My Influences this week

Okay. Before I go any further, I need to start by saying that the name of this post is terrible. First of all it's boring. Secondly, it's a little too specific. Have I painted myself into a corner? I need something snappier like

Ride the Fire Eagle Danger Day!

Suggestions?

So, this entry fills in a lot of stuff that doesn't get covered in a forty minute message, or the hour or so some of you might get to hang out with me every week. Since the direction of the preaching, and eventually the church, will be affected some way or another by the things I'm dwelling on, I figure you should know about them.

And some of this is just plain fun to share, too.

Okay, so here's stuff I was thinking about this week.

The Bible:

I'm glad to say that this still deserves to be first this week. Every morning I'm still getting up early and reading the Bible first. It ends up permeating into my whole day, affecting my perception of everything else.

Last week I studied through Matthew 15-21. I've decided to put reading through the whole New Testament on hold for now, and just focus on the book of Matthew. A chapter a day seems to be working great, as I'm chewing it up pretty finely. Once the cud's gone through a fourth time (around the end of March), I'll regurgitate my Matthew notes all over a zine for you to have. Because I like you that much.

Ephesians! Wow! Like Poetry it is! I could memorize this book. GEE OR JUSS. Ephesians three is where I parked a lot this week, but I also enjoyed the passage from chapter six that was part of my church reading plan this morning. It'll be tomorrow morning for you, because I like to be one day ahead.

On that note, I'm loving the reading plan. The discipline to actually stop at only a few verses and really consider them has been great. I start every day with it.

Books:

Becoming the Answer to our Prayers by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove
I finally finished this book this week. It jumped up and bit me at the end. I always enjoy Claiborne and Nouwen and Vanier for their encouragements to love the poor and see Jesus in the least of these. To be honest, I usually find it kind of an easy read, because I already agree, and the challenges spur me in the direction my wheels are already spinning.

But then Shane went and got all Pentecostal at the end of this book. So, I was challenged in all the best ways. I needed it. It surprised me as it took me through the passage in Ephesians that I'd just read the day before:

Eph 3:14-20
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Yowza! Shane (and Jonathan) proceeded to write about how we as Christians need to be praying for and believing God can accomplish the impossible, and through us! Real, Holy Spirit miracle things can be accomplished by God through his people. We need to pray that God ends poverty, yes.

And THEN we believe in faith for the empowerment of God to end poverty, and then WE GO END POVERTY through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.

What's your biggest dream for radical change in the world? Pray for it. Then do it. How about that?

Manga Messiah - Yeah, it's a graphic novel about Jesus. I finished it. It was actually way, way better than I expected. A friend bought it for me while he was in jail, and was even a little embarrassed to give it to me. I'm sure one of the writers was a theologian. It goes past the text of the narrative and illustrates all kinds of historically and culturally significant details that wouldn't necessarily be immediately apparent. I actually recommend it, even if you don't read graphic novels.

ESV Study Bible - We went traveling this week to a conference in Lethbridge, and I could only bring one study Bible. This is a pretty decent one. It's thorough. You know what, though? The more I read it, the more I recognize how conservative it is, and I don't necessarily mean that in the good ways. A couple times this week, I read a few study notes that sounded like they were just promoting The American Republican party. No kidding. And it wasn't necessary, or strongly supported in the text. I intend to do some research onto who the contributors are, and especially if they are all Americans. I suspect they are.

I was thinking of starting a John Piper book this week, but I'm not so sure now. So I don't currently have a book on the go. Any suggestions?

Victory Churches International:

I spent a good part of my week in Lethbridge at a Victory pastor's conference. It was very good to be reminded of my roots. It really was. I saw some old role models of mine (some at the conference, some visited outside of the conference). I was reminded of where a lot of my balls-out risky ministry philosophies come from.

I was raised in a church that started a Christian School, the first (legal) Christian Television station in Canada, possibly the first illegal one too, the most effective Christian political lobby groups that now exists, and over 2000 churches around the world. Most of this was done since I started going to the church when I was eight years old, in 1988. And that's just a sampling. For good or ill, like it or not, you've got to admit that that's a little community that has done a heck of a lot to affect the culture and atmosphere of their neighbourhood, country, and world.

The theme of the week, surprise surprise, was Ephesians 3:14-20. No kidding. Just for fun, let's look at that one again:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Here's a link to the closing "synopsis" sermon from the weekend. Here's the first "get everyone excited" session. Just a warning. It's George Hill, and he's ballsy.

Another guy I really look up to also spoke at the conference. Back when I was in Bible College, he was running churches and drop in centres out of any building he could find with a patch of carpet in it in the poorest neighbourhood in Calgary. Then the neighbourhood got bulldozed to the ground. Then he was given a hotel to take care of poor people in the inner city. No kidding.

His name is Don Delaney. The ministry is called Victory Outreach Centre. Here he is on Global Television just a couple of weeks ago.

Internet:

Ryan "The Snooge" You Rascal showed me this video this week about a man in India who could've made it big as a chef, but decided to give his life making food, cutting hair, and clipping toenails for the homeless poor in his city.

Paula "Cornell" Cornell sent me this awesome TED talk about community and vulnerability. There's a lot of good stuff in this. Take a moment (twenty minutes) when you have it. It's worth it.

TV/Movies:

Community. I watched that "Messianic Myths" episode twice more this week. I showed it to my brother in Lethbridge, and then my friends in Calgary. Hilarious and poignant. How does generation of Youtube and Facebook view Jesus, the church, and the church's attempts at sharing Jesus?

Smallville. Come on. Best episode in a couple of years, I'm sure. They've finally brought it all back to the simplicity of just watching Clark Kent become Superman, and his relationships with those who love and hate him most. And by the miracle of comic-book style storywriting, they've managed to literally bring all of those lovers and haters back for the last chapter. Well done.

So . . . that's a lot of the stuff that got me thinking about stuff this week. I hope you enjoyed it.