For almost 10 years now I have been connected with students at Western Washington University to some degree or another. I spent 7 good years as a campus pastor there and was involved in a number of things. One year we took Western students to Mongolia. Another year to West Africa. Another year to Western China (near Tibet). And another year to Eastern Europe (Poland). We started the first ever Perspectives Course on campus and it was a smash; but so much work. We also led a small group of Christians that met regularly. Predominantly Korean-American, it was a great little group of people who we had a chance to grow tight with and even did a communal living experiment. It was crazy – a newlywed couple living in community – virtually the same housing – with college students for 2 – 3 years. Just about the hardest thing during my years working as a pastor @ WWU was… Read more…
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I’m gonna be honest here as the past several posts have been on racial issues. While it’s important for me, I should say it’s not the only thing I think about. But I’m sure a little book that’s making BIG waves has something to do with it (see previous post). Rah’s book is influential; and people are talking about it everywhere and it’s lighting up the blogosphere. So naturally there’s a lot more chatter about race issues. But a small detail has gone unnoticed – anyone recognize that’s it’s “Asian / Pacific-American Heritage Month”? Holla. Read more…
This from a friend, pastor Jonita (Jay) Johnson: Read more…
It’s with a heavy heart that I announce this Sunday will be the last service for missioDei. Just shutting down the website now almost made me tear up, and convos w/folks have made me somewhat more heavier this week. There were some tears at the past few services and folks have been sad but supportive. I’m making the rounds now to make sure those committed few will continue to grow and get plugged in somewhere. What really bites is knowing that some great people invested deeply in us and if you know me you know that one of the things I hate the most is disappointing people. I wish I coulda done y’all proud but things just didn’t go our way. So here I am eulogizing the past 2 years with missio: Read more…
I was listening to some radio preacher here in VA and thinking “preaching is so different out here compared to the west coast”. It was refreshing, until I realized it was John MacArthur. Isn’t he from LA?
At any rate, whenever I return to the Big Apple I see the pointed differences between East and West sides. A decade has changed me. People dress differently, even to church, think differently, work differently (you can’t get by on a single-income in metro NY). Music tastes are different. I won’t go into the nuances but one of the things I’ve noticed is even the theology – it would seem people on the east coast are more grounded, erudite, and historically educated on things theological, whether Arminian or Reformed, but especially the latter. Any West coasters beg to differ?
Back in NY for a few weeks.
Been feeling the nostalgia of the day I left home back in 2000. The above song was all I listened to at the time. Looking back, leaving was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. Like I related in sermon last Sunday, when faith came back to me after the confusing years, it came in force attached w/ an “irrational pull westward”. I looked as far as China, ended up landing in Seattle. And then Bellingham. But back home in NY reminds me of the things that I miss most as well as the reasons why I left in the first place. To this day it remains in the top 2 or 3 hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. How about you? Have you “left” home? How difficult was it? Were you the prodigal, or the sojourner, or the exile?
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. – Romans 13:1
I nary hear a Democrat cite this verse. It was always a Republican voice calling for support of a Republican president / platform. The question is, now that the tables are turned, will u still give a Democratic president your support? At any rate, it’s bad Biblical interpretation / exegesis.
Got a lot of flack about a recent twitter: ” A pastor in jeans is kinda immature” so I’m gonna do the smart thing and open up the convo some more.
Before I offend an entire legion of jeans-clad ministerium, I was raised in a culture which wore your Sunday best to church. For the last decade I’ve lived in a culture where jeans were almost a uniform. Let me just say it was liberating. But there was something about the suit and tie affair; not so much dignity, but it conveyed the passage from childhood to adulthood. So I guess that’s my question – and certainly not coming from a legalistic stiff – anyone who knows me knows that I don’t give a shit about “dignity” – but is there a way to be a pastor and convey edginess and verve without wearing an ugly pair of tattered jeans? Unless of course that is the dress code. Here is an inconsequential post about something inconsequential. Maybe what we really need is: Queer Eye for the Pastor-Guy. Now there’s a twitter to get everyone all riled up about.
Well I’ve up and done it this time.
I took it upon myself to rehost, redesign, restructure our church website and I am quite pleased with the results if I shant say so myself, so go check it out here: www.nwmissio.org. It may look the same but underneath the hood it’s ten times better. And the website is just the “surface change”… deeper changes are rumbling underneath the surface with the mission and outworkings of the church… Read more…
Big in WA state right now is the convo on physician-assisted suicide.
It’s kind of amazing that I live in a state now that is actually considering the legalized suicide thing; I believe OR is the only state to have approved this and no wonder; we share a border with them. Still; I know we’re progressive and all, but is WA ready for Initiative 1000? Read more…
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