mayo-moyle

  • this weeks round-up (march 24)

    Backlogged again. Here’s what’s hit me over the past few weeks:

    Tony Jones is launching “Ecclesileak”- leaking memos, letters, etc. to expose the “dark underbelly” of denominations. His first target is the United Methodist Church and a memo about how to treat a visiting Bishop. I was expecting the worst, but reading it, I wasn’t all that shocked – maybe I’ve drunk too much of the kool-aid, but it seems to me to be a primer on basic hospitality for any special guest (make arrangements prior to the visit, make sure a parking space is available, have someone available to show them where to go, provide a space for them to prepare for worship, provide a brief introduction during worship, and basic protocol about processing in and out of the service). It doesn’t even say reserve the best parking spot, or have Evian bottle water perfectly chilled at 41 degrees with a quarter slice of organic lemon, or anything. Seriously – if you are going to go after the UMC there have to be far better targets. To me, the real indictment is against the local congregations who don’t have basic hospitality down for visitors from every walk of life.

    More on Rob Bell, from:
    Jesus Needs New PR
    Jeremy Smith also check out this one.
    Jason Gray (on the nature of the conversation).
    My friend Jeremy Peters has started blogging and has some great insight into Bell’s book and the nature of heresy.

    Through Jeremy, I also found out about Chad Holtz who is was(?) a United Methodist pastor who was “fired” for writing about Rob Bell on his blog. There seems to be more than to the story than meets the eye (and his Rob Bell post was simply the “last straw”), because it doesn’t really fit UMC polity for a local congregation to fire their pastor. (Practically, I understand how it might happen – simply refuse to pay him a salary – but functionally only the Bishop in consultation with the cabinet has the power to change appointments). Holtz’s “five rules” frighten me a little as someone who does actively use social media (even though I do self censor at times). I found these words from Chad to be especially poignant:

    “To close, I need to say something about the community where I had the privilege and honor of pastoring for the past four years.   They are not the bad guys of this story.  What has happened to me is not their fault.   This is merely one small story that highlights a symptom of a far greater disease.  

     If pastors are shepherds then I lay the majority of blame at our feet.  We have long histories of not striving for excellence in our shepherding but have instead settled for managing.   It is easier to churn out good citizens as opposed to faithful disciples.  We are merely reaping what we have sown.”

    Social Media Etiquette Guide to dealing with bad news (from Lifehacker).

    The Death of Seminary Education? (Semi-related – Wil Willimon on “Making Clergy“).

    An unfortunate combination of signs (via)


    Andrew Conrad on Paternity Leave (great explanation & sample letter of how to make the request for UM clergy).

    Lynne Hybels – An Apology to my Muslim Friends.

    Roger Olson – Walter Wink and Greg Boyd on the problem of evil.

    Donald Miller – Jesus wants us the use common sense.

    Seth Godin – Bring me stuff that’s dead, please. The theological take on this is perhaps best expressed by Mike Slaughter, “God does his best work in graveyards!” Also his post on Idea Tourism has a lot to say (without saying it) about church attendance, membership and discipleship.

    What Your Favorite Classic Rock Band Says About You: Part 1. Part 2.

    This version by Nick Lowe is a little more mellow than the one you might know (and if you know the song at all, you are probably more familiar with the version Elvis Costello did), but it’s Nick’s song and he does it well.

  • baptism reflection

    As part of our Seven Churches United, Ash Wednesday service this evening, I’m supposed to be talking about Lent at a time of “spring cleaning” and incorporating the image of water, so I’m dusting off this little meditation I wrote a few years back.

    Just a simple twist of the knob
    each morning
    and warm water rushes over me
    Water that washes away
    the dirt, grime and sweat
    of the day before
    Water that
    helps me open my weary eyes
    awakens me from sleep
    Water that
    refreshes, rejuvenates
    prepares me for a new day
    A miracle?
    Not quite
    But a reminder
    Of Jesus who entered the Jordan
    and was refreshed by God’s grace
         Spirit-descending, declared “Beloved” by on high
    A reminder
    of my own baptism
    (even though I was too young to remember)
    A reminder
    that God’s grace is still at work
    in my life
    Washing away the old
    Preparing me for the new
    Opening my eyes to the day ahead
    New possibilities
    In the presence of God
    Many miles from the River Jordan
    We still follow Christ
    Stepping into streams of blessing
    Washed by the showers of God’s love.

