POMOnks

One year later

2006-10-30T09:24:00.000-05:00

Dear Kyle,

I miss you. There's lots I want to tell you. Even more I want to ask you. I still think it sucks that you're gone. But my gratitude for all we shared and how you shaped me still outweighs my grief.

Adam

Life Happens

2006-09-29T05:13:00.000-04:00

So Phil asked if we are still alive. Indeed we are. Recently we've all just been too busy living life to pause and write about it.

I saw on our fantasy football message board that Brad is now the proud father of a baby girl. Congrats man!! Please post pics when you can.

Stephen is back to juggling school and work. I don't miss those days at all.

I'm hard at work in the new job. It hasn't left much time for the indulgent self reflection I like to do on this blog. I'll leave you with a few recommendations about the music and books that keep me going these days.

The Fray: How to Save a Life

The All American Rejects: Move Along

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: A Conversation in Spiritual Theology by Eugene Peterson

This is an Interesting Jewish Perspective

2006-08-04T19:23:00.000-04:00

I really like this perspective, this seems closer to Biblical Judaism than this bullcrap nationalism coming from Washington, the Christian Right and the Republican Financial Backers. Check this out.

Pax
Stephen

Silence

2006-08-01T17:35:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting in my office at the church. The children's minister just left, leaving the church absent of anyone but me. It's nice to sit back, put my bare feet on the desk, and type with the computer in my lap. There's no sound other than the hum of passing cars on the street outside my window. I'll leave shortly and go home to Jana, but a few moments of silent reflection are nice after a busy day. Tomorrow the routine of Wednesday Night and Sunday Night begins for me and the youth. I'm looking forward to it with a mix of excitement and fear. I think I can build a quality youth ministry here, but this is still my first full-time position. My predecessor was only here for a year, but he drew big crowds with crazy games and whatnot. I'm hoping to take things a little deeper, but that will take time and probably draw smaller crowds. I've already fought one battle with the "you don't understand how we do things around here" crowd, and things came out like I hoped they would, but I think that crowd may be biding its time and organizing for the next time I put myself out on a limb. I'm sure this is where God intends me to be right now, but I also know that doesn't guarantee a good outcome.

I'm reading over this and realizing it may sound like I'm sad or frustrated, but truthfully I'm not. I'm just trying to figure out this new place I'm in. I loved my time as a seminary student, but I knew that world wouldn't last forever. In many ways I think my trepidation comes from being in what feels like the beginning stages of the life I've always looked forward to but had yet to realize. It's scary, but a good scary, if that makes any sense.

Kissing Hank's Butt

2006-07-13T23:25:00.000-04:00

I thought this is a really clever satire on shallow door to door religion. I hate it when these people come to my door! I hope you enjoy!
Pax
Stephen

Alright Augustine, Convert Me

2006-07-11T10:08:00.000-04:00

You Converted Me, a contemporary translation of The Confessions of St. Augustine arrived in my mail box last night. I was lucky enough to recieve a free copy that I'm am supposed to read and then review on this blog and on Amazon's website.

I've never been a huge fan of Augustine, but you can't get around him if you're in our line of work. I have to admit though that I've never read him directly. So I'm going to read with an open mind and see if my opinion of him changes at all. I'll post updates as I finish each chapter, and then post a full review.

Wish me luck.

Happy 4th

2006-07-05T14:21:00.000-04:00

This Blog has, indeed, been quiet recently. I suppose a lot of that is due to the fact that it is summer, and a lot of us are out of pocket a good bit. I thought I might write a few thoughts about the Fourth of July...

This was the first Fourth of July that the space shuttle has launched. It is amazing to me that even though we first put a man on the moon forty-something years ago, we still find space travel exciting and dangerous. I'm sure I was not the only one sitting on the edge of my seat as the shuttle left this world.

Shortly after the shuttle launch, across the radio came the news that North Korea had tested numerous missiles. I have serious doubts as to the credibility the U.S. has in spreading the hope of nonproliferation when we, ourselves, have done nothing to dispose of our weapons of mass destruction. But I have decided to be an optimist this Fourth. I have decided that I am going to celebrate the fact that I live in a country where I can disagree passionately with presidential administrations, and that is, in fact, a demonstration of my patriotism. Peace is indeed patriotic, and dissent is the highest form of patriotism.

Which brings me back to our astronauts. What do they see when they look at our home planet. Certainly they do not see the lines on our maps which divide North Korea from South. Certainly they do not see the words "Japan" or "United States." No, they must see their home planet where we all must live. The challenge is, can we see that from down here?

2006-06-29T18:26:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited!!

The blog has been too quiet lately, so I decided to experiment with adding videos to it. If you don't love this clip and know the entire SBTB episode by heart, it is possible that you lived in a cave since the mid '80's.

Focused Craziness

2006-06-16T16:20:00.000-04:00

There's much I could update our loyal few readers on these days. I haven't posted since before going to Passport with the youth of Emory Pres. That was a bittersweet week. I thought the camp was great, but it was tough saying goodbye to a group of kids I really enjoyed being with.

Thursday I started my new position as Director of Student Ministries at First United Methodist Church of Monroe, Georgia. I'm trying to learn names of youth, parents, and other church members while figuring out what I need to do first. My days are also beginning earlier because until our house is ready in August I'm commuting from Atlanta everyday. It's my first full time position so I feel overwhelmed and over prepared all at the same time. It's nice to have one thing to focus your attention on instead of juggling school and a part-time position. I'll really be happy in a few months when the kids here start school again and life settles into some kind of rhythm.

Keep Jana and me in your prayers as we make this transition.

A Good Question, A Great Book...

2006-06-12T22:13:00.000-04:00

I promised myself that I would not read any other books this summer until I had completed The Brothers Karamazov. Well, so much for that promise. Last week I read a review in The Christian Century of Barbara Brown Taylor's new book, Leaving Church that intruiged me. I felt drawn to read this book. So this past weekend I got to do something that I love...I started the book on Friday afternoon and finished Sunday evening.

This book takes the reader through the highs and lows of Taylor's priesthood. Involved in the formal discernment process in the Episcopal Church myself, I have read many books about discernment. The only book on this topic that I have ever found helpful was Parker Palmer's little gem, Let Your Life Speak, which contains many nuggets of Quaker wisdom. That is, until I read Leaving Church. This is a book that anyone who is considering the ordained ministry should read. And if you are not, this book is still a wonderful memoir of vocation. I simply cannot say enough about this book. I do want to share one of my favorite parts:

"Many years ago now, when I was invited to speak at a church gathering, my host said, 'Tell us what is saving your life now.' It was such a good question that I have made a practice of asking others to answer it even as I continue to answer it myself. Salvation is so much more than many of its proponents would have us believe..." (pp.225-226) Taylor goes on to share what is saving her life right now.

She then goes on to say, "Although we might use different words to describe it, most of us know what is killing us." I have found these to be helpful questions...What is saving your life right now? What is killing you?

Why Celebrate Death?

2006-06-08T10:39:00.000-04:00

Today I woke up to the news of the death of Musab Al Zarqawi. I did not hear news that simply reported that the US dropped two five hundred pound bombs and killed this terrorist leader, unfortunately I heard people celebrating the death of another human being. I understand, although I totally disagree with, the precepts of war, there are deaths. I know that this is a part of war, which is one reason why I am so against it. When I turned on the news I heard our president calling a dead man a coward. I saw people celebrating the death of another human being. I saw pictures of Zarqawi, not just the ones we all have seen countless times, this time there was a new picture, one of Zarqawi's dead body. In my opinion there is never any justification to show the dead of war. When did we forget, if we ever remembered, that the lack of human respect, dignity and the total disregard of life are what cause wars, it is not how you end them. Some might argue that the world needs to see the photos of the dead to prove that they are in fact dead. This is rubbish, first off it is not to prove anything, this entire war was based on information that was never proven to the American public. America does not need proof. It is however using the lifeless body of another human being as propaganda in a time of fear and regret. We all shudder when we hear of the killing of troops and would never think of exposing their bodies, I believe the same dignity should be afforded to all people, enemy or not.
Pax
Stephen

Back in Town...

2006-06-06T10:19:00.000-04:00

Yes, the rumors are true. The infamous R.G. Lyons, alumnus of Samford University & Duke Divinity School is back in the Magic City (that's Birmingham for all you non-natives). This week I have been on a Jr. High Mission Trip to West Birmingham with the Joe Rush Center for Urban Ministries (a Methodist organization.) I discovered through the site coordinator that R.G. was actually working at Urban and was in the early stages of a new Methodist Urban startup church. R.G. came and had dinner with us, and spoke to the kids about homelessness. It is awesome to see these kids getting excited, passionate, and caring about the least of these. One of the kids in the group pointed out that Jesus might have been homeless.

Welcome back to Birmingham R.G.

