I'm not sure whether or not to be proud of this...but I am.

I submitted my blog site to "The Blog Readability Test," and within seconds got this response:

This probably is a bad sign, it probably means that I need to use smaller-easier-to-understand-words... but somehow it feels pretty satisfying. ;-)

Count your blessings

Anytime that Jesus says: for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. It's probably wise to pay attention.
Here's the full pericope:

9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

I'm familiar with this passage, and find solace in knowing that God is a good father, who gives good gifts. But I was reminded on Tuesday night at Rob Bells, The God's Aren't Angry tour how much God has given me, and how hesitant I am to trust him with the future. I realize that it is dumb not to trust God, but it is insane to not trust a God who has showered blessings upon me.

A friend from Matilija who also attended Westmont with me, always reminds me of the goals for my life that I shared with him in College. I wanted to

1) Live in Ojai
2) Have a manicured front lawn
3) Own a truck



Add to that the non materialistic goals that I've always had

a) Get married to a woman who loves Jesus
b) Have two daughters
c) Be a pastor

Alright, so maybe I was/am a bit shallow, but these were my stated goals as an 18 year old, (mixed in there somewhere was the whole goal to teach others about Jesus, but this post isn't about that).

So, I'm sitting listening to Rob Bell while I realize that although I am in fact generous and share with others, my initial reaction is to horde. What makes it really messed up is that out of my 6 stated goals, I now have all of them, and had very little to do with receiving any of them.



1) We can only live in Ojai because family has opened homes up to us.
2) I only have a manicured front lawn because my mom trades tutor services for lawn services.
3) I only have a truck because my Grandpa gave it to my family.
4) Amber married me because...(who really knows how I pulled off that one?)
5) I have two daughters because of something having to do with X & Y chromosomes and God.
6) I'm a pastor because God chose to call me and send me back to my home church.

So, my 18 year old goals have been achieved as gifts from God, none of them were achieved by my pulling myself up by my boot straps, and my initial response to another need seems to be hording. That sucks.

May I recognize that everything I have is a gift from God, and may I hold them with an open hand, trusting in Him.

Freebie

So, some of you have probably already heard about the new addition to the Smith House. When I was a sophmore in college, my roommates and I went in quarters on a new 25" TV from CostCo. After we were evicted 6 months later I bought my roommates shares of the tv and gave it to my mom. Then, when Amber and I got married we took the TV with us, and it was our first TV that we used for 6 years. Then, earlier this year, Amber's aunt gave us her CRT 35" monstrous TV. It was huge, but had no style...poor us ;-)
Then, last week, much to my excitement, Amber's sister let us know that they had replaced their rear projection HDTV with a plasma, and that we could have their old one.
So, Tim and I took a trip to LA and we picked it up. It had some bizzare blue lines going through some of the images, but after some internet research I took apart the front access panel, twisted a knob and "boom" the TV turned off. After I calmed myself down, I tried to turn it back on again, and there it was, a beautiful 50" image*, sans blue lines. It seems that it is only a temporary fix, and that sometime this year a tube may go ($500 to replace 1 of 3). So, I don't know how long we will get to enjoy watching Grey's Anatomy & Heros larger than life, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.



Before and After










*Further research leads me to conclude that 50" is the perfect size for my living room, (Viewing distance /2 = ideal diagonal dimension)

When am I going to stop seeing myself as a Pharisee?

The Evangelical tradition, (of which I am probably a part), makes a big deal about the heart. We ask questions like, "How is your walk with God?" And we make statements like, "Well, Jesus cares about the heart of the individual."
I was recently listening to a sermon on Matthew 23, and was stunned by these words of Jesus, "You have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness." I know that Jesus cares about how I treat the poor, the wronged, the alien... I know that I am to show mercy to others, but I have also lived with the assurance that what was really important was my heart. I have cared about justice, but I have equally (if not more so) cared about religion. I would estimate that I spend more time being"religious," that is, acting in a way that a Christian Pastor is expected to act, than I have seeking merciful justice.
The Pharisees were super religious, they had their tithes down to a science, they didn't omit anything, even the smallest spice, however they missed the more important matters, they missed the obedience that God really was hoping for, they missed the point that obeying God meant more than just being concerned with their own walk with God.

