My Worship Revolution

Slowly but surely, I promise, they are coming!

Let’s see…how how about we tackle the rest of Bet’s questions.

What is your theory on Lost?
Seriously, I’m not one who sits and really tries to come up with theories on it.  I just watch and enjoy, but of course I am trying to figure out what the heck is going on the whole time.
That being said, I do like to waste my time reading mindless drivel on the internet sometimes, and I am a big fan of this theory at this point in time.  Very clever, and seems to have good answers for most everything.

What makes 24 better than Lost?
Two words…Jack Bauer.
See last post below.
Next.

What is your predestination theology stance?
Yes.
Yes, we are chosen.  The Bible says so.
Yes, we have to choose.  The Bible says so.
How are they both true?  Not sure.  But I think it’s one of those things we can’t fully understand.  I used to swing way more to the “we choose” side, but I guess being stuck in a family with all these stinking reformers has got me warming up to Calvin.
Another one of those questions that when it really comes down to it, there are great theologians who I respect and admire from over the years that disagree on this one.  I’m just not arrogant enough to think I can be the one to figure it all out.  Close…but not quite.

Do you approve of women as senior pastors in churches? Why or why not?
Geez Bet.  Thanks a lot.
This is actually one that I keep coming back to and struggling with, and let me preface it by saying that I have not studied it nearly enough to make a solid conclusion yet.  The simple answer is no.  But it’s not that simple.  Let me explain.

I definitely came out of a background that is pretty heavy against the women leading thing, both from Calvary Chapel and Knott Avenue Christian.  So I’ve been recovering.  I’ve swung pretty far away from where I used to be as I’ve looked at the cultural context of certain passages as well as the practical realities.  But Lead Pastor is definitely a place I haven’t been able to move past yet.  On the flip side, while I would not currently attend a church with a female lead pastor, I also don’t condemn those who do or the women who are.  While I may not be all for it, I hardly think it is one of those issues that when we get to heaven, God is gonna be really ticked off about because the wrong gender was expanding the kingdom.

I really would like to be OK with it.  In fact, I think it would be beneficial to the Gospel if I could be.  Here’s my biggest hang up, though.  While I get that some of the passages commonly used are cultural, I also see Paul follow them up with a theological argument.  That’s where I get stuck.  The guy says things I would never say today!  And just for clarification, at this point for me it is definitely not an ability issue, rather it’s a role issue.

Also, as a sidenote, here are a couple of interesting posts regarding this theological issue and the newfound excitement in the Christian community for Sarah Palin.  Go check those out for some thought provoking reading.

So there you have it.  I stirred the pot a little and hopefully the backlash doesn’t get too ugly.
It’s definitely something I want to commit more time and study to in the near future.
How about you other Christ followers out there?
Where do you stand on the issue?  How did you get there?
Share if you dare.

I just cleared the meeting on my calendar.

So, I guess you could say I accomplished one of my goals in the Ragamuffin Top challenge with my second triathlon.  Well…kinda.  

P.S. – I love the half face shot of Dan in the video still above!  Very nice.

So, a lot of you probably saw this video here and/or here in the past couple days.  "A renewed mind is the key…"  Come on, sing along!  If you missed it go check it out.  Make sure you watch at 1:50 in when you get the dance break cross between John Travolta in Pulp Fiction and Michael Jackson…kinda.

Well, I found that there is one more video by the same group, so I thought I'd get that one to you as well.
Check it out:

HT: The House Of Hunt

I was trying to find out more about this group, and I confess I haven't found anything online yet, but it was interesting when I Googled The Way International.  If the lyrics seemed a bit odd to you Christ-followers out there, it my shed some light if they are part of the same The Way International as the religion/cult.

Looks like a group that kinda combines the beliefs of several, including Jehovah's witness and a whacked out Pentecostal.  The most important thing to note would be their belief that Jesus was not God, nor is the Holy Spirit.  Pretty interesting to read about.  Go check it out.

And if you can find any more about this performance group, let us know!
Maybe we can see them on tour nearby!!

On December 27th-January 3rd, we will be taking a group from our church to Baja with Baja Bound ministries.  We will be building a home for a single mom of 4 daughters as well as hosting a vacation Bible school for children in the migrant camp.

This past Monday I had the chance to roll south of the border with John Rose, who also happens to be my youth pastor from high school, to see the area we would be working and approve the house we would be building.  Here are some random pictures from the day of the area and of the people I met there.

I am way stoked on the opportunities we have to do ministry down there.  More to come in the next few weeks.  A little here, but mostly at the CLC blog.

For several months now, God has been laying on my heart the importance of prayer for me and my family.  I truly believe that God wants to use us in big ways.  As I think about someday planting a church, I believe God will use us far beyond our abilities.  As I look at where we are right now, I believe God wants to use us to create and transform culture right here in Santa Cruz.  And I am recognizing how much prayer is needed to do the things we’re called to do.

