Monday, December 22, 2008

Great new "Jesus" song from Brian McLaren

Check out this song, just in time for Christmas, from friend Brian McLaren.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Check out a new version of "Stand By Me"

This is from the producers at www.playing for change.com. Great video!

Monday, December 15, 2008

A new way to revitalize Detroit?

















Does acre upon acre of barren blocks offer a chance to reinvent Detroit?

An interesting question in today’s Detroit Free Press offers a fresh look at a generation old problem of what to do with empty land currently taking up great blocks of space in Detroit. Our Solomon’s Porch coffee house discussion will look this week at one person’s take at a solution. The Free Press article can be found here.

Information for the discussion:
-A new map shows how to tuck the land mass of Manhattan, San Francisco and Boston into Detroit. All three urban areas would fit snuggly within Detroit’s 139 square miles with room to spare.
-Detroit’s population has declined from a high of 2 million in 1950 to under 900,000 in 2008
-the writer’s conclusion: hopes and plans to repopulate the city and redevelop the city’s vacant land are unrealistic, at least for another generation. Some redevelopment deals will succeed, but realistic Detroiter’s should seize the opportunity to become a leaner, greener city for the 21st century.
-When speaking of the best use of vacant land, urban farming is generating the most buzz. What if Detroit could provide a significant amount of fruits and vegetables for its population and the surrounding areas?
-All the mayoral candidates are mum on this topic at the moment. Why do you think that is?
-Did you know that Detroit was once called the city of Elms, a green city known for its parks?
-studies concluded in the fall of 2008 that all of Detroit’s current population needs around 50 square miles for living space. The remaining 89 square miles could be used for other purposes.


Faith issues: How are we called, if we indeed are called, as people of faith, to participate in the revitalization of Detroit’s vacant land? Would advocating for the greening of Detroit be connected to care of Creation? What sort of voice should people have that live outside of Detroit proper but are affected by the issue of vacant property and population decline in our largest city? What other uses of the land make sense to you? How should the church be involved in this process?

Bring ideas to these questions as well as some of your own to our Solomon’s Porch coffee house discussion tomorrow night at First Cup coffee house starting at 7 pm.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Can different faith expressions live together under one roof?

Lately I have been thinking a great deal about how different people, sometimes from different generations, approach Christianity and how it is to be lived out. When new approaches enter into the fray there usually is some sort of backlash against those who are attempting to look at the same story and how it speaks to us today from a different perspective. Sometimes this happens within a church context that is attempting to invite newer voices to the table of discussion. It is often hard for these new expressions to gain validation as they attempt to figure our how these new communities experience faith, life and how faith and life connect in their context. Doug Pagitt, author of “A Christianity Worth Believing”, writes of a perspective from a church that is creating a new way in the midst of the old one. I think what he writes about can be of benefit to those of us who are journeying together at St. John’s and asking God what sort of new thing we are attempting to create.

Pagitt writes the following after giving a sermon to a church like the one described using Saul as an example. He writes, “Saul was a man of deep faith and conviction who was persecuting the new movement because it seemed to abandon what he believed to be the true, faithful way. Saul was not trying to kill the things of God; he was trying to keep them alive. But we know that he was literally killing what God was doing-and the people who were doing it.” (page 215)

Pagitt continues: “I hoped the people would recognize that in the earliest days of Christianity-just as it is now-people who were motivated by the certainty of their belief assumed that they were perfecting life with God when in actuality they were blocking fresh expression of what God was doing. I hoped they would see that even when we question the conclusions of others, we can do so without questioning their faithfulness. I hoped by telling the story of the faithful but misguided attempts of Saul, I could encourage the people to be more patient, more grace-filled, and more open to those who held to a different version of the Christian story.” (page 216)

The question becomes, how do we live in the tension of new approaches while acknowledging both the old and the new faith expressions are attempting to be faithful to how God in working in and through the process? Is it possible to keep the process expression driven and not personality driven? I believe it can happen, but the further question that haunts me is simply can people parse their faith into process driven discussions without the personality of the person coming through? Does this need to happen? When two “rival sides” journey together with how God can be expressed in a faithful way through those who follow, how can we effectively mediate a productive, worthwhile discussion that enables both expressions to be recognized and honored in a meaningful way?

Let me know what you think.