Which Sounds More Pagan to You?

Halloween?
or
Harvest Festival?





Halloween:

History of name

The term Halloween (and its alternative rendering Hallowe'en) is shortened from All-hallow-even, as it is the eve of "All Hallows' Day",^[1] also which is now known as All Saints' Day. It was a day of religious festivities in various northern European Pagan traditions,^[3] until Popes Gregory III and Gregory IV moved the old Christian feast of All Saints' Day from May 13 to November 1. In the ninth century, the Church measured the day as starting at sunset, in accordance with the Florentine calendar. Although All Saints' Day is now considered to occur one day after Halloween, the two holidays were, at that time, celebrated on the same day. Liturgically, the Church traditionally celebrated that day as the Vigil of All Saints, and, until 1970, a day of fasting as well. Like other vigils, it was celebrated on the previous day if it fell on a Sunday, although secular celebrations of the holiday remained on the 31st. The Vigil was suppressed in 1955, but was later restored in the post-Vatican II calendar.

-Wikipedia

Harvest Festival:

Festival of the harvest?

How bizarre that the same people who get upset calling Easter break "Spring break," freak out at the thought of "Halloween" parties at church...

Like any nine year old?

I read a news story this morning about Apple responding harshly to a 3rd grader, and was struck by the introduction:

(CBS 13) Like any nine-year-old, Shea O'Gorman spends a lot of time listening to her iPod Nano. So much so, that when her third grade class started learning about writing letters she thought, who better to write to than the man whose company makes her iPod....

"Like any nine-year-old?" Really, most 3rd graders have iPods? I remember getting my first $69 Sony Walkman in seventh grade, (my first personal cassette player my mom got me, it said "Warners" on it, and she got it for free when she bought three bras at Macy's).

I can't imagine most people slapping down close to $200 on an ipod for their nine year olds...what are they going to be listening to on it anyways? But, we'll see what's around in 5 years for me to spoil my girls with.

Do you want a revolution?

You say you want a revolution
Well you know
We all want to change the world
-Lennon/McCartney

Last night, Darren and I went to see the new film, Across the Universe, Sony's new "Beatles Musical". Think Moulin Rouge, (the new one) with only music by the Beatles, (I have been a huge fan of the Beatles my entire life, and I think owned their entire catalog by the time I was 13).

The film is set in the late 60's, and deals a bit with student demonstrations against U.S. policy in Vietnam. My favorite scene in the movie is the scene where the protagonist bursts into a protester's headquarters singing "Revolution," the emotion and gestures are super fun. This scene got me thinking about what is the best way to bring about change. We currently live in a time with similar unrest as the sixties (however with Blackwater in place of the draft, public outcry and personal connections are less), and I think that many people want change. Many Christians long for change, desiring to see the Kingdom break in around us, and I wonder what we can do to be most effective.
I have never attended a student protest, (although I did participate in an International Peace Day rally once where someone through a carton of eggs at us) but I generaly dismiss the impact that a student protest or rally can have, (I would have to say that Kent State did have an impact, but that may be due more to martyrs than to simply gathering and demonstrating). So, if not a public demonstration, then what will bring about change?
As Darren and I talked on the way home from the movie, I think that our conversations in Community have been spot on. We have seen Jesus teach about removing the power of the Romans, not by force, but by disarming their source of power, turning the other cheek, willingly serving others, bartering, etc.

With this in mind, I am really excited about our new series. After considering both Acts and Colossians, I have decided to take a break from narrative to take a peak at an epistle. In preparing our study from Sunday, I came across the following quote, (I think that you will see why I'm excited):

The epistle to the Colossians, we are arguing, was an explosive and subversive tract in the context of the Roman empire, and it can be and ought to function in an analogous way in the imperial realities of our time. This letter proclaimed an alternative reality, animating a way of life that was subversive to the ethos of the Roman empire.
(excerpt from Colossians Remixed)

If you do want a revolution, if you desire change as much as I do, then I imagine that words like "explosive," "subversive," and "alternative reality" are making you as eager as me for our study to begin.

Don't you know it's gonna be alright
Alright Alright