irresistible revolution

(I usually don't get too risky on my blog. Most of the time, I am confident the views I am expressing will be shared by the majority of my readers. Today, however I have the feeling that many of you may disagree. That's okay. Its just a book review.)

The buzz surrounding the book Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne has been pretty remarkable. Many of my friends, and people whose opinions I greatly respect, have had tremendous things to say about it.

And they aren't saying things like, "It is a really good book. I liked it a lot." No, what I've been hearing is more along the lines of, "This is the most challenging and thought-provoking book I have ever read."

Now, I want to stop and make perfectly clear...I, in no way, want to disrespect those views. I have been challenged by and fallen in love with books that most of my friends didn't even like. Books are funny like that. It has every bit as much to do with the context of the individual's life who is reading it as it does with the actual words the author wrote. So please understand, these are just my opinions.

Okay, with all of that said, here is my review: the guy is hippie.

I generally liked the book. He has a lot of really good things to say about Christians and about the Church. I was challenged by some parts and laughed at others. But the whole time I couldn't help but wonder...if my dad were to read this wouldn't he just say, "Yep. That is exactly the same stuff the hippies were saying in the 60's and 70's."

And I wonder if the reason this book seems so revolutionary isn't because we are a bunch of white, middle-class kids raised in a predominately republican environment reading the words of a real life, flesh and blood hippie. A hippie that has come from our world, talks about the things in our lives and speaks our language.

I don't want to demean the things he stands for or the life that he has lived. I think it is incredible. I think the church needs more people like him. But I am not nearly as convinced as Claiborne is that the life he lives is the life every Christian needs to live. And, in my opinion, he comes pretty darn close to saying, "If you are not a homeless, liberal, out-spoken, social activist than you need to question whether or not you are a Christian." I understand the point he is making, I just think he comes off slightly arrogant and narrow-minded while saying it.

It would be like me saying, "If you don't write songs of worship and praise to the God that created, sustains and redeems your life than you need to question whether or not you are a Christian." No, that is just the way I am wired. And most of what is said in Irresistible Revolution is just the way Shane Claiborne is wired.

I'm not going to go to Wall Street and drop $10,000 in change on the street. I'm not going to go to the National Republican Convention and interrupt the President by yelling scripture in protest.

I don't like sidewalk chalk.

I don't know where I stand on issues of war and capital punishment. While I certainly don't lean right on most issues, I do know that I don't lean left on everything.

Does that mean the points he makes are invalid or irrelevant to the rest of us?

Absolutely not. All I am saying is that I believe he would be an out-spoken social activist even if he wasn't a Christian. It just seems to be the type of person he is. He's a hippie.

Now, because he is a Christian and a hippie, when he reads the Bible, he does so from a certain angle and comes away with truths that you and I would have totally missed. Thus, I believe, we need his voice. It is an important voice in the Church. People like Claiborne, Jim Wallis, Derek Webb, they are saying things we need to hear more of.

That is why I really liked this book.

But my problem with it is that I felt, at times, like he was saying, "Live how I live, value the things I value, do the things I do, care about the things I care about...cause the rest of Christianity is going to hell." And while I absolutely believe that the Church will benefit from people reading Irresistible Revolution and altering their lives based on the life and values of Shane Claiborne, the over-riding feeling I had while reading it was...

"...yeah, but we aren't all hippies."

a holiday suprise...

While home for the holidays, I attended St. Mary's Catholic Church with my parents. This was the church that I was born and raised in; Baptized, took my First Communion, and was Confirmed all before moving on to go to a non-denominational Christian Church at age 15.

I have been back on a few occasions, but probably not in the last 7 or 8 years. It was nice to attend mass with my parents again. It was a little like a time warp, though. Many of the same families were sitting in the same seats, the same men took up offering, and the same songs were sung. Not a whole lot has changed.

