Filed under: Community, DIY, Leadership, Serve, Uncategorized | Tags: Christian, creation, green, Spirit & Place
Doing some live blogging over at smallerindiana.com for our Spirit & Place festival event Imagining Creation. As part of the 13th annual Spirit & Place Festival, this has turned out to be quite a amazing experiential event!
Here are a couple live pics… visit smallerindiana.com to track it live.
Filed under: Community, DIY, Serve | Tags: creation care, green, Indianapolis, Indy Metro Church
I am super excited about this Sunday am!
On Sunday morning November 9th at the American Cabaret Theatre at 10:30 am, we welcome guest speaker Matt Krick. We will encounter the topic of caring for creation as God’s original plan for every believer. Matt is the Director of Theology at Mars Hill Church in Michigan and is an expert on the Biblical mandate for creation care!
And on Sunday evening, a spirited discussion with powerful thinkers from around the country gathering at the American Cabaret Theatre from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, November 9, 2008 for a spontaneous, on-stage dialogue on the theme titled, Imagining Creation: Exploring the Spiritual Mandate for Creation Care.
We are part of the thirteenth annual Spirit & Place Festival, this multi-media event will feature an interdisciplinary panel of nationally known voices in the arts, humanities and religion and provide audiences the chance to creatively explore the fundamental question: “Is there a moral obligation to care for the environment?” This event is FREE and the more the merrier!
If you are in the area and would like to join in the discussion the American Cabaret Theatre is located in the historic Athenaeum Building – 401 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis.
Filed under: DIY, Serve | Tags: Anthanaeum, church, creation care, Indianapolis, Indy Metro Church, November, Spirit & Place
In posting of our Spirit & Place Festival event site- ImaginingCreation, a powerful quote was posted. “The environmental crisis is in reality a spiritual and religious crisis.” — Richard Foltz, Islamist at University of Florida. What a powerful connection!
Filed under: Community, Serve, faith | Tags: God, green, Indy, Mars Hill, spirituality
Coming up in November, Indy Metro Metro is hosting a couple of rad gatherings. On November 9th, during our weekly public gathering at the Cabaret downtown, Matt Krick from Mars Hill Church is visiting with us to spark the dialogue on the topic of the Biblical evidence for creation care.
Not only am I looking forward to seeing how this impacts our community of faith but personally will be on the edge of my seat listening with anticipation. After talking with Matt a couple weeks ago I am looking forward to gleaning from his Biblical wisdom about our responsibility in caring for creation.
Expecting to grow a great deal from his teachings and hopefully spark greater awareness for all Christ followers to increase personal stewardship of creation.
Filed under: Community, Leadership, Serve, faith | Tags: God, Indy, IndyFringe, Jesus, Love, politics, rejects
One of most random performances I was able to see during IndyFringe was the Rude Mechanical Orchestra.This “Orchestra” was traveling from New York City to the Twin Cities. What was the quest? To protest the Republican National Convention of course! A 30 piece orchestra piled traveling in one old school bus painted up in layers of green paint pulled up….and out walked onto Mass. Ave what was a clearly one of the most unique bands I have ever seen. Uniquely outfitted in gear that Mass. Ave won’t soon forget. The only thing that could have topped it off for me is if Spike Lee himself would have led the band off the bus straight out from the Burroughs. The opening song was Push It by Salt N Pepa. Classic little diddy from my teen years (I had the tape of course), but I was expecting something more like Dead Milkmen by the looks of the performers.
It was boys’ night out; I was chillin with my crew on the Ave. What that means these days to those of you unfamiliar to Practically Speaking is that I was spending time with my three little boys. As I looked around it hit me that I was a clear minority on a lot of fronts; married, married to a woman, married to a woman that shaves her underarms, fairly conservative lifestyle (not in the hyper political sense), active follower of Christ, and though everyone was friendly it was evident I was on the fringe.
What does it mean to be on the fringe as a Christ follower? One of my struggles is encountering Christians, pastors, and churches, that seek to have Christianity at the “entitled” core of America. I’m certainly believe the values and fruits of Biblical Christianity make this city, state, country, and globe a more livable temporary environment. I am questioning the idea that Christianity and its values are entitled to be at the center of our country. Does God need a “Christian” political leader for His will to be done in this country? Is Christianity not meant to be first on the fringe?
