Today will be remembered as the day the Blue Bombers took on the Roughriders and 40,000 fans and shut 'em down -- and I wasn't there to see it. I had planned to be home to keep the yearly roadie tradition alive, but instead I was listening on the internet. Maybe next year. Otherwise I'm looking forward to the day when I can get a good video feed on the internet.

One question: why is the Labour Day Classic in Regina every year? Is the Alberta version in the same place every year??

Just reading over that Waiters Union link from a little earlier. Wow. I really like how that bunch sounds. Maybe I will bump them to first on my list of places to visit...

Dave calls their ideology "the visionary agenda of Jesus of Nazareth". To choose poverty over wealth and hardship over comfort; to be committed to unlimited availability for everyone else, at the cost of one's own privacy; to serve everyone except oneself: these are following Jesus' example and obeying his teaching. Imitating Jesus is the Waiters' Union's great passion, from which everything else flows.

I've said a little bit about how a bunch of us here are thinking about co-housing / community-living, and just beginning to take a good look at how feasible it would be in Japan. Of course, that has got me thinking more and more about it, and snooping around the web for those who are doing similar things. And there are plenty of folks out there who are already having a really good go at this thing.

If I was a man of means, I can imagine putting together a study trip with a few friends. First we would go visit some of the Hutterite communities that I grew up so close to. Here are people who have been living in very close community for centuries, and have survived. That in itself should be worth taking a closer look at. Then the Bruderhof Communities. To me they seem very similar to the Hutterites, though maybe somewhat more outward looking. Then I would get down to Australia to hang out with Dave Andrews and the Waiter's Union (sounds like a band name). There in Brisbane the housing situation is more like it was at home in the North End, with people close to each other but in separate houses, but they are very deliberate about loving people and enacting the principles of the Kingdom in their lives.

I have also heard that similar things are going on here in Japan, in one case through a group of people called "Bethel". I am looking into that one too, but my poor Japanese makes it more of a challenge.

This post at Mark H.'s blog a while ago got in my head and wouldn't get out. I got thinking about it again because of this post at Rob's blog. So here is the whole thing:

I have been appreciating some of the recent “leadership” literature emphasizing that leaders are not made nor born as much as they are situationally called into existence.

I've been telling my community for years that the clearer the sense of vision a person/community has for the future the less likely that vision is from God. That is not the way God generally leads. He leads us to the place where "we don't know" and "can't see." It is not God's way to give us specifics - he seems to take us to places where trust grows, (or is more likely to grow). He leads us to faith not certainty.

I believe that the church is so caught up in the vision thing because it is easy. A clear vision rally’s people and excites. Trust is too hard.

Our modern use of vision is often little more then marketing bullshit. We try to craft a vision that is big enough for people do buy into because we have little idea want God's vision is. Because vision sells but has no substance. We don't trust God's leading into the ambiguous, so we create visions that sound "Christian" and sell like it is God's. We kid ourselves into believing that we have heard God’s voice when all we’re after is little more then self-preservation. And we wonder why Christians are so weak, human-sized vision in a God-sized metanarrative produces self-centered religion. The preservation of the church should never concern us, that’s God’s deal.

God does not give a five year plan, with aggressive but attainable action items. I and my community must decrease. We are being invited to empty ourselves, to love and to lose. Even so may we lose quickly.

Screaming, crying and speaking in tongues are manifestations of the evangelical movement now widespread in North America.

But these days, their missions in Latin America are bringing in the flocks as well.

Some observers liken it to a second Reformation.

With prayers and a financial lifeline from North America, they offer dreams and other services the poor don't expect in these countries.

Lorenda Redekopp went to Guatemala to prepare this documentary, "Los Evangelicos."

Listen to it here at Dispatches.

We did a gig last night at a tiny bar, and it was just an awesome time. About 40 people were there but that number packed the place out and made for a real party. Brian, remember gigs of six friends in an empty coffee house with a nasty host?? Well, so far we have only done two gigs, but what a difference. The previous one, Shooters, was a really big place, that was also packed out for the night. Very good time. I must say the shift in the gigging winds confirms my thoughts that Japan is the place to do music.

And we just spent a bunch of money on a Behringer power amp and two good speakers, so we are set to do some of the outdoor stuff that people do around here. And last night we got asked on for two more gigs, one, another bar-rock kind of gig (which are fun but I could see getting old fast because the mood and atmosphere doesn't really fit our music very well) and the other a gig in a classy jazz club (wherein we will do the more stripped back pop-leaning-to-jazz stuff that we prefer). I got that through a Japanese jazz singer friend (unbelievable voice). I think I am going to get her to sing the aforementioned Aimee Mann song for that gig.

And they pay us to do this!!!

Watched Magnolia. My first reaction was that I didn't like it, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. Like a U2 song. And I am seriously in love with the Aimee Mann song from the movie, It's Not Going to Stop. Very emotion-filled song.

A few of us here are giving some serious thought to building a community-type house. My friend Matt proposed the idea in light of the fact that we feel similarly about living our lives out in closer quarters, and pooling our resources, and just basically accepting the challenges of community living to break down our selfishness and to teach us how to love better. Matt pointed out that the rent each family is paying amounts to a very large chunk of cash being thrown away every month, cash that might be better spent building a place that will be around for awhile. So it is definitely in the early dreaming stage, but we are taking initial steps in finding how we could go about doing such a thing.

Right now, the six-plex design proposed in Tom Sine's book, Mustard Seed vs. McWorld keeps coming up in conversation. The expense in Japan is remarkable. But if it is God's thing, we will find the road we need to take.

Have you guys back home done any more thinking or strategizing about the use of the big North End building for residential stuff?? The way things have gone in Joe's housing situation gives me faith that things can work out remarkably if we just start committing ourselves to the goal...

