Rock you like a hurricane

I've been listening to David Crowder's Church Music a lot recently. I think it's a great album, but I am particularly moved by How He Loves. Here's the music video, but I actually prefer the album cut (it's slightly different), they are both great.

I love the opening lyrics:

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.

I love the imagery of God's love as an overwhelming force. It reminds me of another powerful Crowder song, Here is our King. You can listen to him tell the story behind the music here, but the song is an allusion to God returning as a tsunami to sweep us back to him. I think that both of these are amazing and moving thoughts about the power of God completely changing the landscape of our hearts and lives. After all, when a hurricane or tsunami passes, everything left behind is totally transformed; there is no mistaking that an unstoppable, unwavering force has been there.

We often use themes from nature to talk about God, but I think most of the time it tends to be a soft, whispering wind or the brightness of the sun. We rarely talk about God in terms of the terrible forces that we fear (hurricanes, forest fires), probably because of the devastation and loss associated with them. However, I appreciate and am awed by this lyrical re-interpretation of those incredible events.

I hope you are touched by it too.

The Cove

Becky and I watched the "The Cove" a last week. It won the '010 Oscar for best documentary feature, and boy was it good. It is about the slaughter of dolphins in a cove in Japan, looking at it from two angles: the first is the needless and brutal killing of such a beautiful creature, and the second is the health hazard created by putting the meat into the marketplace (they have extremely high levels of mercury).

I recommend this film both the for compelling story and the quality of the film-making. If you think documentaries are boring, this one isn't. You should watch it.

A week later I find myself unsure of how to respond. I mean, I was genuinely moved by the storytelling and frustrated by the unbelievably convoluted politics surrounding the entire operation. But nothing has changed in my life, and that's got me thinking about the process of change: how it moves from inspiration to action to commitment.

I saw "Super-Size Me" a couple of years ago. Another fantastic documentary. It really makes you reconsider fast food. But I still eat it, still love it, just as much today as I did before I saw the film. Facebook is inundated with cause after worthy cause, but does being a Fan really mean anything?

There are changes that I want to make in my life. Personally and Professionally. Spiritually and Socially. However, we all know that there is a big difference between desiring change and creating change. So here I am at the crossroads between the two... what's next?

Picking Dandelions 2: Electric Book Review

Short review:

I really enjoyed Sarah's exploration of her own spiritual journey and was challenged to examine my own acceptance of the spiritual status quo.

Long(er) review:

I was unsure of what to expect as I opened up "Picking Dandelions". I knew the author as a friend from my college days and that it was written as a memoir. That's it, so I braced myself for a dull history lesson of a really nice person. I was quite sure there were not going to be any juicy, scandalous revelations which would be sad to read, but would certainly spice up the reading experience. I am glad to confirm that there are no scandalous tell all moments, and I am even more excited to say that I was engaged and challenged throughout Sarah's honest and insightful look at herself.

I found it to be just the right length, long enough to draw you in a provide a solid background on the upbringing that helped form her journey, yet not extended with irrelevant stories as filler. I found her writing to be fun and clever, full of 80's pop culture references (the BEST kind of pop culture references), and also honest about the short-comings of her own faith. I really admire her strength to ask those closest to her to identify her biggest weaknesses and her courage to try to change in order to become more like Christ.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who may be looking for a great read about someone who may not be unlike yourself and anyone looking for a bit of a push to re-evaluate where you stand in your faith.

You can find out more about Sarah @ http://www.sarahcunningham.org (she's also on my blog roll)
You can purchase "Picking Dandelions" @ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0310292476/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

Picking Dandelions: the Interview

I have a friend named Sarah Raymond Cunningham. I met Sarah about 9 years ago as students on the campus of Spring Arbor University (then College). I've always admired Sarah, she has an obvious passion for her faith and for living that out in real ways to impact people. A few years ago Sarah wrote a book titled “Dear Church” in effort to raise here voice about what she felt the church was missing, a church she loves dearly and wants to see meet the challenges of a new era of faith and culture.

Sarah just released a new book, “Picking Dandelions”, a personal story about her own faith and the path upon which she is being led.