The other day I was reminded by my friend Roger, of Grace & Peace Church, the place Jesus chose to give Himself up for us was at the fringe of the city.
Hebrews 13:12-14, “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace be bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”
The fringe of the city wasn’t considered the “place to be” but full of the city rejects, lepers, etc… and that is where following Jesus Christ takes us. He shows us the path we have as outsiders and aliens of this world and on the fringe. The implications of this passage are challenging.
1 Corinthians 4:12-13, “We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world- right up to this moment.”
Though contextually Paul is making a point otherwise to the Corinthians, it’s hard to ignore some of the obvious insinuations of how we are to operate as outsiders even as considered the fringe or “garbage of the world.” How are we supposed to act as Christ followers on the fringe? We are to bless, we are to endure, and we are to live wrapped in kindness as outsiders living in a temporary world. Living so in hopes that God will bring the city that is to come through our love and consistent acts of devotion to Him…not through entitled attitudes or political parties.
What is at the heart of Old Testament leader Nehemiah? It’s a powerful example of God getting things done without the cultural leaders being followers of God. It’s a crazy thought to imagine… but God completed His will even without a “evangelical” at the helm and Christians lived on the fringe? In the midst of a Persian empire who wanted nothing to do typically with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He fulfilled His plans on earth. God used this devoted follower living on the fringe of his culture to build a city, increase worship to one one true God, love people well, and gain the attention of the surrounding cultural, political, and national leaders as a result. Hmmm…
Filed under: Love, Serve, faith | Tags: church, Jesus, passion, Trizle, yada
As a guy who has loved the marketplace and business since my teen years (I remember getting stoked high school with a bunch of “how to” start an effective small business), I enjoy learning and staying attuned to emerging marketplace culture. Clearly, with my current vocational calling, my days of hours immersed in Kudlow & Cramer, studying HBR monthly like each was the Gospel, and pondering the next personal business adventure are long passed.
However, I still enjoy a good blog or two like Fast Company and Trizle to fan the flames of entrepreneurship and cultural learning… I find most translates well into my roles as a pastoral leader type in the local church.
In a recent Trizle post, it capped with: “Build a company you want to have passionate sex with.”
Anything with that kind of passion usually captures my attention pretty quickly and gets me thinking. No, not talking just about the sex part too.
And this little ditty resonates well and I believe translates for me as a lover of the local church. Who wants to be part of a church that doesn’t elicit a passionate response of involvement?
A great fear of mine is “playing church.” I mean doing some religious rituals and cloaking it with Jesus. I mean giving my life to a church that turns into an institution…stale, boring, and predictable. Practically, not only my disgust for this, but my own fear of it. It’s a fear of mine to become one and it’s a fear of mine to pastor a church that ends up churning out people to become this. I’ve seen and met many people over the years that are “products” of these types of churches. Seemingly the anti-Jesus of the Gospels.
Why fear? Jesus doesn’t speak to well about this in the Scriptures. Things like, your lips honor me but your hearts are far from me…. or words like I am about to spit you out of my mouth. What about churches that Jesus is so passionate about? That are full of Christ-followers passionate about Him and His Church?
Jesus desires His Bride the Church to be full of love, joy, and passion for Him. And shouldn’t we dream to be a part of and create churches that are full of passion, energy, and places that attract and inspire! Passionless churches almost always have passionless leaders. I desire to have a personal relationship with Jesus that is full of this type of passion and God willing be a part of churches that spill this type of passion!
More on that later I’m sure…
Filed under: Community, Love, Serve, faith | Tags: Barton, Christianity, friends, Indy, neghbors, poor, Serve
Last weekend a bunch of us from Indy Metro, along with folks from Heartland, joined together again for our monthly gathering to serve our friends and neighbors at Barton Tower & Annex. For some of the semi-casual followers of Practically Speaking, our family and others have been serving the Barton Tower & Annex in Indy for nearly two years now continuing to build relationships with the many residents. Small handfuls are a part of Indy Metro Church, but most not in any sort of formal way. We felt convinced though to take that love your neighbor thing quite literally; therefore not ignoring the needs of Barton neighbors.
