Like a child...

As I am 26 years old, I figured I was finished experiencing most new things in my life.  But since moving out here to California, I frequently have moments where I feel like a child excited about seeing something for the first time.  I'm continuously in awe of the landscape or palm trees and This weekend, I had the opportunity to experience two other things that I've never seen live before: Surfing and Fire

1) Surfing... I was apparently way unprepared for the amount of people in southern California that surf.  Even though Pasadena is about an hour from any beach, people make it a point to maintain this hobby.  Surfing just isn't something people do in DC, or Pittsburgh for that matter, and this makes it all very intriguing to me.  This weekend, we went to the beach and instead of reading the book I have due for class on Monday, I was so enthralled with the surfers in the water.  They all paddle out there and just sit and wait for a wave to come in.  Only one or two people can ride a wave at a time, so I guess there's some sort of unspoken (or maybe spoken, since I wasn't out there to hear them) way to tell whose turn it is on the wave, but it seemed that one could wait a long time in order to ride a wave for a few seconds.  I've observed people of a wonderful spectrum of ages out there.  I think the youngest looked about 7 and the oldest was in his 60s.  I think that Surfing might also be one of the most humbling activities out there.  You can not pick up a board and be good at it.  It takes lots and lots of practice and your movements are entirely dictated by God's creation.  If you ever need to find yourself some humility...try surfing. 

2) Fires.  On the east coast, the roads are closed for an accident or flooding or ice, but out here, they will close because of fire.  May I just repeat...FIRE.  I do not intend to address the major destruction caused by these fires every year, but to highlight how, aside from the destruction of property and livelihood, these fires affect life.  My friends literally drove through the most recent fire in Orange County where there were flames on either side of the freeway.  From the house we were staying at, it appeared as if we were looking at Mordor on the horizon.  In order to get home tonight, I needed to look up road closures because of fire.  This just isn't something that happens on the east coast.  Again, I do not intend to downplay the horrific destruction of this or to complain about the inconvenience I was caused, but to share another unexpected first.  

Ears to hear...

Sorry for the delay in posting, It's been a busy few weeks with midterms and my computer died but was resuscitated back to life.
This weekend I had to opportunity to see two of my favorite musicians Denison Witmer and David Bazan (two separate shows.) Both shows were excellent and performed in pretty intimate settings. One of the reasons I love both of these musicians is because they are musicians who love Christ, but not making Christian music. This has been an ongoing conversation in my Theology and Pop Culture class. One of the main passages we've been referancing back to is Jesus saying "He who has ears, let him hear" (Matthew 13:9). This verse is used in referance to Jesus teaching in parables and encourages the listener to hear/see God in the everyday. I think these two men are living out this pretty well.
We got a chance to chat with Denison Witmer after his show for a bit and ended up talking about our favorite C.S. Lewis books. He told us this story that I thought was funny, so I'll share it with you all... He recently purchased some Joy dish soap and noticed on the back of the packaging there is a list of warnings and one of them said "If you get Joy in your eyes..." He (I as well) thought it was pretty funny to think about what you should do if you ever for joy in your eyes. Just think about it.

Places of Comfort

So, my cat (Ariel) has found a new favorite place to sleep. I think she resorted to the sink because it's kind of like a safe, "high ground" for her since there's now a kitten running around. Ariel has always been kind of a strange cat, and it's always pretty exiting to see what she's going to decide to do next. This new habit is pretty high up on the list of entertaining things.
Just to keep people informed, I now live in the Dr. Doolittle house. There are 3 humans, 2 cats (one kitten, Leo and Ariel) 1 puppy (Linus) and the creature that lives in the ceiling above my room. (Did I mention there's some sort of small creature that lives in the ceiling above my room?) No wonder Ariel feels the need to sleep in the sink.

A little bit of home...

Last night I had the opportunity to hear Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, The Evens) speak at Hollywood High School. He is doing this Question/Answer tour where basically he goes from place to place just answering questions of the people who decide to show up. I was very excited for this chance because Mr. MacKaye is very active in the local music scene in DC, went to the same high school I did and currently lives in the next neighborhood over from my family. Most of the questions had to do with his lyrics, relationship with former Minor Threat band mates, current state of Fugazi, his "straight edge" lifestyle and other fan related things. But I was incredible excited to hear him speak so much about the DC culture and Wilson High School specifically. He spoke extensively about being a white kid in a majority black school and experiencing reverse racism in pretty dramatic ways. I want to share a story that particularly resonated with me though...

