Celebrating MLK Day, a little early anyway!

Sometimes I wish I could go back to high school. (I confess that it is a rare moment when it happens.) I now realize that I missed many great opportunities to learn about the man that had a great prophetic voice in Martin Luther King Jr. I would have certainly taken the time to actually participate in my "reading assignments" if I had a chance.

Because of this, I am left with no choice but to take the time to truly appreciate the life and the embodied message of MLK. In a world where justice, peace, equality and non violent solutions are becoming more and more necessary, we as a community need to allow this man to be heard. I encourage you to watch and listen with me

Here is the speech that is most famous from MLK, titled, "I have a dream"

For my facebook friends, you can find the video here.

Here is U2's song "pride" teaming up with the history channel for a tribute video to MLK, we can find hope in a similar voice for justice that Bono and company carries to the world.

Facebook friends can find it here.

Finally, here is my favorite tribute that I have found. U2 has a song called "MLK'. The song and video seem to go very well together, enjoy.

Facebook friend can find the video here.

My wife was nice enough to give me several books about MLK for Christmas. Let me recommend these books, they seem to be a good place to start.

• Strength to Love is a collection of sermons by MLK. There is some really good stuff here!
• The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr I have heard this is really good, I haven't started yet though.
• The Measure of a Man: A short book that details a sermon about a "complete" man.

-dj

http://audaciousliturgy.blogspot.com/

Book Review; Jesus Wants to Save Christians

First, I must say that I have very much enjoyed Rob Bell's past work with the Nooma series, and his two books that he has authored, Velvet Elvis and Sex God. I feel that Rob Bell is a fresh thinker and wants to dig deeper into preconceived notions that we often approach scripture with. Bell's latest offering is no different. Jesus Wants to Save Christians, A Manifesto for the Church in Exile challenges Jesus' followers to approach salvation humbly. To often we get caught up in reaching the world for Christ, when God's church can use some salvation as well.

Bell lays out an argument that the church is blessed to become a blessing, and that somewhere down the line, we have missed the mark. Our call to become a blessing has been lost in church programs, buildings, slick marketing, and politics for power.

Retracing the roots of the Christian narrative, Bell suggests that God has "heard the cry" of the oppressed. Since the beginning, God's purpose for His people is to be a blessed people so that they can be a "blessing" to the world, sharing in God's dream for this world. Bell moves through the narrative starting with Cain and Abel, moving to the Exodus and Sinai. Bell argues that the cry of the oppressed moved God.

When the oppressed becomes the oppressors under the "wisdom" and reign of Solomon, God moved to action.

To bring about a new kind of Kingdom, a true faithful marriage between the divine and humanity, Jesus is the promise for a better world through His death, burial, and resurrection. His followers have the opportunity to live out this blessing to the World.

However, more times then not, the church mission is lost in midst of many distractions. Bell reminds us of our purpose. He reminds us to move past the distractions. He reminds us that Jesus wants to save us from anything that can hinder His work in this world.

Rob Bell is not the first to point out this. You can finds similar work with Shane Claiborne and N.T. Wright. Bell does, however make this subject very accessible. Contrary to others, I am also a big fan of the format of Bell's books including this one. Jesus Wants to Save Christians is a short read, which is not a bad thing at all. I would recommend this to those that are looking at their Christian faith and wondering if there is more. I believe you will find more in this tangible calling to be a blessing to the world.

-dj

http://audaciousliturgy.blogspot.com/

New Year and New Hope

With the new year arriving very shortly I would like just to reflect on some things I have learned in 2008.:

1. Growth is scary and exciting all at the same time.
2. God is manifesting Himself in places I would have never expected.
3. Stability is rare and appreciated
4. God is manifesting Himself through people I would have never expected
5. I am very grateful for my wife Meghan and my son Jacob. We have been through a lot as a young family, but I would not trade it for the world.
6. Politics can be divisive, and this reflects in the church as well.
7. Poverty, "consistent ethic of life", and stewardship of God's earth are "moral" issues.

