When War is Familiar

I stumbled upon this gripping photo today and after taking a few moments to let the power of its imagery sink it…I felt the power of conviction.

Conviction for failing to pray for our soldiers…

Conviction for failing to pray for their families…

Conviction for allowing the media to “soft serve” the war in Iraq…

Conviction for allowing my theological view on war to keep me from remembering that it’s happening whetherer I like it or not…

Conviction for lacking compassion…

Conviction for forgetting that somewhere in Iraq or Afghanistan, there lies a woman over her husbands grave too…

Whether you support the notion of war or not, this image should stir our hearts.  We should be burdened for humanity and the pain we cause each other. 

Most of all…we should pray for peace, and then put flesh to our prayers and become peace makers!

Love and Peace.

On Concert T-Shirts…

Today I happen to be wearing my new favorite shirt.  It’s a black vintage concert tee of the 1972 Led Zeppelin World Tour.  While I’m too young to have seen Zeppelin live, they have always been one of my favorite bands.  There have been lots of rumors going around that their recent reunion show in London will carry into a world tour.  We’ll see…

I’ve been to a ton of shows in my lifetime, but really haven’t bought too many shirts.  Mainly because their too expensive.  But, I do have one that a good friend of mine recently mailed to me from Florida.

The 1992 Pearl Jam shirt with the picure of the little girl that reads…”Kids want to play with crayons, not guns”.  When I opened the package and saw the shirt, I flipped out.  I was at their famous Moore Theater show here in Seattle in 1992, but didn’t have enough cash to buy a shirt.  I’m not sure I’ll ever wear it…probably just keep it safe and give it to one of my boys should they learn to appreciate the musical brilliance of PJ.

Concert t-shirt wearing definately has its do’s and don’ts…

Don’t ever go to guys poker night wearing your Sade “Love Deluxe” shirt.

Don’t go to a Death Cab for Cutie show wearing a Snow Patrol shirt.

Do buy an authentic Aerosmith concert tee and save it.  They’re worth a few hundred dollars.

Do wear your favorite concert tee…even if it fits a little too tightly!  They are in fashion…

So this raises a great question for discussion…

If you could go back in time and buy a concert tee…what band would be performing that show?

Love and Peace.

Art and the Church

I often enjoy taking pictures that I’ve found from various photoblogs or newspapers and post them along with some thoughts and questions about the power of the image.  Today, I came across this particular image from Eugene Cho’s blog, Beauty and Depravity.  BTW…You really should check in on what Eugene is doing with Quest Church and the QCafe, over in Seattle.  Good stuff!

I guess the church is in Vancouver…might be worth the drive to see it.

I’m struck by the “upside down church” and wonder what you might think the artist is trying to accomplish here.  For me, I defitnately see this and remind myself to not allow the church to be institutionalized, but rather, continue to seek being a movement of people.  Just as Jesus commanded…

Love and Peace.

On Voting and Endorsing

The other day I had a rather intense discussion with a long time friend over politics and the endorsement of candidates.  She and I were on completely different pages as to what we wanted in a president, but the fact that we struggled with each other over issues and who to vote for was really refreshing and good.

Right now in America there are thousands of good people discussing who they want to be president and why.  Hopefully, these same people who discuss will actually vote!  I say that because I know many who have tons of opinions about our country and the candidates, yet never get around to voting.  That really bugs me!

One of the reasons I enjoyed my discussion with my friend was because while she came from completely different angles as me, she wasn’t hung up on one or two moral issues.  What I mean by this is all too often we talk to people who will only vote for McCain because he is anti-abortion…or they will only vote Obama because he’s anti-war.

I happen to be pro-life and anti-war, so who the hell does a guy like me vote for?

