DashHouse.com

I've been doing some research into the hotel we're staying at next week. Someone asked me yesterday what features drew us to this hotel, and I said, "It's cheap." Now I know why. It's one of the oldest hotels in the area. It's so old that Fidel himself used to use the swimming pool.

The good side: it's supposedly got the best spot on the beach, which is public. The bad side: it's probably going to be a bit tired. It's a three star, and in Cuba, there's a world of difference between a three and a four start resort.

Reviews are mixed (my favorite is "Never again even if it was free") but mostly positive, and my expectations are suitably low. The big bonus is being able to have the kids with us.

Posted by Darryl at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

From the Telegraph:

Harold von Braunhut, who died on November 28 aged 77, made a fortune by developing novelty mail-order gifts such as X-Ray Spex, Invisible Goldfish, Amazing Hair-Raising Monsters and, most famously, Sea Monkeys - microscopic dehydrated brine shrimps which "come to life" when added to water...

Sea Monkeys sold in their billions, becoming a consumer craze. There are now web sites for Sea Monkey fans; CBS briefly had a Sea Monkey television series; 400 million of them went into space with John Glenn in 1998, and there is even a Sea Monkey video game which allows a player to care for a "virtual" cybermonkey colony.

But Sea Monkeys were always less a toy than a test of childhood faith. The creatures may have lived dazzlingly heroic or romantic lives in the minds of their owners, but the physical evidence was always a bit disappointing. The biggest Artemia nyos ever grows is a tenth of an inch and the most interesting thing it does is follow a beam of light up and down its tank. Mostly it does nothing at all.

Ah, memories. I don't know how many millions of us were gullible enough to send away our money and wait by the mailbox everyday for our colony to arrive. If it's in a comic book, is has to be true, right? Right?

Posted by Darryl at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 )

I spent the day looking for a warm vacation spot for us, and I found it. I could give a clinic on what online vacation websites do wrong (don't get me started on Expedia again), but in the end it was all for the best. A week's all-inclusive vacation in Holguin for all four of us for a price that's cheaper than what we could get in Florida without meals. Dirt cheap. Hello, sun! We leave Sunday.

Update: We travelled to Cuba a couple of years ago and loved it (apart from the shark attack - I'm not kidding). I've heard some of the arguments pro and con about vacationing in a place with such poverty. Some say it's just wrong; others point to the benefits to the people there; that sanctions and boycotts don't work.

I don't know where I stand, and in the end expediency won out over certainty. It's something I'm thinking about, though.

That's living in today's world. Even a trip to Wal-Mart (or Cuba - never thought Wal-Mart and Cuba would appear in the same sentence, did you?) can involve some serious moral choices these days.

Posted by Darryl at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 9 )

My MSN Messenger doesn't seem to set itself to away status like it's supposed to after 15 minutes of inactivity. If you've started a chat with me and I haven't responded, please forgive me. I really wasn't there.

Posted by Darryl at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

A fascinating story:

What if I was a porn producer and involved in this “filthy” XXX industry and drove my company’s vehicle to church because I was searching for God? Shouldn’t the Church embrace and welcome me no matter what I do, what I look like or what kind of car I drive? Wouldn’t you be thrilled that a “true seeker” had entered your property? In a perfect world, you would expect and hope that was the case. But, in reality, the very thing that Erwin had spoken out against in his book had happened at his own church.

Unbelievable when they call the police on him but say they'd like him to come back to their church. Thanks to Andrew Hamilton for the link.

Posted by Darryl at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 )

Alan Creech rules. That's all I have to say.

Posted by Darryl at 8:38 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 )

Lousy Ed didn't get a flu shot and won't be able to preach on Sunday, which is supposed to be a day off for me. To top it off, he promised a great narrative sermon that would keep the attention of the kids. Not only do I lose a Sunday but I have to measure up to the heightened expectations.

I'm going to compensate by being short. The only thing that can compete with being interesting is being short.

Next year I'm giving Ed the flu shot myself. Get better soon, bud.

Posted by Darryl at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 )

One of the benefits of being off work is that you settle into new routines. I've been sleeping in, staying up a bit later, and I've generally found more of a rhythm.

When I'm off, I'm always amazed at how frantic everyday life is. I'm also amazed at how much better everything seems to go when I'm not frazzled and overtired (hello, cluetrain).

