Author: mike

jim wallis has some great thoughts on palin’s comments about community organizers here.

this past week some fellow ministry-types organized our first family camp for ministry professionals. jeff and bridget have a great summary, and maybe i’ll get to posting some thoughts of my own (in addition to acting on a few other ideas that i’ve brought away from the week), but in the meantime, here is a little reflection i put together from the week:

emmaus echoes
resound in my soul

companions –
conversing
contemplating
considering
all that had happened
sharing stories
and memories
of miracles and of the messiah
of blessings and of the betrayal
of companions and the cross

a couple of Christ-followers
talking, walking,
retreating, returning
receiving,
welcoming
a stranger in their midst
(but one they know so well)
revealed
in the sharing of story
in the breaking of bread

emmaus echoes
resound in my soul
knowing Christ still comes
in campfire conversations
and beach-side beauty
in mealtime memories
both shared
and being made

christ still comes
sometimes without realization
as strangers become friends
as companions
laugh, talk
complain, cry

christ still comes
and community is formed
in this humble
grace-filled gathering
where love reigns supreme

emmaus echoes
resound in my soul
as the children played
were not our hearts burning within us?
as the preachers preached
were not our hearts burning within us?
as good food fed our bodies,
and conversation fed our souls
were not our hearts burning within us?

emmaus echoes
resound in my soul
and I am thankful
for Christ-like community
extended,
encountered,
experienced
each and every day.

as i was getting ready to put up some new stuff here, i realized that i never finished the rest of the story related to the iowa trip.

at the beginning of the week, clint and courtney talked about going to this community “variety show” that was about the flood. to be honest i wasn’t expecting much, i figured there would be some nice, local talent, but nothing spectacular. thursday night comes and we arrive at this beautiful outdoor setting. we arrived just a few minutes before the performance was to start, so i grabbed a program and found a seat near the back.

a man behind me starts playing guitar and singing. and i start thinking to myself, “hey, that voice sort of sounds familiar…” the singer starts to move – now his back is to me.

i think some more “hey, they guy is trying really hard to sound like dan bern.” followed by another thought, “why would that guy be imitating dan bern?!”

then slowly the gears start to turn. “you know, dan bern, grew up in eastern iowa… but that can’t really be…” i quickly start to page through the program i’d been handed, and there i see it – “music by dan bern.”

now i fully understand this means nothing to most of you who read (or have otherwise stumbled upon) this blog (even those who might share similar tastes in music), dan isn’t a well known talent, but i’ve been enjoying his music for the better part of ten years (maybe more), he’s someone i’ve always hoped to see perform live, but never had the opportunity to… and there is is – standing and singing – 15 feet in front of my face – in a completely unexpected venue or set of circumstances. so at this point, i basically start to freak out. my jaw has literally dropped open. and for the next couple hours i am in total musical bliss.

after the show (thanks to some prodding from clint) i go up to dan, shake his hand, my voice jumps a octive and i babble like a fool; and he was very gracious. (actually wil wheaton wrote a great post a couple weeks ago that basically captures my mental state during this exchange, and eric’s imitation about what i’d be like meeting shane claiborne was pretty much dead on to this encounter).

anyway, it was a great way to cap off an amazing week. thanks clint and courtney for making this happen.

(p.s. in case you’re now interested in dan’s music, here’s a sample, but i’ll offer a general warning, for the most part dan’s music isn’t recommended for those who are easily offended – though this particular song is safe).

it’s a week that can possibly be described as “good living” (to borrow a phrase from my friend, rudy), but in a particular sort of way. a few weeks ago a planned mission trip for a handful of youth took a radical change in course when the floods hit cedar rapids, our intended destination. e-mails were sent out, an invitation was extended from the pulpit, and adults were invited to come along for a week in july to help with flood relief work.
and people responded. some already had vacation time scheduled and cancelled other plans to travel to iowa. others made arrangements to be away.

then came the supplies, as word about the trip got around people started bringing in donations – money, supplies. enough to fill a 22′ truck. i was overwhelmed.
we set off last sunday morning, 22 of us in total, making the journey along i80 to iowa. during the next four days we tore out drywall, cleaned out basements, and ripped up flooring, in addition to a few other projects. our efforts hardly made a dent in all the work there that still needs to be done, but we did what we could to lend a hand where it was needed, and the sweat and sore muscles felt good, knowing that at least a few people were helped through our work. the amount of destruction the flood brought is pretty incomprehensible, but there is hope and a commitment to rebuild – and to hear the stories of those who have been through it all is inspiring. to sheila, jose, courtney, and all those others who opened their doors and invited us into their homes so that we could help; thank you, and you continue to be in my prayers as you rebuild.

along the way i had a chance to catch up with some good friends i hadn’t seen in years. and though life has changed for all of us along the way, it was good to know those bonds of friendship hadn’t changed.

the week was capped off with an AMAZING performance called “moving home” at the brucemore in cedar rapids – this is a production they put together in a couple weeks – drama, music, and art – all about the experience of the flood. seriously if you are anywhere in the vicinity of eastern iowa, you should get tickets to this (available here, proceeds benefit the cedar rapids community foundation flood fund). (i actually have more to say about this, but i’ll save it for another post).

for the handful of friends that have stumbled upon this blog – you are invited to join me in Cedar Rapids, IA for a little flood recovery work, July 6-11. right now we have a team of about 17 adults and youth, but can make room for a few more. can’t make it, but want to help? we’re going to need money and supplies as well and donations are always welcome. contact me for more info.

i found out today two of my friends from college, courtney and emmy ball, may have lost their home to the flooding in cedar rapids. courtney is the co-director of the Matthew 25 Ministry Hub, which is a project he and his brother clint have started in a pure leap of faith, and as i’ve said before have already done some amazing things. if you could keep courtney, emmy and their children Anyssa and Aidan in your prayers i know it would be appreciated.

i’ve gotten better about reading seth godin’s blog on are more regular basis (thanks to scott). and thought this one was especially good.

seth offers this thought that i probably should remind myself of every day:

“The object isn’t to be perfect. The goal isn’t to hold back until you’ve created something beyond reproach. I believe the opposite is true. Our birthright is to fail and to fail often, but to fail in search of something bigger than we can imagine. To do anything else is to waste it all.”

i’ve been in northern michigan on vacation and away from tv and radio for the past week, so i’m just getting caught up on the flood situation in iowa. naturally my mind went back to 1993. based on what i’ve seen this seems to be much more extensive, especially for cedar rapids. for those who have asked, all my family members in iowa are doing fine. several friends from college are now living in the cedar rapids area, and i don’t know if/how the flooding has impacted them. (in one video i watched, i did notice that the apac building in cedar rapids, which is where i worked as a dj for kdat, and now also houses krna (another radio station i worked at) was flooded).

amy and i are actually scheduled to take the youth on a mission trip to cedar rapids in july, where we are going to work with the Matthew 25 Ministry Hub. a good friend, clint twedt-ball has been doing some amazing community based ministry there, but i found out today their office is currently under water. my hope is to still go, but my guess is the nature of our work will be significantly different than what we planned 6 months ago. i have some ideas brewing in this regard, but need more info before i say more, though i will offer a plug here – if you want to donate some money to an organization that will actually use it to help people, please go to the Matthew 25 web site and make a contribution.

i know prayers are needed, especially because many of the people most effected by this flooding are those who are the least financially able to handle such a disaster. may God be at work in us and through us, entering into the hearts and lives of those who are impacted by this latest disaster.