Today, I read a very wise and encouraging article from Sojourners.net.  In it, Brian Mclaren makes a great argument for supporting a candidate, but not without being critical of them and their positions.  Here’s a snippet from the article I found to be really good…

Looking back over religious-political discourse in recent decades, many of our religious leaders implied, “If a candidate is right on issue A and issue B, support him without reservation,” which carried the tacit message, “These issues are so important — don’t worry what he says about issue C and issue D.” The result of this kind of endorsement was that millions of Christians supported President Bush on two issues, and then were strangely silent and uncritical about other issues — like the failure of the Iraq war to stand the test of just war theory (not to mention the spiritual call to Christ-like peacemaking, etc.).

What are the main issues on your mind today?  Is this an important election to you, or has all become too illusive to care about anymore?

Love and Peace.

Summer Reading and Mark Twain

We all know that when summer hits us it’s time to turn off the TV.  Let’s face it, there’s absolutley nothing on during the summer months.  Unless, you consider shows like ”The Funniest Commercials of All-Time” as  a must watch event…

Every summer, I spend  alot of my time outside with the family, working in the yard, working on others’ homes (which has definatley been the case lately), or enjoying a few books.  This summer is no exception… Tonight, I will put the kids to bed around 8:30 and proceed to the deck with a glass of wine and my latest book, called “Jesus for President” by Shane Claiborne.

Last week’s Time Magazine was a great issue!  They gave much of their writing to the history of Mark Twain…America’s first political satirist.  In it, they give a great timeline of his life along with insight into some of his least known essays…many of them dealing with slavery, war, and poverty.

After reading the article, I got to thinking that I really should take time this summer to read Huck Finn… Twain’s most famous work.

I read it as a boy for grade school, but that was long before I knew to read anything with a critical mind.  I can’t wait to dive into this American classic!

So…here are some questions about the books we read that will hopefully spark a conversation…

What is your favorite book and why?

What book are you reading now?

Is their a certain “classic” that you would like to read?

Love and Peace.

Colbert on Fireworks

For those of us who love our fireworks on the 4th of July, you will love this video.  For those of us who think it’s all a waste of money you will shocked that some actally need a hand truck to carry all their entertainment!  Oh, and some burn their face off, yet still come back for more…

Enjoy this video by Stephen Colbert…

http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=71255

On Being a Kid Again…

Something I try to make time for is reading the NY Times about twice a week.  I find that the Times as the most current news available and provides much more expansive coverage on some of the leading global stories.

Today as I sat at lunch and read through much of today’s news I came across a great photo of kids playing in the mud.  Apparently, today is Mud Day in Westland, Michigan.  Hundreds of people come to wrestle and play in a giant lake of mud.

I love this picture!  It makes me want to be a kid again.  Playing in the mud…jumping in puddles…running arround the back yard in my underwear (my 4 year old’s favorite activity)…playing in a fort or tree house.

The other day I came home after work on a hot Seattle day and my boys were running through the sprinkler in the front yard.  I walked up the driveway, saw my kids having all the fun and couldn’t resist dropping my stuff and running through the sprinkler in my khakis and dress shirt.  The boys just looked at me like I had done something wrong, but quickly joined in the fun.  Within minutes i was soaked! 

It was an experience I should share in more often…

Looking at this picture and thinking about all the summer fun I used to have as a child causes me to ask this question…

What do you miss most about being a kid in summer?  What is one thing you would love to do that is normally reserved for kids?  What’s stopping us from doing them?

Share your thought…

Love and Peace.

Praying for Daniel…Part 4

The story of Daniel Murillo continues on and while his story is one of pain and questions, it is also become one of true hope.  In my last post about Daniel and his struggle with a rare blood disorder (READ HERE), I shared the good news of his ability to finally receive the bone marrow transplant.

A week ago, Daniel moved into the University of Washington hospital where along with his sister (donor) went through the long process of transferring cells.  Everything went great!

Today, Daniel is resting at the hospital where he is hooked up to all kinds of machines, being monitored by computers, nurses and his wife Candace.  Each day he refuses to just sit in bed and wonder.  Instead, he rides a stationary bike, walks the halls, reads and makes conversation with just about every staff member on his floor.  Candace tells me that they are all just amazed at his ability to stay positive and energetic.

