WE WERE BORN FOR THE BEACH

PHOTO SHOOT

Sorry, Wilo was too busy sleeping in the stroller. I will have to arrange another special photo shoot with her.

WHO SAYS I'M BALDING

How much longer do you think I have before I have "ring around the head?"

WHAT THE %*^!

inDULGE

HAPPY FAMILY (for now)

iPHONE ENVY

For the first time in our marriage my wife got a tech gadget before I did.

I am not happy.

But, her Verizon agreement was up, and she wasn't willing to let me have the upgrade (like she usually does). So I have to just mope around and watch her from afar.

March 2010 will be my turn.

SCARY MOMENT

The other night I was climbing up the steps to sleep.

There lay Eli on the steps.

It was 11pm.

My heart stopped at first because I was surprised, then because he could have fallen down the steps.

Crazy kid.

POOLSIDE

Recently, our gym membership hasn't been getting the usage it should. But now that summer is here, we can't wait to use the pool as much as possible. The kids love it, and so do I.

Aw, yes, summer.

Fun.

Hot.

Yet fun.

Humid.

Not good.

Pool.

Oh yeah, fun.

HAPPY (belated) FATHER'S DAY

Can you tell I have finally uploaded my camera pics?

Father's Day was very special this year. Rej's day was/is in India so I got to celebrate it all to myself! How's that for being selfish.

Rej made a homemade breakfast "out of nothing" and the kids made home made gifts for me. Eli made a keychain at preschool and brought it home the last day of school and hid it under his bed. He actually kept it a secret for whole month. Very impressive. Jaelin made a home made card, that actually made me cry (yes, I am a sentimental dad).

Wilo, well, she wrapped a book light that I picked out at Walmart earlier in the week. But the wrapping paper (paper napkins) was original.

Being a dad is sometimes the hardest thing to be. Yet, I would NEVER trade it for something else. It has been a wonderful experience. Thanks kids.

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Clearly, I am catching up from last month. Jaelin had a last day of Kindergarten. It was also her final time taking the school bus this year.

Wow. Alot has happened in the past nine months of school. She has learned to read and write, do math, make friends... she is a totally different kid. Her teacher, Mrs. Kaberle was fantastic.

Every month or so, I would volunteer in her class, and it gave me great insight of what is happening in the classroom. I must comment these teachers, who go through this day in and day out. I haven't been very big on teachers, perhaps because of my own poor Adventist education, but what I have seen in the public school calls for commendation. At least in Howard County, your taxes are going for a good cause.

ME: AT MY WORST

Gary Krause sent me this link. I was appalled! As you will be able to tell, I did this interview in post production.

And it shows!

Poor editing. Poor post production.

Poor interviewer!

WHAT'S ON MY PLAYLIST?

Last week, Rick Anderson and I exchanged some music to diversify our individual playlists. Here is what I have been listing to this week:



Brooke Fraser - Albertine
Click here to watch a music video of her








Chris Tomlin - Hello Love














Christy Nockels - Life Light Up





















Eddie Kirkland - Orthodoxy
















Steve Fee - We Shine












Hillsong United - United We Stand
















Kristian Stanfill - Attention

















Lincoln Brewster - All To You (Lincoln Brewster Live)


















Tim Hughes - Holding Nothing Back

MY READING LIST

I have been racing through several books at once. Here are a few that I am in the middle of consuming.

Selling Out the Church The Dangers of Church Marketing
by Philip D. Kenneson and James L. Street.
This has been an interesting book that is helping me understand the "other" sides perspective. The authors provide a concise a explanation for their concerns. Many of their issues stem from the idea that churches are using marketing as the 'center' rather than as a tool to share the the the gospel - what should be the center. "...we believe that it is a serious mistake to place at the center of the church's self-understanding what the church marketers so innocuously call the "marketing orientation" (34).

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us
by Seth Godin
Anything written by Godin is gold. I especially was caught up with his writings after he came out with Purple Cow. "A "tribe," according the Godin, "is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. Tribes are the new way ideas, thoughts, products, etc. are spread. Tribes are dependent on leaders, "Tribes need leadership. Sometimes one person leads, sometimes more. People want connection and growth and something new. They want change." He goes on to say that pastors are leaders of tribes. The challenge is to leverage our leadership for the sake of the gospel.

The Organic God
by Margaret Feinberg
I am not sure what rock I have been living under but Feinberg writes with a sensibility that is alluring and transparent. She has written over a dozen books, and I have just started reading her. Her latest book, The Sacred Echo has been an enormous hit, with four starred reviews.


