Andrew and I did a lot of jiu-jitsu on the beach in the Outer Banks, last Christmas. He's a good fighter, and a great sport.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Trouble Commenting?
If you're having any trouble commenting, that's because my settings only allow Bloggers to comment. So if you want to post a comment, open a blogger account. it's quick and easy, and you can just let it lie dormant until my Crazy Christian ravings get you mad or happy enough to start posting, yourself.
I've been at this for a WHILE (my first posts are in 03) and it's definitely worth the time. I can't tell you the number of times people from WAY out of town (like Germany) have emailed or called, or commented me.
and if you want to talk more about being a Jesus people, let me know... the table's set. the door's open.
I've been at this for a WHILE (my first posts are in 03) and it's definitely worth the time. I can't tell you the number of times people from WAY out of town (like Germany) have emailed or called, or commented me.
and if you want to talk more about being a Jesus people, let me know... the table's set. the door's open.
A Visit With Tom Jewell
True to his name, Tom's a precious guy. I got to see him in the Big House, last week. I made a total foto montage, below.
Check it out, and there's another new post below that one. feel free...
Check it out, and there's another new post below that one. feel free...
good old spoon
Hey folks. thought I'd share this old friend of mine with you all. this is the spoon that is stuck in the asphalt, just outside the local playground. That's the playground with the police and the drug dealers, when we first moved here.
That's the playground across from the local store they demolished to cut down on the drug trade...
The playground just a half block away from Chris Challis' place--now in the process of a prolonged (slow) remodeling... its gutted, with a trash chute leading down to a dumpster from a 2nd fl. window.
The cold has kept us in, and sick, lately. The time to get out and skate, and walk, and talk to neighbors is almost on us, though. Playing, walking, skating, talking, shopping groceries--all of the local life connects us to folks...
a lot of these folks are really awesome. all of them are loved. and some are pretty dangerous--remember that one time that two of us were pistol whipped, surrounded by a mob of 25 youth? Remember that time when the Indianapolis church folks came to help out Chris Challis and we got shot at?
Remember how chris C. left this world?
3 years back I broke my foot skateboarding.
2 years back--3 ribs.
Last year i pulverized the tendons of my wrists. pulverized.
...all of that skateboarding. I'm such a wimp. such greater dangers surround us. How protected we are...
Please pray for us as we enter a new season here. When we first came here, we were mostly college students. We did a lot of ball with kids and bbq.
This year we are mostly married folks with jobs.
and we're being called to give up so much, again, to be fully available to Jesus. Some of our readers adn visitors have viewed us as some kind of special people, but the reality is that we're being called to give up all the same--all of us.
Pray that we'd live radical obedience to the Way, and not be deceived by the deceitfulness of riches.
and you. don't YOU be deceived, either. Jesus doesn't want you to collect this world's wealth to yourself for your own comfort. He wants you to be friends, and become one of, with people like our beautiful, dangerous, tragic, beloved neighbors.
alcoholism
drug addiction
lead poisoning
ignorance
sexual abuse
no fathers
child abuse
you wouldn't believe the consistency with which Satan has treated humanity. Don't be a pointy building christian. Be a daily walking, fence-talking, bringing groceries to grammas, christian.
move.
live somewhere where your daily walk does something. Where being a neighbor is an act of love and rescue. Where kindness isn't just part of the code, but a revolutionary statement of the Kingdom.
and for some of us: have we gotten complacent? because Jesus won't be pleased with less than the passion we discovered at first. to leave all behind for the joy of loving on him, daily.
the fellowship of the cross.
think on these things.
and what are you chasing, anyway? what is it? usually it's a combo of pride and fear swirling in a swim in American Status-Quo-ianity. Mediocrity.
Some kind of safety...
what is that?
a quick Bible read'll chip that one into mulch, brah.
enjoy the spoon. 3 years in, its still here.
when they repave Chase Ave, i'm gonna dig that spoon out and make it into a necklace.
