music with a creative, quirky twist.

The band that played before them, The Suitcase, had some creative song crafting going on as well. The headliner of the night was Star Turtle, the front man of which had invited me to the show. They're a commercial rock band with a winsome stage presence and they obviously have a lot of fun playing live. Along with all of their original songs, they did a mellow cover version of Zoo Station, which I really enjoyed.

Kilgobbin Castle

Earlier today, I had to find our local Garda (police) station, which ended up being right down Kilgobbin road from us in Stepaside village. I kept noticing on our map that there is supposed to be a Kilgobbin Castle just down the street, between us and the village, but there aren't any signs or clear indication on how to get to it. For all I knew, it was only the site of a former castle long since demolished.

On my way back from the Garda station, I noticed an open gate into a drive that looked rather inviting. I decided to explore, thinking that if it was some big private home, I could just thicken up my American accent and apologize to the owners before they could call the Garda station that I had only just come from.

As I drove through the gate, sure enough on my right, there stood the ruins of Kilgobbin Castle. Also on the grounds is a house that I can only assume is a private residence. Are they the keepers of the historic site? Are they just unfortunate to live on the same property as a cool looking castle that attracts curious, wide-eyed Yankees? I don't know. The mammoth-like dog that came out to greet my car kept me from even the consideration of stepping out to knock on the door and voice my enquiries.

Maybe I'll try again some other time.

Defining The Gospel

Today I went back to a conversation I was having with Ruth Robinson over at the GEM Discovery blog a few months ago before we were rudely interrupted by a transcontinental move to Ireland. The last two posts in the conversation are worth noting (below). Ruth's husband, Durand, also had some great thoughts. You can follow the brief history of the conversation HERE.

RUTH ROBINSON:

Brandon, yes, involvement in loving social transformation by the church as an entity is all part of "let Your Kingdom come." But our goal can be: somewhere in this journey, some will come to a relationship with Jesus that links them to an eternity with Him. It's not consumerist capitalism if the people themselves are not the task, the target, the goal.

One question: if "personal salvation/entrance into heaven" isn't the end goal of the Gospel, what is: cultural transformation, food for the hungry? We can, as churches, be involved in caring for social issues AND love people into a relationship with the Lord. The priorities we set between these elements will shape the way we choose to implement strategy.I agree, we cannot pretend to love people without being involved in caring for felt needs. But neither is it loving to ignore that a relationship with Jesus is the only way to eternal life.

MY Response:

. . . Never would I say that we can “ignore that a relationship with Jesus is the only way to eternal life.” Nor would I ever say that the end goal of the Gospel is “food for the hungry” or “cultural transformation.” Those are even more severely truncated than “personal salvation/entrance into heaven.” I will clearly say, however, that the end goal of The Gospel is something closer to the Kingdom that Jesus announced and demonstrated in his ministry and that was continued by the early church.

If we say that the end goal of the Gospel is “personal salvation,” then we might as well 1) cut out the life and teachings of Jesus from our Bibles so that only his birth and death and resurrection matter; 2) throw out our ideas of discipleship,sanctification, and the clear teachings in Scripture that reveal God’s passionate heart for the oppressed, the poor, the helpless, the marginalized, etc. I don’t think anyone in evangelicalism would go so far as to actually cut these things from scripture, but without a more holistic understanding of the Gospel, we’ve certainly relegated the aforementioned issues into the “optional” category.

Okay, so I’ve said much more than I set out to here. This post was meant to cap off a conversation that we were engaged in 2 or 3 months ago. Just to summarize my thoughts and clear things up: The Gospel necessarily includes the redemption of individual people that guarantees them eternal life, both here and in the afterlife. BUT . . . The Gospel is also bigger than just that. It goes beyond making people merely “heavenbound” to making them a part of an other-worldly community that serves as a sign and foretaste of the Kingdom of God. Enter the issues of “social justice” that cannot be separated from our definition of The Gospel.

This has been an important discussion in my own heart and mind because it's helped me discern the problems that I have with the traditional evangelical definition of "The Gospel" that I've been brought up and discipled in. That traditional definition essentially says that The Gospel of Jesus is only concerned with the eternal destination of individual souls. Any concern for justice or the physical needs of people is secondary or optional.

As usual, there's still more that can be said to clarify some of these things and certainly more input from Scripture. That's the thrill of healthy dialogue! If this discussion sparks anything in you, ticks you off, or causes you to want to cut all ties with the Wellcomes =), please contribute to the conversation!

Recent Links of Note

Recently, I found . . .
this provacative.
this hopeful.
this both brilliant and head-scratching.
this fascinating.
and this inspiring.

Kristy's Birthday

For Kristy's birthday, I took her out to the Connemara region of Ireland this weekend. Fortunately, the weather was beautiful. Pictures here.

Homeless in Dublin

This month’s Dubliner magazine is featuring a series of articles on homelessness in Ireland. The Dubliner isn’t the most serious of magazines and it’s by no means a credible news source (as Mr. and Mrs. Tiger Woods would testify.) It’s more of a trendy, cultural publication with some satire thrown in at unexpected moments (e.g., an article on homelessness from The Onion.)

So when The Dubliner raises the issue of homelessness and beggars on the streets, it throws in a splash of statistics and whole lot of opinion. Having said that, it does get a wide circulation and I think it’s a healthy thing for Irish people to think about the issues. Then they can decide for themselves which writers from The Dubliner are full of rubbish and which have something legitimate to contribute to the conversation.

What’s on my heart most regarding the issues of homelessness is how the Church can be a part of the solution(s). I think I’m coming to the conclusion that what Christ-followers can contribute most profoundly is a reminder of the humanitarian nature of the homelessness problem. It may seem obvious that “homeless people are human and therefore, duh, it’s a humanitarian issue,” but I do believe that very fact gets lost in much of the debate.

The homeless are people made in the image of their Creator and not worth any less than the successful business executive living on a six-figure income. However, when we throw out arguments like “there’s no excuse for homelessness with all the help people can get from the government,” we address the issue as a political one instead of addressing the people behind the homelessness as a part of the same broken humanity that we share in.

For example, one of the arguments given for not handing out money to beggars on the streets is that they’ll probably just use it to buy alcohol or illegal drugs and stay trapped in the downward spiral of addiction. (Click here to read about one local London council’s campaign to promote this idea.) While it’s true that many homeless people are caught up in drug and alcohol addiction, many are also victims of abuse or psychological disorder such as schizophrenia. In other words, “homelessness” isn’t actually about “homelessness.” It’s often more about human fallenness and dysfunction.

Others say we should give money to beggars as much as we are able. What they do with it isn’t any of our business. It’s their money as soon we hand it to them and therefore not our responsibility. But while it’s also true that we can only be responsible for our own choices, part of the weight of that responsibility is to understand how our choices can indirectly harm our brothers and sisters living on the street by enabling them. In other words, “homelessness” isn’t actually about “homelessness.” It’s about human relationships and community.

In fact, when we’re confronted with the reasons for homelessness, it doesn’t take much to be reminded of our own brokenness. Take for example, the issue of drug and alcohol addiction of many in the homeless community which may have started out as a way of escape from life’s difficulties and spiralled out of control. Fundamentally, it’s the same issue with wealthy business people who have looked to their career as a way of the same kind of escape. The only difference is their addiction to status and/or money (or even drugs and alcohol!) probably won’t land them on the corner of O’Connell and Westmoreland Street.

These are just a few rambling thoughts on the issue. Much more to be said on a more pragmatic level. I, for one, would like to be prepared to walk a homeless person to the nearest corner shop or restaurant in Dublin city centre and get a piece of their story while buying them a bite to eat. Maybe if I do that enough, I’ll start to get to know a few well enough to build friendships that put them in touch with the source of life and redemption that dwells within me.

