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.
Personal Moments from Holy Week (Part 2): Intentional Gatherings as Engagement
I spent Tuesday night of Holy Week with my friend Aaron. He’s involved in a network of missional communities called Intentional Gatherings. Basically, he’s a catalyst for getting people together and prompting the question: what would it really look like if we sought to love our community as Christ followers. Their website says:
Intentional Gatherings is a network of missional communities. A missional community is a group of individuals who choose to selflessly do life together, with a common focus, through God’s grace exemplifying Jesus as he lives in us.
Last Tuesday, Rommel opened us up with music, and then we spent time discussing church traditions and habits that are hard for people outside of the church to understand. Two books have been released lately touching on this and similar issues (“They Like Jesus, But Not the Church” by Dan Kimball and “Pagan Christianity” by George Barna), but it was nice to move the conversation from the page to the living room.
I was particularly struck by one comment about how people feel stifled by church services that tell them when to stand-up, when to sit-down, and when to talk to God (ie pray). Another fellow said that he spent months to years helping with music in a church where he didn’t fit in, but he felt it was the least he could do for God and that church to go, play bass, and leave. A girl mentioned going to church with her nose ring, only to hear the murmurs of people in the pew behind her.
I sat listening for a long while, before offering my perspective. Aaron and I both knew that I had lot to say about the subject, but I didn’t want to hijack the conversation. When the subject of Communion and church tradition was brought up, Aaron asked me for some input. I offered a couple analogies to show why I believe Communion is important exercise for the church to practice on a frequent basis, and like most pictures they resonated with some and not with others. Most importantly though, I spoke about how the Eucharist as a tradition only has meaning as it engages the Holy Spirit. Traditions and spiritual disciplines, whether practiced individually or corporately, whether marked by activity or stillness, all find their meaning not relative to culture but to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
After most everyone went home, a small group of us stayed behind to continue talking. Through the course of conversation, we recognized forms of relational engagement that are essential to the vitality of any community. The following is my synopsis and further reflection on that discussion:
Engaging the Word through Scripture
Engaging the King through Culture
Engaging the Spirit through Prayer
As we engage Scripture through Prayer, we find Wisdom.
As we engage Culture through Prayer, we find Healing.
As we engage Culture through Scripture, we find Hope.
As we engage Prayer through Scripture, we find Strength.
As we engage Scripture through Culture, we find Relevance.
As we engage Prayer through Culture, we find Brokenness.
We had spent time engaging culture that evening and we had spoken in previous encounters about the need to engage the Word, but Tuesday night was the first time we had seriously engaged in prayer. In a special way, God engaged us as we engaged Him in prayer, and that night we experience the sweetness of true communion.
Personal Moments from Holy Week
My original plan for Holy Week this year was to be in the Dominican Republic serving the community of Batey Nueve (#9) through a medical clinic and a couple days of kids ministry, but that plan fell through due to some unforeseeable circumstances. It appears my trip will be rescheduled for early July, and while I’m anxious to get out of “The States” I trust that July will be a better time to go than this week would have been. This week has been full of pleasant twists and turns, and I’m excited to share some of them with you.
Part One: Palm Sunday
Saturday Night before Palm Sunday, I was planning on having friends over to discuss current events, but nobody showed up for the usual 7-7:30 start time. I took it as a prime opportunity to chill at home, until a friend called at 9PM to tell me, “I’ve decided to come.” I was on the verge of telling him that nobody else had showed up and he didn’t need to bother driving over, when he continued to say, “I’m right out front of your house.”
I invited my friend in, served him dinner, and we talked for a while. About an hour talking and exchanging life stories, the conversation grew heavy and tiring. Then, I remembered the conversation I had with my pastor earlier that afternoon — there were no palm leaves for Palm Sunday!
My friend and I hopped in my car and prowled around the neighborhood looking for unsuspeting palm trees. We found a few in front of a local government non-profit building, but I couldn’t cut their branches with the scissors I had brought. Thwarted by the ineffectiveness of my tools, it began to settle in how guilty I felt for taking the branches without permission.
Truly unable to sever the leaves from their stalk, we drove home to retrieve my cutlery set and got back in the car to pursue a different course of action. We drove to the nearest 24 hour business with palm trees, which turned out to be a 24 Hour Fitness center. We walked up to the front desk and asked the clerk if we could cut a couple branches from their trees upfront, but he said we’d have to wait an hour to ask the manager — talk about waiting till the 11th hour…
Not wanting to wait around, we drove down the road a little further to a gas station. We stepped into the convenience center and I found a package each of Reese’s Piece and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. While we were checking out, I asked the cashiers whether we could have a couple branches from the palm trees out front for our church. The gentlemen looked dumbfounded and said, “You’re church is supposed to give you those.” I assured them I was part of my church’s creative ministries team, and they insisted my church should provide them. They spoke amongst themselves about how if they were the manager, they would say no, but when I asked again they reluctantly told me to go ahead and take them.
