journal : : field notes
Scotland Trip, Redux
Okay, here's a much better attempt to describe my Glasgow, Scotland trip. The previous simply didn't do the trip justice. The experience was fantastic. Personally soul-refreshing, corporately uniting as a ministry, and just a plain blast. As I mentioned before, we embarked on a
Nieu Communities Road Trip, which is the anti-mission trip. Well...kind of. Nieu Communities isn't antagonistic to traditional mission trips
per se; the focus of a Road Trip is simply different. We entered into the rhythmn of life and mission of the community, saw a different sort of mission work, and also spent significant time and energy in spiritual formation/inward transformation. It was fantastic. Nieu Communities helped plant a great lil' church in Glasgow called
Re: Hope. Check out what they're doing. It's revoluationary stuff in Scotland.
Some random things I learned/experienced:
**The words, 'pants' 'fanny' 'fiesty' all mean something very, very different in Scotland than in America. (Trust me)
**Scottish humor is brilliant.
**Scottish humor and angst often come together, forming one poignant message.
**I've found my new favorite hat in Scotland. It's the quintessential old grandpa hat; standard fare among all retirement age Scotsmen. I LOVE this hat. It makes me look like some witty, satirical beat poet.
***Our group was great. It was a blessing to spend 10 days with them.
I'm suitcase is unpacked, but I'll be spiritually unpacking this trip for a very long time. My moleskine is already working overtime.
Labels: nieu communities, scotland
I'm back...
Scotland was incredible. God was so good to us and blessed us in so many ways. For now, I'm focusing on catching up with Bekah and Ben, praying Isa home, and trying to get on a normal sleeping schedule. I'm also working hard on ignoring my inbox, hoping to God that all of those unread messages answer themselves. I'll post more later (pics, etc.). Until then...
Passport? Check!
The text isn't written backwards in real life (an unfortunate feature of my Mac's PhotoBooth), you'll just have to trust me on that one. Tomorrow I depart for Glasgow, Scotland with 9 other young adults from our lil'
faith community. We're embarking on a
Nieu Communities Road Trip, a great sort of mission trip with a desperately needed twist.
This will be my second journey to the UK, but my first to Scotland. I love to travel, but now that I'm a dad, I'm definitely more conflicted about packing up and leaving home for 10 days, leaving Bekah and Ben behind {sigh}.
Some miscellaneous facts about our trip:
- We're flying into the the airport (GLA) that was recently all over the news, due to the terrorist attempt. Fortunately, all seems to be calm and safe now.
- I had the darnedest time finding flights, and couldn't figure it out, until watching SportsCenter last night: We're traveling to Scotland on the very weekend of The British Open (which is in Scotland). What are the odds?
- I'm leaving the cell phone and laptop behind. The cell phone is no biggie for me, but prying myself from my Macbook for 10 days won't be easy (but it will be good for me).
- Par for the course (couldn't resist), I'm taking a slew of books with me:
- Night, Elie Wiesel. This Nobel prize winning account of life in a Nazi concentration camp has been on my to-read list for a long time.
- How (Not) to Speak to God, Peter Rollins. This philosophical/theological exploration on the emerging church has received rave reviews. Apparently it's a 'must-read', so I'll oblige.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, JK Rowling. I keep having to turn down invitations to go watch the movie (I want to read the books first), so I'm diving in.
- The Bourne Identity, Robert Ludlum. I've loved the movies (can't wait for the Ultimatum to come to theatres), and have heard that the books are very entertaining, yet nothing like the movies. Curiosity is getting the best of me here.
So, blog break for a week or two. If you think about it, pray for our group, and for my family. Thanks!
Labels: british open, nieu communities, scotland
Recent Read: Of Mice and Men
Of Mice and Men is a nice lil' short novel about loneliness, friendship, plans gone awry, and the fleeting hope of the American Dream. It's not nearly up to par with The Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden (my fav. Steinbeck novel so far), but it's an interesting read full of discussion points.
Labels: of mice and men, steinbeck
Recent Read: The Road
Okay. The above word is the most profound in this entire novel, and that's not an insult at all.
Cormac McCarthy's novel is unlike anything (I mean it), anything that I've ever read.
Set in post-apocalyptic America, The Road is about a man and his son struggling to survive in a lifeless/heartless/beauty-less world. That's really it. So simple, yet so profound.
The book has no chapters, and so much of the backdrop of this book is vague and unanswered. But the details aren't important, because this book is about the relationship of a man and his son. It is emotionally jarring, and at times tough to read...but it's worth it.
Okay. Labels: cormac mccarthy, fatherhood, the road
My wife, the LMT
It's official: my wife is now a
Licensed Massage Therapist. She passed her state boards! Ohio is the only state in the U.S., to our knowledge, which tests and licenses it's massage therapists through its state medical board. So yeah, she's legit. In addition to her B.A. in Marketing/Business, she now holds an official L.M.T.
Oddly enough, some states don't even license massage therapists (ahem: Indiana). Anyone can call themselves a massage therapists and set up shop. Word of warning: be sure that your massage therapist is licensed through a credible board/agency.
