Hey everybody, I’m heading to Cali for the Urban Youth Workers Conference at Azusa Pacific. Ill try to recap when I get back. Peace!

Happy Mother’s Day! — Luke Everett and the Rancho Sordo Mudo

To all of the Mothers who frequent or come across my blog, I hope you are having a wonderful Mother’s Day.

Last night, I had the joy and privilege of hearing Luke Everett share at South-Hills Community Church about the faith and strength of his mother and father in the midst of trial after trial that threatened his family’s ministry to deaf-mute children in Ensenada, Mexico. Almost 40 years ago, his mother and father converted an old school bus into a makeshift RV and moved their six children south of the border all the way from North Carolina. They arrived without “official training” and within two weeks there were 12 Mexican deaf-mute children living with their Gringo family. Despite financial setbacks, a house that burned down, and the tragic deaths of multiple family members, the ministry of his family still lives on at the Rancho Sordo Mudo school for the deaf-mute.

My quick summary doesn’t do this justice. The story is amazing and Luke’s talk can be found on the South-Hills website. Once you’ve listened to the story, check out the trailer for a new video documentary about it…

Back from Chicago…

I’m back from Chicago, but still in slight recovery from the emotional high. It brought incredible joy to see friends! The high was followed by a couple days of the feeling down, but the I think I’m finding equilibrium again.  I’ve been playing guitar, writing letters/cards, and reading — all of which are outlets that steal me away from my blog but provide a strong foundation for me to share.  Tomorrow is a busy day (per my usual Thursday), but I will strive to share something more by the weekend.  Peace!

Gone to Chicago…

I’m jumping on a plane to Chicago. I’ll be there for the weekend. I’m visiting roommates and friends. I’ll see Roy Joseph and well as friends from the Wheaton Simple Living Intentional Community Experiment — it’s a bit like Shane Claiborne’s “Simple Way“, but not quite as intense…

Church Review: International Church of Las Vegas

A couple Sundays ago (April 13th), I visited the International Church of Las Vegas. It’s one of the largest churches in the valley, and its building is strategically located near the 95 and Summerlin Parkway. In fact, I heard about it from friends, but I didn’t know where it met until I saw their sign from the highway. Many of the best known churches in the valley can be seen or at least are easily accessible from the highway (ie Central Christian, St. Thomas More, ICLV). Even up-and-coming churches like South-Hills Community are building new campuses that can be seen day after day by highway commuters. Anyway, I had some extra time and decided to hop on down the road to ICLV and check it out.

I pulled into a visitor spot about 30 mins before the 11AM service, and unknowingly entered through the side door on the south-side of the building. It seems that’s where the children’s program check-in desk is located. The 8:30 service hadn’t quite finished when I got there, so the foyer wasn’t busy or crowded, and I had time to step into the restroom before service. A few minutes later, the service ended, and people started filtering out. I walked through the sanctuary, to the main entrance so I could take a look around the bookstore and the welcome table. The church store was filled with books written or recommended by the pastoral staff, and many of the titles can also be purchased online. There are even books in languages other than English, such as French and Portuguese.

At the welcome table, the receptionists were busy talking to other guests, so I quickly glanced over fliers/pamphlets on the table, and grabbed one that looked interesting. The one I chose was an encouragement for kids to fast and pray during lunch at school one day a week. I’ve included a copy of the card here.

From the front entrance, I moseyed done the hall and found classrooms for their affiliate elementary and junior high school the International Christian Academy of Las Vegas.

About 10:45, I went back into the sanctuary and found a seat. These are something of the things I observed before and during the morning service:

