Junk Drawer Spirituality

"Does Satan Exist?" The Nightline Debate

I recorded it on my DVR last week, but I was watching basketball, so I couldn't watch it when it aired.  But tonight, I finally got the opportunity to watch the "NIghtline Face-Off" debate on the question "Does God Exist?"

I'll be honest. . . the only reason I was interested in watching this debate was for the sheer gluttonous entertainment value of watching Mark Driscoll debate Deepak Chopra.  For a theology nerd like myself, entertainment doesn't get any better than that.  As far as how challenging the debate was for either the debaters or the audience, I'd say it was sub-par and flawed from the beginning. 

Bad News

I am definintely not a doomsday prophet, "the world's going to hell in a handbasket," kind of guy.  I'm usually the guy looking for the silver lining.  I'm usualy the one saying, "things might SEEM bad, but it's really probably not all that different than how it usually is, or how it was back then, or we're only hearing about the bad stuff . . ."

But my gosh . . . is it just me or is the amount and intensity of the violence and evil we're seeing in the news reaching crazy levels?  My web-browser home page is CNN.com, and on the front page of CNN's homepage are these news headlines:

Is John Calvin Changing the World?

I just read a Time Magazine article in their latest issue titled, "10 Ideas Changing The World Right Now."  Now, after examining the other nine ideas, scratching my head thinking, "Is that really changing the world?" I suppose "the New Calvinism" isn't too far of a stretch.  But there it is. . . number 3 on the list. . . "The New Calvinism."  Time is referring to the recent popularity of "Reformed" gurus John Piper and Mark Driscoll, and the churches emerging (no pun intended) from their ministries.

So this introduces 3 big questions for me with regard to this article.  First, by who's definition is the theology espoused by Driscoll and Piper new?  Calvinist?  Yes.  New?  I don't see it.  If somebody can, I'd be more than willing to listen, but as far as I can tell, Driscoll's and Piper's theology is the same Calvinism we've been hearing since Jonathan Edwards.  The only thing different is the music and the dress code.

Second question . . . Other than Mars Hill and Bethlehem Baptist, which pastors, churches, writers, or thinkers, are elevating this "New Calvinism" to such rock star status?  The largest and most popular church in America is still (by far) Lakewood church in Houston - a church that is about as far removed from John Calvin as one could get.  And even beyond Osteen, it appears to me that some of the largest and most influential churches within Evangelicalism include churches like Mars Hill Seattle, but Mars Hill Grand Rapids seems to be having just as wide of an impact with a different set of Doctrines.  The point is, they're doing great stuff. but I don't see any basis for believing that this theology has suddenly rocketed to an exclusively influential position within Evangelical thought. 

Third question. . . Who decided that "New Calvinism" is "changing the world?"  I could be convinced that evangelicalism is changing the world (with lots of numbers and pie charts).  I could be convinced that certain movements within evangelicalism are changing the world (movements toward global concerns, social justice, etc.).  But Neo-Calvinism?  Somebody enlighten me please.  

My Tournament Brackets

As of right now . . . 4:30 PM Central time . . . March 19, 2009 . . . day 1 and round 1 of the 2009 NCAA basketball tournament . . . I am 7 for 7 with my picks, and in the lead of my yahoo sports tournament challenge.  Think I can go all the way? 

Outliers, The 10,0000 Hour Rule (Ch. 2)

Practice makes perfect.  At least that's the rule of success I always heard growing up.  if you practice hard enough, you can do practically anything.  Of course, as we grow older, we realize that this rule of thumb is only partially true.  Practice makes perfect, but perfect also relies heavily on a person's inherent talent and ability.  Those who truly rise through the ranks of excellence, those who excel in their fields, they are the most gifted, the brightest, the strongest, the fastest, the most skilled . . . Or are they?

Waterfront's Global Partners

Ever since the story about Waterfront came out on NBC a few weeks ago, we've been hearing from all kinds of people from all over the country and even outside of the country.  Some people have simply emailed us to express their appreciation and root us on.  Some have emailed wondering how we do what we do.  And many many others have emailed us wanting to help us out in our mission.

Here's a cool story. . . Last week, we received a box in the mail.  It was from an 83 year old woman who lives in Connecticut.  She said that she saw the story on NBC about Waterfront and what we're doing in our community, and she was so moved that she wanted to help out in the best way she knew how.

