Litter

Well, it has been a little bit of time since I have added to my list of things that I find unacceptable, so I thought I would make an update. I am probably not going to cause a lot of controversy with this item, but it still needs to be said.

These past few months I have spent a lot of time in nature - hiking, swimming in lakes, riding my bike, going to the beach, etc. In every single area, even the more remote places, I noticed litter. I can honestly say that in 26 years on this planet, I have never consciously littered. I would seriously like to know who these people are that decide the best place for their fast food wrapper or empty beer can is out the window of a moving vehicle. I want to understand their mindset.

Is it ignorance? Do they really believe that the trash will magically disappear or blow into a proper trash receptacle?

Perhaps it is arrogance? Maybe there is a mindset that "someone else less important than me will pick up my garbage."

I am sure people who litter just do not think about it, and people who do not think really scare me.

At any rate, here is the list as it stands now (go to my archives to see the reason for each one):

1. Wearing a cell phone on your hip
2. The idea that a nice smile is the "normal" way to pose for a photograph
3. People who cut to the front of a traffic back-up when they know they need to get over
4. Local TV Newspeople
5. Confirmational Reactionist
6. Wearing a blue tooth headset as a fashion accessory
7. Putting Bullethole stickers on your car
8. Placing a fake baseball on your car that gives the allusion that it has shattered your window
9. People who litter

Bonhoeffer & King: Speaking Truth to Power

"Bonhoeffer & King: Speaking Truth to Power" by J. Deotis Roberts was a book with an interesting concept: lay the lives and thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and MLK side by side to show all of the various ways in which they were moving in the same direction. While I found the concept intriguing, I thought that the book left a lot to be desired. I felt that the author did not put very many original thoughts into the writing. In my opinion, he merely copied and pasted together correlating information from the biographies and theological writings of the two subjects.

Part of my struggle with the book is probably due to the fact that I took an entire class in seminary on Martin Luther King. This book was pretty short (130 pages) and did not go into any sort of depth, so I really did not learn anything new about MLK. However, it was worth reading for me to learn some interesting aspects of Bonhoeffer's biography, of whom I am not as familiar with as King.

If you are unfamiliar with Bonhoeffer or King (or both), this book would make for an excellent primer. If you have studied either one before, you will likely be pretty bored with the book.

Good Friends, Good Times

This past week I have been reminded of the beauty and importance of friendship. Last weekend I met up with 3 of my seminary friends in mountain town of Sky Valley, Georgia. We had a great time fellowshipping, playing, and eating together. Then on Wednesday, Erik Willits stopped by for a few days on his whirlwind tour of the country. Last night, Laura and I threw a milkshake party as a way to say good-bye to our friends Jen and Gerron Showalter who are moving to Nashville. Around 40 people crammed into our little town home. It was so great to see everyone and I really savored the time that I spent with people I love. Relationships truly have the power to make life beautiful.

On a random side note, something really shocked me this past week. While I was in Georgia, me and my buddies went to this YMCA camp to spend some time. I was blown away that a place like this camp still existed. This camp had a rifle and archery range, not to mention a huge lake. In that lake, several diving boards were set up, along with a slide and "The Blob." I was amazed because in our present day of insurance and lawsuits, I did not think it was possible for a Y-Camp like this to exist. The slide was metal and about 60 feet long. You really got moving down it, and the sides were only a few inches high, so it would be very easy to fly off the slide into a tree in the woods. The blob is a huge inflatable piece of plastic where one person sits on and is flung off into the lake by another person jumping off an elevated platform. I still have whiplash from flying off of that thing. My friends and I had a ball just being kids again and reminiscing of a long gone age that was not dominated by liability waivers and lawyers.

A picture of the slide and "The Blob"

A People's History of the United States

This book was the first one on my classical literature list, and I could not have picked a better book to begin with. Howard Zinn begins with Columbus coming to the America’s in 1492 and re-tells American history – only through the eyes of the oppressed. For example, he tells the history of Columbus through the eyes of the Native Americans. The history of slavery is recalled through the eyes of African Americans. The Vietnam war through the eyes of the Vietnamese and others who protested at home.

This book included so many aspects of American history of which I had never heard. For example, I had no idea that in November of 1969, Indians attempted to occupy Alcatraz island as one of many vain attempts to protest the atrocities that had been done to them over the past 400 years. A group of about 78 Indians tried to take over Alcatraz and claim it as a reservation. The offered to buy Alcatraz with glass beads and red cloth – the same price paid to Indians for Manhattan Island over three hundred years earlier. However, the Indians were quietly and forcibly removed by federal agents and the whole ordeal was never really publicized.

Zinn’s sweeping recount of American history leaves one breathless at the amount of oppression created and perpetuated by the United States, specifically the wealthy elite who control government policies and action. This book is a must read for history lovers, especially those who have always heard “traditional” accounts of American history. In the first chapter of the book, Zinn writes a quote that I already posted, but it is so good I am going to post it again (I have been thinking about it non-stop since I read it):

“The cry of the poor is not always just, but if you don’t listen to it, you will never know what justice is.”

