Archive - June, 2009

Read Any Good Books Lately?

June 30, 2009 in Books, Questions with 6 Comments

So, I’m heading to South Africa on Friday.  What’ll I be doing?  A few different things that I’ll be telling you about in a later post.  The purpose of this post is different.

Getting to South Africa requires a lot of flying.  A few years ago Delta started offering direct flights to Johannesburg from both Atlanta and JFK.  On Friday, I’ll be flying from ATL.  This flight lasts anywhere from seventeen to nineteen hours.  Yes, you read that correctly.  It’s a long flight to say the least.  The discrepancy is whether there is a fuel stop in Dakar, Senegal or not and if there is how long that stop ends up taking and whether or not we have to actually change planes (as you can see, Delta’s definition of a “direct”flight is a little flexible).

Unlike many other airlines offering flights to where I’m going, including South Africa Airways, KLM, and Air France, Delta does not offer personal entertainment stations unless you’re in business class (and who can afford that?).  So, you’re usually stuck watching mediocre or lame movies on a community screen (if you can see that screen) and praying that your headphone jack (or jacks) works.  So, usually I make do with watching some stuff on my iPod or computer, but usually I just read.  I’m a fast reader, though, and can really get through some books.  For instance, when I went to South Africa last year I read five books.  When I went to Kenya, four.  When I went to the Philippines, six.  You get the idea.

Anyway, I thought I’d check and see if any of you have any good recommendations for me.  What should I be reading?  It might be new or old, popular or obscure.  I don’t care.  My interests are pretty varied.  I probably won’t be too keen on “how to” books, self help, romance novels or gift books.  And please, for the love of all things good and decent, no Twilight.  I tried them already.  I got through the first two and just couldn’t get through the third, much less the fourth.  Those books make my acid reflux act up, plus I think they might be ruining adolescent females.  But other than that, let me know any suggestions you might have.

What do you think I should be reading?

Zombieland

June 29, 2009 in Movies with 0 Comments

I’ve got to admit.  I’m pretty excited about this.

I’ll see you at the theater October 9.

Friend Friday: Aaron Ivey Edition

June 26, 2009 in Friends, Music with 2 Comments

I met Aaron Ivey, along with his bandmates Bush and Jimmie, a few years ago.  I don’t remember exactly what year.  The circumstances were that Drew, Taylor, Eric and I had gone up to Ridgecrest to shoot a promo video about them for one of the Student Life Tours they for which they led worship.  I had heard a lot about them from friends (some of you) who had had the privilege of working an event with them.  Every time someone told me about them they would just go on and on and on about how awesome they were, both on stage and off.  I was just late to the dance.  Back then they, and a couple of other great guys named Chad and Guy, were called Spur 58.

Spur 58 was a band birthed out of Aaron’s time as a youth minister down in Houston, TX.  It was during that time that he really honed his passion for leading other believers in the worship of God.  Eventually he and the guys felt like their ministry should expand to leading worship for people and groups outside of their one church.  This ended up leading to a move to Nashville, the heart of Contemporary Christian Music.  They spent a number of years recording albums and traveling the country leading people to the throne.  However, the whole game and business that is the Christian music industry never seemed to have a perfect place for them.  Believe me, this is a good thing.  There’s a lot of good things that happen in that industry, but there’s a lot of not-so-good things too.  It’s a business.  Business and ministry don’t always mix well together (that’s for another post, though), and Aaron is a minister first and foremost.  Anyway, God eventually led Aaron, Bush and Jimmie to return to being worship pastors for a local body of believers.  So, a little less than a year ago they headed back to Texas to The Austin Stone Community Church, where Aaron is able to serve as a worship pastor alongside others so that he also has time to continue leading for other churches and events.

Many of you know that it is a real pet peeve of mine that “worship” in our modern Christian culture is equated with “music.”  However, Aaron isn’t just a musician or a music leader.  He is a true worship leader with a heart for ushering others in to the throne of God.  When you’re “in the room” with Aaron leading, you can tell that he is the one worshipping first and foremost, not just a worship leader but a lead worshipper as well.

In addition to music and worship he’s also passionate about matters of justice in the world.  He, Bush and Jimmie are great advocates for Compassion as well as some other efforts both in their local community of Austin and around the world.  He and his wife Jamie also have a huge heart for adoption.  They’re currently working to add Amos and Story to their family of Cayden and Deacon.  However, they’re not only active in their own adoption effort but are always more than willing to help others as well however they can.  He sees both as ways to continue to glorify Christ in the world.

