Open Mike

Sabbatical Plans 2: Interesting Places

(Part II of the proposal for my sabbatical, written a year ago)

Program Narrative: Our renewal program will begin in May 2012 and will last three months, through July 31, 2012. In the course of the three months, I will experience a mission renewed, a mission rewind, a fast forwarding of mission, concluding with rest and reflection. My family will enjoy the entire summer together, except for my initial renewal trip.

RENEW a heart for God and missional ministry (5/14/12-5/22/12). I will take a personal pilgrimmage to Ireland to be refreshed by my historical mentor, St. Patrick (my dissertation is titled The Transformational Missiological Leadership of St. Patrick). I will visit major sites of early Celtic Christian monasticism for five days (Glendalough, Kildare, Clonmacnoise, and a couple of libraries and museums). I hope to be inspired by the successful transfer of the heart of mission from St. Patrick to second and third generation church leaders, even as I gently lay my heart open to this great monastic-centered movement of our faith. I hope to prayerfully journal the question: As Lake Forest Church moves from church plant to church-planting-church, what can be learned about effective translation of the Christian mission from generation to generation? A monastic rhythm or ‘rule’ of life has borne much fruit in my devotional life the past five years, so I return to a wellspring of abundant life for me. Iwill enjoy a spiritual retreat at the Celtic neo-monastic center of The Northumbria Community in Ireland for a few days.

REST
(5/24/12-6/19/12). I will slow down for personal rest, reading, and play at home. This will give time for me and Angie to fully engage with our oldest son's graduation from high school. Perhaps my boys and I can go surfing for a couple of days – our favorite shared hobby.

REWIND to the first Christian mission (6/20/12-6/29/12). My mentor St. Patrick consciously viewed
himself as an inheritor of Paul’s missionary imperative, thus I will do the same. This will build a biblical exploration component into the sabbatical, shared by Angie, Dylan and Austin. We will spend ten days touring the major cities of Paul's missionary journeys via bus and boat. Some stops will include expert instruction regarding period archaeology and culture, other stops will be self-led for scholarly content (through prior purchased materials). I pray for my sons to see the scriptures as truly living and active as we discuss Acts and the Epistles while being there. I pray for them to view their lives as part of the larger missio Dei. I pray for our mutual calling to ministry as a couple to be strengthened. The question I will prayerfully interact with in my journal is: How does the first Christian mission to pre-Christian cultures inform today’s mission to post-Christian western culture?

FAMILY RENEWAL, adventure, and preparation for a new stage of life
(6/30/12-7/28/12). We plan to live for one month in Tuscany, Italy. The time will be spent on deeply exploring a new culture, hobbies (painting, history, wine, reading, biking), and simply enjoying one another, before sending our oldest to college in August. (This part of the plan morphed into - a few days touring Rome, a week touring southern Tuscany, two weeks in a villa outside Florence, a final week driving to Venice then the Austrian Alps and finally Salzburg). This month we also plan to…

FAST FORWARD to learn from missional churches reaching post-Christian people in Western Europe (6/18/12-7/18/12). We will visit and interview the leadership of two new (<ten years) congregations identified as effectively missional to post-Christian persons in a capital city. These are churches identified by mission executives as consciously and effectively enculturating the gospel to their context (more advanced post-Christendom than the U.S.). I pray my imagination for contextual mission will be expanded beyond conventional American categories. This component will consist of two day pre-arranged interviews each. The question I intend to prayerfully journal is: What can the American church, with a heart for reaching increasingly post-Christian people, learn from relatively fruitful new Western European churches?

REST and REFLECTION to setup rhythm of life and heart for mission upon re-entry (7/28/12-8/4/12). I will pursue final reading to follow the thread of themes which emerged during sabbatical experiences. This will also be a good time to write reflections on personal, professional, and family transitions, compiling thoughts on missiological ideas and dreams for the next years of ministry at Lake Forest Church.

Christian in a Muslim Nation: News from a Missionary we support in a Sensitive Area

Do you ever feel that you are living a double life? "Salaam" had heard about Jesus as a young girl; however, as a Muslim she never was able to find out more. About 18 months ago, she started to take aerobics classes at a community center. She met some unusual Americans teaching the classes and asked them if they knew anything about Jesus whom she had been searching to know about for 42 years. In God's grace, there were many there who could joyfully share about Jesus.