Treasure in Clay Jars

“Treasure in Clay Jars” is simply a report from a group of Christian researchers who studied nine missional congregations from across North America. Basically, the group sought to answer the question: “What are the characteristics of a missional church?” The group came up with eight different patterns that help to identify churches that are missionally faithful. I thought these patterns were good, so I wanted write them here for future reference.

1. Discerning Missional Vocation – The congregation is discovering together the missional vocation of the community. It is beginning to redefine “success” and “vitality” in terms of faithfulness to God’s calling and sending. It is seeking to discern God’s specific missional vocation (it’s “charisms”) for the entire community and for all its members.
2. Biblical Formation and Discipleship – The missional church is a community where all members are learning what it means to be disciples of Jesus. The Bible has a continuing, converting, formative role in the church’s life.
3. Taking Risks as a Contrast Community – The missional church is learning to take risks for the sake of the gospel. It understands itself as different from the world because of its participation in the life, death, and resurrection of its Lord. It is raising questions, often threatening, about the church’s cultural captivity and grappling with the ethical and structural implications of its missional vocation.
4. Practices that Demonstrate God’s Intent for the World – The church’s life as a community is a demonstration of what God intends for the life of the whole world. The practices of the church embody mutual care, reconciliation, loving accountability, and hospitality. A missional church is indicated by how Christians behave toward one another.
5. The Public Witness of Worship – Worship is the central act by which the community celebrates with joy and thanksgiving both God’s presence and God’s promised future. Flowing out of its worship, the community has a vital public witness.
6. Dependence on the Holy Spirit – The missional community confesses its dependence upon the Holy Spirit, shown in particular in its practices of corporate prayer.
7. Pointing Toward the Reign of God – The missional church understands its calling as witness to the gospel of the in-breaking reign of God and strives to be an instrument, agent, and sign of that reign. As it makes its witness through its identity, activity, and communication, it is aware of the provisional character of all that it is and does. It points toward the reign of God which God will certainly bring about, but knows that its won response is incomplete and that its own conversion is a continuing necessity.
8. Missional Authority – The Holy Spirit gives the missional church a community of persons who, in a variety of ways and with a diversity of functional roles and titles, together practice the missional authority that cultivates within the community the discernment of missional vocation and is intentional about the practices that embed that vocation in the community’s life.

I have always resisted the “American Business Model” of church organization, and this book gave some concrete words to a lot of ideas that have been floating around in my head. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who is wanting to have a discussion about forming a missional church.

New Wheels

Today I officially purchased the first car that Laura and I have bought since we were married. It is a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Perhaps the coolest thing about the car is that it has a diesel engine and gets terrific gas mileage. Other cools things about it is the manual transmission, the sun roof, and the mp3 player.

Special thanks to our friends Bill and Danielle Shannon for taking such good care of the car and for giving us a great deal on it.

Apparently, we are now a part of this whole sub-culture of people who are really enthusiastic about having a diesel car. I have found a lot of websites devoted to this phenomenon, including this one.

Also, Laura and I like to name our cars. We have not come to an agreement about this one yet. She likes the name "Rachel," while I like the name "Caroline." Which one do you like better? Or do you have a better idea? I am open to suggestions.

So Long, Old Friend

After 6 great years, my time with Val (the affectionate name I gave my Camaro) has come to a close. This past weekend, my next door neighbor asked me what happened to my car. I explained to him the story and finished by mentioning that I was going to try and get $500 for it. He immediately said "I'll take it," and even took my keys right away to pull it into his driveway so no one else would see it and think it might be for sale. I am pretty sure he has a buddy who works in a body shop, and since the car still runs great, he is probably seeing dollar signs by thinking he can repair the body damage real cheap and turn a profit.

I am putting two interesting pictures below. The first was taken the day after I bought the car in 2001. The second was taken the day after I sold it in 2007. The things of this world sure do pass away. As a part of the grieving process, I also wrote a letter to say good-bye and so I can have a little closure. I will put that below as well.










Dear Val,

This is not going to be easy, but it is time for us to say good-bye. Now that I am a little more mature, I am comfortable admitting that I bought you to be cool. And boy were you cool! Manual transmission, custom rims, low to the ground, cool angles - you had it all. Girls went absolutely crazy over you.

Well, actually just one girl, but she ended up being my wife. Laura and I had our first date in you. You provided us a perfect environment to make-out and, after we were married, some other things (wink!). I know that Laura is just as sad about all of this as I am.

My friends and I had a great time in you. You were a part of the scandal that rocked Olivet Nazarene University. I will never forget the night we were doing doughnuts in parking lot only to be pulled over by campus security. I humbly accepted the reckless driving ticket, but the campus security officer, hungry for power, tried to frame me and get me trouble by saying I was rude and called the him a "pig." However, we had conclusive video evidence that proved otherwise, and that officer lost his job for filling out a faulty report. Good times!

You have always been a good car. In fact, I never had a major mechanical problem with you. You started when I needed you to start and you took me where I needed to go. For those reasons and so many more, I will always remember you. From now on, whenever I see a Camaro on the road, a twinkle will come to my eye and I will recall the good times.

With much love,

Todd