• The sanctuary is large, with about a thousand seats spread out in 8 sections. The stage is easily visible from anywhere in the room, and there are large screens on each side of the stage. These screens run the ICLV logo between services, and during the service they are used for announcements, music lyrics, and providing a magnified view of the preacher for those in the back who have trouble seeing. I found out that a new friend works for ICLV’s media crew, and he told me they try to have something on the screen at all times.
• The people were kind, friendly, and multi-ethnic. I could see the care members had for one another as they looked around the room and saw small groups of people talking, laughing, and praying together. They were black, white, Hispanic, Asian, and many of the countries they would call home were represented with flags hanging on the ceiling. Front and center as the flag of Israel.
• The music at ICLV was incredible. There was a strong vibrant and spontaneous aura throughout the sanctuary. The music seemed less scripted and more improvised, but with 15 people singing it was still very acoustically rich. Looking around the room, it was obvious that the music was a participatory event where everybody joined in rather than a concert for spectators. Those who are familiar with Hillsongs have probably caught this vibe before.
• Pastor Denise Goulet preached a sermon on the covering of the Holy Spirit. Her husband Paul Goulet is the main pastor of ICLV, but he away preaching in Chicago at the church of a friend he knew from working with Benny Hinn. Both Paul and Denise travel a lot, and Denise enjoyed mixing in stories of her travels throughout the sermon. Many of the stories were either funny or spoke of spiritual experiences she had with the overwhelming presence of God. She also mentioned prophecies she had heard recently from prophets such as Rick Joyner who is a close colleague with Bob Jones. Benny, Rick, and Bob have each become controversial prophets and healers within the Christian community, but I won’t delve into that here. Information about these men can be found throughout the Net and Blogosphere through a simple Google search.

Been Reading…

I’ve been reading a lot this week, and that has taken away from the time I usually spend writing. Still, it’s been time well spent.  I finished “Amusing Ourselves to Death” by Postman as well as “When the Spirit Comes with Power” by John White and “Above All” by Brennan Manning. I’m excited to work through “The Millenium Matrix” by Miller next, but that shouldn’t impinge upon getting some writing done this weekend.  I plan to post again in a couple days.  Goodnight.

Airport Observations, The Flight, And Amusing Ourselves to Death…

The three hour time difference between Vegas and DC can be a pain when talking on the phone, but right now I’m feeling it in person. It’s about 1:00 AM local time but only 10:00 PM Vegas time. Thankfully, I’m starting to get sleepy. Tomorrow, I’m going to a breakfast at Falls Church to hear Jerry Root talk about C.S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian. Needless to say, I’m excited!

Before I go to bed, I wanted to share snippets from my last 7 hours…

I got to the airport and made a few observations. I tried to post them using the McCarran free Wi-Fi, but a browser/connection issue. My observations are probably most thought provoking as questions:

- Why does the shoe-shine lady have on a short skirt and fishnet stockings?

- Why does the urinal use 3-4 gallons of water per flush when Las Vegas is in the desert?

- Regardless of where I sit, I’ll hear the slot machines… Will they sound different if somebody wins?
Those were a few of the questions I came away with during the wait for my flight. There was a slight delay getting on the plain (ie the people in front of me were caught using a fraudulent credit card or some sort), but other than that the rest of the trip went off without any problems. I slept till we hit ten thousand feet, then I broke out my iPod and turned on Gregorian chants sung on Pentacost for mass by a group of monks in Brazil. It was the perfect music for plowing through large chunks of “Amusing Ourselves to Death.”

It’s taken me a while to get through Amusing Ourselves to Death, but I worked through over half the book on my plane ride today. It still took me an average 2.5 mins per page, but Postman’s writing isn’t the easiest text out there. I was happy to read the entire second half of the book in one sitting. There is one thing I find funny though: I read the chapters out of order!

Either by nature or nurture, I am not a linear thinker, and reading books from cover to cover is difficult for me. I become so overwhelmed with keeping the argument straight that I slow down, get bored, and become sleepy. Books are also difficult because I’m a relational learner — I’m a verbal processor, and I enjoy rapid-fire conversation. I find that books which take a conversational tone are much easier for me to enjoy then books with complicated theses. Reading chapters out of order gives me a more conversational feel, and I believe it helps me understand the author’s implicit assumptions. In Ironic juxtaposition to the popularly habituated reading style, starting in the middle or at the end of the book and working my way backward or skipping around allows me to deconstruct and reconstruct the argument. Assessing the argument as a whole and breaking it down, instead of slowly building it up, is more conducive to my learning style.

If Postman were around today, he might ask me how TV and the Internet have influenced my learning style. I’m sure his questions would be far more articulate than the ones I could conjure up at this time at night, but underneath the questions would be the implicit tension between the natural and environmental development of my learning style…

Either way, I was glad to put such a big dent in a book. It has sparked more than a few questions as to the role modern media technology should play in the church. Those questions may come out in later posts, but for now it’s time to sleep… Goodnight.

Visiting Washington DC

This weekend I’ll be traveling to Washington DC so I can spend time with family and be present as my grandfather’s name is read at the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Grandpa died of cancer back in 2003, and onset and severity of his condition is attributed in part to his exposure to “Agent Orange“. His job as a mechanic for the army and the navy (granted, at different times) took on a tours to both Korea and Vietnam. It will be a joy to honor him by flying home for this ceremony.

