New Site is up...
Written on 10/25/2009 11:36:00 PM by Miles
Hola!
The new site is finally up and running....not entirely at full speed. Close, though. Take a look and bring some conversation over at Content Under Pressure.
see ya there!
as if I didn't like them enough....
Written on 9/26/2009 11:53:00 AM by Miles
So, I found this video online and it cracked me up. Apparently, they were told to play to a track while on this television show in Mexico....looks like they didn't like that too much.
I'll let you figure out what's wrong with this picture. :)
enjoy...
can you feel it??
Written on 9/01/2009 07:18:00 PM by Miles
...it's the winds of change. Stay tuned. I'm going to refocus and actually make my blog something that I can uniquely speak into, and not something that just my lil' circle of friends peep in on.
It'll probably be a Wordpress thing...I just really need to think on what I want out of this blog and actually commit to it. Pray for me. :)
International Justice Day....
Written on 7/18/2009 11:25:00 PM by Miles
...was yesterday. Did you know? Mocha Club has a video about it, which I thought I'd share here for you all. If you've not heard of them, check out the website. I'd love to connect with some folks and donate to one of their projects. Let me know if you're interested.
being creative is fun
Written on 7/08/2009 05:36:00 PM by Miles
Are you creative? Do you enjoy using your gifts for a greater purpose? Well, peep this:
Art for Humura is a collaboration between Barton Damer and Promise (Tangeman) Wurzell (AZ-woot woot).
You can read more about the project here.
Barton began the first phase on July 6th, and they will go back and forth until the end of the month, in which the finished piece will be transferred to prints and shirts that will be sold to benefit the Humura Children's Home in Kenya. The first phase has been completed, and is pictured right here.
I know this inspires me to think about ways to use my gifting to benefit others. I'd love to partner with folks to get something done to serve people in need....you hear that, Matthew?
:)
disbelief
Written on 6/26/2009 12:03:00 AM by Miles
at the news today, as well as this image of Michael. I've always been amazed at this move.
truly the loss of the greatest thing for music since....well, ever.
spotlight
Written on 6/13/2009 07:47:00 PM by Miles
for your viewing enjoyment, I give you Mutemath's "Spotlight." love them.
have a good weekend.
listening and doing
Written on 6/01/2009 09:13:00 PM by Miles
The Bible is challenging, folks...
The book of James has some of the most challenging verses in Scripture, in my opinion. Here is what I was reading today that smacked me right in the face.
James 1: 19-27 Are we just listening, or are we doing?
19My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. 26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Chew on that for a while....I'm off to bed for the night. Going to look in the mirror and see if I recognize my face in the morning.
where do you find grace?
Written on 5/27/2009 11:40:00 AM by Miles
Grace. We can find it in so many places, people, situations, struggles. You name it, and most likely you can find it there. Grace is a hard thing to understand. If I were to just say "grace" to you, what would be the first thing to pop up in your mind? For some, it may be a song. For others, a pretty name for a girl. Hopefully, some would think of Jesus. :)
No matter what you think you know about grace, I think it would be fair of me to say that grace isn't exactly the easiest thing to comprehend. I mean, it's a gift that's completely undeserved. It's all your sins washed away. It's one who knew no sin to be condemned on our behalf, so that you may become the righteousness of God. I don't know about you all, but that just flies right over my head when I think about it.
I have found recently that evil allows me to see grace in a way that I almost understand it. I'll explain...
Recently, one of the young women I minister to where I work disclosed of some horrible abuse by a parent. Abuse that consistently lasted for over five years. I have to be honest. The first thing that I feel when I hear stuff like this is extreme anger. But here's the thing: God loves that person just as much as he does me. That's a love that I just can't comprehend.
A colleague of mine and I were talking about this, and he said that he sees the love and grace of God when he's with his daughter.