I felt much better taking the branches with permission — or at least a neutral acknowledgment and acceptance from the responsible parties. I honestly admit it was quite odd to walk around the front of a gas station (beacon of florescent lights and symbol of American consumerism) with a large steak knife in my hand. In the midst of those short Las Vegas palms, I felt I was in the jungle, almost as if I was in a scene from Lord of the Flies. I quickly found the prime branches, cut them down, and threw them in the back seat before a cop drove by. With that, my friend and I went home to feast on Reese’s and ice cream.
A Short Las Vegas Church Guide: Holy Week and Easter 2008
Easter is my favorite holiday of the year, and I try to get ready far ahead of time. Sometimes I feel like Easter gets blown over in our busy culture, and I wish it had an extended holiday season like Christmas. This Easter is the closest to having it’s own holiday season because it’s early enough to coincide with Spring Break! That makes it one of the few chances to celebrate with a BANG!
For some readers here in the Las Vegas valley, you may want to celebrate this holiday in a BIG WAY by joining hundreds to thousands of people who are going to church. If you don’t know where or when to go, I’ve compiled the “Short Las Vegas Church Guide: Holy Week and Easter 2008″ (by alphabetical order):
Central Christian
| Holy Saturday (March 22) | 3PM, 4:30PM, 6PM |
| Easter Sunday (March 23) | 9AM, 10:20AM, 11:45AM, 1:15PM |
Located near 95 and Russell. Click Here for Directions to Central Christian.
Five 20
| Easter Sunday (March 23) | 6PM |
Located near Fremont. Click here for Directions to Five 20.
Hope Baptist
| Holy Saturday (March 22) | 5PM, 6:30PM |
| Easter Sunday (March 23) | 7:15AM, 8:30AM, 10:00AM, 11:30PM |
Located near 215 and Silverado. Click Here for Directions to Hope.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church
| Maundy Thursday (March 20) | 7PM (Mass of the Lord’s Supper) |
| Good Friday (March 21) | 1:30 PM (Celebration of the Lord’s Passion), 7PM Passion Drama |
| Holy Saturday (March 22) | 10AM (Blessing of the Easter Food), 8PM (Easter Vigil) |
| Easter Sunday (March 23) | 6AM (Sunrise), 8AM, 10AM, 12PM |
Located near 95 and Summerlin Parkway. Click Here for Directions to Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary Catholic Church
| Maundy Thursday (March 20) | 5PM (Evening Prayer), 7PM (Mass of the Lord’s Supper) |
| Good Friday (March 21) | 8AM (Morning Prayer), 12PM (Stations of the Cross), 5PM (Evening Prayer), 7PM (Celebration of the Lord’s Passion) |
| Holy Saturday (March 22) | 9AM (Morning Prayer), 10AM (Blessing of the Easter Food), 7PM Easter Vigil |
| Easter Sunday (March 23) | 6AM (Sunrise), 8AM, 8:15AM, 10AM, 10:15AM, 12PM, 12:15PM, 2PM, 2:15PM, 5PM |
Located near Rainbow and Sahara. Click Here for Directions to Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary church.
Saint Thomas More Catholic Church
| Palm Sunday (March 16) | 8AM, 10AM, 12AM, 5:30PM (Life Teen Mass) |
| Maundy Thursday (March 20) | 7PM (Mass of the Lord’s Supper) |
| Good Friday (March 21) | 12PM (Stations of the Cross), 7PM (Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion) |
| Holy Saturday (March 22) | 7 PM (Easter Vigil) |
| Easter Sunday (March 23) | 6AM, 8AM (Life Teen Mass), 8AM, 10AM, 12PM, 5:30PM |
Located near 215 and Pecos. Click Here for Directions to Saint Thomas More church.
South-Hills Church Community
| Good Friday (March 21) | 6PM |
| Holy Saturday (March 22) | 6PM |
| Easter Sunday (March 23) | 8AM, 9:30AM, 11AM |
Located Near Eastern and Horizon Ridge. Click Here for Directions to South Hills Church Community.