So first, she wrote us a check. . . for $1,000 . . . deignated to help us fund the operations expenses of our church.  AMAZING!  But that's not what was in the box.  What was in the box were about 3 or 4 dozen beautifully hand-knitted caps for babies, which she knitted herself after seeing our braodcast.  She said, "I don't know how you can use these but this is what I have to give."  Jim shared this story with our church on Sunday, and I think every person in that room in Schuamburg, IL felt a special bond with an 83 year old woman in Connecticut whom we've never met.  And there are dozens of others who have stepped up and committed to finance our church as well.    

March Madness and Community

It's that time of year again.  All the teams have been selected.  People are filling out their brackets, starting office pools, placing bets, buying plain tickets, wishing and hoping their team will make it to the Final Four.

It's March Madness Time!

And since I'm always up for experimenting with new forms of community, we openned up a Waterfront Hoops Tournament Challenge to our entire church this morning.  It's all online at Yahoo Sports.  You just go there, enter the password and make your tournament picks.  But it's a way for a person who is not in a small group or who is largely unconnected with our church to take a baby-step toward connecting in a very non-threatening way.  Hope people respond.  I think elements of community can happen with these sorts of things.

And if you're a reader of this blog and want to join in the fun, you're more than welcome.  Just go to http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/, click "join a Group," and enter our group ID# 36097 and password: waterfrontcc.

    

Brownline Fiasco and Chatting with Bo Bice

A few weeks ago, I found out that a fellow pastor in the Schaumburg area, who also plays keys with a local rock band, was opening for former American Idol runner up Bo Bice at the Clearwater Theater in West Dundee.  Dave Rudin is a friend I've had the opportunity to get to know over the past year.  He's the lead pastor at Summitview Christian Church, a church that has been a great support for Waterfront since we came into the area.  But Dave also moonlights as a keyboarding rockstar with the band "Brownline Fiasco."

So I was excited to see Dave in concert. . . hadn't heard his band before.  And I was also interested in hearing the headliner, Bo Bice.  I've never heard his recorded music, but I remembered him from American Idol season 4, and I liked him then.  He's got a very southern, rock style about him, so I thought that might be cool.

Well as it turns out, another couple of friends, Jim and Sheri Mueller, (I've mentioned them in another post), do a radio show for their non-profit marriage ministry, and they were also planning on attending the concert so that they could interview Bo Bice for their show.  Apparently, Bo's a Christian.  He's married.  So why not?

To make a long story short, Jim and Sheri were able to get me a free ticket to the show.  I was able to see Dave and Brownline Fiasco play.  And then Jim and Sheri invited me to tag along with them for their interview with Bo Bice.  So we all went backstage before his set, hopped on Bo's tour bus, and then we chatted with him for about half an hour.  I kinda felt like the kid from the movie 'Almost Famous' . . . like I was peaking inside of a world that wasn't really my own.  It was a pretty cool evening.

"The Whigs" At The Bottom Lounge

Last night a friend and I went to see "The Whigs" in concert at The Bottom Lounge in Chicago.  I didn't know much about the band before I bought tickets, to be honest.  They were at Lollapalooza last year, so I received a free itunes song from them when I went there, and I liked THAT song ("Right Hand On My Heart").  So I figured I might like some of their other music too.  And at $15 a ticket, that's not a bad night out on the town.

The Whigs are from Athens, Georgia; they're obscure enough that they can only pack out small venues, but they definitely have some loyal and very enthusiastic followers.  The venue was a bar nestled underneath the Metra Line in a Chicago neighborhood off the beaten path.  In the front portion of the Bottom Lounge is a regular sports bar and grill, but to see the show, you have to walk out the back doors into a large, dark, concert hall reminiscent of something Edgar Allan Poe might dream up.  There were perhaps 500 people packed inside, mostly white, young professionals in their 20s and early 30s. 

The Whigs are basically a three-person garage rock band, so if you like that sort of thing, this band's for you.  They were great entertainers and if you appreciate very skilled drummers, the dummer for the Whigs was VERY impressive.  It was a fun night.  My ears are still ringing, and it was pretty late by the time I got home, but it's the kind of experience that's pretty fun once in a while. 

Forbes' Rich List Takes a Hit

According to a BBC article I just read, Forbe's annual "Rich List," the list of the weathiest people in the world, has taken a significant hit this year.  The financial crisis wiped 332 names off the list of world billionaires.  Now, just 793 people can lay claim to a place on the list, but on average those who still occupy that list have lost 23% of their wealth.

The guy who occupied the top spot last year, Warren Buffet . . . since last years' showing he's lost $25 billion!  He went from $62 billion in net worth to $37 billion.  Amazing.