The Seeger Sessions

2006-06-01T15:18:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I heard a story on NPR about Bruce Springsteen's new album, The Seeger Sessions. While I am not typically a huge folk music fan, this combination of progressive folk & rock is very compelling. Springsteen has increasingly become politically active, and these songs are a neat way to get a message across. The songs range from Irish antiwar ballads to Virginia Minstrels to Negro Spirituals. I found that I could not get the song "O Mary Don't You Weep" out of my head, nor did I want to. One line in this song reads, "Pharoah's army got drown-ed." I like this line because Pharoah was The Man. This song gives me hope that The Man in my life, too, will "get drown-ed." I am even thinking about using this as a camp song for youth to sing and put actions to. So if you're looking for some good music, this is definitely worth checking out.

We Are Marshall

2006-06-01T00:46:00.000-04:00

This Wednesday I took my youth group to the filming of the new Movie "We Are Marshall" to be crowd extras. It was a blast. We saw Matthew McConnahey and Matthew Fox. It was alot of fun, but also very hot and very tiring. We bagan the day at 3:00 and got home at midnight. They asked my guys and I to paint our chests so we should be pretty easy to see in the football scene against Moorehead State. Here are a few pics. In the picture of the fans in the stands if you look really closely you will notice none of them are real, they are all blow up dummies, over 2000 of them!
Pax
Stephen

Accountablity vs. Consumerism

2006-05-26T08:35:00.000-04:00

This is interesting on a lot of levels.

The Brothers

2006-05-25T13:15:00.000-04:00

Brad and I are reading The Brothers Karamazov this summer. We are also conductiong a Blog discussion to help analyze as well as keep each other accountable of the reading. We invite any of you who would like to join us in this venture into one of the greatest Novels of our time. Here is the Address for "The Brothers"

Happy Birthday Pomonks!!

2006-05-25T12:05:00.000-04:00

Good Job America!!

2006-05-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

Just when I think I have lost all hope in the general public, just when I believe I cannot live in this country any more, just when I feel that we as a country can do nothing right... America comes through!!! TAYLOR HICKS!!! My boy from Birmingham, one of the greatest cities in the world, is our American Idol. Thank you America, thank you for giving me a reason to believe in America again! God Bless America-n Idol!
P.S. In Case you are reading this and do not understand hyperbole or have a sense of humor, this is an exageration to show my joy over Taylor winning American Idol.
Pax
Stephen

NEW JOB!!

2006-05-24T10:36:00.000-04:00

As of Monday I've accepted a position as Director of Youth Ministries at First United Methodist Church of Monroe, GA. I should start by the end of June. Thanks everyone who prayed for Jana and me through the nerve wracking and frustrating time of graduation and job seaching. I hope to post more later about all of it, but just wanted to let everyone know where Jana and I are headed.

The DaVinci Disappointment

2006-05-23T18:29:00.000-04:00

Last week I went to view the new film, The DaVinci Code. Several years ago when this book came out, I read it in a span of three days...it was a great intellectual thriller. I hate to say it, but this intellectual thriller disappoints on screen. It may seem nitpicky, but they missed small details, that made a big difference. For instance, Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, had long greasy hair and wore a blue/black suit jacket the whole time. A detail of the book that painted a good picture of Langdon to me was the fact that he was this semi-hip Harvard professor who always wore a Harris-Tweed blazer. Beyond that, Sir Teabing's obsession with a particular "the grail is really Mary Magdalene" theory seemed a bit staged and overenthusiastic. I think this movie will get people to ask important questions about the nature of Jesus and the importance of the sacred feminine. I did enjoy the movie, but it falls far short of the book.

More For The Birds...

2006-05-15T17:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Sunday, I noticed that the baby cardinals outside my office window were getting stronger & fluffier. Every time the mother sat on them to keep them warm, they were strong enough to poke their heads out. I think at that point, sitting on them was just her way of trying to keep them quiet. When I got into the office this morning I looked in the nest, and to my horror found only one baby! I frantically looked around the base of the tree to see if they had fallen. Then I saw the mother pushing the remaining baby bird out onto the limb. It hopped around and then fell to the ground...perfectly intact. So I did a bit of research and learned that this is the "Fledgeling" stage. The parents have been busy escorting the babies from bush to bush in our little parish garden. Some of the babies can actually hop and fly a few feet. The smallest one hops and falls on its face. I think it is very interesting that the "fledgeling" stage is an essential part of their development. Maybe fledgeling every once in a while is important for us too?

Is very bad to drink Jobu's rum

2006-05-13T16:25:00.000-04:00

I'm watching Major League right now. This is a great movie to have on in the background on a day like today when I'm napping and websurfing. My favorite charater by far is Pedro Cerrano. He's played by Dennis Haysbert, who has since gone on to be the president on 24 and is currently starring as Jonas Blane on my new favorite show, The Unit. He's a great actor, but I cannot watch anything he's in without thinking, "That's Pedro Cerrano!!" Does anybody else have this problem?

For The Birds...

2006-05-10T21:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I heard the strangest noise coming from right outside my office window. I followed the high pitched squaking to find a nest of three baby birds. My office is on the second floor, and my window looks right out onto this nest - less than a foot from my window. The mother-cardinal came and fed the babies, and then sat on them to keep them warm. Then to my amazement, the father-cardinal came, gave the mother some food, and flew off to find more. This has all been a great surprise to me. I have sat amazed listening to and watching these tiny creatures. No theological reflection on this...just that it is amazing and beautiful, and it is good to slow down and take notice of the birds.

New York State of Mind

2006-05-06T23:05:00.000-04:00

Here are a few Pictures from our trip to New York. I am planning on posting soon on our actual lectures at Princeton as soon as school is finished for the Spring.

Philly

2006-04-26T23:20:00.000-04:00

Today we had the afternoon off from our classes here at Princeton, so we decided at the last minute to take the train to Philadelphia. We had a great time with a few new friends Frank and Carlton. Here are a couple of Pictures of Brad Daniel and myself. Philly is an awesome city!
Pax
Stephen

Open Communion

2006-04-26T10:14:00.000-04:00

This post over on Real Live Preacher brought tears to my eyes.

Take
Eat
Drink
Remember

Prayer of St. Brigid

2006-04-25T12:11:00.000-04:00

I would wish a great lake of ale for the King of Kings;
I would wish the family of heaven to be drinking it throughout life and time.
I would wish the men of Heaven in my own house;
I would wish vessels of peace to be given to them.
I would wish joy to be in their drinking;
I would wish Jesu to be here among them.
I would wish the three Marys of great name;
I would wish the people of heaven from every side.
I would wish to be a rent-payer to the Prince; the way if I was in trouble He would give me a good blessing.
Pax
Stephen

What does MARTA stand for?

2006-04-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

I bet you've heard the joke. I heard it when I first moved here. This article by Creative Loafing does a good job of showing just how far Atlanta has to go in racial understanding and sprawl prevention. More roads is definitely not the answer. I hope this is something both city and suburban churches can get involved in.

It's not you, it's me.

2006-04-19T12:09:00.000-04:00

I had a great first date last Wednesday night. We were set up by a friend who thought we might be a good match. I knew she had called several of my friends before meeting me to get their opinion on who I was, and that they had all said great things about me. I arrived early, but not too early, decked out in my best looking outfit with my hair looking perfectly messy, but not too messy. I was nervous, determined to make a good impression because I had heard so many good things about her.

Her father had called the day before and asked that I meet with him before the date. I knew this meant she must be really interested, if I was already going to meet the parents. Dad and I hit it off great. We shared common interests and made easy small talk. After we talked for awhile I met my date. She was everything I hoped she would be and more. Over dinner we made easy conversation, laughing at each others jokes without any awkward silences. After dinner we got into deeper conversation, sharing our hopes and dreams for the future. I was sure we wanted the same things and would be together for awhile. I knew she would make me better and I could make her better. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a perfect match. We eventually parted ways with a smile, with her telling me I would her from her again soon.

As soon as it was over I joined some close friends and told them all about it over ice cream and red wine. I raved about how much I liked her and how well I thought the first date had gone. I've been on a lot of first dates lately, and I felt like this was my best one. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I had a good feeling about this one.

She called me Monday, even earlier than I expected to hear from her. I was sure we'd be setting up a second date. "It's not you, it's me," she told me. "You're a great guy and I wish you the best, but I just don't see it working out between us."

I closed my phone, wondering where I had gone wrong. How had I misread the signals? A friend told me, "It just wasn't meant to be." I know that's probably the case, but getting dumped still sucks.

UPDATE 4/22/06

Yes, this whole post was a metaphor for my job hunt. I had an interview with a church's pastor and search committee, and thought I nailed it. My references had already been called and they had said great things about me. The pastor and I talked one-on-one and we got along great. I thought the search committee really had their stuff together and was sure I impressed them. They called me Monday and told me that "The Lord was leading them in another direction." Sorry, but for me that's the same as getting dumped with a "it's not you, it's me," line. I mentioned to Dr. Gannon that I respected their descision, but I'd really like to know their reasons for going in another direction. So he called the pastor and actually got me some good feedback about my interview. If you want to know specifically what the pastor said said, just ask me.

