EPIC Dogpile

Road Trip Tunes

2010-06-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

So, I just got back from an awesome Mid-Western Road Trip... roadside dinosaurs, dead armadillos and, of course, TUNES.

What is your favorite summer road-trippin' song?

Get Ready for Paparazzi

2010-05-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

You know you wanna be at the EPPIEs this Sunday

The 2010 EPPIEs

2010-05-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

You want to be there.

Sunday, May 23rd

O'Carroll Hall

6:30 pm

Formal & Semi-Formal Attire Encouraged

Mmm hmm yup

2010-05-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

Have enough wisdom to know...

2010-05-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

...that you don't have that much wisdom.

Do you see the motorcycle?

Do you see it now?

Don't talk on your cellphone and drive. Think about it. If you need to be in something red and talk on your phone at the same time, try pants:

I thought I was the funny one in this picture until I saw Red Pant Dude.

EPIC Campout 2010

2010-05-05T13:35:00.001-07:00

Favorite moments?

Jerusalem My Destiny

2010-04-16T15:35:00.001-07:00

Alone and Together

2010-04-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

When I think about it, I try to calm myself down and stop thinking - at least stop thinking about the checklists of life; the schedules and petty orders.

I try to just "be" here and there.

These are fleeting moments. They sneak up on me and they're gone in an instant if they're not invited to stay. There are side effects to these daybreaks: I get lost in daydreams, longing and an amped-up creativity. So, these moments lend themselves to a pouring out of myself. I like to write poems and songs, especially. They're practically the same thing.

There is one particular song that I've been thinking about lately. It's called "Brave Aurora". It's about the experience I had in Iceland seeing the Northern Lights for the first time and how that event relates to the way that I experience love.

I'm not sure how many of you EPIC kids have seen the Northern Lights before. If you haven't, imagine what you might expect them to be. Just now, I almost opened up a new tab in my browser to Google "Aurora Borealis" so that I could give you a semi-accurate description of what the Northern Lights actually are. It's junk having to do with ions and Earth's magnetic bands and blah, blah, blah. The science is not as important as the experience.

What do you imagine the experience of seeing the Northern Lights is like?

When I hopped on the bus and headed out into the frozenness that is the hinterlands of Reykjavik I had an idea of what I might see. I certainly had no expectation of any kind of cosmic spiritual experience. I thought I would see some clouds of color kind of like a sunset, get back on the bus and check a global experience off my list. I befriended a super nice British family on the way out there and we laughed and ate biscuits together. When we got out into the middle of nowhere (in a country that is essentially the middle of nowhere) I stepped off the bus and almost biffed it on the ice.

A Phoenix kid has zero idea of how to walk on ice. A Phoenix kid also has no idea of how to dress in actual cold weather. Ever step into the walk-in freezer in O'Carroll Hall? It's like that only colder, windy and without the turkeys.

I shuffled and slid across the ice to a place where I was alone. I started to watch the skies.

Sure enough, over the ridge of the mountains, a green glow started to appear. It morphed, and moved - it grew in intensity. It was a bit elusive, almost fragile, like if it were a candle I could blow it out. Essentially, though, it was what I expected.

Then there was a change.

The Northern Lights started to come through the sky to me. What was a pretty picture that would elegantly fill out a frame became something more. 2-D became 3-D and it was unexpected, heart-quickening and, it seems funny to say it, almost dangerous. An experience became an encounter. I was by myself, but I felt a part of everything. I was alone and together.

I think that most of us have an idea of how we will experience love in our lives. We see others' relationships, we talk with God, we have relationships of our own. We get comfortable with the idea we've formed about what an experience with love is... then we have an encounter.

The world had an encounter with God's love through Jesus Christ - an encounter that we are called to have as his disciples. This is a radical love that added an unforeseen and unexpected dimension of depth. The love of the Risen Jesus Christ takes directions which catch us vulnerable and off guard. To love like him, our love cannot be a passive experience. It cannot be distant or waiting. It's cannot be politically expedient or put on hold until we get our lives together.

This is the time to love dangerously like God loves us.

What I'm listening to:

Brian's Wild Kingdom

2010-04-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

This is a desert iguana.

Debbie and I just caught one in my office. The thing was practically crawling up my pant leg before Debbie alerted me to its presence. The capture and release were humorous in assorted ways (yes, I tried to use the little trick or treat hand-bag thing we used at the last coffeehouse to nab it). It's not the first time we've caught something interesting in my office.

This is a palo verde beetle. Yep, had the joy of being surprised by one of those in my office, too.

Chris Forschino and I caught a nighthawk in the hall last year after an EPIC night.