This is one of the beauties of monastic life. The schedule can seem suffocating at first, but over time it provides a form around which the soul can take shape. Time for work, time for prayer, for liturgy, for community. No rushing. The soul that settles into a rhythm has already conquered one of the main enemies of the development of the soul. It's conquered hurry.

I've got to do some thinking about how to get more of a healthy rhythm in my life.

Posted by Darryl at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

Ben Patterson remembers his friend Mike Yaconelli:

I loved and hated being with him in public. He mainly loved it. He looked for ways he could create disequilibrium in a room, or in a crowded elevator. Once he spoke to me in confidential tones just loud enough for those around us to think they were eavesdropping on a private conversation. He said, "Ben, when are you going to go back to your wife and family? She's heartbroken and the kids are crying and hungry." The people around me were glowering, and there was nothing I could say to him or them that wouldn't make me seem even more guilty. I wanted to throttle him, but his impish grin saved his life, and I'm still talking about it. And I'm still thinking he was totally out of line.

The more I hear about Mike, the more I wish I had known him.

Posted by Darryl at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the life of Christ. If we do, we shall then be sharing a life which was begotten, not made, which always has existed and always will exist. Christ is the Son of God. If we share in this kind of life we also shall be sons of God. We shall love the Father as He does and the Holy Ghost will arise in us. He came to this world and became a man in order to spread to other men the kind of life He has - by what I call 'good infection'. Every Christian is to become a little Christ. The whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing else. (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, as quoted in A Year with C.S. Lewis)

Posted by Darryl at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Posted by Darryl at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

The kids are wired, the presents are finally wrapped, and it's all I can do to keep Josiah from bouncing off the ceiling.

I hope your Christmas is a good one.

The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.
(John 1:14 The Message)

Posted by Darryl at 8:08 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

From Christianity Today:

Will emerging churches replace megachurches as Gen-Xers move toward the mainstream? There's some debate whether the megachurch will die out, or if the smaller, less organized emergent churches will need the support of larger churches. We're waiting to see what emerges once Emergent becomes mainstream.

I'm not sure emerging churches want to go mainstream or that they need the "support" of larger churches. I'm not even sure the labels are useful. What the article calls emerging churches are just groups trying to abadon some of the baggage of modernism. They're not the end goal, and as modernism fades, no doubt they'll be replaced by something else.

I can't resist highlighting the name of one of the churches mentioned: Scum of the Earth. That's some name.

Posted by Darryl at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

Cool time in Unionville with Charlene last night. We ended up eating at the Blacksmith's Bistro after an hour of agonizing over which restaurant was right. The place was actually once a blacksmith's shop dating back to 1840. Lots of old buildings down the strip like the one pictured above.

Just one more thought: who in their right mind would ever get married three days before Christmas?

Posted by Darryl at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Ron Martoia enters the fray in responding to Chuck Colson's article on postmodernism:

In all humility, I genuinely believe this mindset is what keeps the church relegated to the sidelines of the cultural game. Let me state what seems obvious to me and others attempting to engage the culture in ways different from the modern church. Jesus did not come to bring people into a belief system that is rational and defensible. Jesus seems rather unconcerned about beliefs. Jesus’ opening retreat on a mountain side with his new followers had nothing to do with belief systems or rational defensible worldview constructs. It had fundamentally to do with character formation and community building. Jesus used images, metaphors, stories. I know Chuck would wholeheartedly give amen. But why then the closing salvo that churches moving toward image and emotion are moving away from Word? Again, a category mistake in my mind. If “Word based” means moving away from the logical, linear, rational, analytical, atomistic, talking head obsession we have had in modernity, then I say hooray. That model of ministry, clearly a modern product and not a prescriptive biblical model, has proven highly ineffective in making the population of the good old USA any more churched, or according to Barna and others, any more biblically literate.

Posted by Darryl at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Yes, I know, we're not in our early 20s anymore.

I made a good decision that day. Happy anniversary, Char.

Posted by Darryl at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 )

I'm done for 2003. I've preached my last sermon. I attend Christmas Eve service, but that's it. I'm so done.

I need the break. Lately, I've been losing energy. I've become a bit more unfocused. I think some time doing nothing will be good for me. Tomorrow, Charlene and I celebrate 13 years of marriage. It's gone very fast. Spending some time with her and with the family are going to be good.

Sometimes I dream of making a radical break in my life. I'd love to do more reading and writing. I'd love to be involved in new forms of ministry and to abandon some of the baggage of modern ministry.