Be blessed.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Check out this cool new idea from Detroit



Freinds:


Last night I attended a human rights conference in metro Detroit. One of the people I met was Amy Tarrant. Amy is starting a business centered in an new an exciting way to be a Detroiter. Her concept that thoughts are vibrations, think happy thoughts, live the vibe in welcome in this part of the country. Her company, Vibrate Peace Detroit, is attempting to bring an alternative message and image to Detroit. Today I am wearing one of her cool t-shirt designs. Check them out and support her if you are able. I think we need more people like Amy doing creative things like this.
Be Blessed.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Great passage from "The Fidelity of Betrayal"

One of the books I am reading is "The Fidelity of Betrayal" by Peter Rollins. In the first few pages I am struck by its content and how it arrives as a balm/antagonist to the journey I have been on reconstructing my theology of late. Here is a paragraph to illustrate what I am reading about:

Rollins writes, "Christianity is not brain surgery or rocket science, it is not quantum mechanics or nuclear physics; it is both infinitely easier and more difficult than all of these. The fragile frame of faith is fanned into life so simply; all we need to do is sit still for a few moments, embrace the silence that engulfs us, and invite that flame to burn bright within us. This act is simpicity itself, and, just perhaps, after a lifetime of hardship and struggle, a few of us will achieve it and be set alight by it."

I am thankful how Rollins, in his writing, is helping to fan my flame of faith. The rub seems to be how I rarely look at faith for its simplicity, that being a follower of Jesus indeed can be simple yet I often make it complex. I am then left to wonder if it is hardship and struggle or egocentricity and a lack of courage that drives my faith to complexity and gets in the way. Or maybe the thought of intentional silence and my inability to embrace it. Or maybe the dark reaches of my soul prevents me from inviting the flame to fully burn brightly within me.

The journey of faith continues.....

Looking for something to do tonight?

I will be attending the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights event at Hope United Methodist Church, 26275 Northwestern Highway, east of Lasher in Southfield, Michigan. My son and I will be checking out the Human Rights Unity Fair from 6-7 pm. The topic for the discussion that follows: Human Rights: The Future of Detroit and the World Depends on Youth.

If you are able to attend find me and say hello.

Be blessed.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Check out this free downloadble music from Church of the Beloved in Seattle


Friends:


This album of emergent music is available through download from the Church of the Beloved website found here. The album is called "hope for a tree cut down". This music is a true gift and worth listening to. If you end up listening to it, let me know what you think. Thanks to Tony Jones blog over at Beliefnet for pointing it out to me.
Be blessed.

Monday, December 8, 2008

The "Great Emergence" conference

I just returned from the "Great Emergence" conference in Memphis. It was inspiring to hear Phyllis Tickle speak four times about her book The Great Emergence. I will be spending the next few post writing about what I experienced at the conference and how my thought are being shaped days as a result.

One of the people I met at the conference was Peter Rollins. If you have not read or heard him before I urge you to check out his web site here. He presented with many other authors as part of a rapid fire, five minutes and twenty seconds each introduction to who and what they are all about. I have heard Peter before via video, and to hear him speak even faster than normal, blow everyone in the room away and then return to his seat(and take a breath) was one of the highlights of the two day event.

Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt did a fantastic job putting on this event.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

A call to action from the ELCA advocacy group

Hear is a way to let your voice be heard by the Obama administration from the folks at the ELCA advocacy network.


Help make creation a priority
Join us for a day of climate action on December 6 and sign a letter to President-elect Obama calling for climate justice! The open letter can be viewed below or at the National Council of Churches http://nccecojustice.org/presidentialletter.html website. To sign on to the letter, click here [http://nccecojustice.org/presidentialsignon.html].

The ELCA recognizes that the threat of "dangerous global warming, caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide" poses challenges to the entire world, and commits us as individuals, as a worship community, and as a public church, to address this serious threat to God's creation. Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice (1993).

Climate change is real and it’s happening now, with impacts ranging from rising sea levels that threaten small island nations to droughts and flooding that impact global food supplies, from increasingly severe storms to melting glaciers that supply drinking water for millions. Each of us will have to adapt to these changes in our world, but the impacts of a warming world will fall most severely on people living in poverty who have few resources to adapt to these perils and bear little responsibility for causing them.

Despite the many ongoing efforts to address this moral crisis, the U.S. has failed to engage in meaningful conversation with other nations and has done little to reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions.

However, President-elect Obama has committed to taking action. This action would protect the most vulnerable in the U.S. and abroad from devastating impacts climate change would have on our communities and families if left unchecked.

