The Politics of Jesus Part 2

My friend Kylan and I went to the bloggily aforementioned Tokens event "The Politics of Jesus" at Lipscomb University's new (I think it's new) Shamblin Auditorium. The room was great with an atmosphere that was warm, cozy, and comfortable. The stage was set up like a live radio show with expensive looking broadcast quality microphones, about a dozen chairs for musicians and actors. It started just like a radio show. We felt as if we were at a taping of Prairie Home Companion without Garrison Keillor.

They did some comedy bits, Derek Webb sang Nick Lowe's "Peace Love and Understanding" and then...

Disappointed we were. The interviews had been taped, and not on video but audio. So, no Shane Claiborne. No Jim Wallis. No Chris Haw. Etc, etc. The blog I listed was copied directly from the Tokens website, and it did not say a thing about the interviews not being live. So, we were really looking forward to hearing from them, especially Shane. When I got home I checked their site and it suddenly said something like "prerecorded interviews". Ugh.

It was pretty cool, I guess. Just disappointing. There were entertaining and funny moments, the music was great and the prerecorded interviews were insightful. Still, I don't feel like I walked away a more informed person or voter.

The recording of the show is supposed to be posted soon in podcast form. We were in the second row, so listen for the intentionally goofy sounds we made all night in retalliation for what we felt was a bit of a letdown. I know, very mature.

Cool Event - The Politics of Jesus

Shamblin Theatre
@ Lipscomb University

September 2, 2008
first show, 6:30-8:30 PM;
second show, 9:00-11:00 PM

Tickets on Sale Now Through Ticketmaster
$12.50 for General Admission
$10.00 for Students & Educators

Or you may purchase tickets in person at the Lipscomb University Box Office - Allen Arena. Call 615.966.7075 for box office hours.

Scheduled to Appear:

Musical guests include Derek Webb, Buddy Greene, and Odessa Settles, accompanied by Most Outstanding Sinai Mountain Boys (Jeff Taylor; Aubrey Haynie; Pete Huttlinger; Chris Brown; and Byron House).

Plus interviews with Jim Wallis, best-selling author of God's Politics and founder of Sojourners; Randall Balmer, professor of American religious history at Columbia University and author of God in the White House: A History; and Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw on their new book Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals. And the Tokens Radio Players will be back cooking up no telling what fun with the presidential election just around the corner.

More info at www.tokensshow.com.

Campolo on the Colbert Report

I'm a huge fan of the Colbert Report. I'm also a fan of Tony Campolo.

Put the two together...magic.

Click here to see the video (and a bunch more).

Stations of the Cross This Saturday Night

Head over to The Well Gathering Blog and check out the video for this Saturday evening's stations of the cross service.

The Well is the alt worship service at my church, Grace UMC in Mt Juliet (just a bit outside of Nashville...everything is 20 minutes from Nashville).

We meet the last Saturday of each month at 5:30 pm at the Family Life Center (3085 N Mount Juliet Road) and would love to see you there.

The Last Eyewitness in Nashville

On Tuesday, April 11th IKON (the People's Church service...not the Brits) will host THE LAST EYEWITNESS, an alternative worship experience aimed at connecting people to the story of Jesus through scenes from the Gospel of John. During the night, worship will take the form of art with UK artist Rob Pepper, music with the Robbie Seay Band and Don and Lori Chaffer of Waterdeep, and experiential teaching with author/pastor Chris Seay.

All of these artists are collaborating on THE VOICE, a project designed at reconnecting people to the story of scripture. Other contributors to this project are Donald Miller, Brian McClaren, Lauren Winner, and many others. THE VOICE will be available in 2007.

I ripped this from the IKON blog...and I would add that it's worth it to go just for Don and Lori because they no longer tour...of course it seems that it will be a great night in general.

12 Tension Points in the Emerging Church

Andrew Jones has posted an interesting article entitled 12 Tension Points in the Emerging Church.

Nichole Nordeman, Methomergents, and Nap Time

So, I have been lame today. I haven't attended a single seminar today and I'm sitting at home 20 minutes from downtown (a different 20 minutes than Jay. Everything is 20 minutes from Nashville).

I got to see Nichole Nordeman do four songs at the NPC. Man is she good. I wish her albums were more stripped down because she's always at her best when it's just her and a piano... The sound very Nashville (well, not the first one. It's pretty much perfect). She also had a guitarist with her who was great. If I wasn't married and she wasn't married with child, I'd chase her around the country and beg her to be mine. For those of you worried about Daphne... her guy is Derek Webb (and he's married too).

