old friends

so i found one of my first childhood friends on facebook...khalif williams. he, his brother jamil and i would spend hours running through the woods playing all sorts of imaginary games. i would love going over to their house (about 4 miles away and literally my closest neighbor my age...can you say rural?!?!?!) and we would often times 'swap' toys and such.

as it turns out, khalif is the executive director of The Institute for Humane Education.

the vision of IHE...

The Institute for Humane Education (IHE) works to create lasting, positive change for all through education. IHE believes that in order to build a peaceful, sustainable, and humane world, we need everyone to receive humane education. We need people:

* to know what is actually happening on our planet, to other people, to other species, and to the ecosystems that sustain us all.

* to experience reverence, respect, and a sense of responsibility for others and for the natural world.

* to know how to think critically and creatively and to evaluate all information intelligently.

* to appreciate that their lives have the capacity to make a difference through their individual choices, their work, and their activism.

* to have the passion and tools to successfully solve problems.

isn't this the mission and vision for all of humanity? to care for creation and each other? i am very excited to find khalif doing well and living out his passion.
here is the link to The Institute for Humane Education. check it out and consider supporting through prayer, fincances, or partnership:)

simplify

as much as there is to do around here...everything is getting more simple.

i have spent the last week with 200 youth workers and senior high students. it was a week of corporate spiritual formation and within my own life there was some transformation due to the focused time away from the everyday.

i head out this morning for another week of the same with junior high students this time. i've been doing this every year for 10 years. this could be my last as a professional youth worker. i am very much ok with that and feeling that the timing of these changes is perfect.

the first week i was gone, dani went through our stuff and threw out or gave away two trailer loads. i came home to find that 1/3 to 1/2 of our belongings were just gone. i spent saturday getting rid of a good portion of my things. and still, there is more in storage to be either thrown out or given away before we move. this is extremely cathartic. i am not a pack-rat. however, there are some things i possess that hold an extreme amount of sentimental value. a coloring book that my sister and i worked on when we were 6 and 9 years old. it was a star trek original coloring book that sold for 49 cents. still, there is no room in my life for objects when i already have the memories. i had to take account and realize that i simply don't need everything i have. we don't need everything we have.

and so things are getting more simple. i can tell that the simplification in our physical lives is also having a direct effect upon our spiritual and emotional lives. you can piece that together for yourselves i'm sure.

off to another week of spiritual formation.

saving 'carpet kids'

"The handmade carpet industry exploits nearly 300,000 children in South Asia and is a major “employer” of child labor. Children ages 4 to 14 are kidnapped or trafficked, then sold into debt bondage or forced labor. They are subject to malnutrition, impaired vision and deformities from sitting long hours in cramped loom sheds. They suffer respiratory diseases from inhaling wool fibers and wounds from using sharp tools."

my wife is an extraordinary person. she is a beautiful artist who is using her talent to help put an end to the abduction and abuse of 'carpet kids'. she created Deliante Designs and she designs custom, handmade rugs from india. at the heart of the what and the why is her partnership with rugmark. a percentage of each rug she designs and sells goes to rescuing these children, placing them in schools, and providing for some of their everyday needs.

read more about rugmark.


some of my wife's designs

christians confess

some remarkable comments at Christians Confess coming from those accepting the apologies. check it out.

thanks for your work here john!

scot mcknight begins series review of 'the mission of God'

having read scot mcknight's first of a series of reviews of christopher wright's 'the mission of God', i have already decided that wright's work is a must read. not to mention that mcknight's series will be a must read as well.

here's what caught my attention...

“Fundamentally, our mission … means our committed participation as God’s people, at God’s invitation and command, in God’s own mission within the history of God’s world for the redemption of God’s creation” pg 23

now that might be the best definition of missional yet!

here is the link to the beginning of the series.

stripping is good

one of the things that will be changing for us as we move towards the city of va beach will be my job. for the past 8 years i've been paid to teach, mentor, disciple, and administrate the students involved in our student ministries here in white stone. however, in this new endeavor, i will not be receiving a check from the church.

that means i have to find a job. i've already got a few leads and have had an interview. its a bit scary, the process of putting myself out there over and again. and then once i start a new job there is the getting to know people. new people. inviting them into my life. thats just hard work. in fact, some of the hardest work i've ever done has been spending the energy it takes to let people in. more on this later.

what i want to get at now is my identity. its been so easy over the last several years to reply to 'what do you do?' with...'i work with youth'. or 'i am a youth pastor'. for the first time in almost a decade i won't be finding my identity in teaching the bible, or mentoring youth, or leading worship, or anything that can instantly make me sound 'deep' as a profession. i know that there were some obvious times that i fell prey to this mindset.

i have often wondered if i found my identity in Christ or my profession. any pastor's conference or convention where i would meet someone would start with what i did and how many people were in my church and/or youth ministry. talk about a twisted way to find validation and assert my a false identity. it doesn't help that those are the first two questions anyone asks at these kind of gatherings. but one of the problems that comes with being a paid minister is the extreme temptation to ground oneself in the title as opposed to the Christ.

and during this transition process i've come to find that i've relied way too much on my job for my identity. if i am going to ever take this missional living seriously...if i am ever going to allow the mission to work its way from the inside out of my life...then i must find my identity in Christ and his mission for me in the restoration of creation.

i'm not completely sure what this means in great detail right now. maybe it means i spend the time to let people get to know me and me them instead of putting forth the energy to impress them initially. maybe it means i am more free to simply serve other people instead of looking for the 'glamorous ministry opportunity' which i know will sound good in a sermon or in conversation with friends, since i won't be preaching sermons any time in the near future.

this is one of the things i love about our move however. its another way that my life is being stripped down. i have come to believe that God is stripping us down of our excess baggage during this season of our lives. stripping is good.

empty

i just checked my rss feed...and then i checked it again. for the first time since i can remember, there is no post unread. no one on my blogroll has posted for the entire morning. maybe i should add more to my roll.

confession

i talk more than i act. i dream more than i serve. i confess here and now that lately the reality of my life has been all idealogical with very little practical services of love. i have not partnered with God in the restoration of humanity and all of creation.

on the move

after 8 years in the small town of white stone on the northern neck of va, we are moving. we'll be settling in va beach...2.3 million people (conservative estimates).

we will be involved with another church plant there. the focus of the church is to work with the homeless in the community and we hope to be operating out of our homes and out of a substance abuse rehab center. august 24 is the official start of the church. we will be joining some close friends who are already in the area. we've just notified our current church and its sad but exciting times. it will be non-denominational. a focus on the marginalized as well as a major focus on the kingdom breaking through in our homes through hospitality and awareness and involvement in local justice issues.

i will, however, not be paid by the church. i will follow with more thoughts on our transition later. we will be simplifying our lives by getting rid of a good portion of our possessions. we will be selling our home. we will be doing major self analysis and doing the same in our marriage through God's guidance and counseling. for the first time in 8 years, i will be doing very little teaching and a lot of community work. we are both excited:)