What about you? Where do you find grace?
another quote of note
Written on 5/14/2009 10:45:00 PM by Miles
We may as well face it: the whole level of spirituality among us is low. We have measured ourselves by ourselves until the incentive to seek higher plateaus in the things of the Spirit is all but gone…. [we] have imitated the world, sought popular favor, manufactured delights to substitute for the joy of the Lord and produced a cheap and synthetic power to substitute for the power of the Holy Ghost. -- A.W. Tozer
Something to think about, I think.
countdown to the Shanes....
Written on 5/04/2009 06:15:00 AM by Miles
The countdown begins this week to see the Shanes in Cave Creek, AZ. If you've not heard of them, go to their website and check 'em out. Matt Maher will be there as well, along with speaker David Nasser. This event is part of the Turn Down the Music Tour, which is interesting to say the least, seeing as how it's a concert. I hear they've written a new song with the same title (minus "tour") which will surely resonate with me.
Shane and Shane have only been to the Phoenix area a few times in the three years I've lived here, so I try to make sure I make it to each event they're at in the area. I love their heart for worship and their humility when talking about what they're there to do. I know that if I had vocal chops like them, I may not be that way.
So, t-minus 5 days...
the best yet...
Written on 5/03/2009 07:43:00 PM by Miles
awesome.
Of course, here's where it came from.
Relax!
Written on 5/03/2009 06:12:00 PM by Miles
What do you all do to relax? I used to think it was golf for me. I'm not sure if I just put too much pressure on myself to shoot unrealistic scores (considering I don't play all that much) or if I just suck, but either way I'm not finding myself enjoying it anymore these days. I spend more time thinking about the money that I just wasted, or more importantly, the time that has passed that could have been spent with my wife helping her out. So, I'm thinking of looking for some other ideas for relaxation. I think I need to take a break from golf (pray for me, for this will be hard to do with the upcoming decrease in prices for the summer) and try and "rest" in something else.
Maybe the answer is to just stay home and enjoy the company and time off, but I thought I'd check here. :) So, what helps you all to de-stress???
today
Written on 4/22/2009 10:20:00 PM by Miles
Today I feel like my house - full of a bunch of unpacked boxes and full of a lot of still-empty cabinets. Nothing in it’s place...or getting there anytime soon.
Isn’t that life? Isn’t that the whole “in this world you will have trouble..” part that Jesus was speaking of? I’m fairly certain it is. More certain that I hate it. And you know what? Most days I am quite okay with it, because I generally understand that my life is a but a breath, and only God can hold things together...including me.
Today, however? Today, I hate it. I really stinkin’ hate it. I’m full of hopelessness and a deep sense of no control. So, how did I respond to this today? Well, today I ignored it all, trying to fix everything. Every single thing that I know is hopeless. See a problem developing here? I’m pushing 30 for crying out loud...have I learned nothing in this life?!? Apparently not.
Today, I am still stressed - I am still worried - I still feel hopeless. I am extremely frustrated and fatigued, and my fatigue frustrates me. My faith is microscopic, wounded and crippled. The good news today? God is exactly who he says he is, despite my crappy, oh-so hopeless circumstances. So, I call it a night and wait for tomorrow (which has enough trouble for itself....gee, I love scripture), and more importantly wait for a Father to reveal Himself to me. The same Father who cares about me feeling hopeless and stressed and wounded.
Pretty pumped to know He’s here today.
for your viewing pleasure
Written on 4/20/2009 09:16:00 AM by Miles
I know this song isn't new or anything, but I listen to Matthew Perryman Jones quite a lot, and I thought that there may be some of you all that haven't heard his music. This one's called "Save You."
awesome.
April
Written on 4/15/2009 11:11:00 PM by Miles
you're 27 today.
and much smarter than you were almost six years ago when you married me.
yet you're still here....
i know we both think that birthdays are fairly lame at this point in our lives, but i want you to know that a day does not pass without me being extremely grateful for you being in my life.
i love you.
a quote of note...
