Theologeek

What is Jazz?

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:21:52 -0600

What is Jazz?:

Absolutely mind-blowing. What a breakdown.

Address is Approximate - This video is perfect in almost every...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:29:28 -0600

Address is Approximate - This video is perfect in almost every way. Wow.

christypolek: yes. sometimes you read something you really...

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:23:09 -0600

christypolek:

yes.

sometimes you read something you really needed to read.

This is super cool, and fits into what we’re doing somehow. I...

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:26:58 -0600

This is super cool, and fits into what we’re doing somehow. I just need to figure out how…

Thank you, Ira Glass. Right you are.

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:31:16 -0500

Thank you, Ira Glass. Right you are.

Kenneth Cole Has Hustle

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:47:07 -0500

I really dig this story about Kenneth Cole who, in order to sell shoes, had to pretend he was filming a movie. Love it.

Here’s the full article:

http://dlewis.net/nik-archives/the-birth-of-a-shoe-company/

"I am seeing that the gospel of Jesus Christ has had its greatest growth when men have been dedicated..."

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 23:07:02 -0500

“I am seeing that the gospel of Jesus Christ has had its greatest growth when men have been dedicated enough to Him and His principles to quietly live them in the midst of dying and distressed humanity. Right now I am inclined to revert to the simple but vital expression which Christianity had in its period of beginning.”

- Clarence Jordan

Contemplating New Monasticism

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:27:06 -0500

I recently started reading up on the New Monasticism movement, and I’m starting to wonder if this might be along the same road I’ve been traveling.

Here is an excerpt from the Wikipedia article that defines a basic framework for New Monastics:

The “Twelve Marks” of New Monasticism

The Twelve Marks of New Monasticism express the common thread of many new monastic communities. These “marks” are:

Relocation to the “abandoned places of Empire” [at the margins of society]
Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us
Hospitality to the stranger
Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation
Humble submission to Christ’s body, the Church
Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old novitiate
Nurturing common life among members of an intentional community
Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children
Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life
Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us along with support of our local economies
Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18
Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life

Seems pretty difficult to disagree with.

Some of the thinkers behind the wording of these marks are Shane Claiborne of the Simple Way (who are getting ready to do some cool things with aquaponics in their community) and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove who has written (among other titles) a book called New Monasticism: What It Has to Say to Today’s Church which I started this morning.

With my transition to more organic (meaning, naturally occurring around me instead of manufactured) communities over the past few years, I find myself seeking a bit of a framework with which I can say “these are my driving principles, which drive my individual formation, and the communal formation of those who walk with me - we’re all on the same page”.

I’m not 100% sold on this particular framework yet, but I am beginning to be convinced that some “marks” would be a step in the right direction. I know my destination, I’d just like some signposts to guide me there.

"Attack me, I do this myself, but attack me rather than the path I follow and which I point out to..."

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:46:35 -0500

“Attack me, I do this myself, but attack me rather than the path I follow and which I point out to anyone who asks me where I think it lies. If I know the way home and am walking along it drunkenly, is it any less the right way because I am staggering from side to side!”

- Leo Tolstoy

Listener - Wooden Heart. My friend Christy first showed me this...

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:47:33 -0500

Listener - Wooden Heart.

My friend Christy first showed me this video a few months ago. I’m not completely sure why this is, but the words of this poem go straight to my heart.

John Mayer & Martin Sexton - Can’t Stop Thinkin’...

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:01:00 -0500

John Mayer & Martin Sexton - Can’t Stop Thinkin’ About You

Martin Sexton is one of the most underrated singer/songwriters on the planet.

"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn’t resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad..."

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:33:10 -0500

“

I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn’t resolve. But I was outside the Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes and he never opened his eyes.

After that I liked jazz music.

Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.

”

- Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz
This idea never ceases to be refreshing.