A Blast from the Past & Jessica the Youthworker

Today I had a chance to meet with someone that I actually met ten years ago during my first trip to Ireland. Click here for more.

Recently, we've enjoyed the opportunity to bless a young woman named Jessica who's serving short time with GEM here in Dublin for eight months. She's been staying in our guest room while she looks for a more permanent housing situation. (Permanent in an 8-month sort of way.) Jessica is beginning her work with the young people at a small church startup in the Ballycullen/Firhouse area just up the motorway from us. It's been good having her around as she navigates the bus system and then tells us how it all works. =) We're praying that her time here will be life-changing and that she will have opportunity for spiritual impact on young people in Ballycullen.

Jessica is from northern Minnesota, so she and Kristy have been able to relate on a few things. Like, um . . . hockey and ice fishing. I'm telling you. Those Minnesotans are party animals.

Built to Spill, Live in Chicago

Came across this review of Built to Spill's live show in Chicago from Paste Magazine recently. Speaking from my own experience, I think it's a pretty accurate review. Click here to compare it to my own review, which is far less eloquent. (Have no fear - I think I'll stick to amateur blogging.) However, I think I'm all right with Doug Martsch not embracing fame and popularity like the critics would like.

The Apostle Paul's Address from Dublin Hill - A Targum by Seán Mullen

At the EAI conference last weekend, Seán Mullen read a brilliant Targum that he put together for Paul's address on Mars Hill in Acts 17. Seán didn't mention anything about Targums, but as soon as he began reading, it reminded me of what I've heard of the Jewish tradition of translating Hebrew scriptures into Aramaic. They're essentially an effort to re-hear God's voice in a particular context. The following is Seán's "Targum," his effort to speak scripture into the Irish context:

"People of Dublin! I see that in every way you are very busy. For as I walked around and looked carefully at what you dedicate yourselves to, I found your city jammed with frazzled, hassled people pursing what they see as a better life. Now what you pursue as something unattainable I am going to proclaim to you.

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the entrepreneur behind all of human life and he is not found in the unceasing pursuit of financial security. And he is not kept happy by occasional visits to church or money in the collection plate as though he needed a little bit of your time and money, because all the time and money and everything else you have, come from him. He has been responsible for the whole human story from the beginning until now, and he decided that you should have the place that you now have in his story, Ireland in 2006. And the reason he did this was so that you would seek him as the source of life and joy and maybe even find him, because he’s not as far away as you may think. He has already been giving you a lot more help than you can even imagine. As one of your own poets has said, 'Sometimes you can’t make it on your own.'

“Therefore since we were made for God and to find life in a relationship with him, we should not think that life will be found in a successful career or making lots of money; these are mere human plans. In the past God was willing to let that foolishness go, but now he has done something so we can no longer ignore his call. He has set a time when a life spent pursuing stuff rather than pursuing him will be shown to have been useless, a waste of time. He has given proof of this to all of us by Jesus’ life death and resurrection and by bringing into existence communities of Jesus apprentices who, in this city, live radically non-materialistic lives and who dedicate themselves to pursing life with God and the justice of God in this city and country.”

Not only did he do a clever job of quoting one of the most popular of contemporary Irish "poets," but he also brilliantly speaks the passage from Acts into the Irish economic context that has had such an amazing impact in the culture at large. Now that I think of it, this could easily be read in the context of a lot of other Western cities/countries as well.

Dublin Happenings

This last weekend was the biennial conference for Evangelical Alliance Ireland. It was great day of connecting with folks from around Dublin who are passionate about God's Kingdom. I've posted a few thoughts from the day over at our main website.

I really enjoyed my time with Fergus Ryan yesterday. He has an amazing ability to sum up and articulate the spiritual heritage of Ireland, from Celtic Christianity through the introduction of Catholicism and later evangelicalism to the present day "postmodern" paradigms. I look forward to learning more from him in the months ahead. The church that he leads in Dublin recently obtained a new building, with which they are planning some very innovative and creative ministry initiatives.

Tomorrow, the GEM Youth Ministry folks here in Ireland get together to discuss an upcoming gathering of GEM youth workers from across Europe. After the meeting, a few of us are hoping to take a tour of Dublin castle and then find some live traditional Irish music.

Please . . . No More Settling

I think (and hope) that we’re near the end of the initial phase of settling in to life in Ireland. Actually, every time I think we’re almost there, more “settling” type things need to happen. Just the word itself is starting to rub me wrong. I’ve never assembled so many household items in such a short amount of time – from office desk and chair to vacuum cleaner and lawn mower. And speaking of lawn mowers, the grass in our garden (Americans, read “yard”) was so high by the time our landlords got the mower to us, I’ve filled about 9 large garden bags just this week. (And the landlords actually got the mower to us sooner than they originally said they would.) The mower that we were given is really nice . . . but I digress.

Kristy and I went to our local health club to inquire about a membership. It’s a nice club, decked out with a café, a pool and spa area, free weights, more cardio machines than I’ve seen in one place, and a hair salon. It’s a little spendy, but I’m not sure there are too many other options close to us.

This next Monday, I meet up with Irish church leader and theologian, Fergus Ryan. He’s done a tonne of research into the history of the Catholic church in Ireland, as well as other historical and cultural issues. He’ll be a great source of knowledge and understanding of the current spiritual environment here.

I’m also looking forward to visiting our local Catholic church to get an idea of what Irish Catholicism looks like and what 46% of Irish people are experiencing in that facet of Irish culture. (That percentage is much lower in the Dublin area, I’ve been told.)

Things that have been on my mind lately, in the midst of the "settling" (*shiver* - there it is again):

• The profound responsibility that the church has to serve the poor and the marginalized in society.
• The potential for "church" to be redefined at it's core as a network of relationships, void of the oftentimes distracting elements of church buildings and stage-centred Sunday services.
• The tension that American ex-pats (particularly in ministry) live with regarding their home country. Many grow embittered about the U.S. and still others grow more obnoxiously patriotic and defensive of their home country. Just wondering if the balance is found in allowing one's identity to be more defined by eternal things than by earthly nationalistic paradigms. Our eternal citizenship elsewhere gives us plenty of reason for critique of any and every nation and culture on the earth, including those claiming to be a "Christian nation." Much more to be said on that. For another time.

A Little Coincidence

Came across this remix of a scene from "Garden State" today. Coincidentally came across this picture on Flickr. See the connection? (HT: my lovely wife, who came across the YouTube clip while reading this article.)

Another small coincidence happened today. Kristy and I found ourselves broken down by the side of the road. Near a MacDonalds. Just a few short months after breaking down in my father-in-law's Crown Vic in Monument, CO. Near a MacDonalds.

So we called a tow truck and they took us to the dealership where we got the car less than a month ago. They'll have it fixed tomorrow afternoon. Never really occured to me that I might have a problem with a car that came off the assembly line two years ago.

Big shout out to Matt Kingsley for driving out to give us a lift back home.

Up for Air

Back in the game with internet access . . . at least for today. Kristy and I are watching the Covell's kids while they're at the Ryder Cup practice day with Rod & Dawn Taylor, so we're borrowing their broadband connection while we're here. Hope to have internet access hooked up at the new house on Friday.

Things are coming along nicely. We've got most of the boxes unpacked and 85% of our stuff put away. Yesterday, we were in the city trying to get a vehicle tax disk and trading my UK driver's licence in for an Irish one (neither of which we were successful at, for various reasons).

When I got home and read a newspaper, I realized that the Dublin Fringe Festival has been going for a few days. One of the most brilliant things they're doing is a series of live "geurilla style" art installations whereby artists perform various eye-catching artistic feats randomly throughout the city. Yesterday, shortly after Kristy and I were headed out of the city centre, someone dumped pink dye (eco-safe) into the River Liffey. I'm telling you - Dublin is one artistic place!