In response to the growing need for effective action, individuals and communities around the world will be taking action on December 6 to call for just and effective climate action. This important day will be midway through the annual UN climate conference, taking place this year in Poznan , Poland .

We are inviting you to join your brothers and sisters around the world and call for climate justice by signing a faith community letter to President-elect Obama that will be delivered shortly after his inauguration. This letter calls for:

strong emissions reductions to prevent the worst impacts of climate change
financial assistance to low-income and working families to protect them from the rising cost of energy
international assistance to help vulnerable nations and communities adapt to the impacts of climate change
Read the letter, included below, and click on the link below the letter [http://nccecojustice.org/presidentialsignon.html] to sign it.
Ask your friends and family to join you! Click here to encourage a friend to sign!
October 8, 2008
Dear President-elect Obama:
Genesis and the Psalms tell the story of God as Creator and humankind as the stewards of Earth. The Prophets and the teachings of Jesus speak of justice for all, especially our neighbors who are voiceless and vulnerable. Inspired by the words of Holy Scripture, Christians are called to be stewards of Creation and to work for justice.
As Christians, we heed the call to be faithful stewards and caretakers of God’s creation by limiting the future impacts of climate change on God’s Earth. Already, global warming has damaged the precious balance of God’s creation causing long-term drought in Africa , increased disease in many of the world’s poorest countries, and an increase in natural disasters that are destroying homes and lives. Any steps we take to address climate change must follow scientific recommendations and focus on the short-term goal of reducing U.S. carbon emissions by 15-20 percent reduction by 2020 with a long-term vision to achieve carbon emissions reductions of 80 percent by 2050. Failure to meet these targets will put vulnerable communities in great peril from increase climate change impacts.
We are driven to act by our moral obligation to stand up for those living in poverty who have contributed least to the problem of climate change yet stand to suffer the most. Experts tell us low-income communities and people of color are at the greatest risk to the physical impacts of climate change and could bear the greatest burden economically from efforts to address this moral issue if not done appropriately. Any and all efforts that address climate change should therefore include meaningful and measureable steps to shield those living in poverty from the disproportionate dangers while limiting their increased financial burdens. The inclusion of financial assistance to low-income and working families who will be most affected by the rising cost of energy is necessary and must be considered as we move forward.
Global warming’s societal impact—floods, droughts, and the increased number of natural disasters— already falls most heavily on those around the world who are least able to mitigate the impact. To rectify this injustice, public and private efforts to address climate change must include mechanisms that provide adaptation assistance to the world’s most vulnerable developing nations and communities in order to assist them in their efforts to deal with the impacts of global warming. The US should work with these communities to provide appropriate low carbon technology and the needed support to create both adaptation plans and response systems.
For all to have enough requires that others address patterns of acquisition and consumption. We cannot achieve significant reductions in global warming emissions unless we make changes in our lifestyles and particularly in our energy consumption. Energy conservation must be prominent throughout our economy.
We remain committed to requiring that the tenets of justice and stewardship are incorporated as we address this moral crisis.
To sign on to this letter, click here.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Solomon's Porch tomorrow night

Solomon’s Porch for Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Friends:

Over the last three weeks our local paper, The Detroit Free Press, has published a list of all the home foreclosures for Wayne County for 2009. Sunday’s addition made up almost a third (about eight or nine sections) of the paper. In our part of Michigan this is certainly seen as dismal news. Economists claim we are still a long way from an economic turnaround. As we continue to live through these difficult times, how are we, if indeed we are, holding onto happiness? If we are not happy, can we do anything about it?

The current issue of The Week, one of my favorite magazines, looks at this very issue. In recent years happiness has been turned into a scientific study known as “positive psychology”. More than 200 colleges now offer courses in this field, which seeks to maximize happiness both for individuals and for society at large. As we find ourselves with a need to hold on to happiness in hard times, The Week asks the following questions, which will provide the backbone for our discussion tomorrow night. The questions are:
-What makes us happy?
-How does money affect happiness?
-Why do we pursue wealth?
-Where are we left after analyzing those factors?
-Is happiness in our control?
-Can we be happier?

As people of various faith expressions, how do these questions relate to our relationship with God and others? Does our faith, as we express it, make us happy?

I will bring along the article to share with all those attending. You can read the article ahead of time by clicking here. I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow night at First Cup Coffee House, Five Mile and Inkster Rd, from 7-8pm. As always, if you cannot make it but have something to add to the discussion, e-mail me and I will include your voice at the table.

Be blessed.

Peace,
PB