How do you help create change in your community that brings life instead of damage? Our good friend Claudio Oliver chats with Spencer Burke on The Ooze TV...
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
A Doxology Through Wine
A DOXOLOGY THROUGH WINE
A bottle of Chateau Montelena might seem an extravagance, and a part of me wanted to think it was, but a part of me knew the fragrance clinging to the just pulled cork was a sweet sweet smell, not just to our noses but in the heavenly realms as well. Through some bizarre twist of divine appointment one of the best bottles of wine I would ever taste connected me to a tapestry of desperate people. Down through the ages when desperate people dared to rely on God they often found their desperation met not with sufficiency, but with extravagance.
Let me back up, because this is an important story. The story in full context is a picture of The Work Of The People and it's our stories that define us, so this story, in a tangible way, defines The Work Of The People
WE AREN'T CLEVER, BUT WE ARE PERSISTENT
In the three years since Travis started TWOTP he hasn't drawn a salary. In the nearly 2 years I've been part of things I haven't drawn a salary. We are hanging on by our finger nails believing this thing to be worth hanging onto in an effort to make it self sustaining. Meanwhile, the absence of stable income has surpassed one, two, three? milestones of risk and discomfort causing considerable personal and familial angst, upheaval and turmoil. All relative of course. Standing over fetid wells in Ethiopia and needless graves in Cambodia always gives one perspective. But, without belittling deep need I acknowledge the reality of my own difficulties.
Despite apparent circumstances, Travis and I both feel strangely at peace and on the right path. We both feel the life blood of TWOTP is a childlike reliance on our Heavenly Father and our current circumstances force us toward a tangible demonstration of what we profess. We know the vision before us, of a global community of artists engaged in the manifestation of a new and ancient liturgy, won't come about by our cleverness; and a good thing because we aren't that clever. Whatever comes about will come about through persistent hope in God making all things new and in pouring ourselves out for the sake of those around us, which inexorably connects us to God's grand narrative of redemption. So, we carry on. Still, one longs for confirmation that the difficulties are a necessary part of something larger, rendering them bearable. Nothing seems more unbearable than the nettling capricious peccadilloes of random chance.
LITTLE PICTURES OF LARGER THINGS
So God gave us a little picture of good fortune to remind us of the larger picture we maybe couldn't see. Travis and I were in Kansas City at the National Worship Leader Conference with our friends Ron and Kevin. Our little booth almost laughable evidence of our current state of affairs. Clearly, we were not regular purveyors of conference buzz. Right next to our seemingly homespun efforts was the pinnacle of professional attention getting; scaffolding! lights! monitors! demos! In comparison to the next booth over we were, in a word, underwhelming. It was a living monument to our lack of cleverness and resources. We were a mustard seed. Here's footage of our booth and our neighbor's booth, just for reference...
GOD BRINGS THE RAIN
Mustard seeds don't make themselves grow, God does. As it turns out the next booth over had too much stuff, they needed somewhere to put their extra stuff and so approached Travis about using some of our unused space. The upshot? the next booth over generously compensated Travis for his trouble. Perhaps this violates some contractual dotting of i's and crossing of t's, but we're just naive enough not to know any different. Besides, as far as Travis was concerned he was helping a brother out, the generosity was as unexpected as it was welcome.
MANNA MONEY
This monetary generosity became known as Manna Money. It had arrived seemingly out of thin air, requiring neither our cleverness or resources. In keeping with the nature of unexpected and undeserved blessings it seemed it was given for this time and should be used up by the end of the conference leaving us once again, like manna gathering Israel, reliant on the grace of our heavenly Father for whatever came next. Over the next few days the money was used primarily to share meals with new friends which we otherwise couldn't really have afforded.
A DOXOLOGY THROUGH WINE
Our rental car wouldn't start. It was late, we hadn't eaten and we had 2 hours to kill. We walked down to a restaurant nearby. We found ourselves at the meal table, Travis, Ron, Kevin, Nathan, Paul and I, ordering what was to be an incredible meal with our manna money. Fresh bread had just been brought in preparation for the meal we were to enjoy. On our sommelier's insistance we uncorked a bottle of Chateau Montelena. Bread and wine were passed and we celebrated our serendipitous Eucharist. Our unexpected and undeserved good forture. Through the wine and bread we embodied a welcoming to our table of Father God, provider of all we enjoyed. We set aside this time and this place; the taste, the smells, the conversation, the laughter as affirmation of the goodness of our Father. We lifted our glasses, our actions spoke glory to God. A doxology to undeserved grace. A doxology through wine.