Before I give you my take on the book, I asked Sarah a few questions to help you, dear readers, to get to know her better. You should read it because it's my best interview on this blog:

1. Thanks for sharing your time the readers of The Best 3 Minutes. What are the best 3 minutes of your day?

During a snow, it'd be the three minutes it takes for the news to get around to announcing the school where I work is closed. Don't get me wrong. I like my job, but few people in their right minds would turn down a free day off.

My all-time favorite minutes (in any weather) are the minutes when Justus (my ten month old son) erupts in hysterical laughter over something simple. It happens like ten times a day. Its awesome to witness someone enjoying life at that level.


2. We met back to SAU and as your friend I was interested in your book, why would someone who doesn't know you want to read this book?

A. If they are avid readers, they might get into it as a piece of literature. Its a collection of stories. Some of them are funny; almost all of them are quirky. Its a pretty easy read.

B. If they are non-perfect humans (as opposed to the perfect kind), they might relate to my plight in life--to see faith as something that prompts me to grow through my ever-present flaws and dysfunction.

C. They might pick it up just so they can claim they read a book by someone who went to school with the infamous Alex Teal.


3. What's the deal...are dandelions a simple, misunderstood flower or an invasive weed?

Haha. I think that it depends on a person's perspective. You can see a dandelion and think, I hate this weed. Its ruining my landscaping. While another person (often a little person) can see the exact same plant and pick it and give it to their mom with a sense of pride.

I identify with the dandelion that way. Its a bright, intense flower that brings wonder to children who blow its feathers into the air, but in the end, it has some characteristics of a weed. I can be the same way, intense, energetic, trying to nurture love all around me, but in the end, I'm still very marked by my own weaknesses. The great thing is, in the light of Eden, even the dandelions end up looking pretty snazzy. :)


4. Picking Dandelions is written as a memoir, but aren't memoirs reserved for old people? Why write one now?

I think memoirs used to be seen that way--as something that 80 year olds wrote in the last years of their life. Or as celebrity tell-alls about adventures in Hollywood. But in the last five, or even ten years, memoirs have grown into a larger genre of books that are just "based in someone's personal observations". Hopefully all of us, especially those who follow God, are living ongoing stories that constantly teach us things worth sharing in every stage of life. Writing is my way to bring what God is stirring in me to expression.


5. In your book, one of the key steps to initiate change in your own life was to ask people about your weaknesses. How did you get people to open up about the hard to hear truth rather than just tell you some mild bad habits?

Great question. For some people, asking them to speak to you honestly about your flaws goes against everything they've been taught. They feel like its better to shield people from truths that could offend them. But in my case, I've got a lot of like-minded friends who were raised to VALUE the people who care enough about them to help them walk through their weaknesses to a better experience.

The important factor of course is love. And at some level, shared values. If you don't agree about a basic standard of what is right and wrong, what is healthy or skewed, noble or hurtful, you might generate more friction than growth.


6. I love funny commercials, any commercials out there that you like?

There are a lot of them. I tend to like the subtly funny ones like this one--http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4gsLVjI9jY-- rather than the outlandish singing animals kind of thing.

Detroit Art

This morning I took our youth group to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit. They didn't have school today because it's an election day and I thought it'd be a great way to get involved in the heart of this region that is suffering so much. We had a fantastic turn out (18 middle and high schoolers) and we hung up clothes to allow the homeless to "shop" for their clothes (much more dignifying than taking a hand-out). We also packaged food into boxed kits for a couple of hours. We ended the day by eating lunch at one of the centers where they serve warm meals to homeless and struggling folks. In between those two events we took a trip to drive through the Heidelberg Project. I've heard of this art experience but didn't really know much about it; now it know that it's really cool.

It's an entire block (both sides of the street) that has been claimed as an outdoor art exhibition/experiment to draw attention to the center of this struggling community. The project is a multitude of sculptures and art pieces all constructed from trash.

It is really hard to explain in words, so just check out the website... or visit it sometime.

Also, here's some info on the Capuchin Soup Kitchen if you'd like to support them too.

Goodnight Moon

Every night we pray with our kids before they go to sleep. We invite them to pray as well, but they don't always want to participate [we don't want to force them to pray]. But tonight they both said some things that are worth sharing.