The job search hasn't been all bad news though. The same day I got "dumped" by the church described in this post, another church I really liked called me for a second interview with just the pastor. That was yesterday and seemed to go well. He said I should here from him Monday or Tuesday to schedule a day for me and Jana to meet other key staff and members of the church. I also had a first interview with another church last Thursday, and they called me earlier today to schedule a second interview. So there are good things happening. Any prayers you feel like offering are appreciated though.

Conversion & Martyrdom

2006-04-18T21:54:00.000-04:00

Here is an article that I wrote for our parish newsletter. I would welcome comments & stories about your own experience and/or view of conversion.

On a similar note, The Christian Century just published this insightful editorial on modern day martyrs.

The Death of William Sloan Coffin

2006-04-14T14:19:00.000-04:00

William Sloan Coffin died Wednesday. He will be remembered as one of Americas great theologians, homileticians and social activists. Here is a fine interview with him from NPR.

Pax
Stephen

Requiem

2006-04-11T14:09:00.000-04:00

This past Sunday, Palm Sunday, the combined choirs of St. Mary's & St. Luke's Episcopal Churches performed Mozart's Requiem. With over 70 voices and an orchestra, the choirs mastered this beautiful piece. The word "requiem" means "rest," and is traditionally used to refer to a mass for the dead.

One line, in particular, stood out to me in the Requiem...

Recordare, Jesu pie,
Quod sum causa tuae viae

Translated this means, "Remember, Blessed Jesus, that I am the cause of Thy pilgrimage." I often think of pilgrimages as something for the rest of us, not for Jesus. A pilgrimage means you are searching for something. Imagine Jesus on a pilgrimage whose destination is us! The phrase, "remember that I am the cause of thy pilgrimage," could also be taken as Jesus speaking to us. Jesus is the cause of our searching, our yearnings, our wonderings.

This Requiem was performed to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth. Sitting there, listening to this amazing music gave me a sense of perspective on the Church & my own pilgrimage.

Qui Mariam absolvisti
Et latronem exaudisti
Mihi quoque spem dedisti

(Thou who didst absolve Mary Magdalene
And didst hearken to the theif
To me also hast Thou given hope)

Watching the Braves with Jimmy

2006-04-11T12:26:00.000-04:00

We went to the Braves Home Opener last night, it was awesome! Jimmy Carter was there so technically I did watch the Braves Game with Jimmy Carter, heck if nothing else I at least got his picture on the Jumbo Tron.

10 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes by Tom DeLay

2006-04-08T10:30:00.000-04:00

Here is a great top 10 list from politicalhumor.com

1) "I AM the federal government." –Tom DeLay, to the owner of Ruth's Chris Steak House, after being told to put out his cigar because of federal government regulations banning smoking in the building, May 14, 2003.

2) "So many minority youths had volunteered…that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like myself." --Tom DeLay, explaining at the 1988 GOP convention why he and vice presidential nominee Dan Quayle did not fight in the Vietnam War.

3) "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" –Tom Delay, to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston, Sept.

4) "We're no longer a superpower. We're a super-duper power." –Tom DeLay, explaining why America must topple Saddam Hussein in 2002 interview with Fox News.

5) "Nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes." –Tom DeLay, March 12, 2003.

6) "Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare, the teaching of evolution in the schools, and working mothers who take birth control pills." –Tom DeLay, on causes of the Columbine High School massacre, 1999.

7) "A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure. To provide stability. Not that a woman can't provide stability, I'm not saying that... It does take a father, though." -Tom DeLay, in a radio interview, Feb. 10, 2004.

8) "I don't believe there is a separation of church and state. I think the Constitution is very clear. The only separation is that there will not be a government church." –Tom DeLay

9) "Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25 an hour [the minimum wage in 1996] are hard to resist. Fortunately, such families do not exist." –Tom DeLay, during a debate in Congress on increasing the minimum wage, April 23, 1996.

10) "I am not a federal employee. I am a constitutional officer. My job is the Constitution of the United States, I am not a government employee. I am in the Constitution." –Tom DeLay, in a CNN interview, Dec. 19, 1995

Following Jesus may become dangerous again

2006-04-05T12:39:00.000-04:00

I wouldn't call myself the most politically active Christian. I don't believe that the kingdom of God will be ushered in by the leadership of Republicans or Democrats. But the recent immigration debate has caught my interest. This article offers a good summary of the issues at stake. I would love for the House bill to pass because of the comical nature enforcing the proposed law. If it was suddenly illegal for churches to give food to undocumented immigrants, I would stand in line to be arrested for aiding the stranger. The government closing down soup kitchens, clothing banks, and clinics would be the best PR the church could ever get. Leave it to the American Government (currently under the sway of conservative evangelicals) to make following Jesus dangerous again.

StickItToTheManism

2006-04-05T11:37:00.000-04:00

I haven't written in a while because The Man has been on my back. Now, understand, The Man is not one person. The Man is really more of a mentality.The Man gets you focused on stuff that is not really important. As we enter holy week, I've been thinking about The Man Jesus had to deal with. Jesus pissed off The Man. Actually, the thing that scares me most is when I start to become too sympathetic to The Man. One of Ben Folds songs, "The Ascent of Stan," tells the story of a stereotypical hippie who slowly buys into the American Dream and ends up becoming The Man he always sought to fight. How do we fight this subtle sickness?

A Great Album

2006-04-04T23:07:00.000-04:00

This is just a fantastic album. I ordered it last night and have not stopped listening to it since. The Little Willies, a group comprised of Norah Jones, Richard Julian, Lee Alexander, Jim Campilongo and Dan Rieser. They began playing together in 2003 in New York. On the Album there are four originals and nine covers of songs popularized by Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Townes Van Zandt. I love Norah Jones unconditionally, I will not try to hide that, but her usual subtle sweet hypnotic voice takes on a more playful demenor especially in their cover of the Willie Nelson song "I Gotta Get Drunk". This is a great recording and I recomend it anyone who likes good music, classic country and or Norah Jones.
Pax
Stephen

Does Prayer "Work"?

2006-03-30T19:53:00.000-05:00

Here is a really intersting article from NPR. The article is written after an extensive Harvard study on prayer and the recovery of patients. The study found that not only does prayer not help but more over actually the patients who found out they were being prayed for had more complications. I actually have no opinion abou this study other than it should cause Christians to look at not only our understanding of prayer but our understanding of God's interaction with our prayers and in our circumstances. It is very interesting. I hope this post will encourage some responses, I think it is a conversation worth having.
Pax
Stephen

A Beautiful Prayer

2006-03-30T11:24:00.000-05:00

This was fowarded to me from a really good friend.
St. Theresa's Prayer:
May today there be peace within.
May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love
that has been given to you.
May you be content.
Let this presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul the freedom
to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of you

Pax
Stephen

Go Ted Go!!!

2006-03-29T22:40:00.000-05:00

Here are some comments CNN's founder Ted Turner made last night at a University of Georgia symposium. I especially found this quote helpful,"We shouldn't be there. Bombing isn't a way of changing people's minds. You do that with education." The speech was not centered totally on Iraq but also slammed sensational News Media including CNN. After accidentally watching Nancy Grace tonight, not something I would want to be caught dead watching, I agree with some his assessment of some of their new programming choices.
Pax
Stephen

Really Funny Quarky Story

2006-03-29T00:43:00.000-05:00

Here is a really neat little story. It is the most unlikely story I would post on this blog, but after hearing it this afternoon on NPR I thought you might be as amused but its subtle humor and uniqueness. I hope you enjoy
Pax
Stephen

Be The Hope

2006-03-26T23:33:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from my recent trip to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, which was ground zero for Hurricane Katrina. This past week I took a small group of youth down to Christ Church, which St. Mary's has partnered with (more impressive pictures are available on their website). The first picture is what Christ Church looked like before Hurricane Katrina. With winds of 150 mph and a storm surge of 25+ feet, the church building was completely wiped out. In fact, everything about a half mile inland was wiped out. Several different work groups from various churches have built the Quanset Hut (the silver chapel). Camp Coastal (in Kiln, MS - the hometown of Bret Farve) was the volunteer camp where we stayed in a tent. It was definetely camping, but the food, people, and hot showers were wonderful. We met people from Ohio, Michigan, New York, Washington State, and North Carolina.