FURTHER CONFIRMATION in daily reading...
After returning home I began to wonder if this wasn't self-indulgent wishful thinking.
Brueggemann "Great Prayers of the Old Testament" - Solomon received grace, celebrated with a banquet meal.
Webber "Ancient Future Worship" - God's narrative not ours. stop worrying.
- Steve Frost
A bottle of Chateau Montelena might seem an extravagance, and a part of me wanted to think it was, but a part of me knew the fragrance clinging to the just pulled cork was a sweet sweet smell, not just to our noses but in the heavenly realms as well. Through some bizarre twist of divine appointment one of the best bottles of wine I would ever taste connected me to a tapestry of desperate people. Down through the ages when desperate people dared to rely on God they often found their desperation met not with sufficiency, but with extravagance.
Let me back up, because this is an important story. The story in full context is a picture of The Work Of The People and it's our stories that define us, so this story, in a tangible way, defines The Work Of The People
WE AREN'T CLEVER, BUT WE ARE PERSISTENT
In the three years since Travis started TWOTP he hasn't drawn a salary. In the nearly 2 years I've been part of things I haven't drawn a salary. We are hanging on by our finger nails believing this thing to be worth hanging onto in an effort to make it self sustaining. Meanwhile, the absence of stable income has surpassed one, two, three? milestones of risk and discomfort causing considerable personal and familial angst, upheaval and turmoil. All relative of course. Standing over fetid wells in Ethiopia and needless graves in Cambodia always gives one perspective. But, without belittling deep need I acknowledge the reality of my own difficulties.
Despite apparent circumstances, Travis and I both feel strangely at peace and on the right path. We both feel the life blood of TWOTP is a childlike reliance on our Heavenly Father and our current circumstances force us toward a tangible demonstration of what we profess. We know the vision before us, of a global community of artists engaged in the manifestation of a new and ancient liturgy, won't come about by our cleverness; and a good thing because we aren't that clever. Whatever comes about will come about through persistent hope in God making all things new and in pouring ourselves out for the sake of those around us, which inexorably connects us to God's grand narrative of redemption. So, we carry on. Still, one longs for confirmation that the difficulties are a necessary part of something larger, rendering them bearable. Nothing seems more unbearable than the nettling capricious peccadilloes of random chance.
LITTLE PICTURES OF LARGER THINGS
So God gave us a little picture of good fortune to remind us of the larger picture we maybe couldn't see. Travis and I were in Kansas City at the National Worship Leader Conference with our friends Ron and Kevin. Our little booth almost laughable evidence of our current state of affairs. Clearly, we were not regular purveyors of conference buzz. Right next to our seemingly homespun efforts was the pinnacle of professional attention getting; scaffolding! lights! monitors! demos! In comparison to the next booth over we were, in a word, underwhelming. It was a living monument to our lack of cleverness and resources. We were a mustard seed. Here's footage of our booth and our neighbor's booth, just for reference...
GOD BRINGS THE RAIN
Mustard seeds don't make themselves grow, God does. As it turns out the next booth over had too much stuff, they needed somewhere to put their extra stuff and so approached Travis about using some of our unused space. The upshot? the next booth over generously compensated Travis for his trouble. Perhaps this violates some contractual dotting of i's and crossing of t's, but we're just naive enough not to know any different. Besides, as far as Travis was concerned he was helping a brother out, the generosity was as unexpected as it was welcome.
MANNA MONEY
This monetary generosity became known as Manna Money. It had arrived seemingly out of thin air, requiring neither our cleverness or resources. In keeping with the nature of unexpected and undeserved blessings it seemed it was given for this time and should be used up by the end of the conference leaving us once again, like manna gathering Israel, reliant on the grace of our heavenly Father for whatever came next. Over the next few days the money was used primarily to share meals with new friends which we otherwise couldn't really have afforded.
