Just a few reflections tonight. After a good day of keeping the family going, I'm taking a few minutes to eat some exotic Lay's potato chips, drink a good Bell's Oberon mocrobrew, and I'm listening to Ryan Sharp's "the Cobalt Season."

Kathy and I know Ryan and Holly from the past three years at the emergent gathering in Santa Fe, and they are currenlty on the road. They'll be in West Michigan on Nov. 12 & 13; Ryan's doing a show (likely in our house) on the night of the 12th. If you want to be invited, drop us an e-mail. I'm so excited that they'll be hanging with us for a few days.

Tonight I am incredibly thankful. Thankful for two great kids, a supportive wife, a water's edge gang that is willing to rethink church and in the process they are following Jesus in amazing ways. I have an e-mail from Australian friend Malcolm Hawker in my inbox and another from George Hunsberger. (what's not to love)

George has become a great mentor and friend over the past two years, and for those of you who don't know him -- he's likely one of the most knowledgeable Leslie Newbigin scholars on this planet. He spent time with Leslie, and he wrote his doctoral disortation on the man's work... (here's his book on Newbigin)

I'm grateful for my seminary mentor, Craig VanGelder, who pointed me toward the ways of the kingdom, a deep passion for the gospel that challenges the status quo, and who pointed me toward the Gospel & Our Culture Network as well as George...

Tonight I am grateful. Grateful for those who have gone before and grateful for those with more experience who pull us along. Grateful for the life of Rosa Parks who died today. Grateful that my understanding of the gospel keeps exploding in its size and scope. Grateful that Jesus and the kingdom are bigger and fuller and more encompassing than anything I imagined five years ago. Grateful for God's grace. Grateful for friends who believe good food and good drink is communing together. Grateful for you who read this stuff too.

Shalom.

Jim Trick will be leading us in worship this Sunday night, Oct. 23. He is a worship leader, song writer, and speaker worth taking time to hear. 5 p.m. for food / 5:30 p.m. for worship @ the water's edge space.

Pizza party in New Mexico w/ Andrew Jones...

God is good! We had the opportunity to spend this past week in Glorieta at the emerent village 'gathering.'

We got an extra treat as Andrew & Debbie Jones showed us how they throw pizza parties... Andrew has stories of how pizza parties have grown into churches... amazing to hear how the Spirit is leading people into kingdom life!

I shot a video of Andrew explaining how these pizza parties work; of course there is a bit of good theology in his explanation... If you want a copy, I'll e-mail it your way, but you'll need a fast connection.

Thanks to the Jones family for feeding 7o people with homemade pizza's this past Wednesday night! You guys are the real deal.

I'll be posting some more thoughts about this past week in the near future. blessings.

liberal or conservative?

Yesterday I posted something on someone's blog, and they responded with something like, "All of these emerging church people are really just political liberals."

Regardless of where I find myself at any moment on the political spectrum, here's something that amazes me: I am first and foremost a follower of Jesus. The person who labeled me as a liberal is also a follower of Jesus. YET, he used political terms to define my biblical position on specific things that are of importance to me and to the ways of Jesus.

In other words, it was important that he label me in order to minimalize my position... I am beginning to believe that Christ followers in America will have a very limited ability to be heard by society unless we are willing to suggest that the ways of Jesus (and the kingdom of God) are not embodied by one political party.

And labeling other Christians as liberals or conservatives does nothing to speak honestly about our cause.