All posts by mjfelker1980

Book Review, Ethos, Leadership, The Word, Theology, Wrestling With Scripture

The Real Political Alternative

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From Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw:

Our president is not organizing another political party, nope… not even running with Nader on the Green ticket.

Jesus is forming a new kind of people, a different kind of party, whose peculiar politics are embodied in who we are. The church is a people called out of the world to embody a social alternative that the world cannot know on its own terms. We are not simply asking the government to be what God has commissioned the church to be.

After all, even the best government can’t legislate love. We can build hundreds of affordable housing (a good thing by the way) and people still might not have homes. We can provide universal health care and keep folks breathing longer (another nice move), but people can be breathing and still not truly be alive. We can create laws to enforce good behavior, but no law has ever changed a human heart or reconciled a broken relationship. The church is not simply suggesting political alternatives. The church is embodying one.

I didn’t agree with everything in this book. The author’s painted with a very large brush (they admit that right up front) and some of their theological conclusions (read: oversimplifications) made me scratch my head.

At times the book even made me angry. I was angry at the authors, politicians, the man, the left, the right, the system, and most of all, at myself. I wrestled all day long with Jesus for President yesterday as I wrestled with my decision to involve myself in the political process.

One thing is for sure: If Jesus did run for President he would lose in the most devastating landslide in the history of democracy. The way of Jesus stands in stark contrast to the agendas of the Republicans and the Democrats. His Kingdom is not of this world.

All of this did make me think yesterday, if none of these candidates look like Jesus, talk like Jesus, walk like Jesus, or live like Jesus then who do I vote for?

Awesomenessness, Books, Discipleship, Ministry

F.R.E.E.- That Spells Free

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Over the last few weeks I have received 3 free books in the mail. Books are awesome. Free is amazing. Free books takes it to a whole different level!!!

Last fall at Catalyst, I subscribed to the Catalyst Filter. It was my understanding that the Filter would be primarily a web-based companion to the conference.

On one level it is. At the site you can find audio from past conferences, articles from speakers and leaders, and connect with other subscribers. It is good but just worth the price of admission.

However, the real benefits to the Catalyst Filter have been through the “off-site” things. I have been able to participate in exclusive conference calls with pastors and authors like Mark Batterson and Gabe Lyons. Each one that I have participated in have really ministered to my soul and imagination for making Christ number one in my life, church, and community. I would subscribe again next year for the conference calls alone.

But wait, there’s more.

I had no idea that they would be sending us books. They have sent a total of 4 books to me since Christmas and I couldn’t be more pleased.

Last month I received The Organic God by Margret Feinberg. I have heard some great things about this book and I look forward to reading it beginning today.

Yesterday I received 2 (count em: 2!) books crammed into my mailbox.

I am most excited about the pre-release copy of Nancy Ortberg’s Looking for God: An Unexpected Journey through Tattoos, Tofu, and Pronouns. Hopefully, I’ll get to it sometime next week.

The other book sent to me yesterday has the best title of any Christian book I’ve read this year. I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt: Replacing Souvenir Religion with Authentic Spiritual Passion by Vince Antonucci looks to be a great book. Vince became a Christian at age 20 after reading the New Testament. When he began to get connected to a church he was dumbstruck by the superficial nature by which most Christians he encountered lived out their faith. I can’t wait to dig into this one.

Thanks Catalyst for a great conference (see you in October) and thanks for the free books. Keep them coming!!!

Collecting Experiences, Popular Culture

I Shall Retire to the Nerdery

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Yesterday I went to the store – the comic book store – and I purchased a few issues of Batman.

I paid with my debit card and when the clerk handed me the receipt he said, “I’ll just need your John Hancock.”

In my best Chris Farley voice I said, “It’s Herbie Hancock.”

He just stared at me with a blank look on his face.

Me: “Haven’t you see “Tommy Boy” with Chris Farley?”
Clerk: “No.”

I scooped up my Batman comics and promptly left.

Yes, that’s right. I out nerded the clerk working at the comic book store.

I hope that my humiliation can bring a smile to your face. Have a great weekend everyone.

Discipleship, Ethos, Ministry, Questions, The Word, Theology, Wrestling With Scripture

The Stories We’ve Been Given

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I had lunch with a friend of mine the other day and we began discussing the importance of story in the Bible. The conversation turned from the standard “What is the story of the Bible?” or “What is the story of the Gospel?” to a much more philosophical question.