Some highlights from the trip:

Learning to mix concrete...we hauled, mixed, and poured over a ton of the stuff. If you were to pour water on my jeans right now, I'm convinced they would turn solid from all the concrete mix dust.
Seeing "Larry the Cable Guy - Health Inspector" with a theater full of genuine rednecks (I, too, technically was a redneck because I got sunburned that day).
Eating at Barnhills. This, too, was a new experience for me.
The Fran McKendree concert in the Quanset Hut. A great musician, check him out.
Meeting the people. These people are literally building their lives from scratch. Their schools, businesses, churches, and homes were completely destroyed. They are very gracious people, and have a unique perspective on what is truly important in life.
A billboard I saw which read - "Be the Hope"

This is not a joke...Unfortunately

2006-03-25T14:48:00.000-05:00

This is twisted, I do not care whether you are a Democrat, Republican or whatever else, this is really bad.
~I found this on Pagitts Blog~
Pax
Stephen

Interesting Insights on Christian Pluralism

2006-03-25T14:24:00.000-05:00

Here is an address Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, that was delivered at this years annual meeting of the WCC (World Council of Churches). I believe it carries some wonderful ideas and understandings on how Christians cannot only co exist with other religions peacefully but even more, accept them and find truth in them. I love how he emphasizes that is it not about right belief or having a right system of thought against its competetors,which is what much of Christianity has become. Through all of this he never tries to dillute Christianity or deny its uniqueness in the world. I really encourage you to read this thoughtful and provocative address by one of the worlds leading religious figures.
Pax
Stephen

Sometimes it seems like forever, some times it feels like tommorrow

2006-03-21T13:11:00.000-05:00

I've gone a lot longer between posts then I ever intended to. First of all, a big welcome to Brad, the newest member of our little pomonk cyberspot. It doesn't take much to bring more class to this little corner of the internet, but you've done it.

I think one of the main reasons I haven't posted is because life right now feels like a series of unfinished thoughts. The main thing on my mind is my upcoming graduation from McAfee. It's 60 days from now. Sometimes it feels like it will never come, and other times it seems like its already here. I'd like to know where I'm going after graduation, but nothing has panned out yet. I've had two interviews so far and two more this week. The first two interviews didn't lead to job offers, which I have mixed feelings about. I didn't sense an overwhelming call to either church, but I still feel a little rejected because they want someone else. I guess a job offer would confirm that the education I've spent the last two and a half years pursuing was all worthwhile. And knowing where we are going would give my wife and I some peace of mind. We're trying to have faith through the whole process, but it's easier said than done.

One of My Favorite Times of The Year

2006-03-19T19:52:00.000-05:00

I love the NCAA Tournament!!! The first four days are among the most exciting in all of sports. I am in a pool that a guy at church does for his work. After the first two rounds I still have 10 out of 16 teams in the mix, not too bad! If you have noticed that I have not posted lately it is because I have been incredibly sick. I have had a massive stomach virus for the last 6 days. There is a good side to all of the loss of fluid, in the course of 6 days I lost 12 pounds. Great Diet! Ha Ha!
Pax
Stephen

Bumper Sticker Theology

2006-03-14T12:58:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday I made a renewed effort to make Sr. High Sunday School interesting for the poor souls whose parents had drug them there. So in addition to the sugar infused Krispy Cream doughnuts (maybe Red Bull will be next), we tried something different. We looked at bumper stickers. All kinds- good, bad, funny, cheesy, ugly. They went through about four pages of bumper stickers and put a check by the ones they liked, X’s by the ones they hated, and question marks by the ones they weren’t sure about. The ones shown here were popular favorites. But more often than not, we see slogans or phrases we hate. When we see a bumper sticker that infuriates us, I think that tells us something important about ourselves and our beliefs. I am just amazed (and scared) at people who can summarize their beliefs in a bumper sticker!

Exposure Based Youth Ministry

2006-03-10T22:58:00.000-05:00

Ok, so if this is an original thought, I am considering this my copyright. I am taking a class in my Masters program on Youth Ministry. It is a scholarly approach to youth ministry not a 10 different ways to play Chubby Bunny class. Our topics for our final paper are coming due and I am thinking about this as my topic. I have read some Kohlberg lately and really identify with his theory of Moral Reasoning. My Prof. said our goals as youth ministers could be to just advance the youth one stage in Moral Reasoning before they left the group. As I looked at my own progression through the stages I noticed that all my "Crisis" points. As Eriksson would say, that advanced me into the next stage were from exposure to other cultures, types of people or religions. Piaget calls this accommodation as opposed to assimilation. So I am thinking about developing an Exposure Based Youth Ministry theory. In this theory or Practice the youth would be exposed to many different types of people, cultures, religions, denominations, experiences and so on. This would all be done in hopes of destroying stereotypes that prevent them from their full Moral Reasoning Potential. It could be groomed to whatever context you are in. For the right winged south it would involved exposing them to a Christian Democrat, a Christian Homosexual, a Muslim and so on. Do not get me wrong, this would not be all that the youth are taught but it would be a regular part of their youth group experience, accompanied with the denominations understanding of Christianity and solidified with spiritual practices i.e. lectio divina, centering prayer etc. I could be way off but it makes sense to me, what do you think?
Pax
Stephen

A New Contributor

2006-03-09T10:42:00.000-05:00

If you have not noticed there has been a new contributor posting on the Blog. Brad Landry is a long time friend of mine and new official writer for POMOnks. I am very excited to have Brad writing on the Blog, he is very creative and insightful. He is a minister of youth at St. Mary's On the Highlands Episcopal Church in Birmingham, AL. I am looking forward to his contributions on this site as I know they will enhance not only the site but your reading as well. I will let Brad tell you a little more about himself in a Bio Post if he chooses. Have a great day! BTW This is Brad and I eating tiramisu in Rome last year.
Pax
Stephen

Recess, Siesta's, and Show & Tell

2006-03-08T15:10:00.000-05:00

I often feel that we, at work or school, take ourselves entirely too seriously. These thoughts came to me during this past Monday's staff meeting. I am all for getting together to work together as a team. But I hate it when the church feels corporate. We are about relationships, not bottom lines.

So here's a proposal: let's reinstitute recess, siesta's (nap time), and/or show and tell for us as adults at work/college/grad school. Wouldn't you feel a bit more motivated to get some work done in the afternoon if you weren't so tired, if you could just take a short siesta? Might we view our co-workers a bit different if we saw a bit of their personal lives via show and tell? Each Tuesday a group of high-schoolers and I head to the downtown YWCA to tutor and play with the children in the family violence shelter. After reading a few books together (i.e.Where the Wild Things Are), the kids had spring fever so we went outside. This was, by far, the best part of my week: we had numerous foot races, tricycle races, and played hide-and-go-seek. We, as "adults," desperately need to relearn how to play.

Is Iran Next

2006-03-08T15:01:00.000-05:00

As I was watching the news today I saw that the rhetoric between the US (Cheney) and a spokes person for Iran is heating up, CNN is already taking a poll to see if US citizens would support millitary action in Iran. All of this reminded me of a quote Mary Liz showed me the other day.

Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell then they are being attacked, denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.
~Herman Goering~

"What is that black smudge on your forehead?"

2006-03-08T09:41:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday was Ash Wednesday. Over the past two years this has become one of my favorite days on our liturgical calendar. Both last year and this year I have gotten to serve as a chalice bearer (which means I dole out the wine), so I get to see everyone come up and kneel to get their ashes imposed. Psalm 51 is chanted...it's a bit eerie. Last week when I saw my wife kneel down and heard the words "remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return" I thought I was about to loose it. My wife is now four months pregnant, and to be reminded of our mortality while we are excited about bringing new life into the world brought an unexpected wave of emotion. All of these people whom I have come to love, being reminded that sooner or later, we'll all die and return to dust! Sounds a bit morbid. But the most powerful part comes soon after the imposition of ashes, "By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord, Bring us with all your saints to the joy of his resurrection." After receiving this black mark of the cross on our foreheads, for all the world to see, we are also reminded that God's love extends beyond our blood and breath.

Take Time to Eat

2006-03-07T18:11:00.000-05:00

I will be the first to admit - I like fast food. I have purposely avoided watching such documentaries as "Super Size Me" because I prefer blissful ignorance when it comes to McDonalds. Their chocolate shakes and apple dippers with caramel are some of God's greatest gifts to us. That being said, I think fast food has robbed us. Not of our health (that's really our own responsibility), but of our time to eat. I think that taking time to eat slowly, intentionally could almost be a spiritual practice. Spending time thinking about where that food came from, all the hands that worked to produce it, not to mention the fact that that food is a gift from the earth. Not that our lives aren't already busy enough, but I think it's worth considering...taking time to eat.

Dervishes Mad with Secret Therapeutic Love

2006-03-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

This is word for word a quote I copied from one of my favorite blogs "Blog Of a Greatful Bear", it was too good just to put a link to the site, merton was the man.