Salaam believed and began to make significant changes in her life. She uncovered her head, began speaking boldly about Jesus to her family, and ravenously reading the Bible. Soon, she received the backlash of her husbands cruel hand and words and the disdain of life-long friends. She decided to cover her head again and even give the traditional Islamic greetings and sayings.

"I'm living a double life." she cried to me this week. "I am desperate for more of Jesus, but how do I live this out in this culture and pressure around me." We prayed hungry prayers for the Lord to give her a powerful wisdom and discernment by His Spirit to remain a loyal servant, yet to know how to navigate faith in a hostile context.

Pray for many like "Salaam" which means "peace." May peace reign in their lives with a rock solid confidence in their citizenship as a child of the King.

(This entry is from this week's Missio Dei blog at Lake Forest Church. It consists of regular stories, from LFC folks, of how we are each "sent to be ministers and messengers of God's reconciling love both in our community and in cultures around the world." I love it every time a new post comes to my inbox - its most often the first hand account from a Lake Forest person, telling their God-story as they engage in mission near and far, to people hungry for food and/or hungry for God. You can subscribe to that blog at http://lakeforest.typepad.com/missiodei/ )

Salaam believed and began to make significant changes in her life. She uncovered her head, began speaking boldly about Jesus to her family, and ravenously reading the Bible. Soon, she received the backlash of her husbands cruel hand and words and the disdain of life-long friends. She decided to cover her head again and even give the traditional Islamic greetings and sayings.

"I'm living a double life." she cried to me this week. "I am desperate for more of Jesus, but how do I live this out in this culture and pressure around me." We prayed hungry prayers for the Lord to give her a powerful wisdom and discernment by His Spirit to remain a loyal servant, yet to know how to navigate faith in a hostile context.

Pray for many like "Salaam" which means "peace." May peace reign in their lives with a rock solid confidence in their citizenship as a child of the King.

(This entry is from this week's Missio Dei blog at Lake Forest Church. It consists of regular stories, from LFC folks, of how we are each "sent to be ministers and messengers of God's reconciling love both in our community and in cultures around the world." I love it every time a new post comes to my inbox - its most often the first hand account from a Lake Forest person, telling their God-story as they engage in mission near and far, to people hungry for food and/or hungry for God. You can subscribe to that blog at http://lakeforest.typepad.com/missiodei/ )

October Baby: Every Life is Beautiful

Did you know a Huntersville man produced a movie that was released nationally last weekend? "October Baby" was #8 in tickets sales last weekend. Cecil Stokes is a Christian who produces television shows, and this is his first feature film. It explores themes of forgiveness and the sanctity of every life, through the lens of a baby who survives an abortion attempt.

I'm hoping that 'word of mouth' generates enough interest and sales to propel the film into more theaters next month. Because the film addresses important themes from the perspective of faith AND continues the upward trajectory of 'Christian' as adjective not necessarily meaning 'poorly done' for a film. By all accounts (I have not seen this movie yet), the lead acting is first rate (including a number of actors we're all familiar with). It won the prize as Best Fiction Feature at the 2011 Red Rock Film Festival, with the lead actress taking home a Special Achievement Award for acting.

The best movie I've ever seen with a strong pro-life message is "Bella" from 2006, that also touches well on the beauty of adoption. "Bella" was an under-the-radar, high quality indie film made by Christians as well. I can't recommend it highly enough. So, I'm looking forward to seeing "October Baby" - let me know what you think when you've seen it. Its playing in Charlotte this weekend at AMC Concord Mills and Stonecrest cinemas.

Blue Like Jazz Movie - Almost "R" for "R"eal

Donald Miller's "Blue Like Jazz" movie breaks several Christian movie (quote un-quote) molds.  My favorite is the fact they had to reshoot one scene in order to obtain a PG-13 rating instead of R.  That detail is emblematic of another, larger new pathway Don and filmaker Steve Taylor are attempting to walk as Christians making a movie (rather than making a "Christian movie"). 