My friend asked me about the specific stories that we’ve been given in Scripture.

I believe that we were given the Bible, the epic love story of Almighty God for his people, for a reason. God wanted us to know what he did, why he did it, and how we are invited into this story (See Ephesians).

It goes to follow that everything we are given points us to this end. Everything in scripture – talking donkeys, kings, prophets, miracles, widows, shepherds, everything – give us insight into Almighty God and his story. However, we are given larger glimpses into some stories rather than others. We began to ask Why?

Why do we know more about Moses than we do about Job? We know almost everything about Moses’ life yet we only get a small glimpse in Job’s life, focused primarily on his suffering. Many scholars believe Job was the first OT book written. There must be a reason we are told what we are told.

What can you tell me about Thaddeus or Bartholomew? Out of the twelve apostles we really only know about half and we really only know half of those. Don’t even get me started on Matthias.

Why do we understand more about Paul than Barnabus? My friend said that if you was going to throw a party you would send an invitation to both men but that you would really hope Barnabus showed up. What little we know about Banabus is that he was the type of Christian you’d want to be- encouraging, strong, faithful. Why are we given more about the life of Paul?

In the whole of Scripture, 6 stories stand out over and above everything else:

Abraham
Moses
Joseph
David
Jesus and Pals
Paul and the Church

I believe that the stories we have in Scripture are not put there by chance. There is a bigger reason to study these stories. These overarching stories must connect us to something much deeper than the average Bible lesson (if there is such a thing as an average Bible story).

Why do you think we’ve been given a larger glimpse into some of these stories rather than others? What story would you like to know more about? Who would you like to know more about?

Popular Culture

Way to Go, Cyberdyne!!!

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Many of you know that I have a fear of 2 things- clowns and self-aware robots. Having typed that sentence now I’m just thinking about Self-aware Robot Clowns. That would be terrifying!!! I digress.

It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a good week for Micheal according to this article entitled, Automated Killer Robots ‘Threat to Humanity’.

Increasingly autonomous, gun-totting robots developed for warfare could easily fall into the hands of terrorists and may one day unleash a robot arms race, a top expert on artificial intelligence told AFP.

“They pose a threat to humanity,” said University of Sheffield professor Noel Sharkey ahead of a keynote address Wednesday before Britain’s Royal United Services Institute.

Intelligent machines deployed on battlefields around the world — from mobile grenade launchers to rocket-firing drones — can already identify and lock onto targets without human help.

There are more than 4,000 US military robots on the ground in Iraq, as well as unmanned aircraft that have clocked hundreds of thousands of flight hours.

The first three armed combat robots fitted with large-caliber machine guns deployed to Iraq last summer, manufactured by US arms maker Foster-Miller, proved so successful that 80 more are on order, said Sharkey.

But up to now, a human hand has always been required to push the button or pull the trigger.

It we are not careful, he said, that could change.

Military leaders “are quite clear that they want autonomous robots as soon as possible, because they are more cost-effective and give a risk-free war,” he said.

Several countries, led by the United States, have already invested heavily in robot warriors developed for use on the battlefield.

South Korea and Israel both deploy armed robot border guards, while China, India, Russia and Britain have all increased the use of military robots.

Washington plans to spend four billion dollars by 2010 on unmanned technology systems, with total spending expected rise to 24 billion, according to the Department of Defense’s Unmanned Systems Roadmap 2007-2032, released in December.

James Canton, an expert on technology innovation and CEO of the Institute for Global Futures, predicts that deployment within a decade of detachments that will include 150 soldiers and 2,000 robots.

The use of such devices by terrorists should be a serious concern, said Sharkey.

Captured robots would not be difficult to reverse engineer, and could easily replace suicide bombers as the weapon-of-choice. “I don’t know why that has not happened already,” he said.

But even more worrisome, he continued, is the subtle progression from the semi-autonomous military robots deployed today to fully independent killing machines.

“I have worked in artificial intelligence for decades, and the idea of a robot making decisions about human termination terrifies me,” Sharkey said.

Do these scientist not watch TV?!?! It is only a matter of time before my iPhone, my stereo, my car, and the T1000 unite together to destroy us all.

I’d write more but some guy just walked in my office. He’s some muscle-head with a leather jacket and sunglasses. He wants me to come with him… oh snap! Gotta run!

link

Discipleship, Resources

Attention Male Readers

Hey guys! Since it’s just us dudes today I want to recommend to you a great book for your man journey.