At some point in the past few years, Nike began marketing a skateboarding shoe and used the cover from a Minor Threat record with the words "Major Threat" in an add campaign. Because of the wide use of this on the Internet, he was notified pretty quickly by angry fans. Nike received much hate mail regarding the issue and discontinued the poster and issued a public apology regarding the situation. People encouraged MacKaye to contact Nike for some financial retribution. He decided, however, that he wanted to money for this because it would be the same as selling their identity to Nike. Instead he developed a plan to ask Nike to pay him in balls which he would then donate to DC public schools. So, he basically asked Nike's lawyers for $25,000 or so in balls (soccer, football, basketball, etc...) at cost, not the massive mark up value. Because of the unorthodoxy of the situation, Nike suggested that they give him the money and then he purchase the balls. He refused and insisted on the physical balls. This story is all great, until it comes to actually donating them to DCPS. Mackaye reports he called and called and called DCPS and was unable to get in touch with anyone about donating the balls. He was finally able to get in touch with our (we have the same one) councilman who reported that DCPS has the highest per student $$ in the country, but it's one of the most corrupt systems. Mackaye insisted that the balls would prevent this situation and the councilman responded with: "Check E-bay the next day". He ended up getting the cash and has donated it to many local charities, which is awesome, but it was hard to hear about the mess in a school system I came through.

I'm sorry that story was kind of a downer, but despite the sad ending, I think it's great that an artist who could collect his cash and buy more worthless crap would think creatively about how to use it. On a side note, I chatted with him afterwords and discovered that his friends used to live in the house my family currently lives in back in the 80's. I think he was more excited to hear that than I was. All very surreal.

Barack-O-Lantern

Someone in my church home-group shared this website with me and I thought I would share it with you all. "Yes We Carve" is a website which provides pumpkin carving stencils for Barack Obama themed pumpkins. In the spirit of the election year, I would love to see more people expressing their political views via vegetables. Have Fun!

Little ones to him belong...

Last Friday, Fuller hosted a screening (that's what watching a movie is called in LA) of the documentary For The Bible Tells Me So. This film follows 5 families from religiously conservative upbringings who are all dealing with a homosexual child. It asks many of the questions regarding biblical mandates on homosexuality as well as old testament relevancy. It is very interesting to watch people who formerly did not have a personal relationship with someone who is a homosexual and outwardly dismissed it as an abomination deal with this quality in a loved one, particularly in the parent/child relationship. The film addressed issues such as the biological arguments for homosexuality as a quality, not a choice as well as "corrective therapy" intended to "cure" gays of their gayness. This film was very critical of Dr. James Dobsen and Focus on the Family. Many of the families came out to say how hurtful Dr. Dobsen has been in his preaching but how they bought into his radical opinions prior to having a gay child. Dobson's view is that one should never accept a gay loved one or tell them you'll continue to love them, because if you do, they'll think it's ok....Eventually they'll change. The film makers were unable to get an interview with any of the outspoken conservatives who are very passionate about this topic, specifically Dobson. Their theory is that Dr. Dobson's organization is about Focusing on Families, and this film is all about the families reaction to their gay child. There are, however, many talking heads on the liberal end of the spectrum, willing to talk about this issue. This, of course, makes the film very one-sided and, in fact, one of the only conservative views is expressed quickly by Fuller's president, Dr. Richard Mouw. It saddens me that people who are so willing to speak (publically mind you) regarding this issue, are unwilling to grant interviews with people who may disagree with them. This film also makes me continue to ask the question...What happend to Grace?
I do encourage anyone to see this film, no matter what side of the spectrum of opinions you fall. It's an important issue in our world today and you must be willing to hear all sides, be educated and be opwn to dialogue. go to www.forthebibletellsmeso.org to check screening dates. (It's playing in DC at the E street theater Oct 26-Nov 1, and in Pittsburgh at the Harris Theater which I believe is in Regent Sq. Jan 25-31...sorry to people who live in other cities, check the website for your city)

What happend to Grace?

Today in my Theology and Pop Culture class, we were discussing advertising, marketing and branding. The discussion concluded with the idea that most advertisements are not only selling a product, but a lifestyle. Take a look at adds from that perspective and you'll see what I mean. This then led to the question of whether or not the church/christians need to so some branding of our own. In David Kinnamen's 2007 book, unChristian, he lists the words or ideas that average americans think of when the hear the word "Christian." The answers are sad but (even sadder) not too suprising.
1) Anti-homosexual (91%)
2) Judgemental (87%)
3) Hypocritical (85%)
4) Sheltered or old fashioned (78%)
5) Too political (75%)
6) Insensitive to others or not genuine (70%)
What do we as followers of Christ need to do to "Rebrand" christianity? First, we need to figure out how we got here, then we need to humble ourselves to look back at the words of the Savior we all claim to follow. I am nauseated by the fact that the first thing that comes to people's minds when they hear the word christian is "anti-homosexual." What happend to Grace? Isn't that what Jesus died for?
(For next week, we have a project due in which we are to "Rebrand" christianity, or come up with some add that would lead people towards christianity as God intended it. So, if anyone has any thoughts or suggestions, I would appreciate it.)

In Culture? Of Culture? By Culture? Against Culture?