While he does have his weak and tired moments from the chemotherapy, the doctors are saying that his body has fought off almost all major problems that chemotherapy brings.  Except for the loss of hair…it didn’t stand a chance!

Yesterday was Daniel’s 29th birthday and I spent the afternoon with him and his family who are here from Mexico.  There was also, Candace and her parents as well as Mammo…Daniel’s best friend from Mexico.  It was a packed room and together we spent time worshipping, and then sharing in a moment of Holy Communion together.  It felt like a very sacred moment…

The doctors are saying that Daniel will be able to move to out-patient status in a week.  This is an incredible step since most who are in his condition rarely leave the hospital in under 3 weeks!  It’s obvious God is protecting Daniel, sustaining he and his family with great hope, and using his life as a great witness of grace and love.

Please continue to pray for them.  Daniel is still a sick man and has a long road ahead of him.  They need their friends to bring love and encouragement.  They need God to continue to provide the finances to cover their expenses.  It’s all possible!

Love and Peace

Being Both a Disciple and Patriot

Today is my first day back to work in over a week.  Christalle and I spent most of last week together away on vacation and I’m proud to say that yes, we still have plenty to laugh and talk about outside of parenting!  We returned Thursday night and immediately prepared for a long day on the 4th of July as we took the kids to Lake Tapps, WA. to spend the day with some friends.  It was a great day.

I have thought long and hard about this post and really struggled with whether or not I should even write it.  I know that some of my readers won’t agree (which is fine since I never started this for people to agree with me), some may be surprised, others excited.

I guess I’ll begin by saying this…I’m not sure what it means to be a patriot and with what I see in most of America, I’m not sure I want to be one.

Maybe a better way to express what I feel is…I no longer see how I can submit my life to being a disciple of Jesus and be much of a patriot.  It seems to me that the gospel message of God’s Kingdom, and how Jesus called his followers out of EVERYTHING the Roman empire symbolized was what made his disciples and the early church world changers.

Those early revolutionaries lived by this central question…”how do I live more faithfully to God?”

Today, it’s obvious that in America we have a faith that rarely wants to live with that question.  Instead, we live our faith by this…”how can I make America more Christian?”  In other words…we want Jesus, but we want our comfortable American lives too.  We want to make more money, own more stuff, have bigger business, and bring our faith into all of it. 

I like what Shane Claiborne says…”we just want Jesus to be a good American.”

This is my battle.  Allowing Jesus to be Lord over my life, while giving up all sense of entitlement and love for American empire.  Seems almost impossible at times.  Maybe if America persecuted the church the way Rome did, we’d all find ourselves disgusted by all the temptations of our culture.  But we have never known persecution…therefore, it’s almost impossible to know just how committed to Jesus these disciples were.

It seems that each year around the 4th of July I find myself in a bigger struggle.  As a pastor, I know what took place in many of our churches as we “celebrated” America.  Images of battle ships and jet planes crossed our screens…veterans were honored, not because of their sacrifice but because they killed the bad guys…enormous flags were draped across our stages, many of them covering the cross. 

Please don’t get me wrong here…I am not anti-american.  I am thankful for my freedoms and I do appreciate those (especially my friends) who have risked everything to make our world safer.  But, I refuse to believe that celebrating war, or a 450 billion dollar military budget (next largest in the world is Russia at 70 billion), or a democracy where supposedly everyone is equal has anything to do with God or the church. 

I think of what Justin the Martyr once said as he wrote about life as a follower of Jesus.

We who formerly treasured money and possessions more than anything else now hand over everything we have to a treasury for all and share it with everyone who needs it.  We who formerly hated and murdered one another now live together and share the same table.  We pray for our enemies and try to win those who hate us.

Maybe, rather than celebrating a giant flag as the symbol of power, money, and dominance we should next year get a smaller flag and then bring along side it an Iraqi and Afghan flag.  Rather than thanking God for making us the biggest and best, we should ask God to help us love those who hate, and serve those who we tend to hurt. 

Wouldn’t that be something…

Love and Peace.