Last night I read, cover to cover, Samson and the Pirate Monks by Nate Larkin. The tagline for the book reads “Calling Men to Authentic Brotherhood” and it chronicles Nate’s journey from individual Christian to Brother in Christ.

Nate details his personal struggle with addiction with brutal honesty. This is a life that was devastated by hidden sins. His life was a lot like a whitewashed tomb- beautiful on the outside yet full of death and decay. His life was just like most men I know. His life was a lot like mine.

The book unfolds, much like Blue Like Jazz, beginning with short essays about growing up, watching baseball from football seats, and about life as a preacher’s son. He talks about how he isolated his true self from even his best friends and lived multiple lives, all the while longing for true integrity.

At one point he says that every man longs to be more that just good but something thwarts our desires. He tells a story about his childhood dog, Boaz. Boaz was a good dog but he had a drinking problem. Men in town would provide Boaz with beer and he would stagger home blitzed. Nate’s dad would scold Boaz out of love for the dog and “for months Boaz would stay around the house, docile and obedient- until the next time.” Nate’s thoughts echo my own:

When I was a kid, it seemed to me that God liked me for the same reasons-and in the ways- that dad liked dogs. I was God’s pet. He brought me home with the expectation that I would be loyal, obedient, and useful. All God wanted from me was to be a good dog.

I wanted to be good dog, I really did. There was a part of me that sincerly loved God. But there was another part of me, a cat part. The cat in me was defiant and wild and unpredictable, and it didn’t care about God in the least. When it sinned, it sinned with impunity.

At every revival, youth rally, and campfire service, I laid that cat on the alter and did my best to kill it. Still, as everbody knows, cats have multiple lives. Sometimes the cat would go away for a while, but eventually, after the music had died away and all the Christians had gone home, he would come strolling back in, looking for lunch.

I desperately wanted the dog to be the real me, but my inability to behave like a good dog for very long led me to suspect, in moments of despair that I was really a cat.

Of course, we are called to be more than just good. We are a “new creation” but for some of us, we believe that maybe we can attain good if we really try at it. That’s what Nate believed and being merely good elusively evaded him.

After years of living in isolation, after refusing to truly deal with his addiction, his life began to unravel. He longed to live life in authentic community with brothers who held him accountable and who he held in accountability. That’s when he created The Samson Society. Borrowing from 12-step programs, the Samson Society cultivates authentic living between brothers in Christ at a level not offered by most churches. It’s more than a men’s group or guy’s class. It is broken me submitting to one another and to God, carrying one another’s burdens, and dealing with life lived in community. To me the whole idea of a Samson Society is a breath of fresh air in a world of stagnation and isolation.

I want to encourage each of you to read Samson and the Pirate Monks and see if you would do well to help to create an avenue for authentic living within your community of faith. If you can’t afford a copy, contact me and I make sure you get one.

This is a great resource and I believe it has the potential to make a difference in each of your lives.

Blessing on your man journey, Brother!

General

Bed Post

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I have been sick for the last 3 days. I spent most of yesterday holed up in bed and today I plan to do more of the same.

I hate being sick. I feel like I’m wasting precious minutes and hours doing nothing. Being sick isn’t productive. It’s anti-productive.

It is tough to understand but taking time to just stop and catch my breath (between bouts of hacking my head off) is what brings health and healing.

I’m heading back to sleep now. I’ve got my cough-drops, I’ve taken my Robitussin (yummy), and that Tylenol is about to kick in.

Have a great weekend everyone. Get some rest and stay healthy.

Peace.

Discipleship, Faith in Action

One Body

I preached from Ephesians 4:1-16 yesterday. The passage begins with reminding us that our differences, the things that normally tear people apart, pale in comparison the things that unite us. Paul says that the mystery of the gospel is that we’ve been united to God through adoption in Christ Jesus (ch 1), we’ve been united to a new life (Ch 2), and that different cultures have been united into one body, the church (Ch 3).

He says,

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6 TNIV)

Beginning in verse 11, Paul even states that Jesus gave his body “gifts of grace.” These gifts are to be used to glorify God and to build up the church body. When members of the body embrace these gifts and use them to God’s glory and the benefit of everyone else, then the whole church begins to look like Christ, there is a measure of spiritual growth, and the church matures.

As I was wrapping everything up this morning I came across a great quote from one of the early church fathers. I wish I had used it yesterday.