This list is not exhaustive, but they do highlight areas in growth and knowledge within my life in 2008, with that in mind, here are my goals for the upcoming year.

1. To be a better husband and father.
2. To reduce, reuse, and recycle more.
3. To allow Love to become my orthopraxy.
4. To direct more of my tithing to fight poverty
5. To be a better co-worker
6. To find myself in God's church
7. To be become more physically aware. (I need to loose some weight!)

Again, this is not exhaustive! I am positive there is more in which I can better myself. I just might have to pull the grace card out. The reality is I have to rely on the power of God for me to become the person I truly need to be. However these are some practical areas I wish to work on in my life.

-DJ

http://audaciousliturgy.blogspot.com/

Coffee Beans and the Cincinnati Reds

Great smells can affect my mood. And bad smells can direct moods as well, just ask Meghan after I eat Taco Bell. I am a big fan of coffee! I absolutely love the the scent of coffee. I really don’t know why, but there is something about the coffee bean that can light up my senses. As long as I can remember I have always enjoyed smelling coffee. As a matter of fact I can remember in high school when I had an experience with a coffee bean that I will never forget.

For some reason, I was at a Kroger grocery store doing what every 17 year old would be doing at grocery store. I remember strolling down the isles, one by one. A particular scent brought me to the coffee, tea isle. Kroger had these machines where you can grind your own beans, which was all too fascinating to me. As I was exploring the flap at the bottom, I realized that I wanted to have one of the coffee beans. I did not know if I could just have one. And if I could have just one, I did not know if I had to pay for it. I was a little worried about the idea of taking one coffee bean just for my smelling pleasure. I did not know if it would be considered stealing or something. However, this inner controversy didn’t last long as I caught a whiff of that coffee bean.

I am greedy; at least I can be at times. As good as that coffee bean smelled at a distance, I could not help but wonder how it would smell real close up. As anyone would do, armed with that kind of wonder, I brought that bean as close to my left nostril as I could. I gave it a sincere sniff. Then it happened. Yes I know, I should have seen this coming. But as you already probably guessed the coffee bean found itself firmly in my nose. As a matter of fact after gold digging for 15 minutes, I realized I could not pick this thing out. It was way up there!

After realizing I was running out of options, I decided to give my nose a good blow. With elephant like force, the bean freed itself and flew out some where out in the Kroger isle. (Yes I was still at Kroger during the whole episode.) Feeling a little embarrassed, I quickly made my escape through the isle and out the door. I am just glad that I didn’t have to go to the emergency room.

Bad smells are exciting too! I will never forget a trip that my college buddies and I took my senior year. We took an SUV packed with 6 or 7 men, (If you could call us men) but either way it was packed. It was going to be at least a four hour journey from Parkersburg WV to Cincinnati Ohio to see the Reds play. That was the good news too. The bad news, I was stuck in a SUV with the most notorious gas releasers I have ever known. There we were, only 15 minutes down the highway, and the thunder started rolling. With no exaggeration the windows were fogging up with so much methane in the air. The driver decided to lock the windows, so fresh air was not an option. This was funny at times, and downright ugly at other times. Still this day, when I recall that drive, I can’t help but still smell that not so good scent.

I always think that out of all the senses, the nose is the forgotten one! The power of scent cannot be ignored. Every time there is a something in the oven that resembles decent food, are noses are the first to tell us. Every time someone created more road kill on the highway, our nose is the first to tell us.

I don’t think it is a stretch that God can smell too. We are created in His image. With that I mind, I wonder what scent that I have. At my best effort, I wonder if it is a pleasant smell. At my worst, I wonder how much of a stench I create. I also wonder when God looks at our churches, what God smells. Does it smell like roses when churches share with God and His mission at the food pantries and soup kitchens? Does God think that churches stink when the rest of the world knows what we are against rather then what we stand for?