At the same time, I don't want to get ahead of myself. It's not time yet. When it is, I'll move. As frustrated as I am with some of the vestiges of modern ministry, there's so much about Richview that I love.

God's doing inner work in my life, and that's not always easy. I'm sometimes tempted to change my external circumstances, but those aren't as much the issue. I have a feeling that I need to spend some time listening to God and processing what he's been teaching me rather than just changing the stuff around me. I hope I'll get a chance to do some of that over the next couple of weeks. I'm glad for the break.

Posted by Darryl at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 )

Front page news in The Star today:

It may be the season of the sermon, but no crowd is tougher than the Christmas congregation.

Every last person crammed into the pews expects a special delivery: a Christmas cocktail of celebration, consolation, and inspiration. Don't forget the spiritual seasoning.

How's that for pressure at the pulpit?...

Christmas is about a supernatural event, about God becoming flesh. It's not just a nice, pleasant, sweet story," Muller said. "We need to look at that again and remind people about what the Bible calls good news."

Most pastors I talk to seem to find preaching at Christmas a bit more difficult. It's funny to read about it in the Toronto Star, though.

Posted by Darryl at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

A lot can change in a few days. On December 11, Rev. Mike wrote:

I had a very interesting discussion with someone this evening regarding perceived U.S. isolationism, about how people in the U.S. react to others in the world who criticize us, and speaking hypothetically, I voiced some of the reasons why some of us react poorly to this criticism of the U.S. I was able to do this because my partner in conversation was secure enough to hear these things without taking offense.

Which leads me to an insight regarding political correctness -- provided I am actually interested in learning from someone else and willing to put my own views up for critique as well, is the process of dialogue well-served by dancing around each other's linguistic limitations, avoiding the espousal of any views that might be deemed offensive to another, or by frank, straightforward talk?

To those of you who indulge my direct approach, I thank you ... you teach me a great deal about the world and my own limited perspective.

Then, on December 17:

...on this particular topic, we have nothing further to say to one another. On this subject, I find you morally reprehensible, even repulsive, and I simply cannot even begin to think where I could begin a constructive conversation on this subject with you. Even the most tolerant person has his limits, and I have reached mine on this matter. I have had my fill of lectures on tolerance from the intolerant.

It's hard for me to know how to respond to this. I think I understand Mike's frustration, but I do have some questions:

When is it right to call somebody morally reprehensible or repugnant just because they disagree with us?

How can we keep a debate going, even with comments and barbs that annoy us and contribute little?

Do we ever have the right to just shut a debate down because we're convinced of our rightness?

I'm beginning to despair for the fine art of debate.

Posted by Darryl at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Put two people together - any two - and I guarantee that there will be some sparks from time to time. That's the nature of relationships.

Today was one of those days. Charlene and I are very different, but that's good most of the time. Then a day like today comes along. It was one of those days in which she couldn't annoy me more if she tried. Nothing intentional, nothing serious - just little differences that kept on adding up. Near the end, we both had to just sort of agree to ride out the day, because both of us were powerless to do anything different.

A few years ago, this would have annoyed us to no end, and led to a pretty big fight. Tonight, we just laughed. Really, most of it wasn't important, and some of it (well, okay, all of it) was pretty funny.

Besides, would I really want to be married to someone just like me? (That was a rhetorical question. Don't feel you have to answer!)

Posted by Darryl at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

The latest news from Vatican City (found through AKMA). This is bad news for Bible Gateway.

God did not rule out smiting as a final measure against those who share his most famous work, the Bible, on the Internet. This marks the first time a deity has spoken on IT-related questions since Steve Jobs was temporarily Enlightened when touching the One True iMac some years ago.

Citing misuse of His word, misquotation, and putting hardworking Bible printers out of work, God said he would now start hunting Bible pirating around the globe. "I have to defend both my world-famous brand - the Bible and its distinctive likenesses - and the livelihood of those who create and distribute legal copies of it.

Posted by Darryl at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

Last night, Charlene asked me to rent a car for her online for today. My normal rental company was all out of compact cars with such late notice, so I tried Expedia.ca. Bingo! I got a car at an incredible rate.

We drove to the location described in the confirmation e-mail. Nothing there. We finally found a branch of the same company just down the road. It turns out that Expedia booked us with a location that closed nine years ago. Not only that, but this other location had no cars available for us. Thanks, Expedia!