Constructing Local Theologies
by Robert J. Schreiter
After reading this book, I am wondering why in the world wasn't this book a required reading assignment in any of my classes. I found a quiet place this morning and hid for two hours to finish this book. Written by catholic theologian, Robert J. Schreiter, explores the issues related to contextualization in the mission. He clarifies the challenges related to one's own ethnocentricity, "namely to what extent can a person ever fully understand someone's else's culture? In trying to analyze a culture, we tend to bring categories from our own culture and apply them to this situation, whether they fit or not" (41). Perhaps the most significant contribution he makes (for me) is the issues related to Syncretism and Dual Religious Systems found in chapter 7. He carefully analyzes these contextual concepts and by addressing the problems related to them; yet proposing suggestions on how to understand syncretism (and possibly utilize it) within the framework of the mission. He focuses on the value of incarnational ministry, something that we no longer discuss, "If contextualization is about getting to the very heart of the culture, and Christianity is taking its place there, will not the Christianity that emerges look very much like a product of that culture?" (150)

Models of Contextual Theology (Faith and Cultures Series)
by Stephen B. Bevans
Following up on Schreiter's monumental work, Bevan's adds some new insights on contextual theology. He introduces seven models for contextualization. While his 'models' have been thoroughly criticizes by theologians and practitioners of missions, I would contend there are some insights that should be considered. For example, he contends what many consider "classical theology" is nothing but contextual theology. He also questions the terminology and wonders if a more appropriate classification would be indigenization or inculturation (see page 16). In addition, he follows up on Schreiter's work on syncretism and offers an interesting perspective on how theological orientation can be received. He suggests that creation-centered orientation characterizes the human experience to be of good. This allows the incarnational ministry to be built upon what already exists. In contrast, A redemptive-centered theology is characterized by the conviction that the human experience is "in need of a radical transformation or in need of a total replacement (21). This theory suggest that the captives need to be set free by 'God breaking into the world to rescue humanity.' Once we are able to fully comprehend these assumptions, it allows us to determine how our missiology will be shaped.


It's Really All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian
by Samir Selmanovic
I have only spoken to Samir once by phone. That was six years ago. Believe it or not, be are involved in the same peer groups, Emergent church conversations, RE-church, Conference on Innovation, etc. But we keep missing each other. He emailed me a copy of his manuscript a couple weeks. No joke, I haven't been able to put it down. At first, I was envious that this dude is being published by Jossey-Bass. Then, upon reading it, I was envious of his writing style, candor, humor, and depth. UGH. I am interested in watching the reaction of Christian community (especially among Adventists). We live in a post colonial (euro-centric) state of entitlement with a strong hint of neo-newtonism that urges us (Christians, Jews, Muslims) that our faith tradition is the only way to God. Selmanovic rips these raw assumptions down by sharing his personal testimony of growing up in a Muslim family. Peppered with stories from his ministry in New York City, he builds a case for deconstructing the basic tenets of the three major monotheistic religions (and atheism) by offering a new perspective of what it could look like to follow God, detached from our formal religious brands. Speaking of brands, this book may threaten the business of religion (for the positive). I am planning a writing a full book review for Adventist Today magazine in the coming months. This book is scheduled to be released within the next couple months.

REGARDING BODY IMAGE

Regarding my last post, I have been thinking about what I wrote.

We/I strive for perfection. Why?

We want the best of everything.

Not just the best, but the biggest.

I was reading Samir Selmanovic's upcoming book It's Really All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian about our (Christians) desire for greatness; to be the best...to be conquerors of our faith, and perhaps all faiths...

Here is a brief quote that reminded me of my own fallibility:

"We try to compensate for our smallness by pursuing something big. Throughout our lives, we worry about the size of everything we are or own. From the size of our penis or breasts to the size of our car or home to the size of our influence or career to the size of our intelligence or wit to the size of our business or congregation. Once we no longer need to worry about food and shelter, we turn to compensating for our ultimate insignificance."

The last sentence really gripped me. What am I compensating? What is my ultimate insignificance?

BODY IMAGE

I have always had a poor body image.

Always.

This picture was taken when I was about 15 years old. I remember thinking I was soooooo fat. In fact, those closest to me reassured me that I was fat.

That year, I remember bench pressing 200lbs - being so proud. But yet, feeling so fat.

I look that this picture, and wonder what the hell was I thinking.

Why did/do I see something else in the mirror. Why couldn't/can't I just be happy.

I am sure 20 years from now, I'll look at the photo of me at 35 years and think, "wow you looked good!"

The circle. It is complicated. It sucks.

BUTTon

Rej was changing Wilo's poopy diaper when she saw something shining from amidst the kaka.

It was shiny. It was reflective.

It was a small button.

Perhaps we should start feeding her regularly, so she isn't so desperate for food.

...

P.S. This is not the actual button. However, as I was attaching this picture, Eli asked, "Where is that button from?" I said, "Do you like these buttons?" His response, "No, it looks like it has poop on it." Perfect!

CELL PHONE PICS

We recently renovated our master bathroom. While I was shopping for fixtures, Mr. Lowes try to convince me by a $600 toilet. I don't think so.



My pastoral intern, Geoff had his first Thai food experience with me. I coaxed him to try a Thai ice tea. Yes, he is learning many "things" with me.



I pulled into the Best Buy parking lot next to a large Lincoln Navigator. There was a man and woman sitting inside eating something and tossing something outside of the window. It looked like peanut shells. Hmmm. I took a phone call. When I got out of the car, I found the evidence on the ground by my car. It looked like crab leg shells. Yummy.



I picked up my mom from the airport. She was coming back from a couple weeks visiting Canada. This is ALL of her luggage. I never have questioned what she is 'smuggling' in and out of the country, but perhaps the feds should start their investigate.



When we bought this house, the home inspector suggested we get an attic fan. I found one at Costco last month. Don't know who to ask to install it.