Clement of Rome asks this:

Why do we divide and tear to pieces the members of Christ and raise up strife against our own body, and why have we reached such a height of madness as to forget that “we are members one of another?”

That is the $64,000 question isn’t it. If we are called to live as one body with Christ as the head, if we have been united as Paul says, and if walking in this unity brings only good things, the why do we tear each other to pieces?

Music

Grammy Picks

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The 50th Annual Grammy Awards are this Sunday. As any good music fan and observer, I have my own ideas about who will take home awards and who will leave empty handed. Below I’ve listed the big award categories and my picks. I’ve added a little color commentary as well. Let me know what you think. Am I right or wrong? Who do you think will win?

Album Of The Year
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace– Foo Fighters?
These Days– Vince Gill?
River: The Joni Letters– Herbie Hancock?
Graduation– Kanye West?
Back To Black– Amy Winehouse?

Who Should Win: Personally, I am pulling for the Foo Fighters on this one. The album starts off strong with The Pretender and then rides off into the sunset with Seda. The best Foo Fighters album since The Colour and the Shape.

Who Will Win: The only thing that I would bet on is that (It’s)Herrbie Hancock and Vince Gill will not win. Other than that the field is wide open. Kanye has received a Best Album nomination for each of his albums. Bono even gave him the old “chin-up-man-we’ve-all-been-overlooked-before” speech from the Grammy stage when HTDAAB beat out Late Registration for Best Album 2 years ago. Of course, Graduation is no Late Registration. There are some stand out tracks like Stronger, Homecoming, and The Good Life but I didn’t feel like West took it to another level. It just seemed more of the same. It could be his year though. He has, however, whined about losing about 40 times too many. The Grammy voters might not look too kindly on whiners. They also might not look too kindly on crack. That is the cross Amy Winehouse has to bear in her quest for Grammy Gold. Some have suggested that voters might pass over Winehouse in this category in order to avoid glamorizing her substance abuse problem. One way to avoid that criticism would be for them to award her the Best Album and then show a recent picture of her. Nothing glamorous there. Out of those three (Foo Fighters, Kanye, Winehouse) I have probably listened to Winehouse’s Back to Black the most. I would like to see her win this but I’m not sure that will happen.

Update – Who Did Win: Who would have thunk it? (It’s)Herbie Hancock won Album of the Year… in 2008. Wow.

Record Of The Year?
Record of the Year goes to the artist and to the producer(s) of a particular track.

Irreplaceable– Beyoncé?
The Pretender– Foo Fighters
Umbrella– Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z?
What Goes Around…Comes Around– Justin Timberlake?
Rehab– Amy Winehouse?

Who Should Win: The deep, cinematic, heavy beats from Timbaland and the angst ridden, tortured voice of Justin Timberlake make What Goes Around my pick for Record of the Year.

Who Will Win: Probably Umbrella-ella-ella-eh-eh-eh by Rihanna-ah-ah.

Update – Who Did Win: Rehab– Amy Winehouse?

Song Of The Year ?
Song of the Year is a songwriter’s award

Before He Cheats- Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
Hey There Delilah- Tom Higgenson, songwriter (Plain White T’s)
Like A Star- Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriter (Corinne Bailey Rae)
Rehab- Amy Winehouse, songwriter (Amy Winehouse)
Umbrella- Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius “Dream” Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z)?

Who Should Win: What makes a song great? The music or the lyrics? For me the two are often inseparable so I might not be on the same page as the voters. Each of these songs tell a story. Whether it’s a revenge seeking girlfriend or an aspiring rock star writing to his beloved the words meld into the music and should create a kaleidoscope of pictures and feelings in the mind and in the heart. My vote is for Hey There Delilah.

Who Will Win:Probably Umbrella-ella-ella-eh-eh-eh by Rihanna-ah-ah.

Update – Who Did Win: Rehab– Amy Winehouse

Best New Artist
Feist
Ledisi
Paramore
Taylor Swift
Amy Winehouse?

Who Should Win: Amy Winehouse
Who Will Win: Amy Winehouse
Update – Who Did Win: Amy Winehouse
?
So these are the 4 big awards that everybody cares about. I am no expert so I expect to wake up Monday morning only to find that I was way off on my predictions. Last year’s predictions were completely off. Will this year be the same? We shall see.

I want hear from you. Who are your picks? Did your favorite song or album get snubbed?