I often think that Grandpa we feel honored by my life here in Vegas. Up until poor health became prohibitive, Grandpa enjoyed playing the cards — I think he even taught me to play solitaire one Sunday morning when Mom and Dad were at church. In his younger years, Grandpa drank and smoked while he played cards, which I’m sure only exacerbated his tiffs of frustration when the cards didn’t fall in his favor. It wasn’t until later in life, that Grandpa began to wrap his mind and heart around true grace. It was only then that he had the patience to let me play Pinochle with the adults. I think Grandpa would be glad that I have chosen to live a life of outreach here in Sin City.

I’ve been working on my writing lately, and hope to share some of it with you soon. Coming in the next week is a church review of the “International Church of Las Vegas.” Also coming, are some further thoughts on syncretism. I hope you’ll be on the look out for one or more of these later next week…

Peace!

Personal Moments from Holy Week (Part 3): Jesus Grapes?

The Wednesday of Holy Week I was driving across town to prepare Communion for Good Friday, when I saw a man standing at an intersection asking for money. This isn’t an uncommon occurrence here in Vegas, so I keep a mug of coins by my gearshift in case I see somebody in need. I moved into the left turn-lane per my usual route, rolled down the window, and called the gentleman over.  With an outstretched arm, I gave him a palm-full of change, a smile, and a, “Here you go. Happy Easter!” Then, I was more than pleasantly surprised to look-up and see the man’s beaming smile and hear his heartfelt response, “Happy Easter!”

The traffic light immediately turned green, and I instinctually said goodbye and sped-up to catch my light.  I felt bad just leaving, as if there was something incomplete about the whole scenario: how could I give the money and run? Was that really a loving thing to do? I decided there had to be something more.  The short exchange of “Happy Easter!” had sparked a curiosity in me, and I took the first available U-turn.

Parking at the gas station on the corner, I walked out to the median-strip and expressed to the gentleman my sincere apology for having given the money and run.  I told him how excited I was about Easter, and how glad I was when I heard him tell me Happy Easter, too. I asked how he would be celebrating, and he told me about how he recently found a new church where he felt comfortable attending. He told me how many people forget that Easter is about Jesus and the resurrection. Through our simple conversation, Doug and I shared the joy of Easter on a two-foot-wide median strip as cars whizzed by at 35-45 miles an hour.

I was honestly concerned about standing in the middle of the road, but I figured there are worse things to be doing when you die than talking about Jesus with the poor. (I now think it would have be morbidly and gloriously ironic to die talking about Easter and Christ’s resurrection.)  Then, in true Gospel fashion, Doug asked if he could pray for me. I was the one with all of the visible blessings of a job, a house, and a car. I was the one who took the time to stop and share a conversation out of the overflow of my blessings; I was the one risking life and limb and comfort-zone to stand out on the median strip; but Doug wanted to pray for me. Regardless of how awkward it felt be prayed for and hugged by a 6′3″ homeless man in the middle of a busy intersection, there was no turning down such a gift. I gratefully accepted and was truly blessed.

When he had finished praying, we spoke a little longer, and he asked for a little more “help”. I was hesitant to give him more money, and I expressed to him how I had just given him some money.  When he asked me for food, I felt more willing to help, but I did not want to go all the way home and then come back to give him food. I was in a bit of a time crunch to get across town and prepare Communion for Friday.

When I reached the car, it hit me! I had a whole pound of grapes sitting in the back seat! I had been planning to press them and make grape juice for Friday night. I grabbed the grapes and took them back to Doug. He was shocked at how many grapes there were, and said, “These are a lot of grapes.”  I told him, “Eat as many of them as you want, and then share them with a friend.”

As I drove away, I saw tall, lanky, gray-haired Doug standing on the sidewalk. He was holding the bag of grapes tightly to his chest with one hand, as he popped grapes into his mouth with the other. His face honestly shined in the setting sun.  I couldn’t help but think and pray, “Taste and know that the Lord is good,” and, “Doug is eating Jesus grapes.”

Adam’s Song…

I just wrote a new song and posted it on the Wanting Equilibrium MySpace Page. It’s called “Adam’s Song”. It’s my simple portrayal of how Adam must have felt at first seeing Eve. You can listen to it here.