I'll try to write more and post some pictures this weekend.

Off to the New House Today

Today, we move into our new rental home, so it's a good day! It may take a while to get broadband service, so there may be some "web silence" from us until then. I'm sure we'll be able to find some free Wi-Fi somewhere in the meantime.

Yesterday, I got a call from our man who's been working with Irish customs to get our container to us. Surprisingly, he said that there had been no problems and that they could deliver the containter on Friday morning! This came as a huge relief to us since we had heard that Irish customs may require proof of our residence in the U.S. for more than 6 months, like utility bills. Of course, all of those kinds of records are on the container. It wouldn't have been impossible to work through, just a headache and a delay.

So after being in our new place for one night, our belongings will arrive on our front doorstep the next morning. As you can see, we are being taken care of! From our house search to our temporary housing to the container arriving in good time, God's hand has been in it all. Big shout out to those of you who've been faithfully praying for us. Keep it up! We've only begun to get settled in to life and service in Ireland.

It's Just Temporary

Temporary Housing

We've really appreciated the temporary place that we've been staying in, however lacking it may be in modern day conveniences. What's not in the video is a shot of our "refrigerator," which actually just a cooler that we try to keep filled with ice. Also, we were able to replace the light bulbs in the loo. So we got that goin' for us. Which is nice.

Thursday is moving day.

Ireland Tour Pics

I've posted some pics from our road trip last week. (click here) Lots to share about it, but haven't had time nor reliable internet connection to blog much. Once we get moved in to our rental home this Thursday and have had a chance to get broadband sorted out, things will get a little more consistent.

This week, our goal is to persuade a bank to let us open an account without having to prove our address with a utility bill, since we don't have one yet (and won't for a good three months after we've been living there). We've got pressure on us by the estate agent and the landlord to set up a bank account with a dirct debit to pay our monthly rent, as stipulated in the lease. Of course, they know we can't get a bank account without proof of address in a utility bill, but have essentially said, "Figure it out." Hmmmm . . . . somebody's gotta give.

The New Wellcome Bungalow

At long last, Kristy and I have a rental home! We put a security deposit down and met the landlords on Wednesday.

We were pretty confident about the house (a one-story, three bedroom bungalow), but wanted to drop by on Wednesday to see the garage which had been locked up the first day we saw it. The only way that it was going to work was if we could use the garage to store two of the beds that come with the house, as well as our big couch.

We had already scheduled one other appointment to see another property, so before we went over to the bungalow, we visited this other unfurnished house. Our hope was that it would be awful, so as to make it easy to choose the bungalow. Unfortunately, it was pretty sweet.

When we climbed the steep staircase to the converted loft (attic area converted to a room), I said to Kristy, “This is really nice.”

Through clenched teeth, Kristy said, “I know.”

She was thinking the same thing I was and she was a bit frustrated. After 2 weeks of looking at 20 places that didn’t work for one reason or another, here we were with two houses, the both of which would be great! As we discussed the two options and prayed about it, I told Kristy that our God seemed to be providing us with two really good options. All we needed to do was choose one. Its times like these that God’s goodness and abundance become so tangible.

After wrestling with our options and discussing things further with Sheryl Kingsley, who’s been a huge help throughout the process, we decided to go with the bungalow. The only problem now is that the place isn’t available until the 14th of September. So until then, we’ll be staying with some friends of friends in a large house in Foxrock. Early next week, we’ll probably take off to the countryside for a few days to get a feel for the rest of the country.

Big shout out to those of you who’ve been praying for our housing and all the other settling issues! Once we're able to get into the place on the 14th, I'll be sure to post pictures.

Greenbelt Talks & Shane Claiborne

Really looking forward to downloading some of this year's talks from the Greenbelt Festival.

I noticed that Shane Claiborne was also there this year. I'm currently reading through his book Irresistable Revolution at the moment (in between house hunting and all the other craziness). It's the kind of book that dares you to step out of your comfort zone and live like Jesus in ways that are foreign to the status quo of modern day Christianity. I can't read this book and just say that I liked it or that it was great book without also saying something about how my life needs to change to some degree - lest I be guilty of profound hypocrisy.

If I've captured your curiosity about the book, I dare you to read it.

Wellcome Immigrants in Dublin

The days continue to be full! Yesterday, we went into the city to get our immigration cards. We were warned that it usually takes 3+ hours of waiting in the immigration office, so we took the train in, reading material in hand. Five minutes after we took our numbers, they were called. Thirty minutes later, we walked out with our immigration cards – officially legal residents of the Republic of Ireland!

It gave us extra time to get out and see some of the city. The night before, we had seen the film Michael Collins with Jon and Stacey (highly recommended for anyone wanting to understand Irish history and culture) and the film starts with the Easter Rising incident at the General Post Office on O’Connell Street. With the film still fresh in our minds, we walked down O’Connell to the GPO, imagining what it was like 90 years ago.

After stopping by for lunch at the Bad Ass Café in the Temple Bar district (always a novelty, but certainly not the best food in Dublin), we headed over to Dublin Castle for a look around. The courtyard of the castle offered a special treat from Duthain Dealbh. They were sand sculptures created around a theme of the five senses. (Click on the picture below to see a bigger version. I'll try to post more pics on Flickr later on.)



Today, we look at a house for a second time to decide if it's the one for us. The more we think about this place, the more excited we get. And this particular estate agent has been great to work with. Stay tuned . . .

Weekend Break

On Saturday, we took a break from the house hunting and drove out to the ruins of an ancient Irish monastery called Clonmacnoise. You can view some pictures of our time here.

Sunday morning, we joined the Covell family (whom we're staying with) at their small church start-up called Ballycullen Community Church. In every church we've visited so far, we've been really blessed by the conversation with Irish Christ-followers who are keen to answer questions about their country and eager to help us get settled into life in Dublin. One book in particular that has come up several times in those conversations (Sunday included) has been The Pope's Children.

Sunday evening, we visited Core, a Church of Ireland congregation in the heart of Dublin. Historically a Protestant church with Anglo-Irish roots, the service we attended on Sunday evening was very creative, sincere, and worshipful. It's another resource that we hope to go back to at some point to get a feel for what God is doing in the country. It'll also be good to discover a Catholic congregation that is alive, vibrant, and active in the community. The perspective will likely be different and will give us a more holistic picture of the spiritual environment in contemporary Irish society.

Today we looked at another house that we really liked. And we may just be able to do work around the furniture issues, since it comes fully furnished. If it still doesn't work out, we've got several other places that we'll take a look at throughout the rest of the week.

Just when you thought Starbucks was overpriced . . .

Kristy and I dropped by the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in our sporty Seat 1.2 rental car today to purchase a mobile phone. On the way out we stopped by the world's most ubiquitous coffee shop. When the barista told me that my total for the tall drip coffee was €2.30, my jaw dropped wide open and I considered reminding her that I'd only asked for ONE. At the current exchange rate, that means I'm paying $2.94 here for something that costs a buck fifty in the States. Yer killing me.

Time to open some more Bewleys.

Car, Good to Go (house, not so much)

Today, we started out the day at Hertz to hire (“rent” in American English) a car, so it’s been good to feel a little extra freedom to get out on our own. Jon and Stacey Covell have been extremely hospitable and gracious in letting us stay with them while we look for a place of our own. (More on that below.) It’s been fun hanging out with them as well.

We also put a down payment on a car today. It’s a 2004 Opel Astra. Pretty much the same car I had in England, only 2 years newer, black, and a Saloon model (vs. a hatchback). Brought back good memories when I gave it a test drive. We also tried a 2002 Volkswagen Bora (which is a Jetta in the States), but it had some minor body damage and a few other small things on the negative end.

