I found this footage while going through old footage the other day. This is a word from Baron regarding Pastors looking into the idea of pastoring in the Missional Church.
Archive for June, 2008
State of Shock and Awe
June 23, 2008Well, I haven’t been posting as much lately. It isn’t laziness, it’s busyness. I’ve been working 50-60 hours a week at both of my jobs. Tack on guitar lessons that I’ve been giving and life things in general, and you see that I’ve been busy busy busy.
Not only that, but my wife, Cynthia, and I found out that we are expecting a baby. That’s right, this is the real deal. I used to joke with the Cynthia’s pregnant, but this is not a test. Here is a pic for you:
it’s blurry, but it’s a baby. We are at week 13. craziness. It will only get crazier I’m sure. We’ve been talking names. Right now we have Ron Part III for boy and Rhonda for a girl (that’s a joke).
Wow, another brown kid.
Discussion on Homosexuality and the Church
June 18, 2008Every tuesday at 3:00 I meet with Baron and Cameron for a time of accountability, pastoral mentoring, hospital/home visits, and/or various theological discussion. It was a very interesting time this week as we began discussing the idea of homosexuality and what it looks like – what actually determines a person to be homosexual? Here is a subject that the three of us determined, as pastors/leaders, we are going to have to delve a little deeper into. Usually when describing homosexuality, one begins to think about dude on dude or lady on lady sex acts. But is this what determines them homosexual? Really, is the sin of homosexuality the sex act itself?
We have taken an alternative lifestyle and deemed them sinners simply because of sex practices. What we have done essentially is we have placed people on a sliding scale of sins in the far far reaches away from holiness. Why and how is this any different than my friend who had a baby out of wedlock? When he was having sex he was sinning, but now it seems that he has been redeemed by the goodness of life that came out of the sin. If he eventually gets married, this seems to seal the deal and now he is no longer sinning – totally redeemed.
I wonder then, how was he any different than the homosexual? If a homosexual is not having sex with anybody, then is he/she a homosexual? Is the term “homosexual” simply a sin in itself, and how then are we to react? We as pastors/ministers/followers of christ are going to have to go a little further than simply saying that it is in the Bible and therefore it is a sin. This is not a rallying cry against homosexuality, but instead it is a cry for us to begin to think and look a little closer at what we are for and against. People are asking for answers and as responsible followers of Christ, we need to be ready with them.
Prayer Request I Saw Today
June 16, 2008“…it still rains, I still burn my toast and my neighbors dog still barks. But life is so good!”
I Love it.
How I Learned to Celebrate Fathers Day
June 16, 2008
Growing up, I came from a single parent home where I was raised by my mom. My parents divorced when I was in the second grade, and we moved from beautiful Kaneohe, Oahu to Blaine Washington. My mom had graduated here before going off to live with my dad. I can’t remember really celebrating Fathers day. Usually I gave my grandpa a fathers day card, as he was my only father figure (and a great one at that), until only a few years ago when he passed away.
Fathers Day has always been such a foreign concept to me. I always put up a front and I would act as though it didn’t bother me, but when I would try to hang out with friends they were always hanging out with their own dads. I felt as though my Dad had left my family in a lurch by not paying child support, visting only on Christmas, and through the physical and mental abuse that he caused my mother, brother, and sister and I. Needless to say, Fathers Day was not a day of celebration to me.
It wasn’t unil I was in my early to mid 20’s that I found my true father: my Holy Father. I came to a realization of how a father could love. I forgave my biological father a long time ago for the pain that he caused our family emotionally, financially, and physically. I learned this love and ability from my perfect father I have in Jesus. Only he could have taken this pain away and shown me what love and freedom truly looks like.
I learned to celebrate Fathers Day as a day of recognizing the way a father looks at his child and smiles no matter what they have done. I learned that Jesus loves all of his children, even my dad. This was a hard concept to wrap my head around, and it still is. But today, Fathers Day has become a day of reconciliation for me in truly seeing how God sees us as his children, and how I don’t want to treat my kids and how I would want them to see me. Someday when I have kids, I hope that I remember this and instead of wanting a day to get away from them on Fathers Day, it will be a day to share love and laughter with them.
Happy Fathers Day to all my Dad-Friends out there! And to the single moms out there who play the role of Dad also, Thank You Thank You Thank You, and please don’t give up hope.
Questioning the Questions of Faith
June 11, 2008
I’ve talked about them before, but Asbojesus is still one of my favorite sites. Their pictures speak into the questions that we’ve all have and more! Check em out. I’ve got them linked in my blogroll.
Open Letter to the High Schooler at Starbucks: You Stink.