Here's a video link for the story... 

Outliers, Chapter 1

This is the first chapter of Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers.  So to begin with . . . Pop quiz.  If you were a little boy growing up in Canada, and you dreamed of being a professional NHL hockey player, in which MONTH of the year should you have been born?

Give up?

The answer is either January, February, or March.  Don't believe me?  Just check out the birthdates for all of the hockey players in the NHL.  Not the year.  The month.  In fact, check out the rosters for any elite group of hockey players in North America.  It's astonishing!  "In any elite group of hockey players - the very best of the best - 40 percent of the players will have been born between January and March, 30 percent between April and June, 20 percent between July and September, and 10 percent between October and December."  It's an iron-clad law of Canadian Hockey, as predictable as the sunrise.

So the natural question is 'Why?' 

The Changing Face of Religion In America

I just read a Washington Post article written in response to recent research in the field of religion (the largest survey of it's kind).  Here are some of the interesting (and some scary) trends this article found. . .

• Far fewer people are willing to call themselves "Christian" than they were when the same survey was conducted 20 years ago.  Today, only 76 percent of the population identify themselves as Christian, down from 86 percent in 1990.
• The number of people who identify themselves with the term "Non-Denominational" has jumped through the roof . . . 194,000 in 1990 and today, more than 8 million.
• The only group that grew in every U.S. state since the 2001 survey was people saying they had "no" religion; the survey says this group is now 15 percent of the population.
• Northern New England has surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious section of the country.

How To Solve The Economic Crisis . . . SNL Style

This was on Saturday Night Live last night.  Pretty funny.

Going A-Twitter

A few weeks ago I decided to begin a little experiment.  I decided to begin a Twitter account.  I've resisted for many months in the same way I initially resisted blogging and Facebook, but I finally succumbed to the technological pressure and began Twittering just to see what all the buzz was about. I wanted to see if I'd actually enjoy it, and to see if it was really worth it.  It's been about 3 weeks now, and low an behold, I'm actually enjoying Twitter.

If you're kinda new to the Twitter world, here is the best way I can describe it:  It's a social networking site much like Facebook or Myspace, but the simple question it asks is: "What are you doing?"  Each twitter post has to fall within 140 characters.  So, you simply give quick, micro-burst updates to your life.  It's the kind of thing you update throughout the day with little remarks about what you're experiencing.  So you can follow people you know (or even people you don't know), get updates on what they're up to, you can let your "followers" know what you're doing or experiencing, and in a weird sorta techno-way, you stay connected with each other, and get connected with others.  There are about 6 million Twitter users now, and it's growing faster than any social networking site.

If you're anything like me, right now you're thinking "Why in the world would I want to do that?" 

Really Bizarre But Captivating Video

This is a video from Green Peace . . .

Helpless from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Sleepwalking Dog

This is the funniest clip I've seen in awhile.  My dog sometimes twitches in her sleep, and it looks like she's dreaming about running through a field or something.  THIS dog, is REALLY dreaming about running. . .

Are We Crazy????

That's the question the Catalyst Conference blog asked about my church after seeing the NBC news peice that came out on Friday: "Waterfront Community Church is a bunch of Crazies! They're giving away 100% of their weekend offering to help the poor and people in need!"

The comments on this blog are simply awesome!  I love the simplicity of the very first post in the comment section from John (Human3rror): "yes.  they are nuts."  Can't argue with the facts I guess :)

Outliers, An Introduction

A few months ago, I read a book that I've been anxious to blog about.  It's Malcolm Gladwell's latest book Outliers: The Story of Success.  I first became acquainted with Gladwell about five years ago when I read The Tipping Point, another excellent book.  So after I saw Gladwell talking about Outliers on the Colbert Report a few months ago (here's the vdeo), I knew I had to get it.  I read it . . . loved it.  And soon I started hearing about others talking about the book.  Here's a quote from an LA Times article I read:

"[Outliers] seems to have become the topic of conversation around [Holywood], during holiday parties and Oscar soirees. "Revolutionary Road" director Sam Mendes recently mentioned it during an interview. Will Smith, currently starring in "Seven Pounds," didn't mention "Outliers" by name during a recent chat with the Los Angeles Times, but he described a small movie he'd seen as featuring thespians who "I could tell . . . weren't world-class actors with 10,000 hours of experience." 

If you haven't read the book yet, you'll understand the "10,000 hours" reference soon enough.