And no, it is NOT OK to refer to her as a 'masseuse'. That term is outdated, and implies something VERY, VERY different than medically based massage therapy (you know what I mean).
And yes, I realized what I lucky guy I am to be married to a massage therapist.
Labels: massage therapy, personal
Big Gulps, eh?
This is no joke. Courtesy of
The Economist (a great newsmag, btw). Click to enlarge. Now you know why America tends to have such a vested political interest in the middle east. Huh. Maybe we could try not to 'gulp' so much?
Ride your bike! Or walk! Or take a bus!
Well...see ya later!
Labels: economist, energy, gasoline
Why I Read Fiction...
It appears as if a
popular topic on the
world wide web among
emerging/missional folk is reading. What we read, how we read, and why we read what we read (how's that for a tongue-twister?). I think it's a great question to ponder.
So, my proverbial two pennies are proverbially clanking in the proverbial can. I'm a pastor and I love to read fiction (gasp!). I used to think fiction reading was a waste of time. Then it became a secret guilty pleasure ('
Shouldn't that pastor be reading theology instead of Ender's Game?'). Now I'm fully convinced that I NEED to read fiction. Here's why:
- I read fiction because it's compelling.
- I read fiction because it's a breath of fresh air from all my theology and church ministry reading.
- I read fiction because it offers a perspective on life that can't simply be expressed in traditional non-fiction. Consider this: Why, in spite of its literary awkwardness, did McLaren's A New Kind of Christian work as a catalyst for a church movement? Or why has Donald Miller's writing found such an audience? Because they framed their thoughts and questions largely in stories. Sure, their ideas were forward thinking and provocative, but many other writers were also writing much of the same. The stories draw us in.
- I read fiction because of it's parabolic nature. A primary teaching method of Jesus was parables (read: stories) that He used to illustrate and drive a point into the listener/reader. It was a fascinating and effective means of communicating truth (still is). While technically you could label 'fiction' and 'parable' as two different genres of literature, there is overlap in the affective nature of both.
- I read fiction because it makes me a better writer. I need all the help I can get.
(disclaimer: I will defend all of the above so long as one reads good, quality fiction.
If Fabio is on the cover, none of this applies)
Finally, I read fiction because I see its coherence with postmodernity's need for an authentic story to help us understand our purpose and existence. With all the buzz in the emerging/missional church about God's Grand Narrative, The Great Story, God's unfolding Story, faith as story, reclaiming the Jesus metanarrative, Story, Story, Story...why are the proponents and practitioners of this particular theological lens so shy when it comes to actually reading STORIES?
We cry 'STORY!', and we do so in the context of our NON-fiction books. We propositionally and evidentially explain why our faith is a story, yet we fail to read actual stories. Sure, we may see our lives and our ministries in a more narrative light (which is GOOD), but our reading seems to be dissonant of this. To me, reading fiction engages me in the great stories of humanity, and I believe that they may help me understand the Story of God more fully.
Hear me out: I LOVE thoelogy, missiology, and church practice books. I've got shelves full of them. It would be a shame for pastors/church practictioners to ditch non-fiction altogether. But let this be a call for to all the pastors/practitioners out there: let's read more fiction. I think we'd be better off for it. Our minds could take a breather from the rigors of pastoral ministry, and our ministries might even benefit from such made up stories.
There's my two cents. Off to start McCarthy's
The Road.
Labels: emerging church, fiction, missional
Recent fiction reads...
The Kite Runner, by Khaled HosseiniThis was an unbelievable book...a MUST READ. Fantastic tale about a boy from Afghanistan wrestling his inner demons while coping with the strife that is modern Afghanistan. It's an intense introspective glance into the soul of humanity. I couldn't put this book down.
The Grapes of Wrath, by John SteinbeckI'm loving Steinbeck. East of Eden completely drew me in, slapped me around, and left me dizzy. Grapes of Wrath was just as fantastic, but in an entirely different way. It's an epic story of human struggle (the depression and dust bowl) amidst unbridled greed. Yet heard throughout the struggles of the 'Okies' is a small whisper of hope that says, "If we all work together, we'll be ok."
A lesson just as relevant today.
I like books....
Coming up: "Why I read fiction..."
Labels: grapes of wrath, steinbeck, the kite runner
21 days....
Our adoption has been in the final court (aka 'PGN') for 21 days. Could we get 'the call' today?
Labels: adoption
Mawwage...
We head down to Indy tonight to spend some time with my parents. Bonus: I get to solemnize (yes, solemnize, I have a piece of paper that says I have such authority so I'm using the word) the marriage of our good friend Tad to his wife to be, Amity.
Tad introduced me to Bekah in the Fall of 1998. He set us up on a blind date, and the rest is history. I'm forever indebted to Tad, and helping him get hitched is the least I can do.
Labels: princess bride, wedding
I'm suitcase is unpacked, but I'll be spiritually unpacking this trip for a very long time. My moleskine is already working overtime.