I then participated in an impromptu Methodist get together (oh and a Methocast!) with Jay, Gavin, Jonathon, and Jenny. The Methomergents as it were. Everyone just sort of arrived at the same place and same time. Very cool. Bill where were you? Betsy Hall could have participated but she elected to walk by and scribble on my hand with a pen. Crazy Betsy.

So, now it's nap time and I've been blogging and haven't even eaten lunch yet. Do I have time to nap? Of course I do. That is what the CDs of the seminars are for after all.

Emergent Thursday

Today was another whirlwind day at the Emergent Convention. You can read the last two posts to see some of it. Here's more:

The blogger lunch was a blast. It was so fun to hang out with around forty other bloggers, many of whom I've read. You should have heard the collective Wheel of Forune-esque oohs and aahs when Jonathon said his blog was The Phaith of St.Phransus. He is the beloved blogger, you know. I received no oohs and aahs... but if you're reading my blog for the first time because of EC, welcome!

My haircut went well (read the blog before this) and I talked to Angie (my hair stylist) about the conference. She is one of the only non-Christians I know. How pathetic is that? How many of you that read this can identify? We need to know more people who are not inside the church. We need to be in conversation with them about this whole "emerging" thing if we ever want to emerge. I felt very challenged by Dan's seminar yesterday about people loving Christ and loathing the church. In fact, Dan mentioned his stylist (a non-Christian and lesbian, I believe) and how he had great conversations with her. So, I thought I'd talk to Angie about this thing we're doing at the Nashville Convention Center.

I need to ask Angie why she left the church and why she decided to be wicken and what that means. I will next time. Hold me to that, will you? I love Angie and I love talking to her. This was one of the few religion themed conversations we've ever had (and the first time we've ever not talked about movies, which is weird because Episode 3 just came out).

We talked about Dan's seminar and how so many non-Christians love Jesus--view him as God even--but hate Christians and the church. We talked about how she really hates most of the Christians she knows. I told her I probably would too. I wish she could meet some of the folks at the convention. At least my peeps--my crew--my dawg pound (okay, enough of that). Of course, there are a lot of people at the convention I would never want her to meet because they have the same narrow minded mindset of the ones she already hates.

Angie told me that, on occasion, she gets together with other people for coffee or beer or whatever to talk religion. The people she gets together with are Druids, Wickens, Baptists, Catholics, whatevers... I told her to count me in next time. I so want in on that. Sounds like they need a Methodist anyway.

After I left the salon I drove back downtown and decided to stop by the tent sale at Cokesbury. Today was 35% off day so I was just scoping the place out. Tomorrow the fun begins. Then the thunderstorm came with a vengeance. The circus tent was shaking so much that we thought it might collapse... so we evacuated and I headed back to the convention center.

On my way back downstairs I could have sworn I heard Christy Nockel's beautiful voice. I was right and I went in to the National Pastor's Convention to worship with Watermark. I love Watermark. I was happy.

Daphne got there and we went downstairs to put the freebies on the chairs for EC. We then went to Jack's BBQ with a bunch of our new friends (most of whom blog) including: Andrew Seely, Aaron Klinefelter, Larry Bourgeois (send me your blog address)Lilly Lewin and her family.

Then Phyllis Tickled us again... I mean Phyllis Tickle blessed us again. She is so cool that a new word needs to be invented. She was compared to Yoda. I think that is incredibly accurate.

Daphne and I went to the IKON service at Downtown Pres for a little while and enjoyed it, but wanted so desperately to be in the Steve Taylor preview of his new movie "The Second Chance". I did not know that preview, in this particular case, would mean pre-view. Yes, I have seen the movie and I will blog on that in a separate post.

Anyway, I thought it was just a small thing and it ended up being the entire film. I got so caught up in it that the time escaped me and I never ended up helping out at McKendree after the worship. I was supposed to help take all of the sound equipment and screens from McKendree to Downtown Pres and I feel really bad about not being there to help.

Steve Taylor is one of my only living absolute die-hard, bonafide heroes. So to see his movie and get to talk with him afterwards was a wonderful opportunity I didn't want to miss. If you don't know who Steve is you need to find out. I say that not to say you're a big ole dummy for not knowing him but to say that you'd be doing yourself a favor. Unfortunately a bunch of his albums are out of print (idiots... the CCM music industry... idiots). So download what you can. He said this once, so I can say it too.