Aaron tends to say just about anything that comes to his mind. Tonight he thanked God for "golfing and Tiger Woods"; then he thanked God for "not talking and don't touch the curtains or Mommy will get mad". I almost laughed out loud at that one.

Then Evan thanked God for being strong and for helping us.

Two prayers to put a smile on your face:)

July.

July is going to be an awesome month. July is going to be a crazy month.

On July 1st, I fly from Detroit to Tokyo. non-stop. Then I meet up with my dad and fly to Taipei, Taiwan. From there we take the train to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. We will be speaking at a week long youth camp (he's doing most of the speaking; I'm there to support, learn, and share a little). Then I fly back to Detroit and have a short visit with my family (who will be staying with family in Indiana).

5 days later I lead my youth group on a week-long misisons trip to Washington, DC to minister to a group of inner city kids.

I hope to share pictures and video of my adventures as well as many stories of the amazing things that God is going to do. But as you may have guessed, I'm going to be quite busy. If you don't see a post for a while, just keep praying that God would continue to speak to me and through me.

Eight plus Kate with occasional guest cameos by Jon

Tonight marked a sad day in the history of the Gosselin Family. This hour long episode of TLC's prized reality show ended with Jon and Kate announcing their separation (with the closing credits confirming the legal filing for divorce). It was a really painful episode to watch. I kept hoping they would pull a switcheroo and edit the episode to create tension and end with a Jon and Kate announcing a recommitment to their relationship. But it wasn't so.

In a previous post, I've already shared my opinion that Jon and Kate would love their kids most by investing in their relationship. It just seems like they keep talking about how much they are "there" for their kids without realizing the pain and heartache that they are leading them though; without seeing the contradiction between the lessons that they are trying to teach and the their actions. Both Jon and Kate have issues to deal with in their individual lives and as a couple, but I think that Jon has more blame in the decay of this relationship.

He needs to grow up, act like a man, and take responsilbility for the committment that he made to Kate and to God to always love her, no matter what. Yes, Kate is hard on him. Yes, it must be ridiculously difficult to raise a family of 8 kids. Yes, the pressure of the papparazzi/media/and fans has got to be nearly overwhelming. But that's what being a man is all about; taking on the challenges that would seem to break us.

And as I was reminded in church on Sunday, you can't do it alone. You need other men. You need a supportive and encouraging wife. Above all, you need a powerful, loving, and relentless God. Let's pray we can learn from Jon and Kate.

Bloggin bout Blogs

My good friend Robbie just sent me a link to Stuff Christians Like.

It's a fantastic blog which humorously explores the often ridiculous world of American Christian culture. As often is the case, there is alot of truth and insight in these entries as well. We should take our journey with Christ seriously, but in a way that is intentional and persevering, not in a way that prevents us from being able to laugh at ourselves.

I've only read a fraction of the entries, but here are a few of my favourites so far:

#17- Unspoken Prayer Requests
#71- Calling Things Postmodern
#93- Riding on the Cool Van in Youth Group
#560- Writing Twitter Messages that sound 14% Holier than you usually are (can also be applied to facebook status updates)

God texts the ten commandments

1. no1 b4 me. srsly.

2. dnt wrshp pix/idols

3. no omg's

4. no wrk on w/end (sat 4 now; sun l8r)

5. pos ok - ur m&d r cool

6. dnt kill ppl

7. :-X only w/ m8

8. dnt steal

9. dnt lie re: bf

10. dnt ogle ur bf's m8. or ox. or dnkey. myob.

M, pls rite on tabs & giv 2 ppl.

ttyl, JHWH.

ps. wwjd?

(source)

The Heartbeat of America

This past week the results of the American Religious Identification Survey were released (source). This poll is regarded as one of the most comprehensive studies of "how contemporary Americans identify themselves religiously, and how that self-identification has changed over the past generation" (they've also conducted the survey in 1990 and 2001). The survey found that the number of Americans that identify themselves as "Christian" has dropped from 86% in 1990 to 76% in 2008.

My friend and fellow blogger Adam recently commented on the opportunity that these findings hold to remind us of the growing need of lost people. I agree with Adam that our reaction to this survey should not be to circle the wagons and cry about the decaying moral fabric of our culture. I mean, who among us in the church really believe that 76% of Americans are Christian? Perhaps this is a good sign that many people who consider themselves Christian are realizing just how little they invest in their faith. Maybe there are people out there today that would be willing to explore a walk with Christ who would have not thought of it as necessary previously.