“We are not persuaders. We are the children of the Unknown. We are the ministers of silence that is needed to cure all victims of absurdity who lie dying of a contrived joy. Let us then recognize ourselves for who we are: dervishes mad with secret therapeutic love which cannot be bought or sold, and which the politician fears more than violent revolution, for violence changes nothing. But love changes everything.”
~ from Thomas Merton’s “Message to Poets”

My Daughter's Baptism

2006-03-04T10:21:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of my Daughter's baptism, it was a wonderful day and display of God's unconditional acceptance of all of God's creation. My wife is the one holding the Baptismal font, I am in the center and one of my youth is holding my daughter, Dudley , our minister, is performing the Baptism.
Pax
Stephen

Good Movies

2006-03-03T01:22:00.000-05:00

I just thought I would share a few movies I have recently seen. If you have not seen these you should drop everything you are doing and pick them up now, ok its not that big of a deal but they are totally worth checking out.
Garden State- a great look into the postmodern condition with an amazing soundtrack
The Constant Gardener- Amazing socio-political movie with an even more amazing understanding of sacraficial love that is made even better because it comes as an afterthought in the movie.
Walk the Line- Wonderful performances by both leads, great soundtrack not to mention a couple of great one liners.

Pax
Stephen

Back From Belize

2006-02-26T21:34:00.000-05:00

Well I am finally back from Belize, and it was an amazing trip. I had four of my youth go on the trip along with 8 other adults. While there we built a cinder block septic system in a small village called San Roman, The village is located about 30 miles out in the jungle. IN the afternoons we facilitated a vacation bible school for the kids of the village. I am including some pics in this post but will blog more about the substance of the trip soon. I also just recieved a pre release copy of Brian McLarens new book "The Secret Message of Jesus" to review on this Blog as well as Amazon. I should have a review up on March 7th, that is the earliest day we all can post our reviews according to the publisher. More to come...
Pax
Stephen

I Always Get Emotional During the Olympics...

2006-02-13T23:31:00.000-05:00

As I watched the Olympics last night I witnessed one of the amazing acts of courage and fortitude that has come to mark one or two of the events above all others at each Olympics. Tonight one of the team skating duo's from China amazed us with a courageous performance after what should have been a night ending crash. When the team finished their performance and did it well enough to take Olympic Silver I began to tear up. Why do I do this? I know nothing about figure skating, nor do I care to know anything about figure skating. I have no invested interest in China's medal bid, nor for that matter in America's Olympic skating bid, but I do have an interest in sacrifice, going an extra mile, reaching into a place one did not know they had before and finding the ability to go on. I get emotional because the brief intensity of an Olympic moment like tonight, and how it mirrors that dramatic triumph we all aspire to accomplish in those moments of truth throughout our own lives. Those moments give me hope, inspiration and the courage to believe I too can accomplish, against all odds, that which I aspire to. The olympic drama, the culmination of four years of hard work, lofty goals and dreams yet to be realized, is a microcosm of life and its hope and dreams. Its either that or Im just a big emotional basketcase.
Pax
Stephen

Taking on the Man

2006-02-13T06:52:00.000-05:00

Princeton Seminary Students are now my heroes.

Bono is the Irish Word for Prophet

2006-02-08T13:12:00.000-05:00

It just does not get any better than this. Bono the Preacher. February 3rd Bono, the lead singer of U2, addressed the Presidential Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. Among the Guests were the President, First Lady and King Abdullah of Jordan. His words in this Homiley are both prophetic and poetic. I really appreciate his confessional style as well as his ability to joke about himself. Here is the link to the CNN coverage of the breakfast it is about a 20 minute long sermon, watch it you will not regret it.
Pax
Stephen

My Retreat to the Abbey of Gethsemane

2006-02-07T14:09:00.000-05:00

This weekend a hope I have had for several years now was unexpectedly confirmed. I spent three days in a monastery in Trappist Kentucky. The Abbey of Gethsemane, home of Thomas Merton, opens its doors to retreatants of all walks of life and of all religious affiliations. For several years now I have studied, observed and practiced many of the Roman Catholic Church’s practices and disciplines. I have spoke of unity, peace and commonalities between Protestants and Catholics. I have done this from the Protestant side of the fence. I have stated this not from personal encounters with Catholics but rather from books I have read and honest wishful thinking, this weekend that all changed. I will no longer have to rely on books, articles and other second hand sources for my prayer of unity between Christians of the Catholic and Protestant persuasions. From the moment we arrived at Gethsemane, I felt loved and accepted. The monk who greeted Brad and I automatically referred to us as “the boys”. He told us the meeting times and meal times, but added whenever we are hungry just go and “raid the fridge”. All of the sudden I felt not like a retreatant coming to a rigid encounter with God but rather like a friend coming over to spend a little time and stay a few days with another friend. The monks joke with us and treat us as equals not as lower or on a lesser spiritual plain. They mention Protestants as well as other religions in positive and recommending terms. While on a prayer walk you will encounter a rock from Thomas Merton’s Zen garden. In the opening video for first timers to Gethsemane Father Matthew gives Gandhi’s seven social sins and talks about how right and wise Gandhi was. In this mornings homily we were reminded of Islam’s fervent dedication to God. In 1996 Father Kelly welcomed the Dali Lama to the Abbey of Gethsemane as the Abbey’s guest. Finally the monks here have a statue garden, as the centerpieces of the garden are two statues. One is Jesus praying the in the garden the other is the sleeping disciples. These statues are significant not because of their content but because of who they are in honor and memory of. The family of Jonathan Daniel, a young Episcopal Seminarian who was killed during the Civil Rights Movement by taking a bullet for a young African American, gave the statues in memory of their son. This is a special place, one of unity and inclusion. I know now that we can live side-by-side, worship together and strive for the same goods. I will not call this post denominationalism, what makes more sense to me is to call it Post Protestantism, because protest is not the action that defines my relationship with Catholic Church any longer, and I thank God for that.
Pax
Stephen

Too much other stuff to write

2006-02-06T13:39:00.000-05:00

Not that I'm a posting machine, but I have my final major paper for my seminary career due on February 23rd. Because of this, I'm not posting on this blog until after I turn that paper in.

Adam

Where's Patrick?

2006-02-01T21:20:00.000-05:00

That's my buddy Patrick Devane on the far right. He was a groomsman in my wedding less than six months ago. He and his wife, Megan, lived with Jana and I a few nights a week as Patrick and Megan finished their last semester at McAfee. I've lost touch with Patrick though. I e-mailed him a few weeks ago and he didn't e-mail me back. I tried to call him today and the number I have is no longer in service.

Patrick, if you read this, call me some time. Jana and I wanna hear how life in Thomson after McAfee is.

The Fashion Police

2006-01-31T23:55:00.000-05:00

When did it become a crime to wear your opinion on your chest? The Answer: Tonight at the State of the Union Address on Capitol Hill. Cindy Sheehan, an outspoken Anti War mother of a troop killed in Iraq, was arrested tonight because she had an anti war slogan on her shirt while sitting in the gallery of Congress. According to CNN she could be charged with a misdemeanor with up to a 1 year prison sentence. I am not a constitution buff but doesn't this seem, I don't know, unconstitutional? The reason that was given why she was arrested is because they were afraid she might do something, hummm that sound familiar, Oohh I know where I have heard that before, it is how we justify invading a nation that had taken no aggressive action against our own, good ol pre emptive actions. Sheehan was arrested, preemptively, for the stir her shirt could raise. Wow! That is great.

YEA A Christianity Today!!!

2006-01-27T22:46:00.000-05:00

It is great to be able to look to Christianity Today and see an article like this one. Even though their subscribers constitute a primarily evangelical conservative readership, Christianity Today has really driven home a great article about Why Torture is Always Wrong. Good Job Folks!
Pax
Stephen

Who Are Hamas?

2006-01-26T19:56:00.000-05:00

Who Are Hamas, this is an interesting and important question we all need to begin to ask. I believe this to be a balance article about them, one that I am sure our well read president has not gotten around to yet. Oh in case you did not know Hamas won a majority of the seats in the new Palestinian Government.
Pax
Stephen

Mel, No... Black Jesus, Yes

2006-01-20T14:12:00.000-05:00

I still have yet to see The Passion of the Christ, I have done this in protest to the Vatican I Jesus it portrays as well as the obscene violence it portrays. Not to mention the obscene amounts of attention given to it be Conservative America in an attempt to save the masses. I will check out the new film previewing at the Sundance Film Festival tommorrow. It portrays Jesus, not as a blue eyed white guy but as an African man, marginalized by an outside oppressor, while speaking a prophetic message of equality and peace. This could be really good, Here is a link to an article about it.