Finding a place to live is proving to be much more difficult. Aside from how expensive rent can be here, very few places are unfurnished and workable with the furniture we have on the way from Colorado. We’re also needing to limit ourselves to places that are within 10-15 minutes walk from the Luas or Dart tram lines into the city centre. So it feels like we’ve got a lot stacked against us, but there have been a few places that have come really close to meeting all the above criteria. And they say that landlords in Dublin will be coming home from their holidays in the next few days and posting their rental properties, so that’s something to be optimistic about.

Getting into a home is particularly significant because it's only when we have a utility bill that proves our address that we can also get such things as a bank account and mobile phones. Of course, it's also nice to have a place to live. =)

I'm also really eager to get into a place where we can start meeting our neighbours and discovering ways we can serve the community around us. One of the houses we looked at today had a single mother still living in it and Kristy and I both had the thought later that she looked like someone who could use some genuine friendship and attention.

First Sunday in Dublin

Had a great day yesterday, meeting lots of people and getting familiar with the areas of Dublin we’re looking in for a home. We started out the morning attending the Trinity Church service in the centre of Dublin. It was a lively modern/contemporary service of about 150+ people and the Trinity Church network is doing some great things in the Dublin area. (Click here to check them out on their website.)

After the service, I had a chance to meet Fergus Ryan (whom I blogged about a few weeks back. He had written a brilliant article on how European Catholicism hijacked Irish Christianity in a struggle for power.) I really hope to be able to connect with Fergus again to learn from him about Irish culture and what God is doing in the Irish church. He’s well-connected and a profound thinker regarding issues facing the Body of Christ. He seemed keen on getting together for lunch or coffee once we’ve had a chance to settle in.

We dropped by the Irish National Gallery for lunch (brilliant food, though a little on the spendy side) and on the way in, I spoke with an artist who was selling his paintings across the street from the gallery. He had some beautiful work leaning up against a park fence and I asked him if he’d had opportunity to show his work in any galleries in Dublin. He told me that it was just too expensive to show his stuff in a gallery and that he seemed to have great success just showing his work on the streets. I shared with him part of my dream of opening up an art house to showcase local artists and linking it to cyberspace and he seemed quite interested. People had experienced trouble finding him since he isn’t really based anywhere and doesn’t have a web site.

After lunch, we drove south out of the town centre and looked at various estate areas along the Luas tram line. In the evening, we dropped by Alan and Sheryl McElwee’s home who work with Christian Associates International and have developed the Serve the City project in Dublin. It was such a blessing to hear stories of what God is doing through their efforts and we’re really looking forward to collaborating with them in the future.

Today, it’s off to have a look at a 2002 Volkswagen Passat and then to view a rental home this evening.

Categories: life, Ireland

Back from Hungary

Yesterday we arrived back from the GEM Annual Conference, very ready to get settled in to life in Ireland. (Click here for pics of our time in Hungary and Austria.)

At the conference, it became quite clear that while the leadership and members of the organization have been straining to get onto the same page regarding it's mission and focus, they have clearly not been on the same page regarding it's ecclesiological foundation. In some ways it feels like the same ol' traditional mistake of parachurch organizations - "it's all about evangelism and the local church is merely one way of many ways to do it." This is a problem when many of us in the organization are saying, "It's all about the forming of disciples and the church is the mission." In this way, I think GEM is a microcosm of the issues facing the North American church. Much more on this later. But for now, it's time to find a home in Dublin.

Phil Kingsley (our friend and supervisor here) really wants us to find a place that is close to a train line for easy access into Dublin town centre, but also close enough to the M50 (orbital motorway around Dublin) to have easy access to other colleagues. So we're thinking that Rathfarnham or Dundrum are going to have to be it. We've found several places online in Rathfarnham that are within our budget and have 3 bedrooms.

On the car side of things, I'm just waiting to get some proof of insurance from the UK company that I was using when I lived there. We'll probably try to get a 2 or 3 year old Opel Astra (pretty much the same car I had in England) or a Volkswagen Passat or Jetta. If it takes too long to actually get the proof of insurance from England, we may need to look into renting a car for a few days.

Once we get all of that in order, we're really looking forward to learning Irish culture and even doing some traveling around the island.

Report from Hungary

We're having a great time here in Hungary, catching up with some of our colleagues and relaxing a bit before we go back to being homeless in Ireland. =) We realized today that by now, we've actually been in Hungary longer than we've been in Ireland. So while it's been good, we're also looking forward to getting back to Dublin to settle in.

Took a trip into Vienna today, just over an hour from where we are here in Sopron. Here a couple of pics. Plenty more to come. (No, my chin isn't actually in my coffee drink in the first pic.)

Safe Arrival in Ireland

Kristy and I landed safely in Dublin yesterday morning. We were able to get some sleep off and on throughout the flight, usually resulting in a sore neck or back. Yesterday was spent working as hard as we could not to nod off so that we could get a good night's sleep and get onto Dublin time. We’re staying at the Taylors’ home in Leixlip and Stacey Covell, who lives right around the corner, has been helping us out with our meals and providing lifts here and there. Today, we’re scheduled to check out 3 or 4 houses and apartments to rent.

We had a great team of about 14 people helping us out with the moving last Friday. Probably too many people for the job. (Click here for pictures.) I went out at about 9am to get coffee and bottled water for our crew of volunteers and when I got back, a painting crew was taping up our front door and garage to paint! I couldn’t believe the timing. When I objected, they just told that they would get it done in 20 minutes, in time for us to start loading up the moving truck, which was supposed to pull up at around 10.30.

When I went inside, Kristy was livid. After calming her down and reassuring her that it would be just fine, we both stopped in our tracks. Was that a semi-truck outside our door?! Sure enough, the painters started pulling down their paperwork from our front door and motioning to us about the moving truck.

When I went outside to meet the truck driver, I said, “You’re early. Really early. We don’t even have our moving crew here yet.” In my mind, I was thinking, “God, do you have any other surprises waiting for us today?!” The driver assured us that we wouldn’t be charged the $75/hour until after the scheduled time (11am-1pm). Fortunately, this meant that as soon as people started showing up, we could start packing things into the truck.

After getting the truck about a quarter full, someone stuck their head in the back of the truck where I was arranging and packing with Aaron and said, “Umm, Brandon? The automatic sprinkler system just went on. And it’s getting the furniture on the driveway all wet.” Kristy promptly pulled a crew together to wipe down the furniture and cover the sprinkler heads. I'm pretty sure that was the last little surprise for the day.

It took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to pack up the container and, thankfully, because the driver had it there a little early, we didn’t get charged for the extra time. As we finished, I felt pretty good about how well things were packed. Between Joe King (from the GEM office), my father-in-law, and the truck driver, it seemed like there was plenty of good advice being thrown around about packing to keep things from shifting too much on the open seas.

We'd appreciate your prayers for both finding a place to live here in Dublin, as well as finding people to rent our town home back in Colorado Springs. We're off to Hungary early Saturday morning to the GEM Annual Conference. Pictures to follow!

Categories: life

Off to Ireland

The last several days have been full of moving and spending quality time with Kristy's family. On Friday, we got all of our personal belongings shipped off to Dublin (aside from what we've managed to stuff into a few suitcases).

Lots of stories to tell, but unfortunately not a lot of time at the moment. Click here for a few pics of moving day and a going away party the night before with our neighbours and other friends. Tomorrow, we're off from DIA around noon, stopping off in Chicago to hang out with Kristy's best friends, Kristen and Carrie. ETA in Dublin, 08.40 on Wednesday morning.