But there was one thing that was unexpected and quite funny. When I glanced at the information table in the foyer...what to my wondering eyes should appear...but a stack of my CDs for sale. It was like my own little merch booth right there in the lobby. And even funnier...a number of them had been purchased!

Well, look at me. I'm all...ecumenical and stuff.

The first picture below is of the church bulletin. Yes, I know, they messed up the name of the CD, but so what...I'm ecumenical, baby.

The other picture is a check from the church. Apparently, they bought one...maybe for the youth group or something. I laughed really hard when I saw it because it looks just like a paycheck. And never in my whole life did I ever expected to hold one of those.

Anyhoo, there was plenty more that happened over my Christmas vacation. But this was certainly the most noteworthy.

back to You

(click here to listen or download)

May the words that we sing be more than a song
May our melody reach beyond
May the breath from our lips,
which You first did give,
find its way back to You

And may the lives that we live be the refrain
That this song of praise would never wane
Even in minor key,
may our harmony
finds its way back to You

May the hearts that You've sought throughout the earth
Hear the song that You sing and know their worth
May their souls awake
to a brighter day
as they find their way back to You

This song is my prayer for our little faith community here in Knoxville, known as Crossings.

(note I: I recorded this song at 3am Sunday night, with nothing but a prayer and a banjo...and a melodica. also, I must warn you that I have been playing the banjo for less than a week.)

(note II: before anyone says anything...yes, I do know that John Mayer already has a song titled, "Back to You". but that was the only name I could think of. sorry)

american orthdox

This clip is everything I love about The Colbert Report. Enjoy.

new in 2006

This is a list of my favorite discoveries of 2006.

The categories are: Movies, Music, Books, TV and Miscellaneous. Two quick notes before starting, 1)the requirement for my list is that, regardless of how long they have been around and been enjoyed by others, I had to have personally discovered these treasures within the past year and 2)they are in order.

Okay, enough talk. To the list...

MOVIES
1) Stranger Than Fiction
2) Little Miss Sunshine
3) V for Vendetta

It was a tough choice deciding between Little Miss Sunshine and Stranger Than Fiction. Ultimately, for me, it just came down to which one had Queen Latifah and which one didn't. Honorable Mention...Shop Girl. I wasn't a huge fan of the movie, but Jason Schwartzman's character in it, is one of my favorite movie characters of all time.

MUSIC
1) Ollabelle
2) Old Crow Medicine Show
3) Sufjan Stevens

I know, I know. I'm like 3 years late on the Sufjan bandwagon (sorry Dustin, I'm slow, I just can't keep up with good music the way you do). But I have really enjoyed Come on Feel the Illinoise. And I absolutely love his Christmas CDs. Ollabelle, number 1...definately. They have changed the way I approach making music. And I really am not over stating that. Seeing them live was paradigm shifting for me. Honorable Mention...Copeland and Drive by Truckers.

BOOKS
1) Godric - Frederick Buechner
2) My Name is Asher Lev - Chaim Potok
3) Seven Storey Mountain - Thomas Merton

Godric and My Name is Asher Lev were locks for 1 and 2. They were as obvious as Troy Smith and Brady Quinn for the Heisman (...oh wait). Seven Storey Mountain had to be on the list as well. But it was a really hard decision. I've read so many good books this year. But as the dust settled, the truth is: these three men are probably the best writers I have ever come across. So I can rest easy in my decision. Honorable Mention...Simply Christian by N.T. Wright and The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer.

TV
1) Arrested Development
2) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
3) Colbert Report

How did I not get into Arrested Development while it was still on air? I remember hearing a lot about it, but never knowing when it was on. Thank you FX for playing reruns twice a day. The show is unbelievable. Honorable Mention...Saturday Night Live. I feel like I can include it on this list because the cast has changed so much since last year. All the big names left...fortunately all the best talent stayed. And for those of you who may not have discovered this yet, Kristin Wiig is the funniest woman on TV.