Sold His Soul to the Devil

2006-01-16T21:25:00.000-05:00

You know at this point in my faith journey I do not consider myself as one who believes in satan, but Jamie Foxx is changing my theology. Where did this guy come from, Ill tell you where he came from In Living Color. And now he has an Oscar, the Number one album in the country. There is only one answer he sold his soul to Satan for world wide recognition as a film and music star. Oh but do not feel too comfortable Mr. Foxx some of us know the means by which you have achieved your fame, some of us know...
Pax
Stephen

Hearing his voice again

2006-01-14T07:43:00.000-05:00

In the near future, I'm going to hear Kyle's voice again. I recently ordered his last book, (RE)UNDERSTANDING PRAYER. It's sitting on my desk beside me now and has moved to the top of my reading list. I know the book will be filled with the insight and practical wisdom that came so easily to Kyle. I know it will be written in Kyle's conversational style that will make reading it feel like a conversation with him over lunch or coffee. I know I'll read something in the book and remember when he was just beginning to wrestle with these ideas in our conversations and in his sermons.

And that's the problem, reading this book will remind me that my friend is dead. I know he's gone, but I still want to refer to him in the present tense. When I began this post I instinctively wrote, "I recently ordered his "latest" book," and then realized I needed to write, "I recently odered his "last" book." And I felt that knot in my throat come back again. I was lucky enough during my time at UBC to call Kyle a friend. I could also call him mentor and pastor. He offered a lot of guidance as I took the first steps of the path I'm still on today. We worked at the church together. We goofed off at the church together. He and his wife Jen welcomed me into their home for food and conversation. We shared countless lunches and watched the 2002 World Cup together at the ungodly hours you had to get up to watch the games live. I'd hear a part of his sermon and realize that he was stealing some of my ideas from a recent conversation, but somehow I felt flattered that he did it just the same. All of these memories come rushing back to me and all I can say is thank you to the Creator in whom we live, move and have our being. But at the same time, when Kyle took me to lunch for the last time two and a half years ago as I wrapped up my time in Waco before the move to Atlanta, I never imagined that would be the last meal we would share. I never imagined that moment would be the last time we'd see each other face to face. I never imagined that that would be the last time I would hear his easy laughter. And that knot in my throat comes back again.

So I'll read his book, hear his voice and cry a few more times over the loss of my friend. But amidst the tears I will say thank you. Thank you to Kyle and to Jesus, the Jesus that Kyle seemed to follow so effortlessly. The Jesus that Kyle was constantly inviting everyone to follow. The Jesus that gives life in the midst of death. The Jesus that defeated death for all of us.

Dohhh!

2006-01-12T14:14:00.000-05:00

Isreal says Screw You 700 Club! Pat Robertson for the first time actually is recieving a little punishment for his dumb ass comments! Yea for the Jews!
Pax
Stephen

Gods Chosen People

2006-01-10T21:29:00.000-05:00

This is one of the funniest things I have ever read on the real plight of God's Chosen People, our friends the Jews. I wonder how many Jews really might feel this way.
Pax
Stephen

Church Dress Codes

2006-01-10T17:38:00.000-05:00

A buddy of mine, a youth minister at a progressive Baptist Church, calls me the other day and tells me his boss came in and told hi he needs to watch how he dresses. When he looked down at his attire he saw a Polo shirt tucked in, belt, Jeans, and shoes. It upset him, as it would me. He has been doing a wonderful job at this church, building relationships with the youth, really on top of everything. Why is this a problem, why would he even say anything? This is BULLSHIT!!! I am so angry for my buddy, I am angry at the church, I am angry that this is the type of thing that would even take one nano second of someone who calls themself a minister's, time!!! This is why the American church sucks ass and is in the place it is in. Phooey on you American Church (of which I am apart)Phooey!
Pax
Stephen

Life's Little Annoyances

2006-01-06T13:34:00.000-05:00

http://www.lifeslittleannoyances.com/

This is a report I heard on CNN Headline News this morning, I think it will greatly reduce mine and your stress. Here is the transcript from their website
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Name your pet peeve. Is it cell phones, junk mail, crazy drivers? Well, thanks to life's little annoyances, we've got strategies to fight back.

Take those subscription cards that cascade out of magazines. Some folks mail them back blank just to make the publisher foot the bill for the prepaid postage.

And there is one guy who fills junk mail reply envelopes with actual junk to make them heavier and cost the sender more.

"New York Times" reporter Ian Urbina collected such anecdotes for his book. Annoyances like Starbucks lingo. They want you to call a small a tall. Resist.

IAN URBINA, AUTHOR, "LIFE'S LITTLE ANNOYANCES": The same thing is kicking that Coke machine when it keeps your coins. It is not going to get your soda, but it feels pretty good doing it.

MOOS: What annoys David Terry is the adult video store near his Hamilton, New Jersey home. He calls it a dump. So, whenever he sees someone going into the porn store, he does the honk and wave to mortify patrons.

DAVID TERRY, ANNOYED BY ADULT VIDEO STORE: And they are thinking like, who was that? Was that my brother-in-law? Was that my boss?

MOOS: Maybe bad parking drives you nuts. When Jason Brunet (ph) sees someone taking up two spaces, he leaves a leaflet offering a free parking tutorial at this web site. Wrong, wrong. Correct.

But bad driving rather than bad parking spawned roadragecards.com. There's a card for every occasion like this really mean one to flash when you see a driver putting on makeup.

With signs like, I hope your cell phone gives you cancer. No wonder the cards carry a disclaimer, may result in injury or even death. Though some folks can take a joke each phrase comes in reverse so you can insult drivers in their mirror.

Who would think of this as a weapon against tailgaters? Allan Doeksen modified his rear wiper squirter.

ALLAN DOEKSEN, ANNOYED BY CARTS BLOCKING AISLES: Spray directly on their vehicle when they're behind me.

MOOS: Allan also gets mad at shoppers who leave their grocery carts blocking the aisles.

DOEKSEN: I would put expensive items in their cart or possibly some embarrassing items like condoms perhaps in their cart, as well, when they are not looking. So when they go to the checkout line they are slightly embarrassed.

MOOS: What annoys Chris Baker (ph) is when the person in front of him in the express checkout has too many items.

(on-camera): So what this guy does is count the culprits items out loud as the cashier scans each one, five, six, seven.

But almost nothing annoys folks more than loud cell phone conversations. So a Chicago graphic designer has created cards you hand out to offenders. We're aware that your ongoing conversation about your husband's vasectomy is very important to you, but we thought you would like you to know that it doesn't interest us in the least.

If you're very tall maybe you're annoyed by airline seats.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was tired of being bopped in the knees by reclining seats.

MOOS: So Ira Goldman (ph) invented and now sells the knee defender.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The table comes down take the knee defenders seat won't recline.

MOOS: Whatever you do, don't use this on us. "TV B Gone" was dreamed up by a guy who was sick of seeing televisions everywhere. This universal remote turns off any TV. We caused confusion in the news room.

ROB FREHSE, CNN ASSIGNMENT MANAGER: Did you see our TVS? They're all going black.

MOOS: Now, what could cause that?

Sometimes all these tactics do is give you a chuckle. But when facing life's annoyances, laughter is music to your ears.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

This is great stuff, I an totally going to put this into practice!
Pax
Stephen

The Biggest Miscommunication

2006-01-05T23:52:00.000-05:00

There are many tragedies surrounding the West Virginia Coal Miner's horrific accident. From the accident itself to the miscommunication that followed, the entire scene was one of loss and grief. One particular part of the entire event troubles me more than others and I guarantee you will not hear about it on the news tonight. The close knit community, upon hearing of the accident, gathered together in the local Baptist church for prayer support and community. Local clergy were there to assist with grief counseling as well as to pray about the situation themselves. After the first news came out that 11 had survived and only one had died the church was filled with cheers singing and dancing. In the heat of the moment a few of the clergy ran onto the steps of the church and began to shake their hands in the air yelling out that God had delivered these men from the mines, God had saved them. Sadly as we all know the story did not end there, three hours later the 11 who were once thought as survivors were now 11 confirmed dead. The tragedy in my mind was all about miscommunication, both not the miscommunication from the rescue team to the media, the greater blotched message came from the clergy upon hearing of the survival of the men. What was their theology now that God had not saved those men? Why can we thank God for the things that we feel are good but not know what to do with him when we feel things are bad. Our theology must be consistent either God is in control or God is not. This back and forth theology makes God into a trite and trivial deity of randomness, not the caring and loving God who is the father of Jesus. What a massive communication breakdown.

Storms

2006-01-05T23:48:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of the Tornados that went through South Atlanta on Monday Night, I took these from my back patio.