Written on 4/09/2009 10:48:00 PM by Miles
Stumbled on this a while back and have been thinking about it lately. I think there's a lot of truth to it.
"In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other."
- Mark Twain
I know I've fallen into this quote more than a few, uh, million times in my life. :)
Easter bait-n-switch??
Written on 4/03/2009 06:50:00 PM by Miles
I read this post from Bob's blog a while back and thought I'd share it here. I found it to be pretty interesting...so much so that I'm putting the entire post in this entry (sorry if this slows your uploading, folks). I'm not entirely sure where I fall in regards to all of this, seeing as I agree with a lot of what he's discussing, as well as seeing that Easter is a pretty big deal for churches. I still think 99.99% of me leans with Bob on this. Read for yourself and please, for the love of the easter bunny, leave a comment and let me know what you think.
As we journey through Lent toward Easter, I want to be mindful of the dangers that surround this season and threaten the soul of a community and the soul of a pastor. What danger? The temptation to bait and switch.
Every year I need to remind myself that Easter is not a marketing opportunity. The resurrection of the Son of God is not an opportunity to market our programs or build “my” church, even under the guise of concern for lost.
And as I feel the pressure to create a winning, life-changing sermon for those who may only come this one time a year, I especially have to remember: It’s not about me. (Please wait a minute while I repeat that to myself a few times.) Why? Because heaven forbid we should ever do community in such a way that communicates that our main avenue for people coming to Christ is hearing the Gospel preached from the mouth of one person, rather than hearing it preached from the mouths (and lives) of the whole community. If, in your community, more people are becoming Christians on Sunday than during the rest of the week, I think you may have a problem.
Times like Easter and Christmas are dangerous for us because we begin to see them as something different from what they really are for the life of a community. This is where a more robust engagement with the Christian calendar really helps. It focuses our communal life on the events of the life of Christ all year around, and keeps us from seeing “two big outreach event Sundays!” every year in Christmas and Easter.
Yes, a lot of people come to a Sunday service once or twice a year, and they are more likely to come on Easter than just about any other time. And yes, the Holy Spirit is amazing, drawing people to Himself even through our goofy Easter pageants and songs (or our smoke machines and laser shows, if that’s your thing).
The danger in giving in to the impulse to do something radically different, humongously big and special at these times is what we communicate both to our community and those we are inviting to become a part of our community. What we subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) communicate to our people is that their job is to invite people who are not in our churches to come on Easter Sunday morning so that the pastor and the drama team and the worship guy and (possibly) the Holy Spirit can take a whack at them.
I know that’s overstating, but believe me—I’ve been there. And that’s what “event evangelism” and “big” Sundays communicate, I think. Regardless of what we teach about reaching out to others, what we say through our Sunday Show actions communicates that it’s not the job of the average person to introduce people to Jesus. Leave it to the pros with the degrees and the training and the gifts. In other words, “You get ‘em to church, we’ll get ‘em to Jesus!” How empowering is that for people?
I would much prefer we both explicitly and implicitly communicate a model that includes befriending people; enfolding them into the rhythms of our lives; sharing the highs and lows (and how our faith informs those) with them; and integrating them into home groups, dinner times, and the big and small events of our lives. How natural would it be after all that love and enfolding that they become a part of our community, even before they believe? And when they believe, they believe because they’ve seen and tested the reality of a life of faith, as opposed to simply watching a special Sunday morning service where the band rocks extra hard and the pastor has a few more funny stories than normal.
Easter is dangerous because it’s here that the attractional model reaches its zenith—or maybe its nadir—every year, as thousands of churches try to do “something special” in the hopes that their people will invite others to come and be bait-n-switched into a relationship with Jesus. And we all see what other communities do and are tempted to compete in the misguided effort to keep up.