A DOXOLOGY THROUGH WINE
Our rental car wouldn't start. It was late, we hadn't eaten and we had 2 hours to kill. We walked down to a restaurant nearby. We found ourselves at the meal table, Travis, Ron, Kevin, Nathan, Paul and I, ordering what was to be an incredible meal with our manna money. Fresh bread had just been brought in preparation for the meal we were to enjoy. On our sommelier's insistance we uncorked a bottle of Chateau Montelena. Bread and wine were passed and we celebrated our serendipitous Eucharist. Our unexpected and undeserved good forture. Through the wine and bread we embodied a welcoming to our table of Father God, provider of all we enjoyed. We set aside this time and this place; the taste, the smells, the conversation, the laughter as affirmation of the goodness of our Father. We lifted our glasses, our actions spoke glory to God. A doxology to undeserved grace. A doxology through wine.
FURTHER CONFIRMATION in daily reading...
After returning home I began to wonder if this wasn't self-indulgent wishful thinking.
Brueggemann "Great Prayers of the Old Testament" - Solomon received grace, celebrated with a banquet meal.
Webber "Ancient Future Worship" - God's narrative not ours. stop worrying.
- Steve Frost
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Olympic Swimming Pools
Matt. 11:28-30 (The Message) "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
These verses have held me so many times. I grew up evangelical. I knew guilt and judgement. I didn't know grace. I wept the first time I read the words "the unforced rhythms of grace."
When I read Matt. 11:28-30 I get an image of a swimming hole. Hanging with Jesus, learning to live freely and lightly.
What's important in a swimming hole? Mingling, relationship, exploration, loosely held intentions which facilitate relationship, meaningful experience and finally, success as defined by having created an opportunity for meaningful experience in the context of meaningful relationship.
So, why do so many churches feel like Olympic competition swimming pools?
What's important in an Olympic swimming pool? Clear demarkation, time, efficiency, progress, tightly held and focused attention which supersedes relationship, winning (as defined by matrices of numbers) and finally, success as defined by winning.
When I look at Christ's life, the life of God Incarnate, it seems to resemble a swimming hole kind of life. Further, Christ's swimming hole kind of life seems in direct contrast to the Olympic competition pool kind of life of the religious elites and Rome at large.
In Matt. 11:28-30 Jesus doesn't seem to be saying, "Hey, upgrade your Pool." He seems to be saying, "Get out of the Olympic Competition Pool and get in the swimming hole so I can teach you how to live. Then you can get back into the Olympic Competition Pool."
I leave you with this thought:
Matthew 11:28-30 The Inverse Bible
Tired? Too bad. Achieve. Excel. Execute. Perform. Win. Be exhausted and maybe I'll make it worth it. Make something of yourself. You're on your own baby.
-Steve Frost/TWOTP
These verses have held me so many times. I grew up evangelical. I knew guilt and judgement. I didn't know grace. I wept the first time I read the words "the unforced rhythms of grace."
When I read Matt. 11:28-30 I get an image of a swimming hole. Hanging with Jesus, learning to live freely and lightly.
What's important in a swimming hole? Mingling, relationship, exploration, loosely held intentions which facilitate relationship, meaningful experience and finally, success as defined by having created an opportunity for meaningful experience in the context of meaningful relationship.
So, why do so many churches feel like Olympic competition swimming pools?
What's important in an Olympic swimming pool? Clear demarkation, time, efficiency, progress, tightly held and focused attention which supersedes relationship, winning (as defined by matrices of numbers) and finally, success as defined by winning.
When I look at Christ's life, the life of God Incarnate, it seems to resemble a swimming hole kind of life. Further, Christ's swimming hole kind of life seems in direct contrast to the Olympic competition pool kind of life of the religious elites and Rome at large.
In Matt. 11:28-30 Jesus doesn't seem to be saying, "Hey, upgrade your Pool." He seems to be saying, "Get out of the Olympic Competition Pool and get in the swimming hole so I can teach you how to live. Then you can get back into the Olympic Competition Pool."
I leave you with this thought:
Matthew 11:28-30 The Inverse Bible
Tired? Too bad. Achieve. Excel. Execute. Perform. Win. Be exhausted and maybe I'll make it worth it. Make something of yourself. You're on your own baby.
-Steve Frost/TWOTP
Monday, August 10, 2009
Rene Padilla Outtakes
I recently spent some time with friend and theologian Rene Padilla. Here's a clip with Rene chatting with my friend Aaron Edwards on speaker phone about our relationship with "the poor." Upcoming films from that visit will be at available soon at theworkofthepeople.com.
Harsh but true words to consider...
Sunday, August 02, 2009
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