That's the playground across from the local store they demolished to cut down on the drug trade...
The playground just a half block away from Chris Challis' place--now in the process of a prolonged (slow) remodeling... its gutted, with a trash chute leading down to a dumpster from a 2nd fl. window.
The cold has kept us in, and sick, lately. The time to get out and skate, and walk, and talk to neighbors is almost on us, though. Playing, walking, skating, talking, shopping groceries--all of the local life connects us to folks...
a lot of these folks are really awesome. all of them are loved. and some are pretty dangerous--remember that one time that two of us were pistol whipped, surrounded by a mob of 25 youth? Remember that time when the Indianapolis church folks came to help out Chris Challis and we got shot at?
Remember how chris C. left this world?
3 years back I broke my foot skateboarding.
2 years back--3 ribs.
Last year i pulverized the tendons of my wrists. pulverized.
...all of that skateboarding. I'm such a wimp. such greater dangers surround us. How protected we are...
Please pray for us as we enter a new season here. When we first came here, we were mostly college students. We did a lot of ball with kids and bbq.
This year we are mostly married folks with jobs.
and we're being called to give up so much, again, to be fully available to Jesus. Some of our readers adn visitors have viewed us as some kind of special people, but the reality is that we're being called to give up all the same--all of us.
Pray that we'd live radical obedience to the Way, and not be deceived by the deceitfulness of riches.
and you. don't YOU be deceived, either. Jesus doesn't want you to collect this world's wealth to yourself for your own comfort. He wants you to be friends, and become one of, with people like our beautiful, dangerous, tragic, beloved neighbors.
alcoholism
drug addiction
lead poisoning
ignorance
sexual abuse
no fathers
child abuse
you wouldn't believe the consistency with which Satan has treated humanity. Don't be a pointy building christian. Be a daily walking, fence-talking, bringing groceries to grammas, christian.
move.
live somewhere where your daily walk does something. Where being a neighbor is an act of love and rescue. Where kindness isn't just part of the code, but a revolutionary statement of the Kingdom.
and for some of us: have we gotten complacent? because Jesus won't be pleased with less than the passion we discovered at first. to leave all behind for the joy of loving on him, daily.
the fellowship of the cross.
think on these things.
and what are you chasing, anyway? what is it? usually it's a combo of pride and fear swirling in a swim in American Status-Quo-ianity. Mediocrity.
Some kind of safety...
what is that?
a quick Bible read'll chip that one into mulch, brah.
enjoy the spoon. 3 years in, its still here.
when they repave Chase Ave, i'm gonna dig that spoon out and make it into a necklace.
Today I laughed until I cried
This little kid is my son, about 6 months ago... Not even that, maybe. Seth is growing up so fast.
Today was a preschool presentation day, and I went to his school to watch him say, "I am W.E.B. DuBois." He had a tie and suspenders... it was HILARIOUS!
and he's not so "little" anymore. And he can do a ton of stuff for himself, now.
If we survive this planet, by the sheer gift of our Father, It's presently unimaginable, how it will feel to see him as a man. What relief? I don't know...
I already miss him as a baby, but I'm able to be about some good stuff, while I'm not changing his diapers and keeping him out of the road, too. I don't mind the growing up.
But will I ever hold him, again, like that? I think not.
maybe someday, when he's sleeping, he may remind me of the days when he didn't worry... when he didn't know how to fear, or worry, or sin real bad...
...i don't envy the children their growing up in this world, dude. I grew up and now I'm a soldier, an athlete, a farmer... I work and i sweat to follow Jesus.
I feel so surrounded, too. you know? There's so much static and lacquer that cover over the voice and beauty of Jesus, around here...
will our local christians renounce the pollution of the world and start to make sense? We're rich christians in an age of hunger...
and when I see my little son, I weep. really i do...