Here are some other animals I've encountered at church:

One time, we found one of these in my fire chief's office:

And now, in no particular order, animals that I have been legit attacked by:

Ever have an interesting encounter with an animal?

-Brian

PS - Come to EPIC on Sunday!

Living Stations

2010-03-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

LIVING STATIONS REHEARSAL - Thursday at 4:15 pm

LIVING STATIONS - Friday meet at 5:45 pm & Stations at 7 pm

Acts of Kindness

2010-03-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

These are salt and pepper shakers. I like them.

Last night's coffeehouse was really an eye opener... lots of good questions and comments. So, I've been doing a little self-reflection today.

I make choices everyday. This is obvious. What seems to me to be a little less obvious is that the ultimate importance of each choice can never really be predicted ahead of time. A person who makes the little choice to step off the curb into a crosswalk wouldn't ever know the gravity of that million-times-a-day decision before they were struck by a crazy driver.

We know that some of the choices that we make are very important - choosing careers, following vocations, pursuing education, etc. But, even those grand choices are surrounded by clouds of the little guys; the pebbles we throw into ponds that make ripples which turn into waves.

With tones dripping with academia, abstract thought and Dr. Phil-style advice we say that "every choice matters." It's easy to dismiss sentiments like that. Every choice DOES matter though, and not just for ourselves but for others, too. Especially the things we say.

Thousands of words come out of my mouth everyday (many of them ridiculous) and I do not often stop to think about their impact. I have my own ideas about which ones are important and which ones are not. But, my ideas are not the same as your ideas. One person's knock-knock joke is another person's dagger to the heart. Such differences in ideas can lead to pain, resentment, distrust and isolation.

Big decisions. Little choices. Powerful words. Small talk. It's hard to know the difference.

So, what if I decided to make everything that I said, from ordering food to giving advice, an act of kindness?

Maybe I'd speak less. Maybe more. For sure, misunderstandings will still happen. But, I can't help but think that I would start to approach the world in a new way. I can't help but think that my heart would be more open to God's love and kindness. I can't help but think that those whom I love closest would know that love just a little bit better.

If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

If I give away everything that I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails...

1 Corinthians 13:1-8

We have choices. We can build one another up. We can tear one another down. Hear the truth and in each moment let your choice be led by love - true unashamed and unconditional love.

Lay Me Down

2010-03-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

The Passion of Our Brother Jesus Christ

According to Luke

**DISCLAIMER** The song “Only God Knows Why” has a few words and images which are not “youth group appropriate.” However, the song is a valuable reflection on Jesus’ experience in the Garden of Gethsemane. Please use discretion. The rest of this content does not have any potentially offensive material.

The Agony in the Garden – Luke 22:39-46
Then going out he went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he arrived at the place he said to them, "Pray that you may not undergo the test." After withdrawing about a stone's throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done." (And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.) When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples, he found them sleeping from grief. He said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test."

“Only God Knows Why” Kid Rock - From the Perspective of Jesus:

“I've been sittin’ here tryin’ to find myself. I get behind myself. I need to rewind myself.”

“They say that every man bleeds just like me. And I feel like number one yet I'm last in line.”

“Everybody knows my name. They say it way out loud. A lot of folks *mess with me. It's hard to hang out in crowds. I guess that's the price you pay to be some big shot like I am.”

“And when your walls come tumbling down, I will always be around.”

“People don't know about the things I say and do. They don't understand about the *things that I've been through. It's been so long since I've been home. I've been gone, I've been gone for way too long. Maybe I forgot all things I miss. Oh, somehow I know there's more to life than this.”

“I've been giving just ain't been getting’. I've been walking that there line. So I think I'll keep a walking with my head held high. I'll keep moving on and only God knows why.”

The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus – Luke 22:47-53
While he was still speaking, a crowd approached and in front was one of the Twelve, a man named Judas. He went up to Jesus to kiss him. Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" His disciples realized what was about to happen, and they asked, "Lord, shall we strike with a sword?" And one of them struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said in reply, "Stop, no more of this!" Then he touched the servant's ear and healed him. And Jesus said to the chief priests and temple guards and elders who had come for him, "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? Day after day I was with you in the temple area, and you did not seize me; but this is your hour, the time for the power of darkness."

“Same Ground” Kitchie Nadal - From the Perspective of Judas:

“It’s hard leaving you that way when I never wanted to.”

“I have learned that love is beyond what human can imagine, the more it clears the more I have to let you go.”

“I don't understand why I’m feeling so bad now when I know it was my idea.”

“Why am I the only one standing stranded on the same ground?”