Yes, I said “bait-n-switch,” because that’s what it is. If we’re not careful, we could end up really disappointing some people. How? By “offering” them less on subsequent visits. Less pizzazz, less oomph. I’d be pretty disappointed if I got Cirque Du Soleil the first time I went to your church and the next week I got Phil and Ted’s Bargain Rate Circus.
I was super impressed to see another church planter dial it down a couple of years ago after hearing about the disappointment of some people who came to Easter services one year and came back the next week to a completely different (and less exciting) show.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying we shouldn’t take advantage of increased visitor attendance and preach the Gospel and hope that God does something amazing in people’s lives. I’m just saying that if your strategy is to wait for someone to wander within range of your homiletical cannon and then fire on them in hopes of scoring a hit, or worse yet, doing some cool things in the hopes that they might be lured within range, then I think there’s a better way. Less defined, less able to be controlled by the pastors, less likely to be bragged about at pastor’s conferences or to be written about in a book, but better—people loving people into your community and into relationship with Jesus.
It doesn’t take mailers, banners, lightshows, and lasers every week; just a bunch of loving, welcoming Christ followers. People who genuinely care. People who are seeking relationships with other people and sharing life with them. A competent all-community gathering where things work well, so as not to be a distraction from what God wants to do that morning, sure. But less of a focus on Sunday mornings as the center of community and more of a focus on the spiritually-forming life of the community that revolves around Jesus Himself.
And all of this is vital for us to think through at Easter because I remain convinced that what we win people with, we win them to.
Now, I normally hate the "let's win 'em" statement, but I like the last part of what he says here.
what the....!?!?!
Written on 3/22/2009 04:35:00 PM by Miles
So, April and I have almost been in Arizona for three years now. I have noticed one big difference between here and North Carolina, and that is...... PUTTING YOUR FREAKING SHOPPING CART UP!!!!
There is nothing that irritates me more than to try and park at a grocery store and you can't get into the space for all of the carts randomly out in the parking lot. The worst is when they're right next to the cart return! I pray that none of you reading are the type of person that I'm referring to. And, if you are, shame on you. Shame.
bullet points
Written on 3/14/2009 09:02:00 PM by Miles
I've been doing some thinking lately. Soul searching, if you will. I think that this is primarily due to the fact that I've been more and more exposed to Calvinism lately. I think it's natural that I'm asking myself, "where do I fall theologically?" Of course, I also think that this is a question that can cause more harm and distractions than good. I'm still in the process of trying to sort some of this stuff out, but what I can tell you so far is that I am probably only down with one petal of the TULIP.
I am riddled by this as of late, and what I've concluded is that we're probably all going to be very surprised in Heaven one day on some theological standpoint, whether that's "in the sky" Heaven or "the earth redeemed" Heaven. That, of course, is a whole other blog post. :^) I hope God decides to let us have some sort of Q&A forum for the first little while of eternity, in which he can tell us how we've totally missed it.
[ht: randomshirts]
something new
Written on 3/09/2009 01:05:00 PM by Miles
Dwight from The Office has a new site that I stumbled upon today. I'm curious to see the debates that are started on it, as the site relates to questions about faith....should be fun.
Feel free to check it out (not a recommendation per say, just a heads up) at Soul Pancake
Have a good one.
here's to the death of me...
Written on 2/25/2009 08:26:00 PM by Miles
In case you were unaware, Lent has officially started. Christians will, for the next 40 days, follow Jesus through his suffering and ultimately his death. We do this in order to truly have something to rejoice in this Easter. Lent gives us the opportunity to do some things that we're normally extremely horrible at: grieving and remembering.
Henri Nouwen has this to say about it, and I think it's worth sharing.
A Prayer for Lent, by Henri Nouwen
How often have I lived through these weeks without paying much attention to penance, fasting, and prayer? How often have I missed the spiritual fruits of the season without even being aware of it? But how can I ever really celebrate Easter without observing Lent? How can I rejoice fully in your Resurrection when I have avoided participating in your death? Yes, Lord, I have to die - with you, through you, and in you - and thus become ready to recognize you when you appear to me in your Resurrection. There is so much in me that needs to die: false attachments, greed and anger, impatience and stinginess...I see clearly now how little I have died with you, really gone your way and been faithful to it. O Lord, make this Lenten season different from the other ones. Let me find you again. Amen.