No wonder we got a good rate, since we were renting from a location that closed in 1994. I almost wish we got a car from this company. I would have relished returning it to the phantom location.

Posted by Darryl at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 )

Sometimes I read someone and I want to jump out and shout "Yes!" I was trying to express something like this (from Alan Creech) the other week:

For instance; if I am beginning to question my views of what the evangelical term "discipleship" means, I had better not have an answer too terribly ready at hand to trump any other one which might overshadow it. I need to bust it wide open and say, "I don't know what discipleship means and I'm not even sure that's what it should be called." We need to step out on the cliff's edge and open ourselves to definitions that we may have never heard before - ones that even outright contradict what we used to believe concerning this area. So, to question something - to re-visit it's meaning - we MUST be ready to feel the pain of perhaps finding out we have been horribly wrong for 37 years, and admit that what we believed and taught may have actually harmed people. If we are not ready to lay down like that, we do not want the Truth.

Posted by Darryl at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 9 )

From The Holy Observer:

In a groundbreaking move, the elder board at MCC – a nondenominational "mega-church" – passed a resolution to revoke the membership of any church member who does not, by the end of 2003, read The Purpose Driven Life, the New York Times bestselling book by Rick Warren, the founding pastor of Lake Forest, California's celebrated Saddleback Community Church and author of The Purpose Driven Church.

"Upon encountering this life-changing book, we realized that if members of our church aren't leading a purpose driven life, they really don't have much value as believers," said Senior Pastor Charles Moynihan. "After much prayer and consideration, we simply decided that they can take their purposelessness elsewhere."

I say it's about time. I would extend the ban to anyone who hasn't read The Prayer of Jabez as well.

Some other good stories at today's update of The Holy Observer, including one that threatens the future of the Methodist union. (Does it ever hurt when satirical websites are so close to the real thing.)

Posted by Darryl at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 7 )

Joe Doherty offers a better metaphor for the Internet, as found through Doc Searls:

Over the years, the unfortunate cliche information superhighway has become attached to the Internet. In reality, the Internet is really nothing like a "super" highway, and more like a collection of old two-lanes, Main Streets and back roads. "Super" implies that you fly past things...do you really do a lot of sightseeing while zipping along some Interstate? I can't think of a more boring ride than the run between Jacksonville and Pensacola along I-10.

No, the Internet is more like a collection of small towns you pass through along the old A1A or Route 66. You can stop for coffee in the news village. Down the road a bit is the world's largest shopping center. Behind you is the city of porn (which you'll just have to visit without the wife, okay?). Later today, you'll stop for lunch in Blogville. There's a bank, the drug store, a few churches, and even lots of entertainment spots. How fast you get from place to place depends on what you're driving: a Yugo or Chevette (28.8 dial-up), the family minivan (56K dial-up), a Corvette or Porsche (DSL or T-1), and, for the industrial strength fortunates, a Hummer (OC-3). But, no matter how fast you drive, you all have the ability to go to the same places.

This explains why the best content on the Internet isn't from those who are trying to exploit the huge traffic potential (huge corporations and monolithic voices), but from sites infused with personality. It's one reason why I think church websites should look less corporate and more quirky and real. (Yes, I know, we're working on it.)

Posted by Darryl at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

From the National Post:

The next MP3 player you buy could be as much as $25 more expensive thanks to a decision announced yesterday by the Canadian Copyright Board.

Starting immediately, consumers will be charged a levy based on the size of the internal memory on digital music players, though fees on other blank media, like recordable CDs and DVDs, were frozen.

So we're charged extra on CDs, DVDs, and MP3 players because it's assumed that we'll pirate copyrighted material. Wait, let's actually make it okay (found through Leighton). I'm starting to think I'm crazy because I don't.

Posted by Darryl at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

To the untrained eye, Josiah looks scared. In reality, he's looking at this guy in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me," he's thinking. "This Santa's about as real as our tree."

Nice pillow, though.

Posted by Darryl at 7:43 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 9 )

Watched Shadowlands tonight with Charlene. This has got to be my fourth time watching the movie. It came up during a heated discussion on movies up at another site.

Shadowlands was released in 1993. Man, has my life changed since then. Take a look at the top grossing films from that year. I'm starting to feel old.