(Also, quick shout out to my little bro who turns 28 today! Happy Birthday Ty!)

Contextless Links

• One more reason to love Ireland.
• Finally. Cyber treatment for "Bono Fatigue".
• Attention, all Radiohead fans...
• The music of Levi Ware. Levi is a good friend of my younger brother Jason and is planning on stopping by the Dublin area sometime in mid-September. From what I've heard so far, Levi is a talented musician and a gifted songwriter.
• Pictures from our hike to the top of Mt. Herman this last weekend.

GEM Blogging

Recently, I found out about a blog started by GEM missionary Ruth Robinson. Ruth puts together the Ambassador's Briefings that I post links to once in a while here at Restless. She's a great writer and thinker and I've appreciated the research on current events that she puts into the Briefings. Click here to read some of the conversation that we've been having about social justice and the church.

Over the next few weeks, I'm guessing that the blogging is going to slow down considerably. (It's already been a week since my last post.) The packing and other preparations to leave for Ireland are going to be taking over more and more. Once we get settled into Dublin, there'll be plenty to write about. Expect to see lots of pictures going up at both the Flickr site and the main image gallery over the next several weeks.

GOD Under a Microscope

This last Wednesday, I had the chance to lead the community group that Kristy and I have been involved in through Pierced Chapel. Over the last several months, we’ve been going through an “attributes of God/knowing God” kind of a theme. So on Wednesday, I started out asking people to finish this sentence: “You would get to know me well if . . .” It always fascinates me how people finish that sentence and it’s usually quite revealing. One young woman said, “if you could listen in on a conversation with my best friend.” Other people talked about doing things together that also allow for conversation, like working on a car or going on a road trip.

Of course, I couldn’t help but notice immediately the spiritual parallels. Through the pages of scripture, we get to know God by listening in on conversations that he’s had with people throughout the ages. And as we live in community with others, in a sense we’re able to listen in on current conversations that God is having with them as he works in their lives. Also, as we do life with him and grow spiritually, learning to trust him, we know him better.

The sheet of paper that that I handed out to people had a list of “attributes of God” that I took from table of contents in a typical devotional/theological book on the subject. After looking over the list, we all concluded a rather obvious idea: we don’t know God by segmenting and labelling him into lists of characteristics. “Knowing God” is relational, not academic.

Words like “omnipotent” and “omniscient” in particular have never really seemed appropriate to me. The ideas behind them (omnipotent = all-powerful, omniscient = all-knowing) are true and actually quite mind-boggling, but where the heck did we get the terms themselves from? The answer is found in the very word “omniscience.”

That’s right. Thanks to the scientific method (a result of the Age of Reason, or The Enlightenment), we’ve effectively put God under a microscope, slapped some big Latin-based labels on him and dissected him out into manageable categories with every “-ology” you can think of. Okay, so we haven’t literally put him under a microscope, but sometimes it sure feels like we’ve tried or even that we’ve fooled ourselves into thinking we could.

This isn’t to say that our attempts at systematic theology and dogma have been completely worthless. In fact, I told the small group Wednesday night that the book from which I got that list of attributes (Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer) had proven to be a huge blessing in my own spiritual life.

However, it is to say that the unspoken Enlightenment-style confidence (arrogance even?) behind human reason often causes us to abuse God’s revelation of himself. If you’ve ever heard or read a raging debate about whether or not Jesus was mutable or immutable (able to sin or unable to sin) or, better yet, whether Jesus’ death was for all people or “limited” to the elect, you’ve seen a great example of this abuse. I wasted an entire Bible college class hour listening to the issues in the “immutability” debate and just shook my head as I walked out of class, thinking to myself, “Why are we so afraid of mystery and paradox?” Answer: Because we’ve taken on the philosophy that science can solve every mystery and reconcile every paradox. So we force our theology to do just that.

So after we had a brief discussion about some of these things, we took a good chunk of time just cozying up to Psalm 33 and talking about what we could learn about who God is from that text. Rather than squeezing the “application” in for a few minutes at the end, I challenged the group to always include a “therefore” as they shared their observation. “God is just and He’s passionately committed to justice (v. 5). THEREFORE, I will commit myself to doing what I can to help the poor, the fatherless, and the oppressed.”

It was a great evening. The highlight was the prayer time where we adored him for the things that we had observed about him and asked for help, not just with “applying” those things to our own lives, but with actually embodying them so as to be an agent of change in the world.

Categories: God, devotional

The Latest on the Preparations to Leave (or, NO! ... Sleep! ... till DUBLIN!)

I posted a little update on our preparations to leave for Dublin over at BrandonAndKristy.net. The last couple of days have been encouraging as we've begun packing and throwing things out. I had a really encouraging Skype conversation with Phil the other day as well. He's excited for us to get over to Ireland and he shared several inside stories about what God has been up to in the Dublin area lately. (Click here for one example.)

We're looking forward to hanging out with Kristy' sister and brother-in-law this weekend. Aaron is on the road right now, en route to the Colorado Springs area with a truck load of their earthly posessions. On Saturday, we'll meet them at their new home in Monument and help them unload. While we're at it, there's a good chance that we'll be stealing a ton of boxes and packing material for our own move. Family's gotta stick together. =)

Brandon in La-La Land

Over the weekend, Kristy invited some friends up to stay with us in the Springs. Kristy and Kayleith go way back and have known each other since middle school. These days, Kayleith and her husband, Tim, and their daughter, Ella, live about three hours south of Colorado Springs.

As we were chatting about stuff we could do together, we decided to head over to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. After all, the zoo is much more fun when you have a two-year-old “ooo-ing and awe-ing” at all the cool animals. By the time we arrived at the zoo, it was getting pretty hot, maybe upwards to 95 degrees and as we wandered through, we all agreed that the heat was just sapping our energy and making us pretty lethargic. Of course, it’s the kind of “complaint” that everyone laughs off and thinks facetiously to themselves, “Oh, aren’t we suffering.”

And then there’s me. In my state of luxurious lethargy, I ended up in la-la land and thoroughly embarrassed myself.

After walking through one of the enclosed buildings with giant sized African bugs, brightly colored exotic birds, and a gracefully slow-moving sloth with massive claws, I wandered outside behind our little expeditionary group, my mind somewhere else completely. This is exceedingly important to note. My mind was somewhere else. I don’t remember completely, but it might’ve gone something like this: “Wow. Isn’t God creative to make all these bizarre looking bugs? Hmmm . . . Tim’s got the map. I wonder where he’s gonna take us next. Man, is it hot out here. . . . I wonder how that new “Pirates” movie is. . . . I wonder how much zoo keepers get paid. . . . My wife is awesome. I like to gently rub her back without even really thinking about it.”

And that’s when a familiar voice shook me from my state of half-conscious, sloth-inspired slumber. Only, it wasn’t the voice of my wife. It was Kayleith, attempting to communicate to me that whatever stunt I was trying to pull was more awkward than comedic, at which point, I jumped about three feet in the air and landed about five feet from my original position as I realized . . . I had been rubbing the wrong wife’s back.

My newly energized brain scrambled to think of a way to justify my actions or play along that I had just been pulling a little joke. But why? Why would I intentionally do such an awkward thing? It would never fly. So instead of saying anything, I just stood there stupefied, my aforementioned scrambled brain paralyzing my mouth.

Embarrassing? I’m not sure the word is strong enough. Fortunately, Kristy’s friends (whom I was hanging out with for the very first time!) are gracious, forgiving, and best of all, good-humored. After the dust settled and the laughter subsided (maybe 20 minutes later), Kayleith confirmed that after seeing how far I'd jumped and how beat red in the face I was, she knew that it had all just been a big mistake.

I guess it could’ve been worse. But I’ll leave it to your imagination as to how.