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Church Meeting Cancelled
This week's Meeting is cancelled. Lew has been down for four days with some dreadful cold. Our brave Georgian has been flat for three with what simply must have been the flu. His temp was 103 for a short bit, but is down to 99, now. Seth Just threw up, and Judy has her hands full with work and a house full of sickies. Aaron is stir crazy and twelve, with a bad case of cabin fever. Bummer... So the Jesus People are not having meeting tonight...
This is the first cancellation that I know of, in like 5 years. Wow...
This is the first cancellation that I know of, in like 5 years. Wow...
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
I watched this movie yesterday:
My friends couldn't finish it. It just didn't keep my attention. It was a long soak in a fairly narrow example of Christianity gone wrong.
is this the best you can do, Jesus Camp?
What really struck me was how much more ominous they could have made this. By using footage and material from the most popular and mainstream, rather than from this kind of wacky, campy group...
Heck. I think I could make a doc that goes deeper than this, contains even more disturbing facts--like divorce rates, drug use, and pornography addiction rates (among pastors), etc... I could talk from my youth ministry experience, adn that of so many of my peers, of how so many American parents have their heads utterly immersed in sand. So many times, I saw folks pooh-pooh their kids' need for complete spiritual renewal. I saw the church high-five each other over buying a pop machine for the youth, while the real message of Scripture got buried in Americana Pop culture. Teaching their kids to be nice, they left them vacuous and weak.
"Youth are the Future of the Church", they always said. Youth are not the future of anything. they are the present. By softpedaling the Message of Jesus, neglecting prayer, and allowing nationalism and consumerism to affect discipleship so profoundly, we have really, really messed it up.
Anyway, Jesus Camp is a hokey movie. They're trying to shock us, but they don't even choose the juicy stuff. It was totally grievous to see Brother Ted blow a chance to get to know the little "preacher" kid.
What struck me was how utterly unthreatened the True Message of Jesus is, by this kind of criticism. What Jesus taught is not what these kids are being taught. I liked the fact that the film stated that, too.
I'd save the two hours, though the irony of this doc is historic, since it was only months later that ted was exposed as a total faker. Good for him. All of us need to keep in mind that Jesus has come for the undone, total fakers.
of whom I am formost.
I love ted. Jesus loves ted.
Maybe we could make a documentary about how great a failure the American C hurch has been--a documentary that shows us how Awesome Jesus really is. He loves us! And what he really taught will amaze people, because they'll find out that He is just as different from the Americana Jesus as they are hoping.
And He is still untameable and dangerous, too.
I hope that you connect with the dangerous JEsus of Scripture, today, and successfully shed the weight of this culture that is constantly trying to chain Jesus totheir lame cart. He refuses.
I am amazed at the damage that church leaders in our generation have done to the ability of onlookers to understand the message of jesus. Our criticism of outsiders, without looking within--all in spite of 1 Cor. 5 that tells us to keep our judgment to our own community.
This fundamental confusion of nationalism with the Kingdom of God.
Mercy.
My friends couldn't finish it. It just didn't keep my attention. It was a long soak in a fairly narrow example of Christianity gone wrong.
is this the best you can do, Jesus Camp?
What really struck me was how much more ominous they could have made this. By using footage and material from the most popular and mainstream, rather than from this kind of wacky, campy group...
Heck. I think I could make a doc that goes deeper than this, contains even more disturbing facts--like divorce rates, drug use, and pornography addiction rates (among pastors), etc... I could talk from my youth ministry experience, adn that of so many of my peers, of how so many American parents have their heads utterly immersed in sand. So many times, I saw folks pooh-pooh their kids' need for complete spiritual renewal. I saw the church high-five each other over buying a pop machine for the youth, while the real message of Scripture got buried in Americana Pop culture. Teaching their kids to be nice, they left them vacuous and weak.
"Youth are the Future of the Church", they always said. Youth are not the future of anything. they are the present. By softpedaling the Message of Jesus, neglecting prayer, and allowing nationalism and consumerism to affect discipleship so profoundly, we have really, really messed it up.