  • this week’s round-up (march 7)

    Should churches compare attendance numbers? Interesting take from a non-UMC perspective, where we are so focused on numbers; make sure you read the comments there – I find myself wanting to answer, “Yes number (tracking attendance, visitors, etc.) is important, but it’s the comparing part that can get you into trouble, by inviting in feelings of pride or failure that can distract us from the real issues of each congregation’s unique DNA, and place on the life-cycle.

    The Un-fit Pastor. Important reminder for me.

    Seth Godin’s latest endeavor is The Domino Project and they’ve recently released the book Poke the Box. I haven’t read it yet, but they’ve also released a free PDF worksheet to accompany it that has some good questions, check it out here.

    From Jesus Needs New PR – fantastic retelling/personal interpretation of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

    Roger Olsen on N.T. Wright, Richard Bauckham and British Evangelicals.

    Brilliant, convicting, short little video from Alan Hirsch on why Christians avoid risk-taking. (via)

    Alan Hirsch – Are You Stuck In A Rut? from Verge Network on Vimeo.

    Back to the ’90s for today’s music selection – great song, outstanding video:

  • this week’s round-up (march 3)

    Eventually I hope to get back to a Sunday or Monday release schedule; here’s what’s of interest:

    From Last Call to My Call, Jerry Herships’ article challenging us to take the church to where the people are from this month’s Circuit Rider. (This is one of those strange “Is God trying to tell me something?” moments for me, a week or two before I read this article I was having a conversation with someone about being in ministry with people outside the church by building relationships in bars, and I’ve had a couple incidents after reading this touching on the same theme).

    Donald Miller: Characteristics of a Creator.

    My pal Casey practices turning the other cheek at a McDonald’s Playland. We could all learn from his example.

    Kem Meyer on 5 things to remember about winning people over.

    Bri starts to unpack her trip to Israel, and writes on discovering God in unexpected places: In Search of Holy Ground.

    Angry Birds: Letters from the Front Lines. Short, humorous little read from McSweeney’s.

    Rage Against the Machine… marching band style… (pay attention to the girl in red playing the piccolo)

     From Jesus Needs New PR: Check out what this church does not allow. (I know that it is begging for some commentary, but I’m going to resist).

     My blogroll exploded this week about a controversy among evangelical and emergent-types surrounding Rob Bell’s new book. The book itself hasn’t been released yet, but there is speculation that Rob embraces some form of universalism which seems to bring some people to near hysterics. Here’s a few of the reflections on all of this:
    Jesus Needs New PR: How to Survive Rob Bell’s New Book Release.
    Julie Clawson: Love Always Wins.
    Slacktivist: The Epistemology of Team Hell.
    Michael Gungor: Rob Bell, Dualities and Meanies.
    The very best has to be the short, brilliant theological reflection from Anne Jackson.

     Another, more wide-spread, church-related controversy was the recent Supreme Court decision in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church/Fred Phelps to protest at the funerals of soldiers. The Atlantic, I felt did a good job of reminding the reader that this, ultimately, is a First Amendment issue. Just because you don’t like what they say, or how they say it, doesn’t mean they should be kept from saying it. It’s easy to demonize Phelps and his little clan, but as I had to remind myself beneath the hate, bad theology and misguided tactics are just some people who are broken and in need of grace just like everyone else. It would be easy to try to shut them down, or sue them into oblivion maybe we all just need to find better ways of telling a better story.

    Music from Gungor this week:

  • this week’s round-up (february 23)

    Mike Slaughter on Meaningful Worship.

    Roger Olsen asks, Why Do Conservatives & Liberals Worship Differently? identifying an interesting paradox theologically conservative congregations (generally) tend to be more open to experimentation in worship, compared to more mainline/liberal churches.