Posted by Darryl at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 )

Jordon reviews Affluenza at Next-Wave:

The issues the book brings forward are awkward issues in churches. How we use our money is not a topic most of like to be challenged on. It feels like we all have a plank in our own eye. Not only that, Affluenza seems to have affected many of our local churches. Stewardship in many churches is linked to the preservation of the material assets (buildings) or an expansion of programs that people can consume. A couple of years I remember sitting in a seminar with a church giving consultant and I heard these words over and over again. It isn’t an expenditure problem, it is a revenue issue. The assumptions that churches need more and more and more money wasn’t even thought about.

The entire review is worth reading. The same could probably be said of the book.

Posted by Darryl at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

I've never really understood the whole life verse thing, and this confirms why. Don't even ask what the #1 worst life verse is.

Posted by Darryl at 4:34 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 )

Frederica Mathewes-Green in The Church in Emerging Culture:

What kind of questions are worthwhile?

Questions that open to yourself your own vast ignorance; questions that reveal your smallness and weakness; questions that cast you down in awe; questions that raise you up in worship.

There is power in the right type of question.

Posted by Darryl at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

When arguing with fools, don’t answer their foolish arguments, or you will become as foolish as they are. (Proverbs 26:4)

When arguing with fools, be sure to answer their foolish arguments, or they will become wise in their own estimation. (Proverbs 26:5)

Proverbs shows us that there's no textbook answer on how to deal with fools. If you confront them, you sometimes end up joining them. If you don't confront them, they get away with their foolishness.

I wish there were a textbook answer.

Posted by Darryl at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 3 )

Most days, pastoring is a blast. I get paid to think and to serve and I get a front-row seat to watch what God is doing in other people's lives. I work with some great people and I'm given a lot of freedom to ask questions. The people of Richview have been truly amazing.

If I sometimes seem like I'm pushing the church, it's because I'm convinced God is doing something new, and we can miss out if we don't rethink some of our assumptions. It's part of the growth journey that I'm on.

Today was one of those days that pastoring wasn't a blast. There are those days that you're confronted with the worst of church life - of human nature, really. The only consolation is that I know that every person has days like these, and that I shouldn't be exempt. But it's still tough to be disappointed, even hurt, by a person.

I'm in a funk and I'm tired. But all is not lost. Tonight, we got to serve turkey dinner to some kids who live in one of the toughest areas of town. There were so many people helping that I could barely get in to do a thing. The worst of days, and yet in some ways the best of days. And, after all, there's always tomorrow.

Posted by Darryl at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 )

Dash vs. City of Toronto, related to the second flood at our house a year ago, has been settled out of court. A check for our insurance deductible is in the mail.

It's amazing how little I've had to do with a court case that has my name on it. It's been the insurance company's case. All I know is that this is the last of the flood business to be resolved. Take my advice: don't have a flood in your basement. It's not much fun.

Posted by Darryl at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

From the U.S. News and World Report (selected paragraphs):

What would Jonathan Edwards think of suburban Chicago's Willow Creek Community Church, where every weekend some 17,000 congregants arrive in their Chevy Tahoes and Toyota minivans to worship in the enormous brick-and-glass auditorium? More specifically, what would the 18th-century Puritan preacher who penned the fire-and-brimstone sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" make of "seeker-friendly" services that use "drama, multimedia, and contemporary music" to serve "individuals checking out what it really means to have a personal relationship with Jesus"? Gazing across the packed rows, would Edwards recognize the modern face of the religious movement that he played such a key role in launching...

...particularly since 9/11, evangelical notions about God's special covenant with the American people have contributed to a quasi-religious nationalism that casts America as the chosen nation engaged in a righteous struggle with evil...

Evangelical scholars and intellectuals especially lament the decline of the evangelical mind since the generation of Edwards. During the last century in particular, says Wheaton College's Noll, "Christian reasoning as a whole, through use of the Bible, theology, and doctrine, simply hasn't measured up. The scandal of the evangelical thinking is that there is not enough of it, and that which exists is not up to the standards that Edwards established."

A fascinating and somewhat disturbing article.

Posted by Darryl at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

My open source/wiki writing experiment is struggling a little because we don't have enough people contributing. Go over and leave your mark. Don't be afraid to edit what has already been written, or to disagree with a point. Have some fun.

Posted by Darryl at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 )

I'm doing a sidebar for an article of mine on sermon plagiarism. The sidebar is on sermons that others preached that I wish I had. In other words, sermons I wish I'd stolen.

I have my own list, but I'm open to your nominations. Any sermons - either recent or historical - that have been so good that you wish you had preached them? You don't even have to be a preacher to answer this one.