People need the Lord. It's not just a rockin' 80's tune... it's the truth.

Manual Transmission

Has it ever taken you a really long time to read a book? Not due to the extended length of the book or complexity of the subject matter, just for some reason you start to read it but aren't able to find the time to continue. I've been "reading" Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell since September. I've really enjoyed it and been challenged by it and someday I'll finish it.

One of Rob's arguments really stood out to me this past week. He says that we should get rid of the 'Bible as an owners manual' analogy. The analogy is often used because a manual gives us instruction and guides our path. The problem is that we only use owner's manuals when something goes wrong.

Last week a projector stopped working in the church basement. I opened the owner's manual for the first time in the 3 years I've been using the projector. And not only was it the first time that it was used in three years, but it didn't even help with the issue I was facing. There were no problem shooting tips for the lamp inexplicably shutting off. The 50 (english) pages were not even remotely helpful and I'll probably never refer to it again.

The Bible is not a simplified set of unhelpful, vague schematics. It is the wild, uncensored, passionate account of people experiencing the loving God (Bell, 63). I like that.

The Legend of Master Legend

I read a Rolling Stone article because I thought the title was funny, but the story really made me think. It takes a few minutes to read but it's worth it.

Read the Rolling Stone Article here.

For those of you without 5 extra minutes: the article is about a guy in Orlando, FL who has created a superhero identity for himself. He goes by the moniker "Master Legend" and he fights crime. really. There's also a brief and unfortunate reference to "Captain Jackson", a costumed hero I've come across in Jackson, MI.

The reason that I was so challenged by this article is because hidden in the middle of the story is a section about the work that Master Legend does between fighting muggers and developing new crime- fighting tools for his utility belt. He does a lot of work to reach out to his community (raising money for down-and-out families, giving food and razors away to homeless people). Here is a guy who may possibly be a bit wacky and hides his real identity behind a mask, but he genuinely cares about the people around him and is really in touch with the needs of his community.

Too often we Christians like to keep a buffer zone between ourselves and keep our hands from getting dirty in the lives of others. Of course, it does not mean you are a "bad Christian" just because you don't hand out things to homeless people, but how many of us are really in touch with the immediate needs of our neighbors? I'm slowly trying, but it's much easier to stay at home. Maybe I can learn a thing or two from the Master.

Intersections

Our Church has been focusing on intersections for a couple of months now. By "intersections" I mean those times where your life connects with someone elses. Intentionally or by chance, intersections happen constantly with your family, friends, coworkers, and everyone you interact with on any given day. It's been a good reminder that living your life for Christ isn't just about serving in a ministry within the church walls and that God wants to use our lives to show Himself.

Tonight I had an intersection with my neighbour Dane. Dane is about 22 yrs old and lives in the house next to us with his extended family that includes anywhere from 8 to 12 people [we aren't sure how many of them live there because it seems like it's not possible to fit that many people in a tiny cookie- cutter Dearborn house.]

As I was taking the garbage out in the rain Dane walks out to his car and calls me over. He asks "what Church do you go to?" So i told him and he proceeds to tell me about how he went to church until his mid-teens and hasn't been back since. Dane became a dad several weeks ago with his live-in fiancee and has been interested in returning to church. He knew we went to church (I don't know if he remembered I'm a pastor) as we talked he said that he would come to church on Sunday. I have no idea if he'll actually come and even if he does it doesn't mean that he's found Christ, but it was a moment that I didn't shy away from and I hope that it will provide opportunities for the future.

Let's pray for more intersections with Dane.

i concur

My good friend Martha Wood recently posted a link or her facebook profile to a blog by Cameron Conant. I have no idea who Cam (if I may be so bold) is or how Martha is connected to him, but I really liked what he had to say about being pro-life.

read his thoughts here.

Being pro-life is not a isolated political checkmark, it's a worldview and perspective that values people... all people.

Maybe you should loosen up your schedule, sneak in 40 more winks

Our society is so sleep depraved. It seems that every product advertised these days has some energizing capacity.

