Keeping it short and sweet this week. I working my way through Leonard Sweet’s new book Nudge and plan to get a review posted in the next couple weeks. I also want to do something more with Seth Godin’s book Lynchpin but not quite sure what it will look like (or how to find the time to make it happen).
I never appreciated The Call like I probably should have – I liked the few songs I heard on the radio, but never bothered to pick up an album. Michael Been, singer and guitarist, died this week; he was working with his son’s band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (which are worth checking out, too). Thanks, Michael, for the music. (The first video is the song you’re probably most familiar with if you listened to pop/rock from the mid-80s; the second is one I don’t remember as well, but am quickly growing to love).
Spending some time with clergy colleagues and their families this week (as well as my own). A time for renewal, inspiration, and support… which means there might be slim pickings next week as well.
Dancers protest church – seems like it should be a story from the Onion, sadly it’s not. Todd Rhoades has some great thoughts, and pretty much puts into words what I’d been thinking since I first heard about the story. To summarize the story: for the past few years a congregation in Ohio has been staging protests every weekend in front of a local strip club, which included taking photos of the license plates of the club’s patrons and posting the info on the web. This past weekend the strip club fought back by having some of the dancers plant themselves in front of the church, grilling burgers and holding signs like “Matthew 7:15: Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing.” There are big issues surrounding the sex industry in this country, so I’m sympathetic to a congregation that is trying to do something about it, but at the same time, I can’t help but be amused at the dancer’s creative response. As I’ve been thinking about “what would I do if I found strippers on the front lawn on a Sunday morning”? I’d like to think that in my very best moments (after my initial panic) I’d announce that we’ll be having worship outside this morning with these ladies who have joined us, gotten some more hotdogs and hamburgers and turned the whole thing into a party. As I noted on facebook, “Somewhere along the line we’ve become allied with the Pharisees, instead of spending time with (as opposed to protesting) the people Jesus hung out with, AND we’ve forgotten that one of the key images Jesus uses again and again for the kingdom is that of a party! Sometimes we need to take a moral stand on issues, but maybe instead of a protest, we should offer a better party.” (Or you could try this).
Lifehacker suggests a list of foods that are cheaper to grow than buy. (I especially found the comments to be fascinating as one commentators suggest things like kiwi and shrimp (raised in a kiddie pool in the basement!?!) might also fall into this category).
So Friday night I stop in to the local CVS because I needed to grab and gallon of milk and was too lazy to go to the grocery store; to provide some context, his CVS is across the street from DTE Music Theatre. Here’s the conversation that unfolded as I made my purchase:
CVS guy: Hey, how’s it going? Me: Not bad. CVS guy: Do you know who’s playing across the street tonight? Me: Yeah, I think it’s like Rob Zombie and Korn. CVS girl standing nearby who overhears our conversation: ARE YOU GOING??!! CVS guy (answering before I can get a word in): No, this DOESN’T look like the kind of guy who would go to THAT SHOW!! Me (now mildly offended by the judgement): No, I’m not going, but back in the day I did work at a hard rock station and played stuff like Metallica and Tool.
I saved the two the 20 minute lecture how I was listening to bands like White Zombie while they were still in diapers, met members from The Melvins and Fishbone, and have far more “rocker cred” than my appearance would suggest. But then I also remembered how I never looked liked rock guy, even back when I was a DJ and making frequent visits to Gabe’s during college, and today I would be that creepy old dood if I did make it to a show.
I can admit it – I’m old, I’m not cool (and never really have been), and I’m okay with that… and really even back then I didn’t have much interest in bands like Rob Zombie and Korn, but I still have enjoy a good rock song. (And yeah, since I’m old, I’ve got to go old school) –
Playing catch-up from the past couple weeks, but here’s a few things that have caught my eye:
This video is well worth your time – “A Thousand Questions” (via Jeremy Smith)
From Cornel West:
“We have a market-driven society so obsessed with buying and selling and obsessed with power and pleasure and property, it doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for non-market values and non-market activity so that love and trust and justice, concern for the poor, that’s being pushed to the margins, and you can see it.