Note: I don't want to get into the morality of sermon plagiarism here. That's not the point of the sidebar. I'm just asking what sermons have been so good that you'd be tempted to steal them.

Posted by Darryl at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 )

You're invited to co-write an article. This is an experiment; I have no way of knowing if it will work or not. But it should be fun.

Here are the details:

Go to the EditMe site containing the article. (Bookmark this page!)

Register using the menu to the right.

Follow the links to the article. To edit the page, use the menu on the right side of the page (Page -> Edit).

Let me know if you have any questions. Don't be shy. Get in there and get involved. If you have a blog, post on this so we can get others involved.

A couple of notes: If this article is ever published, or makes any money, proceeds will first pay for the direct costs of the EditMe service, and will then be donated to World Vision Canada.

Here's how the article starts, although you can edit anything I've written:

The Death of the Modern Church And Why It's a Good Thing

These aren’t easy days to be a pastor, or a committed churchgoer.

Let’s face it. Things aren’t going too well. Many of us have sensed a growing and inescapable sense that the modern church – the church of programs, buildings, budgets, and meetings – is at least losing its effectiveness, and just may be on life support.

Things have gotten so bad that it’s not entirely surprising to read a Southern Baptist Leader write, “A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church for a reason. They are not leaving because they have lost faith. They are leaving the church to preserve faith” (Reggie McNeal, The Present Future p.4).

The church, or should we say the old way of doing church, is dying. And here’s the thing: that’s not at all bad. The church as it existed didn’t deserve to live. Long may something else live in its place.

The End of Christendom

For a long time, we’ve been accustomed to Christendom as the norm. Christendom describes a society in which the Christian faith “is the dominant religious and cultural force” (Charles Bayer, A Resurrected Church p. 10). Within Christendom, one can assume that the teachings, values, music, and ethos of the church shape society. The modern church is a product of Christendom, and it’s doubtful that it can survive without it.

All around us, Christendom is ending...

Posted by Darryl at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 )

This is part of marriage that they don't tell you about. I grew up with trees about as fake as you can get. Every year, we would drag the box from the basement, spend an hour assembling the sucker, and then pretend for the next month that the tree looked real. It worked for all of us.

Charlene entered our marriage with a love for real trees. I was ready for a change, and after all, I was a newlywed.

There aren't a lot of places around here where you can go and cut down a tree. So, for the past 13 years, we've gone out in lousy weather to some store's yard, and I've held up bundled trees while Charlene searches for the perfect tree. It's always a crapshoot, since how much can you tell from a tree that's bundled? This brings out the worst in our personality styles. I grab the first tree I can find and make a run for it. Charlene spends three hours examining every single tree numerous times before she's ready to make a selection. It's a wonder we've stayed together this long.

I make it sound so bad. There have been some lighter moments. One year I came home and saw Charlene dancing with an eight foot tree through the front window. She was trying to put it in the stand by herself. It's an image I will never forget.

This year, we're taking a break from the real pine smell and all the needles, and we're using a fake tree. Not every year, just every few years. I bought a pre-lit tree from a company whose motto is "Good enough to fool Santa." Santa must be blind, because that tree wasn't fooling anyone. It's going back, and so we figured that if you're going to go fake, you may as well really go fake. So here is our new, beautiful Charlie Brown Christmas tree:

It has a certain kitschy charm. Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown.

Posted by Darryl at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 6 )

Okay, so let's try my open source group writing idea. Maybe a better way to start is with an article. If you have an idea for a topic, leave a comment. I'll give details on how to participate in a couple of days.

Posted by Darryl at 6:36 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

For a while I've thought it would be cool to set up an open source book project. Tools like wiki make it pretty easy.

Writing an open source book would be fun. A lot of us may never be able to author a book, but we're more than able to contribute something as a collaborators, and edit what others have written. It takes away the intimidation factor and lets everyone in on the fun.

There are also lots of drawbacks. It wouldn't be a conventional book, nobody would own it, and it could flop. It's hard to say what the end result would look like, which may or may not be good.

What do you think? Is it worth a try? Or is the nuttiest idea so far this year?

