Zoe Worship Conference

Next week we're heading to Nashville for the Zoe Worship Conference. I'm really looking forward to the speakers, the learning, the fellowship, the times of worship, the slightly cooler air, and the time of visiting with my family who happens to live in Nashville. The keynotes include, Brian McLaren, Mike Cope, Randy Harris, and others. Those men always bring a new insight to God's word in engaging ways.

The theme for this year's conference is "Overflow". The point being, Sunday morning worship ought to overflow into our lives as missional activity where we are active and participating in God's Kingdom. In other words, Sunday morning worship of a just God who heals the blind and the lame conflicts with Monday morning behaviors that exhibit indifference to those without health insurance. Atleast, that's what I'm kind of expecting.

I just received the Zoe worship album, Overflow, today. I haven't listened to all of it yet, but I know I really like "Let God Arise". A couple of the songs that are well known contemporary Christian songs feel a little awkward done in the a cappella style. Maybe they'll grow on me.

While I'm looking forward to all aspects of the weekend, I think I may mostly be looking forward to Sunday morning. I only get 2 or 3 Sunday morning worship times a year where I don't have any kind of responsibilities for the worship service, so I really cherish those times.

Anybody else going?

In Case You Didn't Know, I'm Pretty Hip

I take pride in trying to stay pretty hip. I like to stay in touch with the trends teenagers are popularizing. You can ask me about my Starbury shoes, or my knowledge of random Black Eyed Peas songs (Dixie is always impressed when we flip by a hip hop station on the radio and I know the lyrics) if you need proof.

But I have to confess I just now finally joined Facebook. I've had a facebook page for a couple of weeks now, and it's been great. In this short amount of time, I've found several long lost friends from high school. It's been good to catch up and hear about their kids. I've also been able to keep in touch better with some younger folks. Basically if you're under 30 and don't have a facebook page, then you're apparently some kind of freak of nature.

If you spend much time online, I highly suggest you sign up and start looking for friends. It's a great way to find people you may not have heard from in years. You don't really have to do much, odds are they will find you.

Thin Places

Mike Cope recently wrote about Randy Harris' referral to spiritually 'thin places' - places where it seems the spiritual realm almost touches, and in some cases, overlaps with the physical realm that sometimes blinds us to the realities of God.

Several people discussed places in nature, worship experiences, or precious memories they might have of where God's presence was more fully revealed to them. I have some of those experiences and memories as well.

Sometimes I'm hoping to have an experience like that in a worship service or a conferenece or a retreat, but it doesn't happen. I arrive with eager expectations, and for some reason I'm distracted, or not quite fully engaged, or have things in my life that keep me from having that coveted worship high.

You know what I'm talking about here.

Let me present another thin place that I have in my life:

When I go to serve lunch to the folks at Stewpot I find it is a thin place. Lives are raw. People are hurting. And, so quite naturally, the healing spirit of the Lord is blatantly evident.

I think the reason I so easily and consistently experience the presence of God is because I go not expecting it. I go expecting to share a smile and some food with the alien, the orphan, the poor, the widow, the ill, and the social outcast. Without fail, I come away moved by their faith. It's easy to come away thankful for the ways God has blessed me, but I find I come away with an admiration for these people's faith.

Some days during the lunch we have plenty of volunteers to serve the food and I sneak into the chapel service to worship with the homeless of Jackson. I try to encourage Brother Don, the worship leader there. I think the people there appreciate having me, a church leader, of one of the area churches there - but the truth is, they are more a blessing to me than I am to them. Their faith is clear. They strive to build community through sharing the love of God. They struggle with so many things but they recognize the sovereignty of God and want to live within His Kingdom. Don leads songs and prayers that most of the folks are familiar with from VBS when they were kids, or hymns like Amazing Grace. They cling to passages like Psalm 23 and Romans 8. In the middle of this worship of God the Almighty, I catch a glimpse of their lives - so different from my own - and in that glimpse I catch a glimpse of Kingdom life. I see the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, and those who hunger for righteousness.

It seems to me that this place is where the Kingdom is the most transparent.

TLAPD & Reading List

Argh, me mateys!

First thing is first: today, Wednesday, Sep 19 is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Be certain to shiver your timbers, else end up in Davey Jones' locker today.

...

Michael Tolleson (who is about as irregular a blogger as I am) recently gave me Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I didn't care for McCarthy's style of writing. He tends to use sentences without verbs. Incomplete thoughts. Hard to follow. Style aside, the story of a father and son in a post apocalyptic society was intriguing. It's not an uplifting story, but if you can get past the never ending ash, cannibalism, and lawless society, you'll uncover a devoted father who is willing to give anything for his son. I can't put my finger on it exactly: I didn't like the book, but I enjoyed the story. I'm not sure how to completely describe it.

I'm currently slowly reading John Mark Hicks' Come To the Table. We're currently in a study about the Lord's Supper in our Small Group and I'm basing most of the material off of Hicks' writing. Hicks has it that the way in which we normally practice the Lord's Supper ought to be reenvisioned and restored to its original intention: a fellowship meal shared in community full of celebration of the presence of God. It's challenging in its freshness that it brings to the Table. I highly recommend this one to anyone with any interest in the Supper (especially if you are accustomed to a Church of Christ liturgy).

I've also recently started Brian McLaren's The Secret Message of Jesus. I read several portions of this book when it came out while we went through a preaching series at church entitled, "An Uncommon Life". The upcoming Zoe Worship Conference, I plan to attend in October, has suggested that this book be read prior to attending the conference so I'm going back and reading it in its entirety. McLaren sheds new light on the message Jesus lived and portrayed in all domains of life. He demonstrates the presence of the Kingdom of God in the present and how we might join in with ongoing Kingdom efforts. I recommend this one as well.

Lastly, right now I'm reading Walter Brueggemann's Texts That Linger Words That Explode. This is a collection of essays by Brueggemann who is one of the leading theologians of today. Brueggemann is always a bit of a tough read for me because he's just a really smart guy. Still his writing is intriguing and I'm finding wisdom in his work.

That's what I'm reading right now. I also have a shelf of things I'm trying to get to. Any other recommendations?

Jaylie is 2!!

Last week Jaylie turned 2! She had a great time with her cake and presents.

Quite possibly the most beautiful two year old ever!



Dixie made a present cake.



Anything baby related is a hit with this girl.



Here's a picture of all three.