Old Friends

2006-01-03T22:19:00.000-05:00

In the past week I have had the privlidge of reconnecting with some old friends from High School. These guys were two of my best friends from Elemetary school all the way through graduation. We lost touch after our freshman years of college and through a fluke reconnected this week. There is something humbling about sitting with someone you have not seen in 5 years and talking with each other like we had just left Mrs. Wilsons Biology class. I also found it somewhat grounding discussing my political, social and theological views. I did not and would not compromise my ideologies but you cannot put nearly as many spins and as much rhetoric behind your arguments. I do not know why this is, I guess you feel you have more to loose than when you talk to a total stranger. I guess there are more connections there than alot of people I interact with now. One of the guy's dad used to be my baseball coach, its tough to talk a big shit when you played little league together. Most of all I found it comforting that after so long friends can still laugh at the same old jokes, talk about new ventures and most of all just enjoy a few familiar moments between, now, two not so familiar lives. Good Friends.
Pax
Stephen

A Year of Disillusionment and Hope

2006-01-01T00:42:00.000-05:00

This has been the strangest year of my entire life. From the Tsunami's that rang in the New Year to the War that rages on in Iraq, I am disillusioned. I turned 25 this year, I have been calling it my 1/3 life crisis because I realized there is a good chance I am actually 1/3 the way through my life. I have lost almost all faith in our government, the church, and institutions in general. I desire something something more authentic and I am finding it tough to find it in many places. I had two people who I idolize and who I had become close to in my life pass on, my grandfather, George Ingram and Dr. John Claypool. The hurricanes brought the horrible realities of life to our doorsteps. I am less than 1 hour into 2006 and I am already anxious, even frightened of how we are going to screw this year up. I do, however, have hope. I am a dad, I love my wife, I feel more compassion for my world and fellow human than I ever have in my life, I am, for one of the first times in my life very comfortable with who I am and what I am thinking. I think the tension I find myself in is who to reconcile my personal happiness and hope with the termoil that I feel surrounds me. So there is your depressing, pessimistic New Years post. Happy New Years!
Pax
Stephen

Conservatives Need to take Lesson from Gay Coalition

2005-12-25T13:27:00.000-05:00

It is interesting to me how turned around conservative and fundamentalist "Christian" groups can be sometimes. In a blog I frequent I read a story about this women stroming into Target and demending to return products because she had read on the internet target had forbid its employees to make any mention of Christmas. The blog goes on to tell bout how there is a sign right infront of her that said merry Christmas as well as no such ban, its a really funny read Check it out I also recently read about Ford's Homosexual geared advertisments and how amny Gay coalition groups are rejecting them because they do not want to be counted as just another demographic to me dragged around by mass consumerism. I find it so interesting that people who call themselves christians desire to be a massive demographic to be comercialized even unto the point of taking thier most celebrated holiday and demand that it become more and more meaningless through a dilution of advertising. The gay coalition is fighting becoming just another group to be advertised to and are trying to stand out distinguished from the rest. I guess the city on the hill wants to grow now not by love and grace but by opening a few new strip malls within its walls. Oh well, Merry Christmas Anyways.
Pax
Stephen

Priesthood of the bloggers

2005-12-17T08:29:00.000-05:00

I'm preaching at Emory on January 1st, 2006. I could have passed on the oportunity but I try to get into the pulpit whenever I can. It makes me wrestle with texts and gives me preaching practice.

Earlier this week, Charlie (EPC's current interim pastor) and I were discussing the sermon and the priesthood of believers. I thin in protestant churches the sermon event is one place they refuse to acknowledge the priesthood of believers. I'm not against having the same guy preach every week, but I think we preachers have to open up our preparation process to others and build some sort of ability to respond into the sermon. Charlie and I kicked around some ideas, but nothing we felt comfortable introducing at EPC just yet.

But I do want to open up the process to you, our loyal readers. I'm going to post my gospel text at the end of this post, and I hope you'll comment with your reaction to it. This is my first attempt at communal response to a text, so I don't even really know what will happen here or how it will effect the final sermon, but I think it's worth a shot. You could even comment on what you think a sermon on the first day of a new year should be about. Please take a minute and offer your thoughts for the benefit of this sermon.

Thanks-

Adam

Luke 2:15-21

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

My New Tattoo

2005-12-16T14:12:00.000-05:00

I just thougth I would put up my new tattoo. I got it on Thursday the 15th at a really good shop here it Atlanta called Karmic Tattoos. They were great, It is also cool because Mary Liz drew it for me and they transfered her exact drawing onto my arm.
Pax
Stephen

Finally a Break

2005-12-14T08:58:00.000-05:00

It's nice these days to open my calendar's to-do list and see nothing school related in it. I finished my last final Monday morning and now have two weeks to relax before taking Hebrew reading in January. Most of you know Jana and I spent the weekend in Florida with my parents. We hadn't seen them since the wedding, so it was fun to go down for their Christmas party, relax, eat at the newest of the family restaurants and spend time with them. We saw my brother Grant and his wife Laurie, as well as our niece Emma. She's 13 months old now and walking. Most importantly, we came back with a dog. His name is Cassius. He's a 3 year old pug. He used to belong to Grant and Laurie, but with one child and another on the way, they felt like he needed a home where he'd get more attention. They knew Jana and I had been thinking about getting a dog anyway, so they offered us Cassius. We took him and he's already taking over the apartment. In Jana's eyes it makes us a family now so she's very happy. Even I have to admit he's a nice addition to the apartment. I'm looking forward to spending the next two weeks reading, playing with the dog, and spending time with the wife. It's good to be done for awhile.

The difference between Stephen and Me

2005-12-07T11:55:00.000-05:00

Stephen gets passionate about Iraq, I get passionate about this. Seriously people, if we followed this guy's advice, maybe I'd actually like Michael Vick for the one of a kind talent that he is (at times), instead of feeling like the NFL, TV networks and the city of Atlanta were trying to cram him down my throat like they're trying to assimilate me into the Borg.

NPR on Possible Iraqi Break Up

2005-12-06T23:59:00.000-05:00

I heard this on NPR today. An former ambassador to Croatia compares the state of Iraq to that of Yugoslavia before its Civil War and consequent break up into smaller nations. I guess with all the "unity" war rhetoric I never fully considered the possibility of the country breaking up into seperate nation states divided by religion and nationality. It is very interesting to listen to some who knows the subject and has real experience in Nation breakups compare the two.
Pax
Stephen

Best of 2005

2005-12-06T01:13:00.000-05:00

Not that anyone cares, but I decided to comprise a list of the Best and Worst of 2005, feel free to comment and add to these lists. This is a Stephen Specific List, not an all encompassing list.

Books

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince- JK Rowlings
12 Marks of a New Monasticism- The Rutba House
The Last Word and the Word After That- Brian McLaren
Open Secrets- Richard Lischer
The Divinci Code & Angels and Demons- Dan Brown
Rome; The Biography of a City- Christopher Hibbert
The 5 People You Meet In Heaven- Mitch Albom

Cd's or Songs

Garden State Soundtrack
U2- How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Gavin Degraw- Acoustic Version of Chariot
Herbie Handcock- Possibilities
Anything Ben Folds
Modest Mouse- Float on
Kanye West
Norah Jones

Television Shows

Simpsons
American Idol
Rome- HBO
Myth Busters
Going Tribal
Dirty Jobs

Movies

Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire
I (Heart) Huckabees
Fantastic Four
Sin City
Star Wars
War of the Worlds
Batman Begins

Events Personal and Public

Mary Clare's Birth
Going to Italy
U2 Concert
Emergent Convention
Hurricane Relief at MPC
Live Eight
One Campaign
Vacation to the Mountains with Friends

Favorite Public Figures

Bono
Jim Wallis
John McCain

Pax
Stephen

Focus on the Family says Defamation is Ok

2005-12-04T18:15:00.000-05:00

James Dobson's Focus on the Family pulled out any financial support of Wells Fargo because it said they blatently supported Homosexuals and for integrity reasons they could no longer associate themselves with Wells Fargo. I do not agree with this theology but can understand why, with a conservative base, they would not want to be traced back to a Homosexual group. After I heard what the group really promoted is when I decided to write this post. This group was an advocacy group that helped fight against defamation of individuals, those individuals include homosexuals. So as long as you are white, heterosexual, middle class, and republican James dobson will make sure no one picks on you. Well at least I have 75% of the qualifications covered! Here is a site link off of the FOTF website to help cure Homosexuality for any of you out there who feel the gay bug coming on.
Pax
Stephen

NPR on the Beatles

2005-12-04T18:13:00.000-05:00

Here is a nice NPR segment I heard today on a new book coming out about the Beatles, I found it really interesting. I hope you enjoy!
Pax
Stephen

A Culture of False Entitlement

2005-11-28T23:10:00.000-05:00

This is the second post of the thread of "A Culture of Dilution". I was driving to school this morning in the pouring rain and was cut off by a small Toyota. This in nothing new on I285, as I continued to watch this car it cut off 6 other people before it sped off down the interstate. A few years back there was a movement for slavery reparations, Ben Folds says,"he's blasting me with Hate because my great great great great grandad made someones great great great great grandad his slave, it wasn't my idea?!?! The debate still rages, Its my body! I have the choice if I want to keep the baby or not! If you go the a High School Football game in Alabama, against State and Federal Law you will still hear a Christian prayer over the PA system. When a court order came to stop those prayers, the christians persevered through the persecution and led massive rallies to protest for their rights.
We live in a culture of False Entitlement. We too often mistake what we deserve, which are our rights, for the things we want and feel we are entitled to. The driver feels as though they are entitled to have a spot infront of everyone else and at the risk of everyone elses safety, these "important people" are who cause the wrecks on our highways. I believe we should fight systems that oppress, that calls us to look forward and be prophetic, not pay for something we had no control over. If we want to be really technical, most everyone's relatives were at somepoint slaves, I'm Irish, I know my people slaves at somepoints in Americas history. Yes lady it is your body, it is your body to be responsible for, if you do not want to get pregnant then either do not have sex or be prepared to face the realities if you do, its called responsibility. Backwoods Betty and Bible Thumping Bobby, I hate to tell you, but you have no right to impose your 10 commandments, PA prayers and religion on anyone, I consider myself a Christian and I do not want to hear a prayer for a good game and may the best team win, God doesn't give a shit which team wins, so dont bother him with it. This is my rant, I have the right to rant it, I however am not entitled to make you read it, but thanks for doing so.
Pax
Stephen

Mary Clare Share

2005-11-22T11:49:00.000-05:00

This is my version of Doug Pagitt's Picture Share. I was giving her a bath this morning and she gave me a great pose. Man she is cute!