Aaron just released a new album this week.  It’s called Between the Beauty and Chaos, and you can get it from iTunes or Amazon or just click on the banner ad below. I think you should, and here’s why.

As you survey the landscape of modern Christian music, you’ll discover that there are a lot of offerings out there of “worship” music.  Since this is the case, it sometimes tough to really distinguish what makes one stand out from another.  There’s the stadium anthems of Chris Tomlin or the maturity of a Michael W. Smith.  David Crowder stands out for his experimentation, while labelmate Charlie Hall is probably known more for pure artistry.  Hillsong United seems to be an embodiment of an entire church in one band while Todd Agnew brings a sense of the lone prophet.  Matt Redman is known for his writing, and Delirious? is known for spectacle.  Jason Upton doesn’t lead so much as follows the Spirit, whereas Fee choreographs every moment to accompanying video animations and graphics.  You get the idea, the landscape is vast and while some stand out for certain, very specific things, there are a vast number of others that can get lost in the crowd.

So, what is it about Aaron that sets him apart from the rest.  If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be this: sincerity.  This doesn’t mean that the music isn’t great, that the lyrics aren’t heartfelt and moving, that there isn’t diversity and artistry, that there’s not risk and innovation, that maturity isn’t present, or that the Spirit isn’t moving.  Because, trust me, whether you’re listening to the new album or worshipping with Aaron in the room (I’ve been telling him since I’ve known him that he should make a live album), all those things are definitely there.  But Aaron is one of the most sincere worship leaders I’ve ever been around.  He is real and genuine, and when you spend just a small amount of time with him, you can’t help but know that.  It’s a subtle distinguishing quality, certainly not as flashy as some others, but it’s an extremely important one.

I’ve heard a certain evangelist/speaker/author/producer of Iranian decent (when speaking of Spur 58) say something like, “if you want to listen to them back home just get the new Coldplay album.”  I’m not sure why some immediately think to associate Aaron and the guys with Coldplay.  Maybe it’s because Aaron leads from a piano and that if you squint your eyes and the lights are dim he kinda resembles Chris Martin.  At any rate, rest assured that Between the Beauty and Chaos isn’t a copy or knockoff of anything.  It is something all its own.

Now, I’m no music critic by any means.  So, I’m not gonna sit here and try to break everything on the album down for you.  The best I can say is that I don’t find a lot of enjoyment in listening to albums of Christian music because it never really sounds “good” to me.  But Aaron’s album is good, and I like it, and I actually listen to it.  It’s not like the previous Spur 58 albums.  Aaron, Bush and Jimmie reached a whole new level with this one.  I was trying to think of what in particular stood out to me, but I had trouble coming up with one thing.  At the very least, you should check it out on Aaron’s site or better yet, click on the banner below and get it for yourself.  You won’t be sorry.


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I’ll now leave you with the lyrics to my favorite song from the album: “Let Your Kingdom Come.”

Let Your Kingdom Come

Aaron Ivey, Matt Carter. ©2009 IVEYMUSIC. (ASCAP)

Give us a love for peace
Move us to brokenness
Our generosity
release from poverty
Your Kingdom here and now
To the least of these
Distribute what we have
That all may taste and see

Let Your Kingdom come
Let Your will be done
And all the Earth will say
And echo angels’ praise
That You are God

So, let the sick run free
The orphan find her home
The captured man will know
Release from slavery
Your Kingdom here and now
To the least of these
Distribute what we have
That all may taste and see

Let Your Kingdom come
Let Your will be done
And all the Earth will say
And echo angels’ praise
That You are God

We pray and ask for hope
We pray and ask for peace
We pray and ask for justice
We pray and ask for You

The Music Remains

June 25, 2009 in Music with 0 Comments

I’ve never been a particularly big Michael Jackson fan.  However, you cannot deny the genius that is Thriller.  I have a vague recollection of seeing the video at my grandmother’s house during a family gathering and my mom making them change the channel.  Maybe this was the beginning of my zombie fixation.  Who knows?

I hope he’s found peace.

Church Is Not A Palindrome, Part 3

June 23, 2009 in Church, Conviction, Faith, God, Let's Be Honest with 0 Comments

First, a brief (hopefully) intro to this post:

I’ve written about church before and the struggle I’ve experienced over the past few years to find a local body of believers to be a part of. It wasn’t the finding a local church that was the problem. I live in the deep South, and there are literally hundreds of churches within my area that I could have joined. The problem was finding a church that I liked. Though saying it that way makes it sound much more shallow than it is. It wasn’t that I wanted to find a preacher that I liked or music that I liked or a small group or somewhere with a cool children’s program or something like that. It was really that I had grown pretty disillusioned with church because of some experiences that I had, and every church I visited seemed to have something really wrong with it that I perceived as a reason not to go there. Anyway, you can find those other posts elsewhere.