June 10, 2008Dear Highschooler,
As I sit here next to you in Starbucks, you cannot imagine how much I envy you and your life. So much time on your hands and so little to do with it. Really, you think that you are “hella-busy”, but you’re not. And though I could talk you through this part of your life, what I would like to talk about is public hygiene. Specifically your cologne.
You see my friend, cologne is not like water. You don’t literally splash it on. You don’t hold it an inch from your chest and squirt. Instead, cologne should be misted and walked through. Cologne is an intimate scent, not something for anybody within 5-10 feet of you to smell. Please High Schooler, I beg of you, quit making the air so pungent when you walk by. People would rather smell fresh air than your cologne.
One more thing before I leave you. Please understand that Axe body spray is in no way a good thing. In fact, I think it may make your skin break out more than it already has. If you are wearing Axe in an attempt to “grow up” then consider this: nobody over the age of 16 wears Axe because it smells like A$$. In fact, I think that is what they should have called it.
Hoping that our next meeting is more pleasant to my scent of smell,
The Brown Kid
“I Keep Getting Older…”
June 5, 2008Classic Matt McConaughey line. Today I went to the doctor for a check up and I began realizing all of these signs of getting older. Here are a few that I’ve compiled out of my brain for all of us.
You know you’re getting older when:
* You go to the doctor every year and they tell you to “cut back on the salt and excercise more”…every year.
* You “go for a jog” and you’re sore for the rest of the week
* You have to look up words or phrases on UrbanDictionary.com because you don’t know what something you overheard a kid in the mall said means.
* Date night turns into Lowe’s and Costco Dogs.
* You have hairs growing out of your ears and nose, and even your eyebrow hairs are getting longer.
* You grow random gray hairs.
* The movies you watch are “smarter” which really means they are boring.
* You begin to worry if people think that you are the “crazy cat person”.
* Some music becomes too loud or just plain noise and you become the one that kids say just don’t get it.
* If you don’t have kids, you become uncle or auntie.
* If you have kids, you become Mr. or Ms/Mrs. “name of parent of the kid that your kid is playing with” or Your kids name’s Mommy or Daddy.
* You use possesive ways to describe people (i.e. My Lawyer, My accountant, My kids, etc).
* You don’t go out past 10 p.m. because you are too tired.
* If you are out past 10 p.m you go directly home because you are too tired.
* You get excited to go to a show because you haven’t been out in a while, but you are even more pumped because the show is all ages and should be done early.
* You get pissed off when you find out that the show is going to be going late.
* For women, your purses and underwear get bigger as you grow older.
* For men, your underwear grow as many holes in them as you have been living out of your mom’s house…same wallet that you’ve had since then also.
* Clothes you wore in Middle and High School are coming back in style.
* You say something to somebody and follow it up with, “Oh my gosh, I just sounded like my mother”.
* Kids wear shirts of bands that you liked in high school, but usually can’t name a single song or album by that band.
* You research things before you buy them.
* You begin to drink wine because it is a “healthier choice”.
These are just a few of the ones I came up with. What did I miss?
My Pastor is More Metro than I am!?!
June 3, 2008I found this test while lurking on Tyler’s site who found it on Stuff Christians Like. It’s a test to see How Metro your Worship Leader is. I didn’t score too well on this test (30 pts). In fact, I think that our pastor Baron Miller scored better than me (according to my calculations he scored a 41). He really is pretty Metro as it is…
Here’s where I scored on the test.
1. Has a faux hawk hair style = +1 (When it is long enough)
2. Has more product in his hair than your wife = +1 (I use a lot of product and compare notes with other guys)
7. Owns Puma, Vans or Diesel sneakers = +2 per each pair (2 pair)
8. Wears jeans on stage = +1 (and shorts.)
12. Wears one of those Castro revolution looking hats = +2 (Yes)
14. Drinks some kind of coffee you did not know existed = +2 ( I work at the ‘bucks.)
17. Good at Frisbee but hates getting all “sweaty” = +1 (That’s why I play ultimate frisbee)
25. Uses the words, “postmodern, relevant” or “emergent” nonstop = +2 (not non stop)
27. Has ever said some form of the phrase, “That song is so 1990s” = +1
30. References Norwegian punk bands you’ve never heard of = +2 (I just love music)
33. Looks as if he might exfoliate = +2 (I once worked for Lancome)
34. Has a man bag or European Carry All = +2 (My Murse is my everything)
35. Brings said bag on stage with him = +2 (Where am I going to store my music?)
44. Owns every Nooma video = +2 (By default. Our church owns them)
45. Has a soul patch = +3 (opting for the shaved look these days. The Soul Patch is for people who can’t grow handlebars or connectors for the goatee)
52. He wears graphic t-shirts over button down, long sleeve shirts = +2 (why wouldn’t you?)
Click on the link and share how you or your Worship Leader or your pastor scored!