 I attended a preview screening of the film last night at Birkdale Village (thanks guys for choosing Huntersville for one of your in-person screenings), to which regional ministry leaders were invited. Price of entry - give us your feedback.  And yes, I used the shi-shi-poo-poo word 'film.' I think its deserved here in a good way. Don recently spoke at our church, so it was good for me and a few of our leaders to have a moment to reconnect with him.  Here's the group's feedback, taken from Don's phone:  

The larger mold they've broken is this - that a truly Christian-themed movie must be ipso facto, by definition, forever and ever amen, be a family-friendly movie.  This movie is NOT family friendly, not in the sense I've heard it defined on one Christian radio station - "encouraging the heart of 5 year olds and 95 year olds."  A five year olds' heart would not be encouraged by this movie - in fact, you'd feel like the worst-parent-of-the-year idiot in the room if you sat with your 5 year old through this movie. 

But as Don stated in the question and answer afterward, there are parts of the Bible that are certainly not family friendly either (How did we turn Noah's story of the almost-extinction of the human race into a cute children's story? Would the use of a flannel graph similarly de-terrorize other stories of mass death, since 'the medium is the message'?  I don't know).  Just like the Scriptures address mature themes insightfully for mature audiences, so will believers who participate in culture-making actions, when addressing mature themes.  That's what's happening in Blue Like Jazz.  Its not shocking at all as just another movie.  But when put on screen by such Christian culture icons as Steve Taylor and The Don, I found it arresting and something I had to deal with. Which is my wife Angie's stripped down definition of true art - it makes you deal with it.

I don't intend to review the whole movie.  I'm not experienced enough at that to do so without giving away parts of it that I bet they don't want given away by some yokel like me.  So here are a few other thoughts:

The acting is first rate - another mold-breaker that I hope could possibly be the new normal for films by Christians.  Several of the actors have been in a number of popular movies and tv shows.  If you were a fan of LOST, there's one actor you'll be looking at and just like me and Angie saying "I know I've seen her in something, its driving me crazy, what was it?"  We went home, googled, 'I can't believe I didn't make the connection!'

There is good red-state/blue-state dialogue fodder in this film, in what promises to be a volatile presidential election year.

Some of the stylistic choices in the movie give it an indie, art-house feel.  Other aspects of college life in the film give it a more spring break potential big hit feel.

The plot is highly fictionalized from Don's book by the same name, and wanders far afield from the book.  The ending is a true payoff, and firmly anchors the story back into what America liked most about the book.

Parents, let this movie help you re-respect motion picture ratings - do not take a child younger than 13 to Blue Like Jazz, and heavily reconsider how often you ignore that rating for other movies, when it involves mature themes.  I personally would not take my middle-schooler to this movie.  That just means it is able to deal very honestly with adult themes in important ways.

Don said afterward, "I hope this movie increases the talkabillity of common human struggle."

Above all, this is truly a work of art through which people who happen to be believers have chosen the medium of film in order to explore ideas of beauty, truth and wonder in a unique and effective way.  Friday April 13 is the opening - let's go!  Here's the trailer:

 

A Kinetic Guide to Ash Wednesday

Sometimes I say that Lake Forest aspires to be an ancient-future church. Today is Ash Wednesday, and I'm preparing to lead six quiet, intimate services of communion and the imposition of ashes on our Huntersville campus.  One way I define ancient-future church is:

1. We are future oriented in mission - changing forms and methods of worship in order to speak the gospel effectively in today's language of ever-changing culture (technology, idiom, arts, servanthood through a toy store, instruments - including alternative adult rock at LFCH and indie rock at LFCD). 

2.We practice humility by being ancient in doctrine, as well as through time-proven spiritual practices like Lent and Advent, taking our grateful place in acknowledged succession from 2,000 years of faithful followers of Jesus.

For Lent this year, we are encouraging people to: *Worship on Ash Wednesday, *read a chapter of Proverbs per day (to jive with our new sermon series), *choose a Lenten fast for 40 days, *fast absolutely from Good Friday evening until Easter morning, and *celebrate in Easter worship and a feast afterward.

Here's a succinct, kinetic guide to the purpose and practice of Lent: