i am paradox

The Secret Message, Part Two

More from Brian McLaren's lastest book: The Secret Message of Jesus .

" Here's the scandal: not just that Jesus speaks of the new kingdom, but that he says the kingdom is at hand, available to be grasped, knocking at the door--not just someday in the future, but here and now!  To a Jewish hearer then, "the kingdom of God" may have been an accessible and evoactive metaphor, but "at hand" would come as a shock and a contradiction to what everyone thought. To them, it could only happen later--after the Romans were ejected or eliminated.  And this was so hard to imagine actually occurring anytime soon that they were considered completely improbable and practically impossible.

Think of our reality today.  We might all believe that war and poverty should end someday, but how many people would believe a self-proclaimed prophet who arose from say, Panama or Sierra Leone or Sri Lanka and was interviewed on CNN with this message: " Now is the time!  It's time to decommission weapons programs and reconcile with enemeies!  It's time for prosperous multinationals to become rich in generousity!  Don't say someday or tomorrow, the time is today!  Shut down your weapons and open your checkbooks!"
(pgs. 24-25)

"The Greek phrase John uses for eternal life literally means life of the ages, as opposed, I think we could say, to life as people are living these days.  So John's related phrases--eternal life, life to the full, and simply life--give us a unique angle on what Jesus meant by kingdom of God:  a life radically different from the way people are living these days, a life that is full and overflowing, a higher life that is centered in an interactive relationship with God. "
(pg. 37)

Who gives a @#$% about profanity?

Via CNN:

"You probably hear these words often, and more than ever before. But even though we can't print them, we can certainly ask: Are we living in an Age of Profanity?

Nearly three-quarters of Americans questioned last week -- 74 percent -- said they encounter profanity in public frequently or occasionally, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll. Two-thirds said they think people swear more than they did 20 years ago. And as for, well, the gold standard of foul words, a healthy 64 percent said they use the F-word -- ranging from several times a day (8 percent) to a few times a year (15 percent).

Just ask Joe Cormack. Like any bartender, Cormack, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, hears a lot of talk. He's not really offended by bad language -- heck, he uses it himself every day. But sometimes, a customer will unleash the F-word so many times, Cormack just has to jump in.

"Do you have any idea how many times you've just said that?" he reports saying from time to time. "I mean, if I take that out of your vocabulary, you've got nothin'!"

Read the rest here

Visual Liturgy

If you didn't already know, the amazing guys from over at Highway Video  have a new project team they have been working with called The Work of the People. They have some nice video they have put together for Christmas, Hurricane Katrina, and now Lent. Check em out if you haven't yet:

The Work of the People

New Dr. Pepper

Was in the grocery store the other day, and came across a new flavor of soda being offered by Dr. Pepper: Berries and Cream. I tried out the diet version, and although it tastes ok, I don't like it as much as the cherry vanilla. It tastes like something that I have had before, but can't place my memory on what that would be!

Here is what the official website says:
"New Dr Pepper Berries & Cream combines the one of a kind flavor of Dr Pepper with the smooth indulgent taste of cream and a refreshing hint of berry. Get lost in the flavor. Get berried in cream."

The Secret Message, Part One

Have really been enjoying Brian McLaren's newest book lately. Here are a few excerpts:

"What if Jesus of Nazareth was right--more right, and right in different ways, than we have ever realized?  What if we have developed a religion that makes reverent and honoring statements about Jesus but doesn't teach what Jesus taught in the manner he taught in?  What if the religion generally associated with Jesus neither expects nor trains its adherents to actually live in the way of Jesus?

What if the message of Jesus was good news--not just for Christians but also for Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, New Agers, agnostics, and athesists?  Wouldn't it be interesting if the people who started discovering and believing the hidden message of Jesus were people who aren't even identified as Christians, and wouldn't it be tragic if people like myself, identified as Christians, were unwilling to consider the possibility that that have more to learn about the message of Jesus?"

Pages 3, 8

Rent

Took a few friends to go see a live, touring production of Rent yesterday in Vegas. It's the 10 year anniversary since it first opened on Broadway. We were a little disappointed b.c we were hoping to see the original cast, many of who are in the movie. Yet the performance was still amazing, you would be surprised by what they can do with such a small and simple set.

Rent is a modern musical which takes place in New York and follows a group of young adults as they protest consumerism and homelessness, and struggle with many of their peers dying from AIDS. Jonathan Larson, the creator, lived for Rent for several years, making several rewrites and changes and writing hundreds of songs for the show- 44 are in the final version. Even as the show solidified, it proved insanely popular. Unfortunately, Larson would not live to see its true success: he died from an undiagnosed aortic dissection, just a few hours after the musical had its final dress rehearsal.