You can see it in terms of the obsession on Wall Street with not just profits but greed, more profit, more profit. You see it in our television culture that’s obsessed with superficial spectacle. You see it even in our educational systems, where the market model becomes central. It’s a matter of just gaining a skill or gaining access to a job to live in some vanilla suburb, as opposed to becoming a critical citizen concerned with public interest and common good.
It’s a spiritual malnutrition tied to a moral constipation, where people have a sense of what’s right and what’s good. It’s just stuck, and they can’t get it out because there’s too much greed. There’s too much obsession with reputation and addiction to narrow conceptions of success.
And when I talk about love, I’m talking about something that’s great, though, brother. I’m talking about something that will sustain you. It’s like an Aretha Franklin song, brother, or a Coltrane solo or Beethoven symphony, something that grabs you to the gut and gives you a sense of what it is to be human.
That’s what we’re more and more lacking, and it’s very sad. It’s a sign of a decline of an empire, my brother.” (via Mike Todd)
I love that line “It’s a spiritual malnutrition tied to a moral constipation” – don’t know how I’d ever work it into a sermon (or a poem), but it’s certainly an image that gets the point across. That quote also intersects with part of what I’ve been reading in Seth Godin’s latest book which talks about how that “market” undermines “art” and “community” – rather than delve into it right now, I’ll try to pick up more on that theme later. (Actually I have this idea of doing a Linchpin for pastors/churches series of blog posts that aim to apply the lessons of his book to the context of ministry; I don’t know if it will see the light of day, but it might).
Among my circle of friends and colleagues the NY Times article on clergy burnout has been receiving (needed) attention this week. NPR’s Talk of the Nation also provides a discussion of it as well:
Fred Clark on why every AG in the country should be suing the credit rating agencies. Also check out this post which is a letter written by a former slave to his former slave owner; as Fred says, “The letter provides a valuable glimpse into the atrocious reality of our history, but it should also be studied and relished as one of the all time great examples of the cheerful and elaborately polite ‘Screw you.’“
Donald Miller put this song by Andrew Peterson up on his blog a couple weeks ago; its a lovely little song about life and marriage:
That does it for this week. I think I will probably be moving to a Sunday posting schedule, for the handful for people who actually follow this little thing.
I don’t think the round-up is going to move to a Sunday evening publishing schedule (I’ve been trying to keep it on Fridays), but it might end up making that jump. It’s a short list of links this week, and nothing is really hitting me musically at the moment, but here you go:
A few days late on the round-up this week – it was a busy week, an exhausting week, and an inspiring week at our Vacation Bible School. The church I serve hosts their VBS at a local campground so not only is there lots of space to run around, but it connects with a community of kids who might never find their way through the doors of our church building. (It was also a great opportunity to push the idea that the church needs to move from an “attractional” mindset to a “missional” one – go where the people are, don’t wait for them to come to us!)
Links of interest this week:
Fred Clark writes on how Martin Luther King’s legacy (and words) have been misused by some conservative thinkers.
The 2010 State of the Church report is out for the UMC. I haven’t had a chance to study it yet, but Andrew Conrad summarizes a couple points noting that many churches lack a clear vision and that the average age of United Methodists is significantly higher than the general population – not really a surprise, but definitely a point of concern.
Scot McKnight asks an important question around “Virtual Sermons.” McKnight shares an article from CNN on the topic which quotes Tom Long on the incarnational aspect of preaching that is missing from a video feed. I understand the appeal of allowing high-quality preaching to be heard in a variety of locations and freeing up others to do the work of ministry, but there are some serious questions it raises as well.