Cool. I read a thought about church tonight that has me thinking ecclesiologically...

I think churches should have a regular cycle of birth, growth, and death. Individual local churches should die when it comes time. It is easier to transition the universal church through a cycle of renewal than it is to upgrade existing institutions. The cycle of death and birth can rid faith communities of excess baggage that can really hinder a congregation.

By planting a church we become part of that renewal process. One day what ever we structure we create should die.

How natural that a church, if it is "organic" be bold enough to face death as part of the cycle. I think many of us have encountered churches that are functionally "dead" though maybe a building and a religious committment to the traditions of "what has been done previously" keep a few folks hanging on.

Also, a church dying gracefully would be an awesome demonstration of trusting the spirit of God to continue birthing new things, trusting that Christ "will build his church", as he put it.

And it would demonstrate a belief that the "Church" is essentially something greater than the structures we build services around.

Reading on into Zechariah's prophecy about his son, and this lines cause somewhat of an emotional response in me:

And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
Because of God's tender mercy,
the light from heaven is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace."

John is always marked by that "forgiveness of sins" thing. These days, with self-righteoussness of many strains of "Christianity", "sin" takes on such a condemning, condescending tone. Most people, when being told they are SINNERS (pound the fist, point the finger) will react defensively. Now if you can't admit your sin, that you are messed up in some way, your ability to move toward being Loving will be crippled, because your just not facing reality. But most people I have met, in a honest moment, will admit that they hurt and have been hurt by people. And I think that is at the heart of what is going on with "forgiveness of sin".

I was listening to Marilyn Manson talk about Satanism once, and I was struck how what most Christians view as the bad parts of Satanism aren't really the really dark parts at all. It is not really the glorification of spiritual darkness and the big show he puts on that is the dangerous part. Manson will point out that Satanists don't even believe in a spiritual being called Satan. The scary part is that he believes humans are perfectly self-sufficient, that we are not broken, and that we don't need any fix from a God or creator. And that we should live for ourselves and reject weakness.

But God seems to require us to be a lot more like the guys in AA. It starts by saying, "I'm John, and I'm messed up. I live for myself, and I hurt other people to do it. But I don't want to be like that anymore." And the good news, what John the Baptist is telling me, is that such an honest moment brings me into the revelation that I am forgiven; that God hasn't been mad at me, but has been wanting to help fix my broken part, help heal my disease. I guess that is what gets me all emotional when I read the part about, "the light from heaven is about to break upon us". It's like, the promise is there, that we can learn how to Love, and to be like God is, and it's just about to happen. That light is just about to break.

Then in Mary's song of praise there is the first hint of that thing the Catholics call "God's preferential option for the poor".

His mighty arm does tremendous things!
How he scatters the proud and haughty ones!
He has taken princes from their thrones
and exalted the lowly.
He has satisfied the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.

As I recall, this is not the last time we will see the rich getting cast in a bad light, basically because they have lots of money, and the poor in a good light, because they don't. It's quite interesting how such obvious biases get quickly passed over in a rich Western reading of the gospels. But these things aren't lost on the poor who read the scripture (I think of some of the Gustavo Gutierrez I read a long time ago).

But I admit it is hard to see how that jives with the notion of a God who loves all his children equally. I think Ron Sider said the best thing I have heard about that. He said that God does indeed love all his children equally, that he doesn't "prefer" the poor. But WE make him biased because of our incredible preference for the rich. Most everyone strives to be rich, strives to be popular, and comfortable, and good-looking and whatever else brings power. But God seems to be constantly balancing that out by emphasizing, in opposition to the normal human way of doing things, his value on the poor.

So we should too.

Reading Luke 1 again.

I notice Zechariah loses the ability to speak because he "didn't believe what [the angel] said." Then later Mary gets big congrats on her lack of doubt: "You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said".

My first thought is that if whether you are blessed or not depends on how quickly and easily you believe "that the Lord will do what he said", I am in a lot of trouble.

My second thought is that if an angel stood in front of me and told me just what it is that God is saying, I would doubt it a lot less...

We are back from Utsumi beach. That was a nice holiday. Now we are trying to get real revved about Japanese learning. Trying trying. There are some pictures of the weekend over at the phlog...

Ok it's late. And I just had my medicine. Let's see how the gospel's look after a few shosts of dovka...

Concerning Luke 1:1-4.

Luke talks about the research he put into writing his version of the gospels. He wasn't there firsthand. For some, such talk might cause doubt in the authenticity and reliability of what Luke wrote down. But what about this: what if we viewed the Bible, authenticity-wise, on the same level as Plato's recording of the words of Socrates, just one man writing down what he heard. I am not sure we would lose a single thing that was intended for us. I mean even if the gospel writers messed up a few details, the plain message of Christ comes through with incredible clarity. The idea of learning to embrace Love; to learn to be selfless; to empty ourselves of the things we greedily strive for and instead serve others is the easiest thing see from Christ; but it is the hardest thing we will never do.

Most times I think the evangelical ruse of inerrancy is just a clever way to de-emphasize the very plain message of Christ by elevating other parts of scripture. Most of the denomination-forming fights over the details of scripture are not the kind of thing that make much difference when it comes to selflessness and Love. Yeah, so maybe seminaries are evil too. Maybe anything that makes us rabbit-trail away from the basics of discipleship - learning to be more Loving and less selfish - are to be avoided. I mean if the least are the ones who get it so well, and the higher-ups are the ones who are far from the kingdom, we should take some hints from that.

Tarbender, pur me another...

No gospel's post yet because I got really busy, and now I am going to Utsumi on a two day beach holiday. So I will come back with some pictures and some brilliant thoughts I am sure.