Here are a few of the products I've noticed recently:


Dove Invigorating soap (there's also one made for men too, but i can't remember the brand). I thought just showering was supposed to wake you up.



There are a ridiculous amount of energy drinks flooding the market.




These waters both contain caffeine. WATER... with CAFFEINE in it. Seriously?!?

It seems we'll do anything to keep our energy up, as long as we don't have to slow down to do it.

Sometimes we treat our devotions/prayer the same way. at least, I do sometimes. I act as if it's supposed to be a pick-me-up to get me through the day. something to give my spiritual battery a temporary jolt.

Maybe there is more to devos than getting through the day. It's great when you get inspiration to face the days challenges, but i think meeting with God should be more about him, less about us.

Here comes the Pope, all dress in... bope?? fope?? soap-on-a-rope??

I'm a frequent viewer of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I love the blend of humor, pop culture, and political commentary. Tonight's guest was Peter Steinfels, a professor of religion and columnist for the New York Times. He brought up a really interesting thought about the pope.



He said the only time we pay attention to what the pope says is when his messages intersect with hot button political and cultural issues. We only care about using his comments to support or criticize the war, abortion, homosexuality, or any other polarizing topic. When the pope shares messages of hope and love, forgiveness and grace (the true messages of the gospel, imho) we ignore him.

I think the professor is right. The pope speaks messages to gigantic crowds all around the world, and the only parts i ever hear about are a few sound bites condemning the war in iraq. While i personally have never looked to the pope as a source of spiritual inspiration perhaps it's because i'm overlooking the real message that he is trying to communicate.

A few 'sippi highlights

I mentioned a few posts ago that i'd try to put up some pictures of our mission trip, so without further ado...

Our Team

(Paul, Josh, Angela, Katrina, Michael, Marty, J.D., Nitin)
(Alex, Janet, Joy, L.J., Evan, Sarah, Melanie, Nick, Kellie, Liz)

Sunset over N'Orleans

9th Ward, New Orleans

9th Ward, New Orleans

Workin' Hard

Sunset on the Gulf

loving mississippi

i am currently sitting in pass christian, mississippi 10 feet from 2 amish ladies playing a killer game of ping- pong. seriously, they are good. and seriously, i'm in mississippi.

i'm leading our youth group on a missions trip to help the rebuilding effort following hurricane katrina (2 1/2 years later and there's still so much to do).

We made the trip down here in just under 18 hours (amazing travel time for 2 vans full o' teens). Yesterday we went to new orleans and walked the french quarter in beautiful 70 degree weather. Then we drove through the devastated 9th ward... it was a really powerful experience.

Today we have our first full work day and it was tiring, but great. I'm really excited about what God has in store for our team this week. i'll try to add some pictures next time.

Teal on Bonds on Bonds

Let me state for the record that I am not an authority on the details of Barry Bonds career. I have not read "Game of Shadows". I only watched the highlights of the congressional hearings last year concerning steroid use in baseball. I don't know Barry Bonds personally, but i think we can learn alot from him. and (full disclosure) i believe that he knowingly took steroids and other performance enhancing drugs.



We should all be paying attention to the struggle that he is going through right now (following the federal indictment). Mr. Bonds, or Barry if i may be so bold, chose worldly treasures over spiritual treasures and he is paying the price for that decision. Even if he never faces jail time, even if he wins his case, he will never be viewed the same again. The court of popular opinion [which was already swaying against him] will view him as a cheater, and even worse... a liar.

Barry had an opportunity to value spiritual wealth above worldly wealth during the congressional hearings last year. He had the chance to tell the truth (with total imminuty i might add); but instead, he chose to hide his misdeeds and value his single-minded pursuit of a written record and fame. His constant grasp for athletic glory and honour came at the cost of his integrity. I think we can see that his choice was of benefit to him temporarily, but now that the truth is being exposed, he's in a whole lotta trouble.

I think there are few things worse in this world than lying. Afterall, it was a lie that got us in this situation in the first place [and by situation i mean separation from God, selfishness, death, ... you know the rest]. But lying sometimes seems the easiest way, the simpliest way, sometimes even the better way. However, God not only values truth, but He is the Truth... and He calls us to no less.

What's your take on Barry? What's you take on truth?