I guess this is another way to challenge myself. If by thinking what I do creates a distinct smell, then I want to make changes. I do not know if I will always smell good to God. I do know that Jesus might smell pretty good. Maybe that’s another point. Left up to me, I can’t clean myself enough to get this stench off of me. Jesus is kind of a deodorizer. I have every possibility to smell good with Jesus. Because of Jesus, He allows my scent to light up God’s sense. It may be even possible that God smells fresh coffee beans when He takes a whiff of me, because of Jesus. It is my desire to reflect on the scent that I produce with the understanding that Jesus brings my scent to a brew for God.

I find great hope with in Paul's words to the Corinth church,

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? Unlike so
many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." (NIV)

-dj

http://audaciousliturgy.blogspot.com/

Feeling Christmas-ey

This is the first time in a long time that I am feeling somewhat Christmas-ey. I grew up in a religious tradition, where Christmas, as far as a religious holiday on a calender, was never emphasized. After growing up in the glory days of Christmas, where the experience seemed magical, I have had to relearn Christmas as a grown man. I think it has helped me greatly that I have the ability to allow my son Jacob to experience that same magic. My wife and I got up at 6:15 am on black Friday to experience the craziness and the chaos of what comes with this shopping day. (I still am not a big fan on how Christmas is largely becoming more and more materialistic.) We found several sales on gifts for those that we love, including Jacob. I also have purchased my first Christmas album called Christmas Songs, by Jars of Clay. And believe it or not, I actually enjoy the songs atmosphere and mood.



I guess I am trying to relearn Christmas and the magic that I experienced growing up. And I believe there is something magical in a holiday that should center on loving and giving. And even though my tradition always taught me to not see Christmas as a religious holiday, I can't help to think that we might be wrong, or we are being mislead. There is something religious about everyday. There is gifts to appreciate from Jesus in the mundane. This does does not suddenly stop on December 25th. Even beyond that logic, I cant help but get excited about the fact there is a lot of Jesus going around. He is in the airwaves, on the front lawns, and even on Hallmark cards.

I wish for my goal this year and going forward to relearn Christmas and the celebration of audacious love and giving. I want to be apart of the magic with my family. And in doing so, I don't want to leave my friend Jesus out of the picture. If God allows the mundane to become sacred, I trust that he will also allow national holidays to do that as well.

Merry Christmas, and have a happy New Year!

-dj

http://audaciousliturgy.blogspot.com/

Blessing and Questions

One of my favorite people in the world asked me a great question about a week ago on the phone. Mel Mendoza asked me a question that I cannot simply get out of my head. Mel asked me what does it mean to be blessed. I have heard sermons all of my life. I have read bumper stickers that say "God Bless America". To make this more personal, my wife and I ask daily that God "bless" us. I want to look at a question when I consider what it means for God to bless us. Then I want to ask will be on my perception of being "blessed" by God.

When I ask God to bless me or my family, what is it that I expect from God? This is a tough question for me. This question reveals my highest expectation from God and His role in my life. My wife and I pray daily. This is not to brag, or even to say that we have never missed a day. In fact we have missed days more times then I am proud of. However, every night before bed, we try talk to God. And usually the prayer usually goes something like this,

"Dear God, thank you for all the many ways you have blessed us. Thank you for our family and our marriage. Thank you for the jobs you have blessed us with, and please help us do our jobs the best we can. Please bless us over the night and keep jacob safe. Help us to wake up refreshed and rejuvenated. Allow us to reflect your presence to all those around us. Help us to love at all costs. Thank you for you Son, who has shown us the way. Please forgive us in the many ways that we do not live up to His example. We pray all this in your Son's name, Amen."
This prayer is just an example and it is not the same every time. However, we usually hit these points among others when we pray. As Mel Mendoza asked me the question on what it exactly means to be blessed, I couldn't help but see how my prayer life reflects what I think it means to be blessed.

Here are some "blessings" that my prayer life reflects:

Blessing number 1: God giving us a lot of stuff. I should be thankful for the blessing of God giving us our apartment, food, and everything else in between.

Blessing number 2: God giving me people that I love in my life and God keeping my loved ones safe.