Anyway, Jesus Camp is a hokey movie. They're trying to shock us, but they don't even choose the juicy stuff. It was totally grievous to see Brother Ted blow a chance to get to know the little "preacher" kid.
What struck me was how utterly unthreatened the True Message of Jesus is, by this kind of criticism. What Jesus taught is not what these kids are being taught. I liked the fact that the film stated that, too.
I'd save the two hours, though the irony of this doc is historic, since it was only months later that ted was exposed as a total faker. Good for him. All of us need to keep in mind that Jesus has come for the undone, total fakers.
of whom I am formost.
I love ted. Jesus loves ted.
Maybe we could make a documentary about how great a failure the American C hurch has been--a documentary that shows us how Awesome Jesus really is. He loves us! And what he really taught will amaze people, because they'll find out that He is just as different from the Americana Jesus as they are hoping.
And He is still untameable and dangerous, too.
I hope that you connect with the dangerous JEsus of Scripture, today, and successfully shed the weight of this culture that is constantly trying to chain Jesus totheir lame cart. He refuses.
I am amazed at the damage that church leaders in our generation have done to the ability of onlookers to understand the message of jesus. Our criticism of outsiders, without looking within--all in spite of 1 Cor. 5 that tells us to keep our judgment to our own community.
This fundamental confusion of nationalism with the Kingdom of God.
Mercy.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Huge Snowstorm
As I write this, my Brave Georgian, Andrew, sits on a Metro Bus in Cincinnati, trying to get home. He usually is at the house by 345, running 5 blocks from the stop. It is 7pm right now. The snow has crippled the infrastructure, here, and there's no way to locate him, even if I were crazy enough to brave the other drivers' lack of snow-driving skill...
There are easily 4 inches down now, of fine powder snow.
A couple of hours ago, Judy asked me to go to "MELT", a local restaurant (excellent, classy, bohemian fare) to get her a sammich. I drove 5 blocks down, parked and walked around for it. I saw taxis and motorists revving their engines, spraying snow everywhere, desperate for traction... not comical in the least, though. People really, actually have deep issues with snowy roads, here in Cincy.
Slowing down. Shifting up at lower speeds. Tripling and Quadrupling stopping distances. Deceleration before taking turns and turnign corners... All this stuff is lost on half of us here in Cincy.
Emergency Vehicles are ploughing around from wreck to wreck. I heard the radio guy saying that if you have an accident, you can report it within 24 hours and it's okay if you leave the scene like that. That's how many accidents we're talking, here.
Fascinating. It's all really a social issue. Training. Not Rushing. I would bet that good old "GREED" is at the root of the issue. For sure. And FEAR.
whatever.
So there's lots of snow. The pipes have a new noise in them, but the heat's holding, here, too. I awoke this mornign with a bit of a belly-gnaw about that old boiler, you know? But tonight at 6pm, my buddy Adam, whose known me for like 7 years, now, calls me up and offers any of us who lose heat a place to sleep.
The Maineville folks are willing to evac our whole operation, if necessary. For the record--you don't have to move to the city to love radically. Just love radically. What a joy to know that I don't own this house, adn that there are other houses that I don't own that are equally mine, when there's need.
Thanks brother adam adn sister corey for the obedience, love and just plain sillyness that's gotten into you.
May all who read this be blessed.
There are easily 4 inches down now, of fine powder snow.
A couple of hours ago, Judy asked me to go to "MELT", a local restaurant (excellent, classy, bohemian fare) to get her a sammich. I drove 5 blocks down, parked and walked around for it. I saw taxis and motorists revving their engines, spraying snow everywhere, desperate for traction... not comical in the least, though. People really, actually have deep issues with snowy roads, here in Cincy.
Slowing down. Shifting up at lower speeds. Tripling and Quadrupling stopping distances. Deceleration before taking turns and turnign corners... All this stuff is lost on half of us here in Cincy.
