1.30.2004 

There are people after Jesus. They have seen the signs. Quick, let's hide Him. Let's think; carpenter, fishermen's friend, disturber of religious comfort. Let's award Him a degree in theology, a purple cassock and a position of respect. They'll never think of looking here. Let's think; His dialect may betray Him, His tongue is of the masses. Let's teach Him Latin and seventeenth century English, they'll never think of listening in. Let's think; humble, Man of Sorrows, nowhere to lay His head. We'll build a house for Him, somewhere away from the poor. We'll fill it with brass and silence. It's sure to throw them off. There are people after Jesus. Quick, let's hide Him. - by steve turner

1.28.2004 

Is it odd that the last two websites I've been too and the ones that I have spent the majority of my work time that I'm not working even though I should be working are a fabric website and a recipe website. I swear am of the male persuasion but for some reason reupholstering stuff and making pretty dishes has really appealed to me lately. But have no fear . . . to counteract these trend towards wussism I am going to watch swear and pick at my belly button as I watch Bruce Willis walk on glass in Die Hard tonight. Grrrrrrrrrrr!

1.21.2004 

Amongst the ruins of the day, The tiring of the sun Leaves a worn out soul. Lost in time and reality, Overarched by his hole for her. Filling it in part this day. Filling it in whole ever presently. Miles accenting her absence, Memoirs of wonders rehearsing days gone by. Giving peace as dark enters the eyes, Granting strength For the gap between then and now.

1.20.2004 

A post from Emergent Village on Missions. I've been on some short term mission trips that when they were over, I felt like "Did anything just happen?" I think alot of that feeling, or at least for me and some of my friends, there was this huge hype pre-trip that made us all think we were going to go out and reverse the downward spiral of our out of control world. The odd thing is that its awfully hard to change a society in a few days or a couple of weeks. Its the same kind of let down that we feel when we bust it in our own local contexts and see very little fruit. And this is even after years and years of pouring your life into it. What makes us think that if we only spend a couple days or weeks beyond our local contexts, that we're going to fill any differently? Even that question, I think answers some of the problems associated with "mission trips". The question I've asked myself afterwards is "how come I don't feel differently?" As if the whole thing was about me. If I don't feel good afterwards, was it worthwhile? Did God not build a bridge to someone because I don't feel like I'm doing any good? So many mission trips, at least in my context growing up, were focused more on the individuals going than the individuals they were going to "see". Thats why when they came back and gave their report in front of the church and shared their stories, they usually revolved around what "we" did, or how "we" feel now or how fortunate "we" are. While I am in now way discounting the values of such feelings, I know that in my experience, so much was focused back inwardly on me. I hope that makes sense. Another flaw I see in mission trips is that they usually turn into a type of Westernizing. So you go and start a church in Africa or South America that mimics the architecture, liturgy, and structure of your church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Its as if we go over there and try to sell them on our way of doing things instead of allowing them to create environments that are indigenous to their context. Another side thought on this, wouldn't it be great if the majority of our missionary work was done by training and supporting locals in other nations so that they would have the education and resources to reach their people who they know. They know their culture better than we ever would. Perhaps we aren't being wise stewards when we take a group of 20 people @ $2000 a person for a week to do what sometimes amounts to nothing more than lawn work. $40,000 would go a whole lot farther if we built and staffed an educational facility that trained locals to reach their culture. It doesn't make much sense for a church from Zaire to come to the States for a "mission trip". So why are we continually thinking of "missions" in the same mold of us sending mass amounts of people overseas? Unless of course we are trying to Westernize them. Finally, perhaps we need to begin to think of ourselves as "mission" as opposed to going on "missions". I think Newbigin talks alot about that or maybe its Guder in Missional Church. But we are mission. When we use terminology like "going on mission trips", I think there becomes a tendency for people to think that missions is something over there once a year to go to or give to and it is not something that concerns them in the immediate and local. While it may sound like I'm bashing mission trips, short term and long term, this is not the case. Two of my best friends are gone long term right now and I and many of my other friends have gone short term numerous times. There is definitely a place for mission trips. I just think our thinking as to why we should do mission trips and how we do them and what we think afterwards are a bit off. At least in my experience which is not to say it is the same in yours.

1.14.2004 

I moved yesterday. I can't feel my leg. I broke my turtle tank yesterday. Rice Number Two and Rooster lived in tupperware for way to long. I took a shower yesterday. It was not soon enough. Its sad that when any given day, the highlight was going to Zaxby's.

1.09.2004 

What I'm Reading This Week: Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman What I'm Listening To This Week: Damien Rice - O, David Crowder Band, Simple Plan, Steadman, Peter Gabriel - Greatest Hits

1.06.2004 

The Bible is always more than a textbook or curriculum. But instead it is a source. Meaning that instead of reading the Bible to find a sermon in order to contrive a skeleton of what God is doing, we should allow the Bible to read into us and out of us where our sermons become extensions of life.

1.02.2004 

I do believe in fairies. I do. I do. - Peter Pan

 

Thanks to my most beautiful, creative, and fun girlfriend, I now have two turtles as pets. But I don't think they are so much pets as they are friends. Rice Number Two (the original Rice died a slow and tragic death) and Rooster are the coolest turtles this world has ever or will ever see.

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  • I'm Josh
  • From Atlanta, Georgia
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