Peter’s Denial of Jesus – Luke 22:54-65
After arresting him they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest; Peter was following at a distance. They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter sat down with them. When a maid saw him seated in the light, she looked intently at him and said, "This man too was with him." But he denied it saying, "Woman, I do not know him." A short while later someone else saw him and said, "You too are one of them"; but Peter answered, "My friend, I am not." About an hour later, still another insisted, "Assuredly, this man too was with him, for he also is a Galilean." But Peter said, "My friend, I do not know what you are talking about." Just as he was saying this, the cock crowed, and the Lord turned and looked at Peter; and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, "Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times." He went out and began to weep bitterly. The men who held Jesus in custody were ridiculing and beating him. They blindfolded him and questioned him, saying, "Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?" And they reviled him in saying many other things against him.

”Everybody’s Changing” Keane - From the Perspective of Peter:

“You're aching, you're breaking and I can see the pain in your eyes - says everybody's changing and I don't know why.”

“Try to understand that I'm trying to make a move just to stay in the game. I try to stay awake and remember my name, but everybody's changing and I don't feel the same.”

“You're gone from here and soon you will disappear: fading into beautiful light.”

Jesus before the Sanhedrin – Luke 22:66-71
When day came the council of elders of the people met, both chief priests and scribes, and they brought him before their Sanhedrin. They said, "If you are the Messiah, tell us," but he replied to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question, you will not respond. But from this time on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." They all asked, "Are you then the Son of God?" He replied to them, "You say that I am." Then they said, "What further need have we for testimony? We have heard it from his own mouth."

“The Pretender” Foo Fighters - From the Perspective of Jesus:

“Keep you in the dark. You know they all pretend. Keep you in the dark and so it all began. Send in your skeletons. Sing as their bones go marching in...”

“I'm finished making sense; done pleading ignorance, that whole defense.”

“Spinning infinity, boy. The wheel is spinning me. It's never-ending, never-ending. Same old story.”

“What if I say I'm not like the others? What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays? You're the pretender. What if I say that I’ll never surrender?”

Jesus before Pilate – Luke 23:1-5
Then the whole assembly of them arose and brought him before Pilate. They brought charges against him, saying, "We found this man misleading our people; he opposes the payment of taxes to Caesar and maintains that he is the Messiah, a king." Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" He said to him in reply, "You say so." Pilate then addressed the chief priests and the crowds, "I find this man not guilty." But they were adamant and said, "He is inciting the people with his teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to here."

“Blowing in the Wind” Bob Dylan - From the Perspective of Jesus:

“How many roads must a man walk down before they call him a man?”

“How many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free?”

“How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see?

“The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing in the wind”

Jesus before Herod – Luke 23:6-16
On hearing this Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean; and upon learning that he was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at that time. Herod was very glad to see Jesus; he had been wanting to see him for a long time, for he had heard about him and had been hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at length, but he gave him no answer. The chief priests and scribes, meanwhile, stood by accusing him harshly. (Even) Herod and his soldiers treated him contemptuously and mocked him, and after clothing him in resplendent garb, he sent him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate became friends that very day, even though they had been enemies formerly. Pilate then summoned the chief priests, the rulers, and the people and said to them, "You brought this man to me and accused him of inciting the people to revolt. I have conducted my investigation in your presence and have not found this man guilty of the charges you have brought against him, nor did Herod, for he sent him back to us. So no capital crime has been committed by him. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him."

”Are You the One” Within Temptation - From the Perspective of Herod:

“Are you the one? The traveler in time who has come to heal my wounds; to lead me to the sun; to walk this path with me until the end of time?”

“To wash away the feeling of pain - which sometimes can lead to the chain of fear.”

“Are you the one, who's had enough of pain and doesn't wish to feel the shame, anymore? Are you the one?”

The Sentence of Death – Luke 23:18-25
But all together they shouted out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us." (Now Barabbas had been imprisoned for a rebellion that had taken place in the city and for murder.) Again Pilate addressed them, still wishing to release Jesus, but they continued their shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Pilate addressed them a third time, "What evil has this man done? I found him guilty of no capital crime. Therefore I shall have him flogged and then release him." With loud shouts, however, they persisted in calling for his crucifixion, and their voices prevailed. The verdict of Pilate was that their demand should be granted. So he released the man who had been imprisoned for rebellion and murder, for whom they asked, and he handed Jesus over to them to deal with as they wished.

“With or Without You” U2 - From the Perspective of Pilate:

“See the stone set in your eyes. See the thorn twist in your side. I wait for you.”

“With or without you. I can't live with or without you.”