    Essential reading from Donald Miller, especially as the UMC prepares for another General Conference: How Infighting will Kill the Church.

    Seth Godin on Bankruptcy. Draw your own conclusions between this and the previous link.

    Also may or may not be related, another post from Miller, How a Consumer Thinks.

    I discovered the guy I used to play ultimate frisbee with back in high school now is a journalist specializing in foreign policy. Here’s a great piece he’s written on  Organizing the Egyptian Rebellion, noting that it seems to be a product BOTH of new social media, but also built up traditional structures of social organization (unions, community groups, etc.).

    Just because I find this kind of stuff fascinating: What Not to Bring to Egypt.

    Friend, Bri, reminds us to Do It Today.

    8 Ways to Know It’s Time to Quit.

    Reasons to Not Think Outside the Box.

    Slacktivist on the Politics of Spite.

    Craig Groshel on not just building the local church, build the kingdom:

    There’s a really important message in there, but as much as I believe it, I also struggle with it… I’m continually tempted to want “my church” to be a little better than the one down the street.

    On a much less serious note – real life Mario-cart!!

    New music from Danielson on the way. Ships doesn’t have the appeal that it once did for me, but I’m looking forward to see what this new one will bring.

  • this week’s round-up (february 7)

    Everything is a remix. It’s an interesting look at how ideas are borrowed and reapplied – the first two videos look specifically at music and film (especially Star Wars). I wish it would go further to examine both the creative process dependent upon collaboration and obstacles presented by laws surrounding intellectual property, but it’s still worth a look

    Seth Godin on being Unreasonable.

    Jen Lemen on What Can Happen When Things Fall Apart. Simply written, simply beautiful (like most of what Jen puts on her blog).

    I’ve just started following Anne Jackson’s blog but found this post about her divorce to be especially honest, brave and well written.

    Jeremy Smith addresses the topic of prayer – What does “I’ll pray for you” mean?

    Julie Clawson on the Contemplative and Active Life.

    Jordon Cooper put us a moving and concrete reminder of what “Poverty Is…” Take a good look at this list, then ask yourself how many of these painfully simple things could the church help with (and do it in a way that doesn’t make the kids feel even more alienated).

    The Lifehack editors offer their list of favorite gear and tips. The main one I immediately pulled from this is to actually start using Dropbox to sync files across computers & onto my iPod (and yes, Eric, you told me to start using it months ago, sorry for not listening).

    Wil Willimon on Church Planting – as we look to becoming more serious around planting churches we have to be prepared for a significant number to fail, but that shouldn’t stop us from pressing forward.

    Rasmus’ Church Growth Tips

    Loved the Chrysler ad, and glad to see folks outside Michigan like Jordon Cooper and Jay Voorhees did too).

    Sorry to see the White Stripes call it quits, but I do appreciate their commitment to leave while they were still on top, instead of just going though the motions and leaving us with a handful of half-hearted, mediocre albums that would have made them a little richer. I am fascinated by their closing statement:

    “The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.”

    I like how it honor the community that supported them in making great music, but I also wonder what would happen if they really did give the band to the community – to the degree of releasing all copyrights and making audio stems available for people to play with and remix to their heart’s desire.

    Anyway, thanks Meg and Jack for the great music.

  • this week’s round-up (january 31)

    Malcolm Gladwell – “Speaking is not an act of extroversion”

    Jay Voorheess points to a blog by Roger E Olson who does a really great job of explaining and unpacking Arminian theology (which is the primary theological viewpoint behind Methodism).  I’ve just started skimming through Olson’s blog, but there is some really great stuff in there. Even though I think I do a pretty good job of being able to “think Methodist” and have a Methodist theology, I’ll admit that I never really got into many of the issues of how and why Arminianism is distinct from Calvinism (I’m not sure if this wasn’t really covered in my seminary classes, or if I just wasn’t paying attention when it was). Looking at this stuff, plus reading Will Willimon’s book United Methodist Beliefs has me wondering if we do need some sort of revival in reclaiming our theological heritage, and letting that guide us into the future.