Emergency Vehicles are ploughing around from wreck to wreck. I heard the radio guy saying that if you have an accident, you can report it within 24 hours and it's okay if you leave the scene like that. That's how many accidents we're talking, here.
Fascinating. It's all really a social issue. Training. Not Rushing. I would bet that good old "GREED" is at the root of the issue. For sure. And FEAR.
whatever.
So there's lots of snow. The pipes have a new noise in them, but the heat's holding, here, too. I awoke this mornign with a bit of a belly-gnaw about that old boiler, you know? But tonight at 6pm, my buddy Adam, whose known me for like 7 years, now, calls me up and offers any of us who lose heat a place to sleep.
The Maineville folks are willing to evac our whole operation, if necessary. For the record--you don't have to move to the city to love radically. Just love radically. What a joy to know that I don't own this house, adn that there are other houses that I don't own that are equally mine, when there's need.
Thanks brother adam adn sister corey for the obedience, love and just plain sillyness that's gotten into you.
May all who read this be blessed.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Love is Patient/Kind
1 Cor. 13 says if I have not love, I'm nothing.
How much of the stuff that America's Christians are doing is "from love"?
"I sense much fear in [them]" ---YODA
My friends around the neighborhood wonder why the christians are so judgmental and pesky to the world around them who never asked to be held to their standards.
They also wonder why they ostracise their own, like chickens who always peck the speckled hen to death...
and i read this week that Love is patient and love is kind.
...that it's the kindness of God that leads us to repentance...
that the power of life and death are in the tongue.
I am seeing that the nations are waiting on us to love each other, in the John 17 unity that proves the identity of Jesus. This is world evangelism. to grow where we're planted. to reach down deep, into the living stream.
LOVE is all inthe Kingdom.
God is love.
if we don't love, we don't have God, no matter who we "reach".
"reach". Ha!
let's give up talk of "reaching" for the reality of Loving. 1 John 3:16-20
How much of the stuff that America's Christians are doing is "from love"?
"I sense much fear in [them]" ---YODA
My friends around the neighborhood wonder why the christians are so judgmental and pesky to the world around them who never asked to be held to their standards.
They also wonder why they ostracise their own, like chickens who always peck the speckled hen to death...
and i read this week that Love is patient and love is kind.
...that it's the kindness of God that leads us to repentance...
that the power of life and death are in the tongue.
I am seeing that the nations are waiting on us to love each other, in the John 17 unity that proves the identity of Jesus. This is world evangelism. to grow where we're planted. to reach down deep, into the living stream.
LOVE is all inthe Kingdom.
God is love.
if we don't love, we don't have God, no matter who we "reach".
"reach". Ha!
let's give up talk of "reaching" for the reality of Loving. 1 John 3:16-20
checkin
hey all, thanks for reading. I am delighted to keep in touch with you all. We are very Daily here. Loving the neighbor, being kind and loving to each other.
Some of the news here is that people are really newly married and newly kidded and are buying neighborhood houses and talking to contractors and repairmen about estimates.
...and it's really cold, here. like 15 degrees at night.
and the boiler is holding, though I've heard some "new" NOISES in the pipes. Is that air? Is that because of the leak? The professionals all tell me the same thing: This thing'll quit soon. When it does, betterhope it's not cold.
There a wall that's almost finished getting painted.
Some good sunday night meetings. Worshipping Jesus together is a highlight ofmy week...
Again, thanks for keeping up with the GrubbyKupp folks.
Some of the news here is that people are really newly married and newly kidded and are buying neighborhood houses and talking to contractors and repairmen about estimates.
...and it's really cold, here. like 15 degrees at night.
and the boiler is holding, though I've heard some "new" NOISES in the pipes. Is that air? Is that because of the leak? The professionals all tell me the same thing: This thing'll quit soon. When it does, betterhope it's not cold.
There a wall that's almost finished getting painted.
Some good sunday night meetings. Worshipping Jesus together is a highlight ofmy week...
Again, thanks for keeping up with the GrubbyKupp folks.
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