Now, on to the post:

The good news? I have found a church. I’ve actually only been to it three times. So, I think it’s doubly good that I’m even to now say that I consider myself a part of it. I haven’t officially joined yet (I’m sure we will, soon; you know how summer is), but I’m glad we’re going there. The church is Westwood Baptist Church.

If you knew me really well, and I tasked you to find a church for me, I doubt you would have picked Westwood. Most people I tell that’s where I’m going now seem genuinely surprised. If I had just looked at it without actually going, I probably would have stayed away. This isn’t because there’s something wrong with Westwood. It’s more that you probably would have thought that I would have found something I considered to be wrong with it. And it’s not necessarily that I haven’t. So, why am I going there?

Two reasons.

1. I get a sense of genuineness and that goes a long way with me.

2. I’ve matured a bit and gotten over myself.

The past few years have been some intense times of growth for me in a number of areas. But all of that growth has constituted a season of life during which I’ve realized how much ego I have and how I have to constantly battle against that ego daily. When it comes to church this meant that I came to a point where I knew I needed a church home and where I knew that the major obstacle to me finding a church home wasn’t the churches but was actually my own ego. I was looking for things that were wrong instead of the things that were right. To expect a church to be perfect is ridiculous. To not be willing to be a part of the solutions to problems is selfish. So, I picked a church. Liza picked the same one. It only took one visit on one Sunday, and we’re in. It feels great.

It feels right.

This past Sunday, Les, the pastor, was preaching about personal responsibility. He’s been doing this whole series of sermons on “Lost Words,” which are basically character traits that are biblical and Godly but that our society doesn’t seem to value much anymore (if they ever did in the first place). Personal responsibility is one of those lost words. The sermon was good, but not like the most earth-shattering thing you’ve ever heard. He was preaching from a passage I’m familiar with, 2 Samuel 15. It’s where David and his army are fleeing from Absalom. David tells Zadok the priest to return the Ark of the Covenant to the city because he’s not going to rely on it like some good luck charm. Instead, he’s going to leave things in God’s hands and face whatever consequences the Lord deems he deserves.

Anyway, like I said, it was good and Liza and I were listening intently, but at the end, there was just a brief moment that I’m sure many other people paid no attention to, where Les slapped me in the face (obviously, not literally). In fact, I have a good sense that God prompted him to say this in particular just for me. Here’s what it was.

Les was pretty much finished with the actual sermon part and was leading a kind of decision time so that people could respond to what they had heard. He was challenging all of us to take personal responsibility for things in our own lives and then he began asking what those things might be. Were there things we blamed coworkers for or our spouses for or our children for or the economy or the government or our culture, etc.? Then came the clencher when he said:

“Is there something in your life that’s your responsibility but for which you’ve been blaming the church?”

Talk about hitting home. I realized in that moment, sitting there in this church I had decided to become a member of, the journey that God had been taking me on to heal me and change me and transform me. I’ve been so pissed at Him and so many others along the way because things weren’t going like I thought they should when all along I was the one not going the way I should. But He never gave up on me or abandoned me.

For that I’ll always be thankful to Les and to Westwood and, ultimately, to God, Himself, Whom I’ll be worshipping on Sundays with my new church family.

This may not make a lot of sense to you. I realize that. But it makes perfect sense to me.

So there you go.

Our Compassion

June 22, 2009 in Compassion with 0 Comments

Hey, all you Compassion sponsors.  Check it out. ourcompassion.org.  A way to network with the million or so other Compassion sponsors around the world.  Find and connect with people who sponsor kids in the same project that you do.

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Pretty cool.

Here’s a so-so video about it.

Don’t hold the so-soness of the video against the concept.  Go.  Sign up.  I’ll see you there.

If you’re not already a part of releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name by sponsoring a child with Compassion.  You can do so by clicking here… or the widget on the right.

Reflections On My First Father’s Day

June 21, 2009 in Faith, Family, God with 0 Comments

I like holidays. A lot. The things I like the most about them are as follows: 1. family time – 2. good food – 3. giving gifts.  The only “holiday” I ever have had a bit of an issue with is my birthday.  Even though it’s great to have a day where people are supposed to make a big fuss about you and shower you with gifts and well-wishes, it’s always made me feel kinda awkward.  Since becoming a father, I now have another day that’s all about me, at least within my little immediate family. Father’s Day.