God really messed me up with this passage over the past couple years about my commitment to making an impact for Christ to the marginalized, voiceless people in our culture: Matthew 25:37-40, “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Our monthly gatherings at Barton Tower are opportunities for us to build relationships with old and new friends and provide for people in practical ways. There are lots of “programs” in Indy, but we’ve realized the last thing most people need is referred to another program. Instead, we listen with attentive ears, extend warm hands, laugh together, and provide food for our friends. This month we have many partners in our food drive. IndyFringe, YMCA, The Athenaeum, and the American Cabaret Theatre all jumped in to raise awareness and food for our Barton neighbors. I’ve even recently talked with the Mass Ave Wine Shop about giving their compost to the Barton community garden. Pretty cool.
No doubt, engaging in the relationships is messier. It has been for me anyways. Most Christ-followers who’ve served the poor (is it possible to follow Christ and not have friends outside your economic bracket?) will wrestle with emotions such as fear, pride, anger, and even judgment. I usually explain to people to be very concerned if before, during, or after serving in this environment you aren’t messed up in some way.
And a broader scale, what does it mean for us to be serving the urban poor, marginalized, single moms, and doing our part to meet their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs? Well, since we are in a country where millions of folks, when polled by groups like Gallop or Barna, only a small percentage of people strongly believe the labels of respect, love, hope and trust describe Christianity. Did Jesus ever say stuff like, “all those kinds acts don’t count unless unless you shoved me down their throat with prideful arrogance?” Huh? I don’t think so either. I believe the implications on the image of Christianity in our culture are greatly changed in the hearts and minds of skeptical, turned away people as they see us living out the verses we know or things we believe.
I’m convinced we need to write a book about our friends and neighbors at Barton. A book with lots of pictures and stories about people like Jazz, Gerald, Robert, Yamika, Michael, Agnis, others, and of course June.
Filed under: Community, Love, Serve, faith | Tags: eastside, kids, Love, Shepherd Community, SkateCamp
This summer a handful of us came together to host a one day skateboard camp at Shepherd Community here on the eastside of Indy.
It was a chance to for us to bring a simple day of free skateboarding with ramps, instructors, and free equipment for about 30 kids Aside from it being the hottest day of the summer in the cement jungle, I had an amazing time. Amazing to see the amount of people God united so we could love our new friends and eastside neighbors. Skate instructors from across the state and donations of equipment, snacks, and time miraculously came together to make this day a reality. From cases of water being left on our porch the night before to a businessman providing all the snacks we needed, it was clear to us timing was divine.
This wasn’t simply about skateboarding. It was about something so much bigger than some wood and wheels. Though a lifelong supporter of the sport, to be used by God to provide a camp for kids who normally wouldn’t be able to be able to attend a camp like this was personally fulfilling. It was a day of extending encouragement, positivity, and for some belief they can be successful. No doubt for many of the kids that attended, it was likely one of the few times this summer they we’re surrounded by adults who believed in them, listened to them, and without hesitation hugs and high fives. I could see in the faces of many of the kids, this wasn’t simply about skateboarding but they we’re receiving something more.
Getting to know the kids for a day, hearing some of their stories, singing happy birthday to our little skate nerd, bandaging up our only little girl skater after she fell something fierce, and receiving some closing day hugs from a couple of the kids that made all the hard work worth it. Oh yeah, not to forget being stalked by one of the little skaters all day asking me to watch him Ollie. I think he actually got lift off one time in one hundred. All part of the summer fun! Stay tuned!
Filed under: Community, DIY, Serve | Tags: East 91st, Jireh Sports, KKSM, Shepherd Community, SkateCamp
Pretty excited about an upcoming event planned for July that I’m involved in. A Skate Camp at Shepherd Community on Indy’s Eastside is turning out to be a pretty sweet thing. Quite a few people are coming together from all over to host a SkateCamp for the kids of Shepherd Community in Indy. Good times.