”And you give yourself away, and you give yourself away, and you give, and you give, and you give yourself away.”

The Way of the Cross – Luke 23:26-32
As they led him away they took hold of a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country; and after laying the cross on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus. A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him. Jesus turned to them and said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.' At that time people will say to the mountains, 'Fall upon us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!' for if these things are done when the wood is green what will happen when it is dry?" Now two others, both criminals, were led away with him to be executed.

“If I Fall” Aqualung - From the Perspective of Jesus:

“Here and now seems I'm standing on the edge. Looking down I can clearly see your face in the crowd; makes me feel I'm not alone.”

“If I fall, will you catch me?”

“Seems to me I'm exactly where I dreamt I would be. And the view from here is something to see, but I need a hand to hold on to.”

The Crucifixion – Luke 23:33-43
When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. [Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."] They divided his garments by casting lots. The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews." Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

“Oh, Me” Nirvana - From the Perspective of Jesus:

“I don’t have to think, I only have to do it. The results are always perfect. But, that’s old news.”

“Would you like to hear my voice?”

“I can’t see the end of me, my whole expanse I cannot see.”

“I formulate infinity, stored deep inside me.”

The Death of Jesus – Luke 23:44-49
It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit"; and when he had said this he breathed his last. The centurion who witnessed what had happened glorified God and said, "This man was innocent beyond doubt." When all the people who had gathered for this spectacle saw what had happened, they returned home beating their breasts; but all his acquaintances stood at a distance, including the women who had followed him from Galilee and saw these events.

“Pride” U2 - From the Perspective of the Centurion:

“One man come in the name of love. One man come and go. One man come here to justify. One man to overthrow in the name of love.”

“One man betrayed with a kiss in the name of love.”

“In the name of love. What more in the name of love?”

The Burial of Jesus – Luke 23:50-56
Now there was a virtuous and righteous man named Joseph who, though he was a member of the council, had not consented to their plan of action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea and was awaiting the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. After he had taken the body down, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb in which no one had yet been buried. It was the day of preparation, and the sabbath was about to begin. The women who had come from Galilee with him followed behind, and when they had seen the tomb and the way in which his body was laid in it, they returned and prepared spices and perfumed oils. Then they rested on the sabbath according to the commandment.

“Lay Me Down” The Frames - From the Perspective of Jesus:

“I will write you letters that explain the way I'm thinking now.”

“I will return again when it gets dark and day is done.”

“And lay me down in the hallowed ground. Down by your side I will stay. So lay me down.”

“And if you wanna stay with me then let me know before it's light. I will recoil myself into the black and darkest night.”

“And lay me down in the hallowed ground where my Father waits I will stay. So lay me down.”

PEACE - LOVE - JUSTICE

Failure to Communicate

2010-03-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like the message just isn't getting through?

Sometimes I feel like there has got to be some sort of breakdown in communication between myself and my maker. Like, maybe I'm not always hearing what's intended.

I believe firmly in a God who speaks... in a God who is still speaking. God's communication is so deep and all encompassing - the more my humanness is engaged and in tune, the greater the depths my soul can plunge into God's heart.

God's voice is something we experience with more than just our ears. God speaks through our consciences and conciousness. God speaks through the wisdom of creation and Scripture. God speaks in our ritual and Tradition. God speaks through taste and feeling. God speaks within our senses and beyond them. God speaks through our past. God speaks in our future. God speaks in the here and now.

God is the Master of the Universe.

God is the God of this City.

Listening to God is more than just hearing God, it is being with God. Being with God is not looking for grand visions or having great epiphanies. Truly being with God means living with God in the ordinary everydayness of life. And when the crashing drama of life comes it means having that solid foundation to stand upon.

Think of Elijah...

Then the Lord said, "Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by." A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord - but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake - but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire - but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a tiny whispering sound. 1 Kings 19:11-12

When the earthquakes and fires and storms of life come, when the world folds in around us, it's these times that we know the gentle hum of God's voice can be found if we are in tune enough to hear it.

How do we tune our existence to God's voice?

1. We hold ourselves in balance. Every created gift which comes from God has the ability to draw us closer to the heart of God, but if any of these gifts become the center of our lives they displace God and cloud God's communication.

2. We center ourselves in prayer. God knows our needs and wants. God cares about how we feel and what we do. God's joy is to be close to us. We should talk to God in our way, and let God change us in ways we could never imagine.

3. We share our lives and our faith. God has formed us as sisters and brothers in one community - all pieces to the same puzzle. God's very self is revealed to us when we live out the social teaching of our church.

What are some things you do to hold yourself in balance, center yourself in prayer and share your life and faith?