    Lifehacker: Everything You Need to Know About the Verizon iPhone and Making the Switch. I’m still under contact with T-Mobile for about 60 days (not that I’m counting), but need to switch because they don’t have coverage in the town where I work. I’m not sure if going with the iPhone (either on AT&T or Verizon) makes much sense financially, but I’m exploring my options.

    Jeremy Smith points to a small controversy surrounding an  article in Marie Claire about a United Methodist Pastor’s struggle around being single and in ministry. Jeremy makes some great points, and there good discussion in the comments section, too. As I read it, I was reminded of the Donald Miller article I posted last week on the Wisdom of Honesty and how some people have a gift for just being able to tell it like it is, regardless of consequences, and others hold their tongue when they feel the raw truth do more harm than good. While I certainly wouldn’t have made the choice to be quite so bold about my relationship struggles in a national magazine (I frequently censor and second-guess myself even on this blog), I can’t condemn Rev. Miller’s candor and honesty; I hope her words will help others understand that pastor’s struggle with work and relationships just like everyone else.

    Seth Godin on The Shell Game of Delight – create environments where people feel appreciated, valued, have have a chance to “win”. Seth also writes (via the Domino Project), about the broken pricing model of e-books in Compared to What? I haven’t gotten on the e-book bandwagon, in part, because I want the tactile experience of holding a real book and turning pages, but also (as Seth points out) because the price seems way to high for what I’m getting.

    David Crumm talks with Jay Bakker. I frequently listen to Jay’s podcast from Revolution Church and continue to be fascinated about his transition from the son of two of the most prominent televanelists, through his personal struggles, to this guy who’s reading Borg and Tillich and doing interesting ministry in New York.

    Donald Miller – A Creator Must Believe He Has the Authority to Create. Good reminder to “take thou authority”. Also from Miller: Commit to the Work, Not the Goals.

    Wil Wheaton says Librarians are Awesome. I agree. In addition, last week, Wil shared some thoughts on the anniversary of the Challenger explosion. I, too, was home sick that day and remember it well.

    I’ve posted a live version of this song before, but I just found an official video on MTV’s website. It’s a little “poppy” for my own personal taste, but it has a good message, and it’s really interesting that it’s getting mainstream attention from a place like MTV.

  • this week’s round-up (january 23)

    A couple clergy friends have taken to blogging, both starting off strong, check out Bri and Mike. 
    Inspired by my friend, Eric, I’ve also started a photo-a-day blog thing (and added a tab at the top of this blog to take you there).

    Great video from Steven Furtick on how you’re not Francis Chan; I think I even gave a sermon in the summer that made some reference to how cool I thought Chan was for making this leap of faith, and I can confess that all too often I evaluate my calling by what others have done or are doing, instead of just trusting, celebrating, and finding contentment in where God has called me:

    Wil Wheaton has a wonderful reminder on how technology makes us stupid.

    Rick Dake reminds us of the importance of the Wesley Questions for evaluating and centering our spiritual lives. (I like the idea of making them into a sermon series, too).

    TED talks throughout history. The link is humor, so if you are unfamiliar what what TED Talks are it won’t make much sense; but if you are unfamiliar with what TED talks are, I’d encourage you to get familiar – there are some really interesting presentations out there. Just go to www.ted.com and start exploring. As I remember, J.J. Abrams’ talk on the Mystery Box is pretty good, as is Malcolm Gladwell’s talk on spaghetti sauce.

    Nadia Bolz-Weber on How To Say Defiantly, “I am Baptized”. I love this part at the end:

    “And when the forces that seek to defy God whisper if in your ear — “If God really loved you you wouldn’t feel like this; If you really are beloved then you should have everything you want” — remember that you, all of you, have been marked with the cross of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit. God has named you and claimed you as God’s own in the waters of your baptism. You, like our Lord, have been given identity and purpose, so when what seems to be depression orcompulsive eating or narcissism or despair or discouragement or resentment or isolation takes over, try picturing it as a vulnerable and desperate force seeking to defy God’s grace and mercy in your life, and then tell it to piss off, and say defiantly to it, “I am baptized!” Because the water that covered you in God’s promises in your baptism is simply the only thing that gets to tell you who you are.