MISC
1) Blogger
2) Disc Golf
3) TiVo

For the biggest upset in the history off this post, Blogger beat out Disc Golf for number 1. I am obsessed with disc golf, yes. I have played in the rain and in sub-30 degree temperatures. I have practiced putting by the light of my car's headlights after the sun went down. Yes, I am obsessed. BUT...this post you are reading right now would not even exist if it weren't for Blogger. I would have no outlet to vent, dream, question, try to sound smart, make fun of Carman, etc. I would have no way of communicating with well over 20 people everyday if it weren't for blogger. Okay...with a number that low, I could just call. But leave me alone. This is my list and I can choose whatever I want as number 1.

Well, there you have it. How'd I do? Did I miss anything? Any questions or snide remarks?

stars on a sidewalk

This life of faith is hard.

Its not just about learning. I wish it was. We humans are good at learning things. And certainly learning is a part of it. Our continuous hunger for learning more about God is essential to our lives of faith...or maybe its a product of our lives of faith, I don't know. But either way it is there. Learning.

But...its not just about learning. It can't be. For how can we learn things which are completely other, completely foreign to us.

For example: unity.

What do we know of unity? We live in a world in which more marriages end in divorce than end in 'happily ever after'. We live in a world in which we drive an average of 40mins, alone, to and from work everyday (a statistic that is true in Knoxville); a world in which we come home from work, open our garage door, drive in, close the garage door and never see our neighbors; a world that says "make sure you watch out for #1"..."have it your way"..."that might work for you, but this works for me".

We are like flat, two-dimensional people trying to explore a 3-D world. We hear a word like 'jump'. And we dissect it. We study it. We talk about it. We think we've got a grasp on it. But the truth is, we don't. Some of us might be closer to understanding what it means to jump, but none of us are any good at it. We've never really done it. Though our limbs were made to jump, our joints are stiff because we've lived in the comfort...and the confines...of a lesser world. And when awakened to this new dimension, there are things that are simply out of our league.

So what do we do? Do we not strive for unity? Do we not seek it? Do we simply give up? Give in?

Absolutely not! This new world has a third dimension. We'd be fools to keep living like stars on a sidewalk when a universe is offered. We were made to hang in the heavens and reflect the glory of God to God and to the world, and now we know that. How could we ever go back to being okay with a life of being walked on?

So then what do we do?

We keep trying to jump. We come to grips with the fact that we don't know how and we stop pretending that we do. We humble ourselves. But we keep trying. By the Spirit of God, we keep trying. We bend. We stretch. We start working muscles we didn't even know we had. And we try...knowing that God, in His unimaginable grace, is watching.

And to Him we look like Olympic high-jumpers. Because He knows this life of faith is hard. And...because, in truth, what really matters to Him is not so much our jump, but our journey.

baptism cannonball

I realize that, as a grown man, a 10 year old kid should not be my hero.

But...just watch:

ch_ _ch s_gns are a_azing

What's missing? U R. Of course...I M too.

Who doesn't love church signs, huh? Sometimes they are painfully out-of-date:

If God is your co-pilot, you need to switch seats

Sometimes they are painfully up-to-date, but make absolutely no sense at all:

God is our true wireless provider

But either way, they are always good for...well, I'm sure they are good for something.

I wanted to share with you my favorite church sign ever. I got it narrowed down to two but couldn't decide between them, so I decided to just show you both.

Well, those are my favorites. What are yours?

bono being bono

I know that this is old news...it was last February when Bono spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast...and if you are like me, you have already read bits and pieces of this speech. But I had not seen video of it until yesterday. Despite being 21 minutes long, it is very good and worth watching. Enjoy.

An interesting addition to this video is this article.

It is about a new book titled: Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism. The author is Arthur C. Brooks, a professor from Syracuse University. In the book, Brooks finds that religious conservatives are far more charitable than secular liberals. I don't know about you, but I found that a little bit surprising and a lot bit interesting.

Maybe that has something to do with the 'higher calling' that Bono was talking about.