So I’ve had it on my heart to gather a team of people to partner in ministry with us by praying for us.  It’s something I originally remember Eric sharing with me that he did as he was helping plant at Life Church.  I want to find people who pray.  People who could really be intercessors on our behalf.
At first I felt a bit prideful in a way in asking this, but a friend pointed out that even Paul requested prayer from his partners in ministry, as shown in the verse above.

So this post is an unashamed request for those of you who would be willing to, to commit to praying for us and our ministry.  Ideally I’d like to gather at least 31 people to commit to pray for us.  Why 31?  I’d like to ask each of those people to commit to one day a month to pray over and with us.
That’s the plan.  It would be amazing to know that literally everyday there is someone praying for the work we are doing.  I have the first of each month covered already…only 30 more to go!

Then, each month I will send out an email to all of those people with specific prayer requests that we have for our lives and ministry.  And I’d also love to hear from those people as God reveals things to them as they work alongside us in that way.

So there you have it.  If you are a person who would be willing to pray with us and partner with us, I would be honored.  Please feel free to email me or to leave a comment, and then I will be sure to get back to you.
I believe God could use this in huge ways for us.  Thank you all so much for being a part of our lives.  I really believe God has great things in store for all of us.  You guys rock!

I was able to iChat last night with my family who has been down in the Temecula area for the past 5 days.
Rachel showed me the new skill Caleb has learned.  Check it out for yourself.

I miss my family.
Can’t wait to pick em up from the airport this afternoon!

One more reason I need to keep my head shaved…
this is what my hair looks like after a long bike ride:

Random, I know.
But while we’re on random, but relalted to triathlon training, here’s some fun pics from the first tri back in July that I never did get posted here:

And yes, I absolutely saw the cameraman and got down on the Tri bars for the photo.

Anywho, that being said, I know I never put the play by play from the Tri up here, but oh well.  It’s old news now.  Next one’s in less than 2 weeks, and if the sprint made me aware of anything, it was how much more I was gonna need to train for this one.

Yesterday I ran 7.65 miles.  As I was running I realized I’ve pretty much hit that point I didn’t used to believe existed.  It actually wasn’t as painful as it used to be and I actually kinda enjoyed it!  (Don’t get me wrong, I did feel it this morning, especially trying to bike today!)  Anyway here is my Nike+ graph from that run and several others before it.

Random Tri thoughts over.
Hope you all had a great Labor Day!

Well, friends, it’s been a few since I’ve updated you on the weight situation, not to mention the triathlon training.  So, here ya go.
Enjoy.

Alright, time for a participatory post.  Get ready to comment.

This past week at the Democratic National Convention, there were two prayers given from the stage by prominent Christian personalities.  First in the opening by Donald Miller, and then at the closing, by Joel Hunter.  Take a few minutes to watch both prayers below:

Now I definitely have some thoughts and opinions on the content and delivery of both, however that is not what this post is about.  Rather, it is about the idea of the prayer itself at the convention.  I am WAY behind on reading all your blogs out there right now, so I don't know how much this is being discussed at the moment, with the exception of a few posts on one fairly prominent blog (you get three guesses which one and the first two don't count).

On the one hand, I love both their hearts in the issue, and have lots of respect for both these guys.  In a nutshell, it's the not gonna turn down an opportunity to pray anywhere concept.  I get it.  A great opportunity to be a light.  While I can honestly say that I would vote for a non-Christian candidate, I can't deny that faith, and more specifically faith in Christ, is a big positive in my book.  Of course I want a leader of our nation who I believe is seeking to follow after God, so that's great to see them praying on this platform.

But at the same time, I can honestly say that something just didn't sit right with me when I watched those prayers.  Even outside of what was prayed, I wonder if it's the idea of having the "benediction" at the convention at all.  Several questions come to mind. 
Are politicians using those of faith just for the sake of votes?
Even if they are, do we say fine, have your agenda and we'll take advantage of the opportunity and have ours? 
Many Christians champion the idea that prayer should still be allowed in schools.  I'm not one of those.  Faith isn't something I want the government having any say or authority over.  So does this marriage of faith and politics blur that line too much? 
Then again, you can't deny, as Rick Warren stated in front of a national audience a few weeks ago, that our faith does affect our politics.

Those are a lot of thoughts, without a lot of answers.  I'm curious what you think.
Was this a great opportunity, or a mistake?
Regardless of party affiliation, as Christ-followers, do these guys represent you well?
People without faith, does this irritate you, or do you welcome the opportunity to invite faith into politics?

I'm honestly pretty torn on the issues.
So let me know what you think!