It was great.

First of all, as any of you who follow this blog know, there have been many times over the years that Liza and I wondered if anyone would ever be celebrating us on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day because we didn’t know if we’d ever actually get to be a mother or a father. So, now that we are, this day has become way less about me and what a good father I am or might be or could be or whatever, but is much more about what a truly amazing miracle it is that I get to celebrate this at all.  Of course, this has absolutely nothing to do with me and has everything to do with the blessing of God in my life. So, yea Him!

Story got me a canoe, which was super-awesome of her.  I’ve got the best little girl ever, and, evidently, one of the most financially savvy since in her short 3-months-and-26-days she was able to save enough dough to get me said canoe.  That’s not even mentioning that I have no idea how she gets the money in the first place.

Liza got me a framed picture.  When Story was 1-month-old Eric came and took some pictures of her for us, and they’re really great.  One, in particular, was a favorite of mine.  So Liza got me a print of that one so that I can hang it in my office.  I will now submit to you for your viewing pleasure.

IMG_2497-2

The day overall was pretty chill.  We just went to church, got something to eat, picked up the canoe and then hung out at home (I babysat in there somewhere so Liza could go to the movies; that’s what a good husband/father I am).  But it’s been impossible today to escape contemplating what it means to be a father.  I’m obviously still extremely new to this whole thing, and, therefore, have very little advice to offer.  Thankfully, though, through my faith, I know the one ultimate Father.  So, I’ll leave you with something about Him.  Luke 15:11-32 (from the Bible).

11Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

25“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

28“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ “

Happy Father’s Day!

American Idol ≠ World Stuff AND Friend Friday

June 19, 2009 in Blogs, Family, Friends, Random, Sarcasm with 0 Comments

Today I’m introducing a new feature here at Enigmatic Meanderings that I’m calling “Friend Friday.” This just means that on some Fridays (though, possibly, not every Friday) I’ll feature something from a friend of mine.

Sounds like fun, right?

But first, let me relay to you a conversation that just occurred in my office.

Here’s the set-up: Liza was up here with Story for a few minutes, and Erin was standing in my doorway talking to us. Earl was walking by on his way to talk to Taylor. He stopped in, though, to see Story and whatever. While he was there, he asked Erin how the heat’s been for her (you see, Erin is pregnant, as many of you know, and it’s funny to some of us that she’s pregnant during the hottest time of the year). She remarked that the air-conditioner has been out at their townhouse and then animatedly relayed to us the story of trying to get it fixed. This resulted in her saying that she and Ben had finally given up and called an AC guy themselves to come fix the problem. They called Evans, whom Liza and I have used before, and Liza, especially, liked. She then went on to tell Erin why she liked them so much when the following conversation occurred.

Liza:  …So they’re really nice. Plus, it’s who Rick and Bubba recommend.

Erin:  (Sarcastically) Well, there’s a shining recommendation right there.

Me:  (Equally sarcastically) Isn’t it?

Erin: (To Liza) You listen to Rick and Bubba every day, don’t you?

Liza:  No.

Me:  She used to, during school.

Liza:  When I was driving to school every day, I would listen to them about twice a week.

Erin:  (Skeptically) That’s it?

Liza:  They talk a lot about hunting and sports and stuff, and that’s not really my thing.

Erin:  Right.

Liza:  But I like to listen to them when they’re, you know, talking about world stuff… like American Idol.

!!!!!!!

Oh, babe. (SIGH) I love you.

Now, on to Friend Friday…

Today’s Friend Friday Feature is the blog Kitchen Mischief: A Chronicle of Culinary Mishaps and Masterpieces by Josh and Matthew. Josh was one of my closest friends in high school, and though he’s a marketing manager for Time Inc. here in Birmingham, we haven’t really spoken directly since that time. It’s a shame really. I even struggled with where to put their blog in the links to the right. I settled on “This other stuff”because it’s specialized and not a personal blog, but it’s not because I don’t consider Josh a friend or anything. It’s just one of those things that happens as you age. Plus, I don’t really know Matthew, though I’m sure he’s a great guy.

Anyway, back to Kitchen Mischief… these guys aren’t chefs or anything, but they love food and have good tastes. On this blog they’re simply sharing recipes and how-to tips they’ve tried with the idea that if they can do it, so can you. It’s a young blog, but it’s great, and here’s to hoping they keep it up. So, check it out.

Have a good weekend.