Next in the Reading Queue & Thoughts on Cultural Engagement

After reading Rhett's post on one of his contemporary theological heroes, I've decided that this is the next book I'll try to read in the "ecclesiology" category. Really good stuff. In my estimation, these are the kinds of things in the emerging church dialogue that are most helpful and substantial.

At the moment, I'm wading through a book that I picked up in England before I left called The Middle Mind: Why Consumer Culture is Turning us into the Living Dead. (You'll notice on the Amazon site that the American version of the book has a different subtitle: Why Americans Don't Think for Themselves. Not sure it would've grabbed my attention as easily as the British title.) The premise of the book is fascinating and the kind of thinking that I find myself wrestling with, but never able to clearly articulate well. There are a few problems with the book however.

First of all, the author, an academic from Illinois State University, seems to assume that the reader is as brilliantly well-informed and intellectually robust as he is. If you struggle at all with any sort of inferiority complex on any level, this book is not for you. You will feel quite patronized, as I have. The name dropping and side comments about the way literary and philosophical movements have changed in academic circles over the last hundred years or so leave the reader thinking, "Okay, if I had any idea of who these people are or what the 'social criticism of Cultural Studies' consists of, I may have some inkling as to what this guy is talking about.” It’s reminiscent of trying to follow the humor of Dennis Miller. (Of course, if you don’t know what I’m talking about with this allusion to Dennis Miller, you’re experiencing firsthand what you might encounter in this book. Check out the “comedic style” section of this Wikipedia entry to see what I’m referring to. That’s it! This book needs hyperlinks!)

Secondly (and maybe a result of my first critique), it’s difficult to know exactly what foundational presuppositions the author is coming from. He criticizes a lot of things about American culture, but rarely offers a glimpse as to why. To my knowledge, White is not a Christ-follower, so he doesn’t come from a perspective of having divine revelation as his starting point, but it’s difficult to know what his standard is, other than his passionately felt opinion.

Having said that, there are a few jewels in the book that have kept me reading on. In the introduction, White reveals his thesis, if only in part. “I am interested in the imagination as a social force that allows for both critique and reinvention. This is something that happens not only in art (although it happens most powerfully in art), but in every area of the culture – even in technology and science.” As the book progresses, White makes his opinion clear that people in Western society have lost the ability to “read,” not as in words, but as in cultural elements all around us and what they are communicating. To demonstrate, he completely disassembles the film “Saving Private Ryan,” commenting brilliantly on the subtle messages given by Spieldberg, whom (you might have guessed) he really doesn’t like.

I really believe that this is a powerful challenge to our culture and especially to those who refer to themselves as Christ-followers. All too often, the message that we get from Evangelical Christian leaders is that film, music, television, etc. is really nothing more than a matter of entertainment and that we really need to fear the power and suggestion of the “pagan worldview” that constantly assaults us as believers through the medium of entertainment.

However, I think there is an alternative to this perspective. Film, music and other contemporary media are forms of artistic expression. Granted, the films and music that get the most prime time attention are usually the most shallow and hedonistic and lacking artistic integrity. And it seems rare that film makers and song writers see their trade as anything more than an opportunity to make a quick fortune on the shallow tastes and preferences of the American masses.

But get beyond these examples of contemporary culture that are driven by consumer capitalism, and you’ll see that there are many brilliant artists who see these mediums as opportunity to create, communicate, and experience life with authenticity and integrity, completely aside from revenue or box office numbers.

Bands like Radiohead, Wilco, Over the Rhine, and Built to Spill are much more concerned with making good art than they are with fame and fortune. Film makers like Wes Anderson, Terry Gilliam, Spike Jonze, and Charlie Kaufman are (usually) not so interested in making the latest box office hit as they are in making good art that challenges the mind or tells a good story.

Rather than see these mediums as merely entertainment to be avoided and to protect our children from, we as believers need to see these mediums as artistic expressions to be read and evaluated – sometimes even to be blessed by when there are elements of truth and beauty in them. Having this perspective can help us escape the entrapment of “entertainment choices” (no, that's not the only way to think of film and music) and open up a whole new world of intelligent engagement with the world around us. We can then help our children make choices in film and music based not on whether there was a Bible lesson explicitly given or even based on how good or amused it makes them feel, but on the truth and virtue of the message (even in uncomfortable films such as Magnolia or 21 Grams, admittedly not for children) or the challenge to the intellect and imagination.

Much more to be said, and I don’t even believe I’ve said what I’ve said clearly, but life outside the blogosphere calls.

A Great Example of Cultural Re-Entry

One of our good friends and colleagues has a great blog entry regarding her re-entry into American life. I felt much the same way when I arrived in Colorado back in October, but Dawn puts it so much more eloquently.

Rod and Dawn and their two kids are back in the States for a few months to re-evaluate GEM Youth Ministries and have a mini-sabbatical away from the ministry, which is often a great way to hear God’s voice and envision the best way to move forward. We’re hoping to connect with them and catch up a bit while they’re here in The Springs. Rumor has it that we may be able to borrow their house in Dublin for a while when we first arrive in August.

Denver Road Trip Adventure

Had an interesting day. Drove up to Denver to pick up my computer from the shop. The last several days have been frustrating as I’ve used my wife’s computer to, among other things, do the e-mailing thing online, a process which is maddeningly slower than receiving them into my e-mail client on my computer. Along the way, there’ve been a number of other inconveniences that have given me cause to whine and complain. And it’s given Kristy plenty of reason to conclude that I’m a little technology-spoiled brat.

On the way home from Denver, just as we came over Monument Hill to head into The Springs, the Crown Vic (which my father-in-law has graciously lent to us all these months) suddenly decided to refuse acceleration and then, after coasting a mile, to quit altogether. After getting towed to a nearby garage, the mechanic informed us that the fuel pump would need to be replaced for a pretty little price.

Funny enough, Kristy called her dad to let her know what was going on with his car and when she mentioned the problem with the fuel pump, he said, “Oh sure. That thing’s been going bad for about four years now.” I suddenly didn’t feel so bad about breaking his car. (I’m mean c’mon, that fuel pump has probably just been hanging by a thread since we started using it last autumn, right?)

Our little adventure raised an interesting question: Are you required to have missing teeth to work with cars? It seemed uncanny how the tow truck driver and the mechanic seemed to fit the qualification.

Aside from the road trip mishaps, it’s nice to have my baby (read, “laptop”) back and running like new. Needless to say my wife is quite happy as well. Now if I can just get my MP3 player working again . . .

Ireland & the Faith Journey

Now that Kristy and I are finally headed for Ireland, we've been getting to work on airfare, hiring a moving/shipping company, consolidating bank accounts, renting out the townhome, etc. Before we leave, we also want to try and get in as many hiking trails as we can, just to take advantage of the beautiful Colorado outdoors as much as we can.

My heart is already anticipating the change of cultures and looking forward to seeing firsthand what God is up to in Ireland and how his Kingdom is breaking into the Irish world. Some newly appointed missionaries with GEM recently came across an article in the Chicago Tribune about the religious environment in Ireland. (Here’s the LINK.) I haven’t had a chance to read it completely through yet, but it looks to be quite revealing.

I was also sent a copy of a letter (by an Irish academic maybe? Anyone heard of Fergus Ryan?) that someone in Dublin sent to the author of the Chicago Tribune article. I have a feeling we can probably learn more from Irish reaction to an American perspective on Ireland than anything else. If you’re at all interested in that letter, let me know.

Recently I came across some quotes from a little booklet published by one of my old college professors. It’s entitled “Faith is . . .” and the pages of the booklet provide some rather profound ways of finishing the statement, oftentimes in a very no-holes-barred way. As I was looking through some of the quotes, a few of them really seemed to apply to our current circumstances.