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Ps. Click on the LV Churches Category (or Click Here) to find “Reviews” for a few of the churches mentioned. These reviews are designed to let you know what you can expect when visiting, but they are not intended to give a ranking for comparison (ie I don’t give churches “Two Thumbs Up!” or “Five Stars!”). I don’t feel that ranking churches in such a manner is fair or healthy.
My Hobbies (Also Under “About Me”)
These are some of the things I do when I’m not writing on my blog:
Volleyball. I’m excited about getting involved in the Clark County volleyball league. If all goes well, I’ll be playing on a co-ed team with coworkers from Citadel. It’s rare to find someone to say this about volleyball, but there is no other sport that makes me happier. Good bumps, sets, spikes, and serves make me happy even hours after the game is done.
Books (”BYOB”). In case you haven’t notice through my writing, my mind is always striving for a synthesis. I can hardly sit down with a book without relating it to another book I’ve read. No text is in isolation. Of course, not everybody thinks this way, and I don’t blame them (sometimes it seems more of a hassle than its worth). Still, to share with others my struggle to engage and make sense of the world, I’ve started a book gathering at my house. It’s called “BYOB” or “Bring Your Own Book”. People who come are encouraged to bring a book of their choice, so they can read a few pages to the group. After reading each section, we chat about the passage till the conversation dies, then we move on to the next book. Every gathering is different, but every gathering has brought new encouragement.
Music. I really enjoy singing and playing my guitar, but I have difficulty playing other people’s songs. Solution: I write my own. Sometimes I feel like they all sound the same. They’d sound better with piano in added in, but I don’t play piano. My friend Rommel does though, and he’s interested in putting keys to my songs. Check out Rommel in the music section of my links. My music is posted on the “Wanting Equilibrium” MySpace page.
Cooking. I grew up helping out in the kitchen, probably because Mom let me lick the batter off the mixer beaters. If I find a food I like, I’m likely to attempt making it from scratch. From flan, to tortillas, to South Asian lentils, to hummus, I like a homemade meal!
TV/Video Games/Chess. These are all things that I indulge in when my brain is fried. I like watching “The Office” and “Scrubs“, I recently bought “Civilization III“, and I play chess on InstantChess.com
Haitians, Voodoo, and the House of Blues
In less than two weeks, I’ll be going to the Dominican Republic with friends from church to spend time with the people of Batey Nueve (ie “Batey Number Nine”). The Bateys are corporate housing projects that were started by sugarcane companies to house the Haitian immigrants who work their fields. Many of these immigrants have lost their legal documents, and are no longer considered Haitians nor Dominicans. They are truly treated as second class citizens.We’ll be working in conjunction with G.O. Ministries, who will help facilitate the logistics involved with a 2 day medical clinic and week’s stay. G.O. also maintains an on-going relationship with the residents of Batey Nueve, and I’m glad to be supporting their steady relationship with the neighborhood instead of supporting a “mission trip” that looks more like “a one-week stand.”Historically speaking, there has been a lot of pain and spiritual oppression that has ravaged Haiti as a nation and people. Voodoo has been the dominant religious influence in Haiti for over the last 200 years, and the persistent pain and suffering that nation makes a strong argument for the existence of the demonic forces.Voodoo is a religious system created from a mix of African pagan beliefs with Roman Catholic Christianity. Slaves learned to mask their Pagan practices of spiritual appeasement by speaking of them in Catholic terms. Essentially, the spirits they worshiped were given the names of saints, while their belief system and ritual sacrifices remained the same. The mixing completely different religions is known syncretism.Syncretism is actually a popular practice here in Las Vegas as well. A prime example is found above the stage at The House of Blues Las Vegas (H.O.B). Above the quilted curtain (a symbol itself of patchwork belief systems) is an array of about 10 of the world’s most famous religions. In the middle is a picture of Christ, with the words “All Are One” written above his head.While this display could be construed as a humanistic assertion of American religious tolerance, I think it’s something slightly more sinister. Scattered along the walls throughout the rest of the H.O.B. are other religious and political imagery — pictures of Jimmy Carter, a cross, the devil, and a voodoo priestess. Somehow, a syncretism — not far removed from that of Haiti — has slipped into our popular culture. If the devaluing of Christian values, belief, and faith through syncretism is truly at the root of Haiti’s desperate estate, then I am genuinely concerned that we may be sacrificing our health as a nation for the sake of religious political correctness. Though, while I am concerned and while I do not expect the H.O.B., I am not hopeless. I believe we can maintain religious tolerance without succumbing to syncretism as long as we maintain a search for truth and do not settle for a meshing half-truths or lies.