Lookin’ Good for Jesus

June 18, 2009 in Christianity, Conviction, God, Random, Sarcasm with 2 Comments

I own a bobble-head Jesus. It was a gift. So, I didn’t buy it, but I do like it. However, in my most reverent and/or legalistic moments I feel bad for having it ’cause of a combination of no-graven-image and taking-the-Lord’s-name-in-vain. I’m able to see some humor in it, though. But this might be a bit much. Never purchase this for Story… please.

LG4J

I also own a bobble-head Jerry Falwell, but I never feel bad about that.

Everything? Really?

June 17, 2009 in Christianity, Faith, God, Questions with 0 Comments

There’s millions of ideas for blog posts that rush through my mind in a given day (okay, not really, but tens at the least). Finding the time to write them, though… that’s another story. At any rate, I remain committed.

So, I was working on a devotion recently for our new 31 Verses Every Teenager Should Know book (you can check out the others here). The 1 of the 31 I was working on at the time was Luke 14:33:

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”

Now, you’ll notice that this verse begins with the phrase “in the same way,” which makes you wonder, “in the same way as what,” which lets you know that if you’re just reading that verse by itself, then you’re missing out on something, the context. So, you really need to back up and read some more. For the sake of what I’m writing about here you might want to check out verses 25-33 of that chapter. In case you don’t feel like it, let me break it down for you.

Jesus (of Nazareth, the Christ) had just chosen to turn a lovely dinner party with some Pharisees into a series of teachable moments during which He could kinda stick it to them and the other guests (lovingly stick it to them, of course). This culminates in a parable about a wealthy, well-t0-do man who was throwing a great banquet. His invited guests all had other things to take care of. So, they were blowing him off. As a result, he decided to pretty much invite anyone and everyone who would come, including almost exclusively the dregs of society. Well, this sounded great to the dregs and a whole lot of people started following Jesus around wanting to know what He was all about.

Jesus decides to oblige them by fist and foremost letting them know that, just becaue they’re all invited to the feast, it doesn’t mean that life’s simply going to be one big party. He uses some pretty harsh langugage about how a person can’t be His disciple unless they hate everyone in their lives, including themselves. This is obviously shocking (most are probably hoping its some sort of divine hyperbole). So, Jesus uses a few metaphors to explain what He’s talking about.

It’s like a guy who wants to build a really big tower or a king who wants to go to war. Both are facing extremely daunting tasks, tasks at which, left to themselves, they wouldn’t be successful. So, each sat down ahead of time and figured out what it was going to cost them and whether they could and/or were willing to pay that price.

So, it’s in that same way, in the same way as those two guys, that a person who does not give up everything cannot be Jesus’ disciple.

Now, I can’t read this verse and think of Jesus saying something similar to the guy we know as “The Rich Young Ruler” (or RYR for short). During that encounter (which you can read about in Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31 or Luke 18:18-30), as I’m sure you remember, the RYR comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments to which the RYR responds that he’s done that (impossible, by the way). So, Jesus tells him that the only other thing he lacks is to go sell everything he has, give the money to the poor and then leave his life behind and follow Jesus. When the RYR hears this, it says he was saddened, and from what we can tell, couldn’t give up all that he had.

Now, these two different moments with Jesus are obviously dealing with the same issue, the price one is willing to pay to follow Him. However, with regards to the RYR, it seems that Jesus is making a requirement (and trying to get to the core of the RYR’s obstacles to following Jesus in the process). Whereas, in the previous instance with the crowd, it appears that it might be more of a willingness to give up everything as opposed to actually having to do so. After all, for most of us, following Jesus won’t result in us having to abandon our homes and families, give away everything we have or sacrifice our lives… but it might. So, we just need to be willing to have that happen, should God deem it necessary.

Right?

So, as I was writing this short devotional (less than 300 words) I wanted to make that point in my summarizing sentence. Something like, “Jesus calls us to take the time to determine if we would still follow Him if it costs us everything, even our lives.” And leave it at that. But something kept nagging at me. The idea that it actually does cost us everything to follow. When we do, nothing is our own anymore. It is all His. We may not be called to sacrifice it or abandon it as it might sound, but we no longer control our lives or approach these things in the way we would want to. It’s now all about Him and what He wants, not all about us and what we want. I was trying to water down what He was saying, to make it sound better, feel better, go down easier. I think I was selling it short. So, I wrote a new closing sentence.

“Jesus calls us to take the time to determine if we would still follow Him if it costs us everything, even our lives, because, in a lot of ways, it does.”

Anyway, I know that this isn’t super-deep or insightful or groundbreaking or anything, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a few days now.

You?

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