Faith is:

. . . confidence in God’s faithfulness to me in an uncertain world, on an uncharted course, through an unknown future.

. . . realizing that what God is going to do through me will be on the basis of miracle, not man power, on His promise, not my goodness.

. . . recognizing that God is the Lord of time when my idea of timing doesn’t agree with His.

. . . confidence in God’s faithfulness to me in an uncertain world, on an uncharted course, through an unknown future.

Built to Spill LIVE

Last night was the Built to Spill show here in The Springs. The venue was great. Small little club packed out with maybe 200 people. B2S music is brilliant live, but last night they seemed to be struggling in the energy department. Maybe my expectations were set to high after hearing friends rant and rave about their live shows in Seattle. Maybe they're just road weary and had an off night.

I had a chance to speak to Doug Martsch (frontman) during the opening act. He was just sitting next to the merchandise table making up the set list. I asked if they had any plans to come to Europe and he said they were planning on it next spring.

During the show, they had art flashing up on a small screen by the guy that did the cover art for the latest album. Really good stuff. Very creative.

One song during the show was a video commentary that coincided with the band doing an instrumental number. The guy on the video seemed to be rambling about some extreme environmentalism issues. I think. I didn't catch everything he was saying.

Technorati Tags: live music, Built to Spill

Ireland Bound - Early August Departure

Have you ever felt the exhilaration of watching your team rise to victory in the final seconds of the game? (Italians can readily relate with this in light of their football heroes beating the German team last week.) Yesterday, this is how Kristy and I felt when God brought us some new financial partners who committed enough monthly support to bring us to 90% – the magic number required for us to prepare to move to Ireland! Shortly after getting the news of that new partnership, God brought us yet another unexpected source of financial support through an old friend from my former days in youth ministry who just happened to Google my name to find out what I was up to these days!

As the week was coming to a close, Kristy and I were graciously trying to accept the fact that we would probably not make it to Ireland in time to be with our friends and colleagues at the GEM Annual Conference in Hungary. Our hope was that we could kick off our new life and ministry in Ireland with those friends, many of whom were instrumental in introducing us to each other in the first place and had not yet seen us as “The Wellcomes.” In the back of my mind, I had decided that if we weren’t financially where we needed to be by this weekend, we would have to give up on the conference and hope for the end of August or early September. Our prayers together throughout the week reflected that delicate balance of, “Please Lord . . . but your will, not ours, be done.”

I know now that He was teaching us trust and patience. And due to the last second timing of it all, I think He wanted to dramatically remind us of His goodness. After all, being able to attend the conference is just a bonus and not necessarily essential to what He’s called us to in Ireland.
At the moment, we have a travel agent looking for airfare for the 8th or 9th of August. On Monday, we’ll give the moving company a ring and begin working out all of those details. And over the course of the next 4 weeks, we’ll be praying and seeking out the final $700/mo. that we’ll need to bring us to full financial support. Please join us in that intercession!

Jesus-Style Forgiveness

I’m really enjoying a book called The Jesus Creed, by Scot McKnight. The “Great Commandment” to love God and love others is what “the Jesus Creed” refers to. It’s Jesus’ most basic, fundamental summary of what life as a Christ-follower in the Kingdom of God is all about.

I’m hoping to blog a few things about some points that McKnight has made in the book, but for now I just want to mention something that came together for me between McKnight’s book and my study in The Book this morning.

In chapter 23 of “The Jesus Creed,” McKnight points out something that I’d never even thought of before. In the Old Testament, you don’t find a lot about humans forgiving one another. Not in the Mosaic Law and it’s list of commandments. Not in the Psalms. Not in the Prophets. We get a hint of it in the closing chapters of Genesis when Joseph “reassured [his brothers] and spoke kindly to them” in an act of forgiveness. However, for the most part, the Jewish religion, as taught in the pages of the TaNaK (or, Old Testament) is concerned with justice. As McKnight puts it, in the OT,

“forgiveness is something God does, not something humans do. If forgiveness is the objective reality of wiping the slate clean of one’s sinful behaviors and thoughts, then most of us would agree that only God can wipe the slate clan. This is why the vast majority of references to forgiveness in the Bible describe this process: Israel sins, YWHW forgives.”

Fast forward to my time in the Gospel of Mark this morning.

The opening text of chapter two tells the story of the paralytic who was lowered down to Jesus through a newly refurbished sky light in the roof, custom-built especially by the paralytic’s four loyal friends. (Those are the kinds of friends I want.) In an ironic twist, Jesus responds to the faith that he observes in this mischievous group of friends and says to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Never mind the fact that the paralytic and his friends are probably thinking, “That’s not exactly what we had in mind.” The story aims the cameras at the teachers of the law who, in a state of heresy-induced shock are thinking to themselves, “Nobody forgives sins but YHWH alone!!”

McKnight’s explanation of the role of forgiveness in the OT shed new light on this passage for me. I tend to be pretty hard on the religious leaders of Jesus’ day when I read the Gospels. And I really believe that paying careful attention to how Jesus dealt with them can prove quite illuminating for the Body of Christ today.

However, when I read this story again this morning, I was a little easier on the teachers of the law. They were being true to their religious training and to the Law of Moses. Sin is not something to be forgiven or wiped clean by other human beings. But it is something that God alone forgives in response to repentance. Recognizing this OT background on the concept of forgiveness deepens our understanding of the audacity of Jesus’ claim in the eyes of the Pharisees. Only as the ministry of Jesus progresses and climaxes at the resurrection can the people around Jesus (crowds and Pharisees alike) begin to see that this man could indeed forgive sins because He is, in fact, God Himself.

The even more difficult part comes later in the New Testament when God asks us to forgive one another “just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Click here and here for more thoughts on lessons to be learned from Jesus’ dealings with the teachers of the law.

Emergent Kiwi Engages Newbigin Thought

Steve Taylor has some very helpful thoughts over on his blog in lieu of his participation at a conference/think tank in Idaho. (That's right, Napolean Dynamite land.) It's when these kinds of ideas and questions come up in "emerging church" cirlces that I get most excited and challenged. Unfortunately, it's also these kinds of ideas surrounding mission and contextualization that critics of the "emerging church" seem to have little to say about.

Commenting on a quote from Leslie Newbigin's The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, Taylor says this:

This sentence foregrounds the church as the interpretive performer in the task of Western re-missionalisation. This opens a space for mission to be driven not by the essential pragmatism of declining numbers, nor the dehumanizing practices of church growth, but from a vision of the gospel as human, communal and Incarnational. It offers a hermeneutic in which the gospel can be embodied as the concrete hands and feet and ears of the Body of Christ.

(More on Newbign from Taylor here. Click here for some of my own thoughts on Newbigin's Foolishness to the Greeks.)

Technorati Tags: Steve Taylor, Leslie Newbigin, church, mission, emerging church

Approaching a More Complete Gospel Understanding

Just some thoughts spurred on by my study in Mark this morning. There’s been much talk in theological circles (particularly missiological and emerging church) regarding the Gospel of the Kingdom. I think this has been, in part, because for so long the evangelical church has preached a Gospel message of the cross without taking seriously the message that Jesus preached before he actually went to the cross.

As a result, the Gospel that has been communicated has taken on a 20th/21st century individualistic consumer quality: “Acknowledge the death and resurrection of Jesus so that you can go to heaven.” This is a terribly incomplete message when we look, not only at the cross and resurrection, but at the life and message of the Crucified and Resurrected One.