    And this is not a matter of having high self-esteem. This is about nothing less than God’s redeeming purpose in the world, and that purpose will prevail. Indeed it has already prevailed.”

     Donald Miller writes on the Wisdom of Honesty asking us to wrestle with the question of when to speak and when to turn the other cheek.

    Will Willimon takes at look at the recent comment by Governor Bentley on being brothers and sisters in Christ:

    “Christians don’t regard others as our brothers and sisters because they are members of our church, they affirm our creed, or because they are nice people. We relate to others as Jesus has related to us – making us brothers and sisters, not by virtue of who we are but on the basis of who he is.”

    Seth Godin on the Reassurance of New Words. He puts it so simply:

    “It’s a lot easier for an organization to adopt new words than it is to actually change anything.

    “Real change is uncomfortable. If it’s not feeling that way, you’ve probably just adopted new words.”

    I think there is a little more nuance in reality – sometimes changing language can play a part in creating change, but often we do get caught up with just changing a few words and being satisfied with that, instead of making any real change.

    Oldie, but a goodie, R.E.M. “Talk About the Passion”

  • this week’s round-up (january 16)

    Of interest:

    Scott Hodge on Leaving Church (via Eric)

    I know you’ll find all sorts of spelling and grammatical errors in my writing, but I am a one-spacer and proud of it.

    Who does CNN call when birds fall from the sky? Kirk Cameron! (Who actually has a decent response: “Maybe you should call a veterinarian instead of me”).

    Spider-Man speaks at career day.

    What went wrong at Borders.

    From Donald Miller: Is Church Life Stifling Your Creativity?

    Seth Godin on Soles:

    “There’s a sign on most squash courts encouraging players to wear only sneakers with non-marking soles. I’m not sure there’s such a thing. If you’re going to do anything worthy, you’re going to leave a mark.”

    God also has some thoughts on raising expectations and how you shouldn’t advertise something you can’t deliver COUGH(rethink church)COUGH

    Lifehacker: Five Things You Should Make Time For This Year and Learn How to Code this Weekend (which I didn’t spend my weekend doing).

    Slactivist has some thoughts on imaginary enemies – he targets extreme elements in the tea party, but I think you get a similar phenomena in elements of the liberal side, too.  Also from Slactivist a great post on mourning with those who mourn.

  • Willimon on using our brains

    In preparation for a confirmation class I’m teaching, I’ve been skimming through Will Willmon’s book United Methodist Beliefs: A Brief Introduction. I was struck by this great passage in the introduction:

    I’ve had it with people who understand computer programming, French cooking, or molecular biology but assume that they can think like a Christian on the basis of simple, sappy truisms they picked up while flipping channels on their TV. The Gospels depict Jesus as calling people to grow, not turn off their brains and settle into a life forever fixed at age seven.

    What passes for atheism (“There is no God”) or agnosticism (“I don’t know whether or not there is a God”) is sometimes simple cerebral sloth, intellectual sluggishness. Some people act as if their disbelief is an intellectual achievement when in reality it’s a failure to think deeply about the Good News of Jesus Christ. The modern world is officially agnostic, contending that no truth is greater than any other truth, that it’s fine to be a believer as long as you promise your believing will never be more than a personal preference without political or economic implications. “I don’t believe” sometimes means that disbelievers lack the intellectual chutzpa to think outside the bod that the modern world has forced on them. We are a culture that loves shortcuts, slogans, facile definitions, and quick, easy, instant answers. One of John Wesley’s favorite biblical texts was, “Work our your own faith with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). Even though our salvation in Jesus Christ is free, it is not cheap. Jesus demands a lifetime of willingness to keep at the intellectual journey. (pgs. xv-xvi)