A Cry for Mercy: Prayers from the Genesee; Image Books, 2002
life update...
Written on 2/22/2009 07:29:00 AM by Miles
I've neglected this blog as of late....not that it really matters to the four of you who read. But, I wanted to briefly write something to get y'all up to speed on the randomness that is my life.
First off, I'm still married...pushing six years(in Sept.). I can't start any other way than that. April's awesome, and as an added bonus, she's extremely nice to me.
Secondly, we're buying a house. We close and get keys on 3/18, so that is creeping upon us very rapidly. We've done a TON of shopping for furniture and the like. Six years without any of that stuff kind of forces your hand. I've nearly had a heart attack every time we've gotten to the check-out line and seen the total price of our purchase. But, I'm not complaining...I'm thankful we're able to get into a house. It's just the moving part that I struggle with.
Thirdly, our jobs are still in existence, which is always good. April's doing well with hers, and I am still thankful for mine. But, as we all know, that could change in a heartbeat, in which I would type another update. :)
peace.
have you seen this?
Written on 2/10/2009 08:41:00 PM by Miles
I saw this the other day, but I've just not had time to post it. I loved it, though!
Bill Gates & Malaria
"Malaria is spread by mosquitoes," Bill Gates said while opening a jar of mosquitoes at a conference this past week. "I brought some. Here. I'll let them roam around. There is no reason only poor people should be infected." Now that's an ice breaker to start your conference! Gates waited a few minutes before assuring the audience the liberated bugs were malaria-free. He went on to say that "There is more money put into baldness drugs than into malaria. Now, baldness is a terrible thing and rich men are afflicted. That is why that priority has been set."
Way to go, Bill !! Sorry to say, however, that I'm not a PC guy and am blogging on my Macbook right now. :)
found this a while back and thought I'd share
Written on 2/09/2009 09:13:00 PM by Miles
Parallel factors are destroying the church in our context. We have pressing needs and we don't know how they will be met. Where will I get my significance? What can I do to make myself feel that I count? Who cares about me and understands me? Where can I find intimacy? We are a well-fed prison camp. We have everything we need materially - housing, food, computers, cars, entertainment, travel - but inside we are isolated and empty.Worship then becomes the way we try to deal with our emptiness and our isolation. The point about our worship is to make us feel better; the point about God is to make us feel good. So we abandon scripture reading, because that's boring . We abandon the gospel story, because that happened a long time ago and doesn't look very relevant. We can go through a whole worship service without hearing any reference to the fact that God created the world, delivered Israel, sent Jesus to live and die for us, and raised him from the dead. The Israelites forgot the gospel and gave up on God's written word because they were so concerned with their personal needs. The same thing has happened to us.There is a tragic paradox here. We need to be brought outside ourselves by seeing our lives in the context of a bigger picture, a bigger story - the gospel story. But we are so overwhelmed by our emptiness, isolation, and insignificance that we don't pay attention to the bigger story. All we want to do is think about ourselves in need, so we turn God into someone whose focus is on meeting our needs. We make God a quick fix. But quick fixes don't work.
if he could see it now...
Written on 1/19/2009 06:40:00 AM by Miles
On one hand, you have something happening tomorrow that most would have never thought would happen, and on the other you still see so much racial injustice in our society. But I do think that what he did was definitely not in vein, as sometimes you never see the result of the seed you've helped to plant. Here's to devoting(and giving) your life for something much bigger than yourself.
My resolution
Written on 1/01/2009 10:46:00 AM by Miles
"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing... not healing, not curing... that is a friend who cares."
Henri Nouwen
...I want to be more like this type of friend in 2009.
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