Monday, November 17, 2008
what was he thinking?
Monday, November 10, 2008
the possible...
"What if Starbucks marketed like the Church?" from beyondrelevance.com
Friday, October 24, 2008
celebrity endorsement
recently re-visited my favorite sweet spot in Fort Worth: The Cupcake Cottage. Judge me how you will but there are deeper reasons to why i love this sweet shack other than the creamy, homemade frosting. If you hit their website: http://www.thecupcakecottage.com/ you'll see that they set out a menu in advance, take reservations, and close when they are sold out of inventory. by turning their backs on mass-production and extended hours, they avoid over-production and waste. if you follow their guidelines, you can get what you want when you want it. though i find it more fun to take a chance and see what's available when you get there, that choice does come with the possibility that you may miss out altogether if you get there too late. regardless, check out these responsible purveyors of the sweet stuff in Fort Worth.
on the same note, if you haven't stopped by Spiral Diner at either their Fort Worth or Oak Cliff locations, you are really missing out on the most compelling reason to go vegan: their menu. the ate-layer burrito, bbq samwich, and the big ol burrito are a few of my favorites. also, start out with the hummus and finish up with anything from the desert tray. visit their website at http://www.spiraldiner.com/.
Monday, October 20, 2008
i wonder...
1. the rest of the world hates us and rightly so.
2. we are not in the matrix, banal junk like elections and economic downturn doesn't happen in the matrix.
3. germans love david hasselhoff.
Monday, October 06, 2008
lets get politico...
one thing that may seem partisan but i feel compelled to share is the seeming apprehension towards anything "intellectual." what does it say about our culture when those who appear educated and informed are looked at with skepticism and fear? why is someone who seemingly lacks the ability to communicate effectively always a victim of "the liberal media?" what attracts a voter to someone who proclaims to know joe and sally six-pack while appearances would certainly indicate that they are completely out of touch with a large portion of that demographic. i want leaders who will be who they are, not attempt to be folksy or down-to-earth in order to win my vote. as a recent bumper sticker i read stated, "i want a smart president this time." that is not to say that our current president or his administration is un-educated or stupid, it is to say look at where down-home, folksy, fireside wisdom has gotten us over the last eight years. we have become more isolated in our ability to connect with those nations who were previously allies and in our ability to remain trusted amongst world powers.
vote with your heart, head, and hands. do not be duped to believe hype that is certainly designed to misguide you.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
watch this and make your ears bleed!
Check them out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-NOZU2iPA8
Thanks to Reverend Meredith Bell for bringing this to my attention.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
new tattoo and blog to check out
rockin my new ink after wife and i got a wild hair (w/o the young one around) to get inked together, her first my second. also wanted to pass on a blog to you from friends living together in the hemphill area of fort worth in a community called tolstoy house. one member off in oregon learning to garden and live sustainably off the grid. the link to the site is here http://www.tolstoyhouse.com/ check it out when you get a chance. they are looking for assistance in the form of a relational tithe from those who are seeking to build the kingdom by serving others. peace to you my friends.
Monday, September 15, 2008
13 days later...
During one of the presentations, a speaker noted that United Methodism finds it roots in the minds of two young adults (brothers, in fact) who also saw the church they were a part of missing opportunities to reach the "outsiders" of their day. For me, this was a real "a-ha" moment that raised so many different ideas that I plan to post about over the next couple of weeks. I encourage you to visit www.yasummit.com to see a list of the speakers involved and some resources available to include young adults in the ministry of your congregation.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
vitame vas na!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Dorothy Day and The Catholic Worker
moving back into youth ministry
Friday, August 08, 2008
Just Say Whoa!
Monday, August 04, 2008
From Richard Rohr's "Job and the Mystery of Suffering"
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
"The Church Obeyed and Challenged"
Monday, July 28, 2008
Window Decal Reveals Something More
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Peace
Thomas Merton, from Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Strange Tale of Donald Crowhurst
ontological or functional?
on·to·log·i·cal (ŏn'tə-lŏj'ĭ-kəl) adj.
1. Of or relating to ontology.
2. Of or relating to essence or the nature of being.
- Of or relating to the argument for the existence of God holding that the existence of the concept of God entails the existence of God.
func·tion·al (fŭngk'shə-nəl) adj.
1. a. Of or relating to a function.
b. Of, relating to, or indicating a mathematical function or functions.
2. Designed for or adapted to a particular function or use: functional architecture.
3. Capable of performing; operative: a functional set of brakes.
4. Pathology Involving functions rather than a physiological or structural cause.
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 25 Jun. 2008
As I have continued on the quest to discern my own calling into ordained ministry, I have had the opportunity to dialogue with others within the United Methodist tradition and other Christian traditions about their understanding and call to ministry with the church of Jesus Christ. Recently, during a course I was taking on monastic spirituality, a fellow student (and fellow United Methodist) asked one of the monks when they had felt "the call" into monastic life. His response was "when the sperm hit the egg, I guess." This garnered further discussion that led to some narrowing down the term "calling" into two categories: functional, as in receiving a "call from God to serve" (or towards some action) in ministry and ontological, as in God made me a minister/pastor/priest. I found this to be intriguing in that I have often felt, in the midst of a tradition that places great emphasis in one's "call story" during the process for an ordained ministry whose orders are defined by what they do, that I am ontologically called to minister with the church of Jesus Christ. In other words, this is who God made me to be. That may seem odd coming from someone with such an open theism as myself but I do believe I was made to minister, that my life has led to this path rather than been altered or diverted through some cosmic, spiritual experience in which I heard the voice of God calling me in a different direction. Though I don't believe the two to be mutually exclusive, I do feel, as I read literature re: the order of Deacon within the United Methodist tradition, I have been equipped to serve (there's that word again) in this role all along. Still working through some of this and would love to hear your thoughts or how you might have struggled with this.
Litany for Non-Violence
Monday, June 23, 2008
Yeti no more

Shaved my beard and cut my hair yesterday. Had been growing for nine months, so the whole experience was as close as I come in my life to gestation and birthing something. Feel lighter and a whole lot cooler. Feel, however, that something missing (like my chin) so let June 23rd, 2008 be set as the new first day back to full growth. It should be an interesting nine months. If you see me in the meantime, please do not point and laugh.