Pax
Stephen

Something keeps me silent

2005-11-22T08:15:00.000-05:00

I still don't have much to say. It's like Kyle's death put my life on pause and for whatever reason I can't get things moving again. I do just enough to get by at church and have basically ignored school for three weeks now.

I have started to read the Bible and pray again. Often though after reading I just hold a posture of prayer, head bowed, eyes closed, sometimes laying prostrate on the floor, and just listen to my breathing. Crowder wrote recently on his blog, "for now there is just enough grace to keep breathing." I know what he means. But he and the DCB have found the strength to go back on tour, so why does the routine work of my life suddenly feel so difficult? Is this part of the grieving process? At what point am I just being lazy?

The stuff Crowder and Craig Nash have been writing has been helpful in making sense of it all. I highly recommend you check out their writings.

A Cathedral of Worship

2005-11-21T22:11:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday Night my friends Brad, Paul, Robin, Bill and I had tickets to the U2 concert here in Atlanta. You go to one of these concerts expecting alot, I could not have expected how amazing it would actually be. From the beginning of the concert with the song "City of Blinding Lights" to Bono's head band with a crecent "is" a cross "is" and a star of David, the concert was a real experience of worship for me. Bono's passion coupled with U2's amazing music made this a very special night. There was one more point in the concert that I have to write about. Apparently Corretta Scott King was in the crowd with her family. After the song "One" Bono and Edge played a song he said they had written earler that day for Martin. It was a beautiful sleepy lullabye called "In Dreams" It was difficult going to church on Sunday because of the amazing experience only a few hours earlier, it almost seemed silly all of our pomp and ritual and how hollow it all seemed after such a raw and refresing experience with God.

Pax
Stephen

The Attackers Become the Attacked?

2005-11-17T11:57:00.000-05:00

I still occasionally sample the Emergent No blogsite when I am feeling bad about myself or when I feel my blood pressure is dropping to an unhealthy level, this morning was one of those mornings. To my surprise the Emergent No folks were on the defensive instead of on the attack. The attack dogs at emergent no have been bitten by a new site, emergentno.com. I do not know what I think about the new site but it is funny to see how defensive they are about this guys copying their posts. This is going to be a good morning after all!

Sarcastically
Stephen

A Really Beautiful Story

2005-11-16T10:05:00.000-05:00

This is a two pronged post. The first is to tell you a story I heard from Religion and Ethics Newsweekly about the Israeli Palestinian situation. A twelve year old boy was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers. The little boy was just walking down the street, the soldiers said he looked suspicious and took him out. The boys father took the body to a Israeli hospital and donated his organs. The organs went on to save the life of 6 Israelis. The father said he did it as a offering of peace. I just thought this was a beautiful story of grace and peace. The second prong is actually how I heard this story. Religion and Ethics Newsweekly is now doing their show in podcast form. It can be subscribed to from the Podcast site on I Tunes. I encourage you all do subscribe to it for free and support such a great moderate religion program.
Pax
Stephen

Someone stop this man

2005-11-15T21:08:00.000-05:00

This is the most asinine Pat Robertson has ever said. He and the rest of the Christian Right usually just amuse me but this is way over the line. If the God of Pat Robertson give us on people and communities so easily, we are all doomed.

A blissful silence

2005-11-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

I love me some college football. Unfortunately I live SEC country. Now, the SEC is a great football conference, maybe the best in the country this year. The problem is SEC fans. They have no concept that there may be better football teams somewhere else in the county. Thus far, Texas and USC clearly look like the best teams in the country. USC hasn't lost in over two years people! But you'll never hear an SEC fan acknowledge this. So I say thank you, LSU, for knocking off Alabama, thus at least pausing all the grandstanding about how Alabama (dare I say, "We") is the best team in the nation. Thank you, Notre Dame, for showing the SEC that a good offense can light up the scoreboard against a vaunted SEC defense. Alabama and LSU are definitely still in the national title picture, but even their fans now have to concede that Texas and USC are playing some great football. Suddenly the volume of all SEC fans is a lot lower, even on mute. Life is good.

If I Only Had a Boob

2005-11-10T23:02:00.000-05:00

In the Wizard of Oz the characters go on their journey looking for that thing they lack in order to feel fulfilled. The scarecrow sings a song,"If I only had a brain...". At this point in my life I feel I should join the delegation on the Yellowbrick Road to fulfillment, I need a boob. Ok I have two boobs so more specifically I need a Mammary gland or as on Meet the Fockers a "Mannary Gland" I am afraid that my daughter will only associate me with things like the cold misreable feeling of changing her diaper, or the pain of burping or the simple daily task of seeing my ugly mug. My wife on the other hand will be associated with the warmth of warm milk, sustinance, and the peaceful feeling of a warm full tummy. I need a BOOB!!! This might seem like a silly rant to many of you but I mean what I say if there is such a thing as a Mannary gland let me know I am in the market.
Pax
Stephen

On Saturdays...

2005-11-05T18:55:00.000-05:00

...We Wear Our Crimson!!! Roll Tide Roll!!!
Pax
Stephen

Picture of a family

2005-11-04T07:50:00.000-05:00

This is Kyle with his family at the Baylor Homecoming parade the day before he died. Even before this, anytime I thought of Kyle he had that easygoing smile on his face.

Im Back... I Think.

2005-11-03T18:16:00.000-05:00

I have taken a few days off blogging on this site because of the birth of our first Daughter Mary Clare. She is beautiful and I could not be more proud of she and her mother. One day I am going to blog about several of the experiences of Labor and birth but right now they are too close and vivid to have to recount and reflect on. I did vomit 10 times in the 24 hours of Labor, I did not do this during any of the "Gross" times, I only became sick when I saw my wife in such deep pain. It amazed me how much her phisiology directly affects my own. It convinces me even more that we are all connected on so many more deeper levels. If you would like to see updated pictures of my beautiful little girl I have set her up her own blog site. Mary Clare's Blog

Pax
Stephen

No Words

2005-10-31T21:10:00.000-05:00

Words are slow in coming today. In the space of 24 hours I learned of the death of Kyle Lake and the birth of Stephen and Mary Liz's little girl, Mary Claire. Emotions are mixed to say the least. Most of you know I attended UBC for most of my six years in Waco. Kyle was one of the most authentic people I've ever met, in that I saw no disconnect between who he was as pastor and who he was as a person. He and I shared many conversations both profound and pointless. I'm sure that at some point I'll be able to think of Kyle be thankful for all of God's grace he brought to my life. But right now the pain of losing a mentor is most on my mind. Please hold Kyle's wife Jenn and their children Avery, Sutton, and Jude in your prayers. The entire UBC community needs prayer as well. Thank you for all of your calls of concern today.

Congrats again to Stephen and Mary Liz.

The Caf in Heaven

2005-10-27T20:21:00.000-04:00

At my Alma Mater Samford University, our eating and social area was the cafeteria fondly called by all, the Caf. I had a discussion with my roommate one day while eating breakfast in the caf about heaven. We saw someone eating alone over in the corner and began to talk about how only the socially outcast of Samford eat by themselves and how that was a shame.
I asked Pesci, my roommate who he thought would eat alone in the Caf in Heaven, that person who all the others thought they were too good to eat with or who they thought doesnt deserve to be there. I came up with Darwin, and I decided I would take my tray over and eat breakfast with him. Others on the list were Judas and Pelagius. I thought it would be a good exercise to see who all you thought would be in the Caf in heaven and would sit in the corner alone and eat their breakfast. I would also love it if you would explain why they were there and alone. Just for fun.
Pax
Stephen