Steve was in an excellent band called Chagall Guevera (out of print... flippin' idiots!). They made it big for a half a minute and then they broke up. They landed a track on the Pump Up The Volume soundtrack.

Steve left his music career behind to pursue a film career. He has directed some excellent videos by Christian artists (there was a time when pretty much the only good videos in CCM were directed by Steve). He has been the other Newsboy for a long time now. Since the album Not Ashamed, Steve has written lyrics for much of the Newsboys catalog. And he has produced some great records including Sixpence None the Richer's self-titled breakthrough.

A good place to learn more about Steve is here. There is also an absolutely hysterical documentary/mockumentary of Steve on the See Spot Rock DVD.

Oh and there was a Steve Taylor tribute album a few years ago with artists like Sixpence and Fleming & John.

Anyway, all of the video experiences (and film school) have led him to pursue film full time. Read the next post.

Completely random thoughts on Mike Card (oh, and my hair)

It's 1:30 PM and I'm going to try to blog random funny stuff and take serious notes at Michael Card's seminar on "The Lost Art of Lament". Call it multi-tasking.

So this will be random thoughts that have little to do with the seminar subject of lament:

1:32 - Wish they had wi-fi.
We'll start in a minute. I love Mike Card's music and books (and he's a great teacher).

1:36 - When someone's Windows startup music came on... Mike said I wrote that. Thats one of mine.

1:37 - He just said that Wes King has cancer. That is not fair.

2:00 - I am too tired to be here. Or to understand Mike. I should go sleep on a couch. The guy in the room next door is screaming at the top of his lungs on the microphone. It's probably funny if you're in there. I guess.

2:10 - My butt hurts. Sitting on the floor will do that.

2:21 - Mike says, 'I don't have a worship album because I don't know how to worship. And the point is that there are so many people like me in your church.' So right.

2:26 - I don't want to but I'm going to have to leave. I'm getting a haircut at 3! Yippee! Think I'll try to get it cut just like Alex Roller. Just kidding... maybe in a couple years. Alex said that only people who have perfect scalps lose their hair. Those who don't have perfect scalps have to have hair to cover up their imperfections.

Ooh... I should see if I can get a Dan Kimball haircut!!!

Alas, I have too much hair for a Roller and too little for a Kimball.

Justin Dillon and Matt Slocum

Emergent Wednesday

I'm in the digital lounge at EC and feel I should blog... you see I'm next to Bill, Gavin, and Jonathon and we are all blogging indeed. Yesterday was wonderful. The dork that I am, I did not blog last night due to the fact I wanted to post some pictures. Yet today I am blogging about last night and am using a foreign computer without my pictures. Anyway, I will post them.

I hung out yesterday at Downtown Presbyterian and McKendree UMC. Maybe I shouldn't say "hung out". I loaded in more sound equipment and screens. Anyway, the churches are both beautiful (as you will see when I post pictures).

The only seminar I was able to attend was Dan Kimball's "They Like Jesus But Not The Church" (hey, me too sometimes!). It was a great seminar. Wonderfully depressing and yet optomistic. Dan talked about the many things the church has done to turn away emerging generations. We left with more questions than answers... a good thing. My hope, as I think is Dan's, is that those who came to the workshop will find their own answers, solutions, and remedies.

Last night Phyllis Tickle warmed us with the night blessing. I followed that with the Justin Dillon concert/forum at McKendree. Justin used to be in a band called Dimestore Prophets (I think next week's free MP3 will be their song "Hitler's Girlfriend" if I can find a legal MP3... here are the lyrics) that I loved. Matt Slocum of Sixpence and Astronaut Pushers played cello. I am a very big Slocum admirer.

I wrote down the songs Justin on the offering envelope but I can't find it. Here are some of the songs:

It Is Well With My Soul
The Wonderful Cross
Redemption Song (Bob Marley)
If It Be Your Will (Leonard Cohen)
Yahweh (U2)

There were more typical praise and worship songs, but of course they're the ones I don't remember.

Scandrette followed the songs with an interesting forum about Christians and the arts. He ruffled the feathers of some non-artistic folks who couldn't understand why an artist from San Fransisco would loathe being lumped in with Thomas Kinkade just because he is a Christian. Scandrette was called an eliteist by someone who later apologized.