Posted by Darryl at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 5 )

From The Ooze:

During my time at Mariners, however, I grew tired of keeping up appearances. After 18 years in ministry, the evangelical package had started to unwrap itself. Swallowing my questions for the sake of the status quo no longer seemed to be a viable option. Sensing my anguish, Senior Pastor Kenton Beshore presented me with an opportunity. He asked if I'd like to start a Saturday night service. You know, try some new things and put a "postmodern" spin on the Sunday message. After much deliberation, I decided to accept his offer...

Eventually, I knew something had to give. When the pain of staying at Mariners began to seem worse than the pain of leaving, I submitted my resignation. I packed up my desk, loaded up my car and drove back to my tiny, 700-square-foot beach shack. Five years later, here I sit.

A fascinating journey that probably resonates with a lot of us these days.

So no matter where you are in the process, I want to encourage you to continue on your journey. The fact is you're not the only crazy one out there. I can say with confidence, there are at least two.

Posted by Darryl at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

From the National Post - Gotta Dance:

The cabaret law dates back to 1926, when Mayor Jimmy Walker introduced it in an attempt to crack down on perceived Jazz Age excesses. The original law was aimed at shutting down Harlem nightclubs (Shore suggests that the old city council was primarily concerned with stopping miscegenation). The law states that any establishment serving food or drink that has three or more people moving in a synchronized fashion must be in possession of a cabaret licence.

I think it's time that the churches of New York City start abiding by this law. You serve food and drink, and I'll bet that some of your people move in a synchronized fashion. (Baptists move, but it can hardly be called synchronized). I hope the churches of NYC will show some integrity and apply for cabaret licences.

Posted by Darryl at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

A few years ago, Len Sweet said that Canadians were ahead of Americans in understanding the Internet. At the time, I didn't know why he said that, and it was only later that I figured out that guys like Jordon were behind Sweet's assessment.

My second blog post ever was about Jordon's website. Since then, I've been following his blog and learning lots. He's pushed me and has probably helped to shape my thinking more than I realize.

Tonight, I got to spend a few hours with Jordon and Ed. I can't speak for Jordon or Ed, but I enjoyed the conversation. One day I'm going to have to make the trek to Saskatoon one day and meet Leighton and some of the others.

A very enjoyable evening, and a very cool guy.

Update: The bonehead comment of the night was when I suggested Soularize should be held in Saskatoon one year. I think I've lived in Canada too long.

Posted by Darryl at 1:08 AM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 )

Church as been really good lately. I've changed. Sometimes that causes stress at the church level. In my case, this has actually been refreshing to a lot of people. I'm sure that some have struggled, but just as many or more have responded positively.

The best part is that I'm not in control. I overheard a criticism of me the other day, and once I got past being defensive, I had to agree.

On the other hand, I got this e-mail, which essentially agrees with the criticism but takes a different view:

Richview always benefits when you are authentic, direct and honest. As much as we would like to believe you are all-wise, all-knowing, and spiritually perfect, you know you're not. We know it too.

It's better if we don't pretend you have it all together. Your struggles HELP us to admit we have struggles of our own, and when God answers your prayers and helps with your struggles -- and you tell us about it -- that gives us hope. Keep it up!

I probably know less about how to grow a successful church now than I ever have, but I also know a little bit more about how a church should feel, and what our culture should be like. McManus calls this the shaping of the ethos of a church.

Today I had someone in my office, and I was amazed again at the number of good things that are happening that don't even remotely involve me. A few years ago, that would have threatened me. Now it's just another reason to celebrate.

Richview's not a perfect church, but that's what makes it so good. I'm enjoying being imperfect, growing, and yet (mostly) accepted just as I am, together with others who are in the same boat. It's an exciting feeling, and a lot better than other models of church I've tried.

Posted by Darryl at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

I've accepted the challenge, and I'm even challenging some people at Richview to get in on the goat action this Christmas:

Through their Christmas Catalogue, World Vision offers you the opportunity to buy various items for needy families overseas. Last year (while I was still working with World Vision) Robert bought a goat, and badgered a whole lot of others to do the same. We had some fun with it. I think the best part was when Robert called up, told us he had bought a goat on the net, and asked where he could go to pick it up.

So let's go with it. Robert is buying a goat. Lisa is buying a goat. We'll buy a goat. That's 3 so far. Who else will step up to the plate? You can get one through World Vision Canada or World Vision US. I'm sure you can get one through other countries as well.

One other thing: If you buy a goat, or anything else they offer, leave a comment and let us know. You'll make Robert's day, as well as a huge impact on the lives of several people.

Posted by Darryl at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 7 )