Blessing number 3: God providing a place to work and to make money.

This seems pretty real to me. I mean, before I talked to Mel and thought about his question, I would have never thought twice about rattling off these three different areas that God has blessed me. However, thinking about the question on what it exactly means to be blessed by God, this answer leads to a problem.

What if I was a Christ follower and I was as faithful as I could be? What if I had none of these "blessings" that I listed above? Does this mean I am not a blessed person? Would I not be doing something right? Worse yet, if I was not blessed, does that mean I would be cursed? I am struggling with those questions. When looking at these problems in consideration of my prayer, I think the reading of the Beatitudes is interesting.

"Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 'Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. " (NIV)

Jesus himself is trying to answer the question in which Mel posed. I don't think I like the answer though. It bothers me. Something can't be right. To be qualified to have blessing you have to be poor in spirit, sad, meek, hungry, and thirsting for not getting what we deserve. This is crazy stuff. I have to be honest, I don't know what to think of this. All I do know is that it does seem like that that the blessings I seek from God are completely opposite from what Jesus teaches us on what it means to blessed. I also find it interesting, (or troubling) that this is not an example of someone asking to be blessed, this is Jesus telling His followers WHO is being blessed. WOW! What do you do with this? I cant be a 100% sure!

I do know this. If blessings are just limited to money, food, clothing, jobs, safety, and a lot of stuff being given to us, then the majority of the world is not being "blessed". As a matter of fact, it seems that America is one of the few places that have been "blessed" by God. But may be that is the problem. Maybe we have seriously limited our defining frame for what it means to be blessed. It seems to me that there is much more to being blessed then the many ways in which I have limited God. I want to relearn what it means to be blessed and realize my limitations I have put on God and how he blesses me.

-dj

http://audaciousliturgy.blogspot.com/

Stone Soup And the Call for Community

My wife just recently purchased several scholastic books for our son Jake. She explained to me that she wants this to become our little tradition, for me to read to Jake every night. Being the good guy that I am, I decided that it is worth a go. One of the books she purchased was Stone Soup, by Jon J. Muth. The crazy thing is I actually remember the book from when I was young. As I put Jake in my lap and read the book to him, I could not help but feel the tug of God's spirit.

Let me give the summary that is on the back of the book:

"Three monks, Hok, Lok, and Siew, journey along a mountain road trying to understand what makes one happy. At once the monks encounter frightened villagers who lock their windows and darken their homes. The villagers have long been ravaged by harsh times, and their hearts have grown hard toward everyone they meet. But when the monks cleverly entice them to make soup from stones, the villagers discover how much they each have to give--and how much more comes back in return."

To put the story into my words, these monks use a unique proposition to move the village into a community built on relationships. The proposition: to make soup from stones. The stones were not the only ingredients after it was all said in done.

It all begin with the cold welcome to the monks from the village. After trying time after time to even interact with anyone at the village, they decide its time for the stone soup. They find a girl and asked her to provide the soup with a certain ingredient. Another person added their ingredient, then another and another. After a while, all were pitching in to help with the making of the soup. After the soup was done they had a celebration. They ate the soup and told stories and sang songs in celebration. The monks had a place to stay and the village was transformed in community.

I must admit, I was just going to read the story to Jake with no expectation that God would be in the mix. I put Jake to bed with the understanding that it seems that humanity is in a dire need of stone soup.

We live in such individualistic ways in the western culture. It can be a cold world, where at first glance it may seem everyone is out for number one. But,

I believe in the audacity of the message of Jesus.

I believe that the kingdom that was at hand is still the kingdom at hand.

I believe in the invitation to join in God's work to bring about His world.

I believe in the Stone Soup of Jesus and and the community that it offers

I believe that we can still be the community that Acts 2 offered for the 1st century followers.

Just as the monks used a crazy proposition to transform the village into a community, I believe that Jesus offers a way of life that will transform this world. May we find ways to participate in this dream of God in bringing about a community based on relationships and love.

-dj

http://audaciousliturgy.blogspot.com/