So here we are in the digital lounge. The NPC is in the next room and Taylor Mason just finished up a very funny puppet routine. Now Michael W. Smith is on stage. In fact I have to go... they're showing a trailer for Steve Taylor's new movie "The Second Chance".

Emergent Convention - Tuesday

Had another great day at the Emergent Convention (EC). Hung out with some cool folks. Mostly I hung out with Youth Specialties' own Alex Roller from San Diego, and a couple bloggers I had read before. It's amazing how the internet connects us. Anyway, today I put names with faces of Lilly from Cincinnati and Andrew from L.A.

Started the day off by loading in tons of stage equipment for the National Pastors Convention (going on simultaneously). Went from there with Alex and Andrew to setting up some of the EC stuff. Met up with Lilly and some other folks and went to Chick-Fil-A. Andrew doesn't have Chick-Fil-A back in L.A. so we needed to broaden his horizons. Here's the thing... I worked downtown for four and a half years and never knew there was a Chick-fil-A in Nashville famous landmark, the Batman building. When the heck did this happen Nashville people?

We went from there to setting up more EC stuff and then we did a lot of "hurry up and wait". We decided it was good spiritual discipline: relaxation and getting better acquainted with new friends.

Read what Andrew wrote on his blog for his side of things. I like what Gavin wrote here too. I too look forward to putting faces to more bloggers.

More tomorrow (when the convention actually begins).

And yes... we Nashville emergent types need to connect at some point... Betsy, Lynnette, Jenny, Gavin, Jonathon, Jay, etc etc... Let's get together and feel alright.

Infection, Taize, and Emergent Women

I'm sick. That's why I haven't posted anything lately. I have an upper respiratory infection, or so I am told. My throat is swelling and it's difficult to talk and swallow.

That being said, I did not let it stop me from going to Scarritt Bennett tonight for another lovely Taize service. With me was Daphne, Jennie and 7 youth from the youth worship team. We're going to do a Taize service on the 15th and this was a great opportunity to experience it again. Their previous experience was with Jenny Youngman at Warmth In Winter, our conference youth event. So, they have had two excellent experiences with Taize and now we will bring it back to our whole group. I'm anxious and anticipatory. It will be interesting to see how 50-70 kids deal with a Taize service, complete with long moments of silence.

Anyway, I'm troubled. Maybe this should be a separate blog, but I'll tie it together. Everyone in the realm of bloggers I read is talking about this blog by Ann Pittman. (Go ahead... read it. I'll wait... What's that? You already have? Oh, of course you have. You're in my realm.) It's 2005 and sexism abounds in the church. It's absurd and you can see by the floodgate of comments on that page that a lot of other people feel it's absurd too. Many other bloggers have shared the concern that women are just simply not in the forefront of leadership in the emergent movement (for instance, read this Lynette blog... actually she lists a couple other blogs too). This is a concern I share.

Tonight, all of the leadership from Scarritt's Taize gathering was female. (I told you I'd tie it all together.) It was wonderfully refreshing. I do not understand in this day and age why sexism is still so prevalent in so many churches. I suppose that in the emergent church a lot of it has to do with the fact that so much of it is coming up out of evangelical roots. I suppose it will take some time to "emerge". As a United Methodist, I scratch my head a lot of the time because many of my favorite clergy are women... so I feel blessed and likewise perplexed.

Anyway, this Sunday night we don't have a youth meeting because of Mother's Day. I'm probably going to attend The Anchor Fellowship, an emergent (I'm so freaking tired of that word) church that meets at Rocketown. The Anchor Fellowship actually came from the Vineyard church.

I have to be honest, I discovered this church through their MySpace account. The band's music is really good. If I had a penny to my name I might buy their new CD on Sunday night. Oh yeah, and their male pastor seems pretty cool.

Emergent Maundy Thursday @ Grace UMC in Mt Juliet

Well, it's on. The first emergent worship gathering at Grace UMC will take place on March 24 at 7 pm. We're getting around the whole "new service" thing by making it the Maundy Thursday service.

Actually, it won't be all that emergent. Or as radically different from other things at Grace as future gatherings may be, but it will definitely turn some heads.

I'm very excited about this. And I'm very freaked 0ut about it. I still don't have the band together and I don't have all the stuff we need. But, it will work out and I've put services together in way less time than this before. In fact, it's what I specialize in.

I've started a new page of the website for this particular gathering. Check it out here.