Taking that life and message into account, we can paint a more holistic picture of just what the Gospel is: “Trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus to reorient your life around His ways and around the mission of God to bring healing to the world.” I’m not daft enough to believe that this is the ultimate propositional expression of the Gospel. I’ve come to believe that the Gospel is so much more than a propositional statement anyway. However, I definitely think that this statement carries much more of the meaning and impact of the Gospel that the church is meant to embody.

Which brings me to another change in understanding and conviction: the Gospel is further truncated when it is not communicated in the context of the Church. Scripture seems to make it clear that the message, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus initiated a communal reality meant to serve as His continued presence on the earth, somehow embodying that same message, life, death and resurrection.

(Related thoughts here and here.)

Network Neutrality

I’ve learned recently that, in typical greedy fashion, big business in the U.S. is threatening to take over more control of internet access. I know it sounds like one of those crazy false chain mail rumors, but unfortunately, this one is for real. Check it out for yourself on Snopes.

Rather than me going to any more length to explain, I’ll just give you a few links to check it out for yourself.

Click here for RocketBoom’s video coverage of the issues at hand.

Also, check here for all the latest, including ways that you can have a voice.

Technorati Tags: network neutrality

Arguably Pertinent, Though Perhaps Random, Thoughts

• Poll finds Americans most patriotic. If I was more patriotic, I might say that this is because the United States is the greatest nation on earth. But I won’t. Am I proud of my American heritage? Sure. But my ultimate loyalties lie elsewhere. And I’m concerned that many American Evangelical Christians flirt with nationalistic idolatry in their patriotism.



• Eight teams left in the World Cup tournament. I predict England through to the final and Brazil to be defeated by France.



• Built to Spill are here in the Springs on July 9th. After feeling let down that Pearl Jam were going to be in Denver after we left for Ireland, and then feeling excited that they’ll be in Denver before we leave, and then feeling completely anguished at the $100+ ticket price . . . I’m ready to see a great show for 13 bucks. I’ve always heard that Built to Spill are incredible in concert, but I also think that their latest album isn’t quite as conducive to a live show like Keep it Like a Secret was. We’ll see.



• Africa: While the world watches Sudan with fragile hope for the future, another British reporter gets in with Ugandan rebel and war criminal, Joseph Kony. The Lord’s Resistance Army has allegedly murdered 10,000 innocent people, abducted around 25,000 children to turn them into gun-slinging killers, and has driven approximately 2 million Ugandan villagers into refugee camps. The situation has been documented brilliantly by three college students in order to raise awareness of the situation in Uganda. Head over to the Invisible Children web site to learn more. (In particular, check out the video report on the Global Night Commute. Amazing.)



• It’s not “Ireland.” It’s “Éire.” It may be a little difficult for the rest of the world to get used to that one.

Technorati Tags: American culture, World Cup, Built to Spill, Uganda, Africa, Ireland

Fun with Diet Coke

Too much fun. Keep an eye out for them on Letterman.

HT: Fernando

Thoughts on Contextualizing the Gospel

Kristy and I hosted her sister and brother-in-law over the weekend while they searched for a home. And, by the way, they’ve begun the process of purchasing in beautiful Monument, just north of the Springs. It was a lot of fun to be able to hang out with them during their search and give our feedback and support.

A couple of weeks ago, I came across this Pentecost meditation by Doug Pagitt and was very blessed by it. He summed up the invitation in Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 this way: “Invert your life to the way of God. Tell this story to yourself and others. Be part of the life of God under the influence of the Spirit.”

Also encouraged by Jonny’s thoughts on engaging false spiritual ideologies and contextualizing God’s truth, rather than merely writing them off and condemning them as pagan practices. This is the kind of missional mentality that the church needs to adopt more.

Click here for another example of this in Northern Ireland, where believers are trying to respond to the gay community in a compassionate way and opposing Christian protest marches. There may be some syncretism going on here, but I think the fundamentalist Christian group protesting the gay parade need to think seriously about the Christ-likeness of their approach (or lack thereof).

Are there any groups/churches in Northern Ireland who recognize homosexuality as a sin but do not target homosexual people differently than anyone else guilty of sin?? Why don’t we have any coalitions being formed to protest heterosexuals sleeping together outside of marriage?

U.S. Football Team Go Home

The U.S. are out of the 2006 World Cup after a decent effort against Ghana, especially in comparison to their first loss against the Czech Republic. A big mistake by the U.S. captain led to an easy first goal for Ghana and a bad call by the ref gave Ghana their second on a penalty kick. Hmmm . . . . combination of mistakes and bad calls by the officials. Sounds like a recent Super Bowl.

The one goal that the American side did score was beautiful, especially on the assist from Beasley. After that, the U.S. passed up a few great opportunities to score. McBride was the closest with a header that ricocheted off the post and Landon Donovan botched an opportunity on an ideal free kick position.

It’s been fun to watch the U.S. team and learn some names. I knew a lot more about European teams coming into this tournament. Maybe in South Africa, U.S. football will have figured out how to get a little farther on the world stage.

Now I’m looking forward to a rematch between England and Portugal, in light of the last Euro Cup. But first, the next round on Sunday: England have to get past Ecuador and Portugal must beat the Netherlands. I think England have a better chance against Portugal than they do against the Netherlands. (bracket)

Technorati Tags: football, soccer, World Cup, U.S, England

Oh, the Fund Raising Drama

Yesterday, Kristy and I set off early to check out the Denver botanical gardens. It was a free day (usually $8.50 per person!!) and I felt like it was an opportunity to make a big sacrifice to show Kristy just how much I loved her. It wasn’t too painful, despite the extra droves of day camp kids (who would do such a thing to kids?), and I even kinda enjoyed the big tropical greenhouse bit that had some pretty cool jungle plants. We both agreed that shelling out $17 to see it all would’ve bordered on financial negligence, punishable by written apology to every one of our financial partners.

Speaking of finances. When we arrived back at the house early in the afternoon, we discovered that GEM had increased our support need by a few hundred dollars. And this just moments after we had concluded that we were only in need of about $40 a month to be at 90% – the magic “airplane ticket buying number.” As it stands now, on Tuesday afternoon, we are in need of $200/mo. to get back to the magic departure number.

The reason for the increase is the weakening not-so-almighty dollar. I don’t understand how the dollar could be decreasing in value against the Euro when reports on the American economy are so positive, but then again, I never have been completely able to wrap my head around issues of global economics.

So after shedding a few tears and praying together – or rather, looking up to heaven with shrugs and utterly flabbergasted looks on our faces as if God Himself had adjusted our entire nation’s currency value for the sake of teaching two of us a little lesson in patience and faith – we’re shaking it off and moving forward, trusting God to provide, as has been case all along.

So if you’re a friend, family member, financial partner, prayer warrior, or all of the above, please continue praying that we would be able to discover the monthly funds that we need to get to Ireland around the first weekend in August. As you can imagine, it’s turning out to be quite an emotional roller coaster ride as we strive to get through this final stretch of fund raising. Intercession pointed in that direction would also be much appreciated.

U.S. Football Team Still in It

The U.S. looked much better against Italy today. Granted, their only point was an Italy own goal, but aside from that they played like they wanted it. They were tired at the end, with only nine men on the pitch. Bad officiating? Maybe. But just like as in any sport, you have to be able to play well enough that a bad call or two won't hurt you.

Now the U.S. have to get a win against Ghana on Thursday to have any hope of getting through. If they do, and Italy beats the Czech Republic, they're automatically through to the Round of Sixteen.

England will automatically go through to the Round of Sixteen but they need a win or a draw against Sweden on Tuesday to stay on top of Group B. My hunch says they'll win the group and play Ecuador in the next round, though Ecuador have been strong. If Ecuador beat Germany and win the group, England would have to play Germany.

All that to say, plenty more excitement to come in Germany this week!!

Technorati Tags: football, soccer, World Cup, U.S, England