Seth Godin offers some great thoughts around celebrating what’s right, instead of giving all our attention to the problems. I’ve also (finally) started to read Linchpin this week – only a few pages in and I’m in love with it. The book seems to coincide really well with this piece from Hugh MacLeod:
Also, apparently now God Hates Nerds – is it bad that my first thought was that quote attributed to Niemoller, “Then they came for me and by that time there was no one left to speak up.”
A couple nerd-rock anthems from the early ’90s to cap off this week’s post:
After 5 minutes of hitting the “Publish Post” button, I remembered I wanted to include this piece of video from last night’s Daily Show. I doubt I’ll pick up the book, but I do like where the discussion is headed recognizing that science and religion aren’t necessarily in opposition, and what we need right now are the best minds from science and theology working together, instead of mediocre commentators waging cultural battles.
It’s been a while and I’ve been getting nervous about losing my discipline about getting something posted every week, but life is (slowly) returning to normal and the internet and phone problems I’ve been having are nearly resolved.
Andrew Conrad asks a pretty provocative question, What to Do with Unhealthy UM Congregations? Like the “ineffective clergy” issue I think it’s an important question to ask, but also fraught with potential abuse, beginning with the issue of how an “unhealthy” congregation is defined (which Conrad notes). Unhealthy congregations can’t simply be “written off” especially we we are going to hold to a theology of redemption and resurrection, but there is a tricky game of how do we deploy effective clergy into unhealthy situations? On one hand, it’s the only way a turn-around can be achieved, on the other without the proper support and understanding it can be a recipe for clergy burnout. (This is also reason #2348 of why I’m glad I’m not a DS).
Andrew also offered some nice, brief additional thoughts on What to Do with Ineffective UM Clergy? As I think I’ve mentioned before, one of my primary concerns with the “ineffective clergy” question is if we need to remove clergy from leadership (due to ineffectiveness and not because of misconduct), can we do it in a way that is fair and pastoral? We need to give people the opportunity to change, but if they can’t (or won’t) grow, then there needs to be a level of support around the transition. As Conrad says, it should never be about kicking people out of the church, but helping them find their vocation, and I think we need to take that helping part seriously.
I’ve talked before about numbers (attendance, membership, etc.) being a key measure of clergy effectiveness; it’s an issue I’m torn on, because I understand the value and the appeal, but I also know that sometimes numbers can’t tell the whole story. So I found this article to be an interesting take on those types of measurements from a secular perspective. Chris Guillebeau writes:
the numbers give you a goal—something to keep in mind as you go through a challenging process. The numbers can’t be your sole motivation or identity, but they can be a big help.
I like that perspective, the numbers aren’t the sole motivation or identity, but they can be a healthy barometer of what is happening.
I know I’ve missed a ton of good stuff while I’ve been away, but hopefully I’ll be back into my usual routine soon. I’ve been putting a “summer mix” of music together on the ipod this is one that hit me as one of those good summer songs. (The 80’s era video production is also pretty entertaining).
Andrew Conrad explains the Internet #FAIL at Church of the Resurrection Online this week. Like the lesson from Jobs, transparency is good. If there is a problem, acknowledge it, solve it, and move on.
Seth Godin explains how we’ve moved past “slick” and what matters now is transparency, reputation, and guts.
Justin Wise on Mormons, iPads, and a New Way. Good thoughts on evangelism – first rule, treat the person you’re dealing with like a human being.
Small groups are the building block of small churches. The important reminder here for me is that small groups don’t always have to fit a certain model of a home “cell group” – sometimes just adding a new Sunday School class makes a difference.
Establishing a culture of distributed leadership good read, written from a secular perspective, but very applicable to the church. I just finished reading Ultimately Responsible: When You’re in Charge of Igniting a Ministryby Sue Nilson Kibbey which really takes this idea and examines it in depth – all about finding and training the right people for the mission and task of the church, making sure they understand and support the vision, and giving them an environment to succeed.
Jeff Nelson hits close to home this week’s offering – No Outlet.
Crazy week ahead. Don’t expect a round-up (but who knows, maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised).
