europe.1

It's been a while since I last posted. Here's my first update from overseas...

Things are rather cold and rainy here in Oxford. Scott (my brother) and I are having a great time despite the weather. This morning we visited the college where C.S. Lewis taught and intend to have a pint @ The Eagle and Child Pub (where Lewis and Tolkein would ruminate over beers). I'll smoke my new pipe there tonight...

We've been ALL over, and still have more to go. Here are some highlights of where we've been...

Paris is busy, noisy and dirty. But the architecture is GREAT. We enjoyed some good eats and some great wine. Scott was the ABSOLUTE BEST translator anyone could have had. I would have died there without him. That would have been sad as you wouldn't have been able to read my blog anymore.

Caen/Bayeux/American Cemetary/Normandy... very moving. Wish we could have spent more time there. We actually stood on Omaha Beach (one of the 2 landing sites for USA). Scott carved a cross and "USA" into the sand. I took many pictures. A family from Germany was there. They were awed to meet Americans @ the site. They took our picture and seemed honored to do so. We were just as honored and "floored" at such a reaction.

BTW... don't believe what people tell you about the French. We encountered maybe 2 or 3 people who were rude to us because we were American or spoke English.

Dover--The White Cliffs were amazing. I suggest reading Psalm 104 if you ever get there. I sat on the edge of a cliff and read it whilst looking @ France over the sea. Scott spent some quiet time walking the paths over the hills. Dover Castle was awesome! We saw the lighthouse there (build by Romans in 1st C. AD), and toured the secred underground tunnels (really neat stuff).

Salisbury--didn't have S. Steak. But the place was neat. We visited Stonehenge and the cathedral where one of the three remaining copies of the Magna Charta are kept. It also has the highest spire in all of England (over 400 ft!). BTW, if you hostel... stay @ the Salisbury Hostel. What a visit!

Oxford... yup. That's where we are now. Pretty neat stuff. I'll have more to post as things happen...

Peace and coffee... or, um, "cheers!"

leavin' on a jet plane...

T-minus 3 hours and change... perhaps my next post will be from an internet cafe in the UK...

all growed up

Yup. Went to Birmingham last night/today to watch my baby brother walk across the stage and grab his college diploma. Congratulations, Scott!

best 11 minutes this week: revised

I take it back. The best 11 minutes of my week were today when my fiance called me from Alaska.

(Yeah, I know that was mushy. Next time I'll warn you to turn your head...)

best 11 minutes this week

My bro told me about this. It's unbelievable. This guy beats Super Mario Bro's 3 in 11 minutes (and racks up over 100 "extra men" at the same time)! Check out the video (download 18+ mb) for yourself. It's uninterrupted.

Paris-n-London

Gearing up for the Europe trip beginning next week... Any last minute suggestions? (Especially for Paris/Normandy... my bro and I haven't really clarified much of that, yet.)

I'm still pretty disjointed this week. It's really throwing my for a loop. I have a few thoughts running through my head that I want to get on the blog at some point in time. Perhaps later this week...

Pax.

stressed

planning a trip to the UK in 1 week... planning a wedding and honeymoon... tying up "loose ends" here @ Crosspointe before heading over seas... my fiance leaving for Alaska...

i love coffee this week.

my pal

This guy is a friend of mine. (I always wanted to smoke a stoagie and play with my dog.) There are rumors that he visits my blog...

origins.2

A few more McManus quotes and some commentary. Regarding taking risks...

- I want to challenge you to move forward in such a way that our future is not guaranteed... we may not exist.
- Whoever said local churches are meant to survive?
- Are we living in such a way that our existence is jeopardized unless God came through?

These cut me to the quick. Is my local church opperating in such a way that we could very well cease to exist tomorrow unless God came through? Are we attempting "God-sized" tasks? What do those look like--and are they really God-sized risks? Am I, as a pastor in this church, empowering and equipping people to attempt radical risks that could jeapordize their very existence? Has the paycheck "softened" my resolve to put my own life on the line?

Last night I challenged our music and audio/visual teams with these words. It was encouraging to hear from some of the folks that, yes, they are attempting God-sized tasks. However, I was left hungring for more. "Why can't the entire community attempt these risks regularly... daily?? What is my role in encouraging those within my sphere of influence to truly live by faith? I'm discontent with complacency. I'm tired of trying "tricks" and restructuring programs to be "postmodern" or "emerging." I'm ready for real, primal faith.

Anyone with me?

Just One Mo Blog

*sigh* Isn't it great to see your friends grow up right in front of your eyes!? That's how I felt when my buddy, MO started his blog yesterday. Check out one mo blog.

One mo thing
And, one mo thing, for a laugh, check this out: HERE

origins.1

I intend to make a few posts on my experience at the Origins Experience this past week. We'll see how close I get to actually doing that. Anyway, I'll begin with a few Erwin McManus quotes from the weekend...

It is significant that the history of the first-century church is called the book of Acts, not the book of truths.

If those who prepare for leadership are looking for the safe place, who will lead the church into the dangerous places?

The church is an oasis of liquid grace where forgiveness flows freely.

The ultimate goal of American Christianity should not be to make us good citizens, but to make us revolutionaries in the cause of Jesus Christ.

It's hard to believe that a movement born of visionaries and dreamers would become dominantly known for its traditions and rituals.

We have put so much emphasis on avoiding evil that we have become virtually blind to the endless opportunities for doing good.

I know this may sound like heresy, but it is more important to change what people care about than to change what they believe.

That's just a primer of a few thoughts from the experience. I'll spend more time later on unpacking some of these and adding a few others.

How could I sum up the experience? The Origins Experience was essentially 2 "things" for me: 1) An undercover evangelism/mission conference; and 2) a fire starter.

More later...

Exodus

My brother is so cool. Check out this web page he designed for the mag he's on staff for:
Exodus Magazine.

altering

red-eyed back from LA last night/this morning. ugh. no sleep for almost 24 hours... going to bed now.

i'll post something about origins soon... it was, to say the least, an "altering" experience for me...

Origins

Looks like I may be a bit "silent" on the blog for the next few days. Heading out to LA tomorrow for the Origins Conference at Mosaic Church for the rest of the week. I'm pretty excited about the conference. I've always wondered what it means to "Awaken an Apostolic Ethos." I hope it doesn't hurt.