At lunch today I was having a conversation about the role of Christians in culture. In my Theology and Pop Culture class we have been discussing how "The Church" (meaning the body of believers as a whole) should respond to culture. The two views we discussed in class were described in the book of Genesis. Gen 1:26 calls for man to "rule" over creation (Culture) and Gen 2:15 has man in the garden "to work it and take care of it". The first implies that we are to be in charge of culture and the later implies that we should work it, form it, love it. Not that the first implies some insensitive ruler, but I'm more inclined to lean towards 2:15. So, my conversation at lunch sprung up from this and led into a "debate" about the role that believers have in culture. Why is there so much expectation for christian artists (musicians/actors) to live out their faith publicly and in the work place, but we do not have these same expectations for other professions (doctors, lawyers, wall street). Do we put too much on people in the public light? or not enough on everyone else? If you're a christian Lawyer, do we expect that you're not going to lie? How come a musician who is a christian is ostracized for sinful behavior when a christian plastic surgeon is accepted in a community for objectifying women (not that all plastic surgeons do this, it's just one example).

The conversation didn't really have a conclusion but was good food for thought (included in the tasty sandwich I was eating).

No, but really...

This is the view from my front porch:
Would you get a load of those mountains!

Losing faith in radio

I've been in California for about 6 weeks now and I've heard the song Rock Lobster three times on the radio. THREE times! I have been on this planet for 26 years and heard this song more times in the past 6 weeks than in all 26 years. I've heard great things about the radio stations in the LA area...but really.

The World Beneath

So, I'm taking 3 classes this quarter (apparently that's full time in Grad School). My Foundations of Youth Ministry is taught by a gentleman named Chap Clark who has written many a books on Youth Ministry. We've just finished reading (What I think is) his most recent book, Hurt. Basically what Chap did is work as a substitute teacher in an LA County high school and got to know kids. He was able to sit down and talk with kids in a very candid environment, after much time spent building trust. His book comes to one very big conclusion...that adolescents have been essentially abandoned in order to figure out how to become adults on their own. This book was very reminiscent of my experience working and living with high school girls. The role I was in at Madeira allowed me to spend time getting to know the kids I was working with on a personal level, and almost to "be in their world". I now realize what a rare opportunity I had. Kids today essentially create their own world in order to protect and support each other, and because I was not a teacher and living with them, I was given small glimpses into this world. Of course, I was still behind the wall, given that I was an adult as well as an employee of the school. The girls knew this as did I. The relationships I have with some of the girls now is a whole new place. Because I'm no longer contractually bound to the school, the girls are more willing to talk about experiences (joys and fears) on a different level. I would highly encourage anyone who is working with adolescents (particularly high school) to read this book. It's a difficult read if you know kids, because it says a lot of hard truths, but it's worth the read. Many adults and schools deny that these are real issues and that "their kids aren't like that", but according to Chap: Their kids are just good liars.

Church As Communtiy?

So, one of the things I've really been seeking out here is a church that comes kind of close to the idea that a church is designed not only to be a house of worship but also a community of believers. I had no idea what form this would take, but it's been nice to start to get plugged in at a church called Ecclesia. In my quest over the past 8 months or so, I've been looking back at scripture (particularly Acts) to see how the Lord intended Church to be. The verse that describes this best is found in Acts 2. As you might guess, I was pretty excited to see that this verse is what Ecclesia uses to describe their mission/vision. I've only been there about a month, but so far, it's been a great community. It meets in an old kind of run down movie theater on the Hollywood strip (stars on the sidewalk and all) and it's only about a 20 minute drive from where I'm living. I also enjoy the fact that it's not entirely Fuller students. There are a few who attend there, but it's not like a continuation of my community here. As I understand it, Ecclesia broke away from a PC(USA) church in the area and now runs on more of a non-denom. level. Having spent the past few years in Presbyterian committee meetings trying to see a church that I love embody more of the community described in Acts, it's very nice to be in a place where one doesn't have to convince anyone of this. The church is large, but not overwhelming. Has a "contemporary" style of music, but isn't cheesy. Speaking of music, I also appreciate that the worship band isn't the same people every week and they're kind of set off to the side, not raised up in the front for all to "worship". It's the Cross that's in that location. Funny how that works out.

Title Song...

So, someone suggested to me that I consider blogging about my "adventures" in California/Seminary. I used to think that blogs were a little weird, especially when people blog what appear to be personal/private thoughts or feelings for the wide world to see. Then I realized that writing on a blog would be the easiest way to allow people to experience life with me. I had some cool and thought provoking experiences since being out here and wanted to be able to share them with people I know and love.

So, when I created this blog, It asked me for a "title" or "display name" or something to that effect. I had much trouble coming up with something creative yet fitting, but then I realized that the one thing that brought me out here to CA was passion. One of the reasons I've left my former profession and and am seeking something new is passion. I'm passionate about kids. I'm passionate about what makes them smile and what makes them cry. I'm passionate about walking with kids as they grow up and learn to live for Christ. So, I titled this "Not Without Passion" (which is not a play on a sally field movie), but it is in fact a way that I will never live my life. And I hope the same for you.