ReCreate

something new and magical and amazing is stirring and coming. be prepared.

March 31st

Just wanted to remind everyone about Friday night. We’ll be gathering again at 7:00 pm. We’ll have your typical coffee and snacks. And this week, we’ll order some pizza and whoever wants in on it can just pitch in some money.

So if you think you’ll want pizza, just email me back and let me know so I’ll know how much to order.

I know our last conversation got a little off topic. Consequently, we ended up spending time in conversation that may not have been as fruitful as it could have been. We also moved away from a conversation that is centered on movement, on how our faith engages and compels us to move forward faithfully. I take full responsibility for not steering our talk and keeping it focused on the topic at hand. I’m ADD and am also very opinionated. Thrown in with other strong opinions and a room full of coffee cups and Dance, Dance Revolution adrenaline, you can see how we got off into a heated discussion that was situated in left field. So this week I promise not to let the conversation get so “heady”, academic, or heated. But please come ready to discuss and share your thoughts.

So this week, I’m going to try and take more of an active role in keeping our talk focused. We’re also going to keep our conversation on the topic to an hour and a half tops. So we’ll be done at 8:30 at the latest. I don’t know about everybody else, but 2.5 hours is a bit much for me. And this week, everyone is welcome to stay afterwards where we can do whatever our moods should fancy.

I really appreciate everyone opening up and sharing last week though. And good news for those of you who are tired of the “talk-a-lot-ers”, we’re thinking about putting a time limit on those of us who can’t shut up.

So read Movement Three in Velvet Elvis. And we’ll see you Friday night. Remember to let us know if you want pizza.

Here are some pictures from our last gathering. We're geeks with the DDR, I know.

Friday Night

Heyheyhey! I just wanted to remind everyone about Friday night. We’ll be gathering at our house at 7:00 pm. Please try to be as prompt as you can so that we can finish at a decent time for those who have kids or need to get back home to save a babysitter. We’ll be having coffee, hot chocolate, and possibly some small desserts. So either eat beforehand or hold on until afterwards, when we’ll make a Waffle House run.

This week we’re going to be discussing Chapter 2 of Velvet Elvis. And we’re going to try something a little different this week. And I know some people aren’t comfortable in talking with loud groups (cough, cough . . . Casey) so they can be exempt if it’s absolutely necessary. But I’d like everyone to come prepared to share at least one thing that you found helpful and relevant to your life and then about how that helps you “move” in a more faithful direction with God. In any good conversation, there needs to be multiple partners, perspectives, and voices. So please come prepared to share your thoughts on the chapter that we’ve read. Unless of course you’re scared of people. Then you can just watch. : )

See you guys on Friday. Email me if you have any questions. And don’t forget to bring a friend if you think they would enjoy a conversation like this.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day too so if anybody wants to bring some green beer then that would be fine with me!

Schedule Changes

Good and bad news guys.

Due to a lack of planning and communication, we are going to cancel the Phoenix Project for this Friday night.

The good news is though is that we have a tentative schedule (below) for our next 5 gatherings. For the next 2 weeks, we are going to meet at our house at 7:00. And after that, we will more than likely go back to rotating between our home and the Thompson’s. Unless of course any of you would like to host a night.

March 17th – Browns @ 7:00 pm

March 31st - Browns @ 7:00 pm

April 14th

April 28th

May 12th

I’m sorry this is so last minute. But hopefully these dates will allow us all to plan ahead and to make it to our gatherings a fruitful and beneficial time. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I’ll send out an email at the first of next week reminding everyone about the 17th and any other details.

Follow Up

We had a great time last Friday night reading and discussing the first "chapter" of Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. Anna made some delicious desserts that Leslie mistook for "fish and loaves" because of their ever replenishing nature. And then Casey and I went into our little XBox world and didn't come out for a while. And we capped it off with Waffle House, although the group was only down to 4 by this time.

I just wanted to let everyone know I'm working up a tentative schedule for the next 3 or 4 months. Of dates, locations, and food. And I'll design something nifty and pass it out next time we get together on March 10th (location undetermined).

I also passed out a "message" by Doug Pagitt. If I forgot to give you a copy, you can download it here or I'll give you one the next time I see you.

Movement Three This Friday Night

I just wanted to remind everyone about this Friday night. We’ll be meeting at our house (I’ll email directions out later in the week) at 7:00 pm. Everybody will be on there on for dinner, but we will have coffee, hot chocolate, etc. And if you’re really adventurous, some of us may give IHOP or Waffle House a late night run when we finish up around 9 or so.

Remember to go out and purchase Velvet Elvis and read chapter one for discussion. As you’re reading, if you have a question about something or something makes you “uncomfortable”, just write it down we can discuss Friday. Or if something totally resonates with you, write that down as well and we can talk about that too. If you have any questions, feel free to call or email me. See you guys Friday!

Overview of Friday Night

Below is kind of a rough draft of some of the notes that I sketched out for our conversation. Feel free to add your thoughts from the discussion in a comment or email me and I'll be more than happy to add you to the administrative list so you can add your own thoughts. There are also some pictures attached below.

“We live in a pornographic culture.” – Eugene Peterson
Meaning we tend to objectify people. View people in terms of their content.

This objectifying of people, we turn people into the content of their actions or thoughts instead of their relational being.

In our culture, “content” dominates. In our churches, “content” dominate. So when disagreements arise, there is an inevitable clash. And at the expense of the relationship.

In the biblical texts, and especially with Jesus, the emphasis is on the relationship instead of the “content” or issue”. Whereas, we are terribly occupied with the “issue” at the expense of the relationship.

STORY OF THE PRODIGAL SON
The Father wasn’t concerned with the issue but with the relationship (Luke 15: 20-24)
The brother wasn’t concerned with the relationship but with the issue (Luke 15:25-30)

Both had to do with a lack of listening. I think that is where we really begin to understand and embrace the other in love. Hearing intently. More time should be focused on the character and interchanges of the relationship than on the disagreement on the issue.

“There can be no doctrinal orthodoxy without first being a good friends.” – Pope Something

And what we need in most issues of conflict is not a doctrinal statement but a relational statement. We have to realize that the other person is larger than the issue or the culture they symbolize. Even more so with our enemies.

As we negotiate these relationships we must do so with HEALING as the ultimate aim. Anything that doesn’t take into account this ministry of healing is missing it.