Moving To Seattle

I will try to keep this post as brief as possible, but I wanted to fill people in on what led my wife and I to decide to move to Seattle. Many of my family and closest friends have heard the full story unfold over the last few weeks and months, but to many others, this was definitely a bit of a surprise. Here is a numbered list (my signature information delivery method) outlining what I know for sure.

1. Difficult Decision
Please rest assured that this was not an easy decision for us to make. As of this last August, I have lived in Anchorage for 20 years; I feel a sense of ownership of this city. I have family and friends galore. I love City Church, the leadership and the people with all of my heart. There is certainly excitement in my heart about this new season, but it is not without a great deal of bittersweet emotion.

2. Sense of Call
In the last 20 years of living in Anchorage, I witnessed hundreds of people leave the state because they were "tired of the cold" or "sick of Alaska" or even "just needing a change." I have been the most anti-gotta-leave-Alaska person I know. We are not moving out of a sense of boredom. We are not moving out of reaction against something. We are not moving out of a sense of dissatisfaction with our lives. We ARE moving because of a sense of call from God that this is what the next season of our lives looks like (more on this call below).

3. Temporary Absence
As far as my wife and I can tell, this move is not meant to be permanent. She grew up in Washington state and has often longed to spend a longer time back home than we get in our family vacations. We will not be selling our house, we will be renting it out. This serves as a bit of an anchor for us to return in a few years (it also makes better financial sense, related to the rental market, interest rates, market instability, etc.). Of course, nothing is guaranteed, and God can always give new or clearer direction, but as far we can tell from what God has laid on our hearts, we will be back to Anchorage in a few short years.

4. Future Ministry
Part of the call that I am experiencing is that of a church planter. This is something that I have been wrestling with for approx. 2 years now, and have finally come to the conclusion that God has put that special type of craziness in my heart and my head. My pastors have been very supportive, encouraging and frank with me over the last 6 months or so as I have been reluctantly vocalizing what it is that I believe God is calling me to. I cannot even begin to express how appreciative I am for the leaders that God has placed over me at City Church.
*I have much more that I could say along these lines, but I won't now because much of it is speculation about the future. I will say that I am keenly aware of how my presence will be missed at City Church, and that I have full confidence in the leadership as they move forward.

5. Training/School
It's been no secret that I have been deeply impacted by the ministry of Mars Hill in Seattle (Mark Driscoll's church, not Rob Bell's. Different discussion for a different day...). I feel very compatible with them in terms of theology, ministry style, etc. They have a very high priority on church planting, and as such have a school of ministry through the Resurgence that I will be applying for. In addition, the Acts 29 church planting network is affiliated with MHC in Seattle. Also, I am currently working on a master's degree through Multnomah Seminary in Portland. Living in Seattle will enable me to be a little more directly focused on my degree for a while. The education/school/training component is probably the #1 reason that we decided to move to Seattle.

Again, there is a lot more that I could say about this decision and transition. I have been supported through and through by my family, friends, and fellow ministers as all this has come to light. I recognize that there may be some who will feel hurt, frustrated, or even abandoned by this decision. My hope and prayer is that you will know that I love you, and this decision was not something made flippantly or casually. I am hurting and grieving along with you, but I am excited by the call and direction that I have received from God. I ask that you would keep my family in your prayers. Thanks.

Hipsters Love Grace 'Cause It Means They Don't Have To Work

Today's blog post is from guest blogger Josh Briggs. His blog can be found at http://brigg-a-mortis.tumblr.com/. I hope you enjoy this journey down Christian Hipster lane. He, of all people, is qualified to give this definition of what one is.

What is a hipster? It’s hard to give one solid definition. A hipster can come in various forms, but there are however a few key things that unite all hipsters. They love fair trade coffee shops (that aren’t Starbucks), irony, obscure bands/artist, books, and Grace. You might be asking “So what does all this have to do with the reformed church?” If you are a full-blown Christian Hipster or at least partly one, then you know what I’m talking about. For everyone else, keep on reading.

When I’m talking about the reformed church today, I’m talking about churches led by pastors like Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill), Matt Chandler (The Village Church), Tim Keller (Redeemer), and John Piper (Bethlehem Baptist Church). I know there are more but these are a few of my favorites and popular amongst all Christian Hipsters. The reformed church allows a Christian Hipster to partake in all the things they love.

The church usually has an awesome coffee stand serving up the finest locally brewed coffee. If your church doesn’t then it means it’s in its hipster infancy stage. Or maybe the congregation is already too hyper. Or maybe they simply don’t love you.

Hipsters love irony and there is nothing more ironic than ironic than the work of the cross! Pick up D.A. Carson’s Scandalous for a wonderful breakdown of this. He points out how the man who is mocked as king is the king, the man who is utterly powerless is powerful, the man who can’t save himself saves others, the man who cries out in despair trusts God.

Hipsters love obscure artists, bands, and books. Hipster love to talk about the newest band they are listening to and Christian Hipsters are no different. Whether it’s Mumford and Sons, the Avett Brothers, Future of Forestry, Page CXVI, The Autumn Film, Ascend the Hill, Underoath, Norma Jean, Lecrae, Trip Lee, we love talking about who we are listening to and will push it on anyone in ear shot… or blog shot.

Hipsters also love obscure pastors. Some of you knew every one of the pastors that I mentioned above and said “I can’t believe he left out __________”. Others had no idea who any of them are. I think we are days away from having a pitchfork.com type site for christians to discuss the newest “underground” sermons they’ve been listening to. “Have you listened to Driscoll’s Trial series?” Seriously, though, have you? It’s super good.

Hipsters love to read. I don’t know if it’s because of the “mainstream’s” lack of interest in reading or what, but hipsters love to read. You won’t see them with Joel Osteen or Joyce Meyers (unless they are going for serious levels of irony). You’ll see them reading the aforementioned pastors as well as Spurgeon, Owen, Augustine, and many others. The reformed church encourages reading in general and specifically reading of dead guys. Check out theresurgence.com if you don’t believe me. It kind of proves my point.

Lastly, Hipsters love the reformed church because it teaches the biblical truth that you don’t have to work for your salvation. And, we all know how much hipsters hate work. They are all about the doctrine of Grace. Most will stay in school until they are 70 to avoid getting a job. The secular hipster will say “I’m just finding myself” but the Christian Hipster will say “I’m just waiting on the Lord’s Call”. Thank God we have Grace and do not have to work for salvation! We’d all surely fail but most of us would die before we started. The doctrine of Grace is also why you won’t find many Christian Hipsters at an Armenian church.

She's Only Mostly Dead?

One of my absolutely favorite Bible teachers and preachers is Tim Keller. The following is his commenting on a story found in Mark 5, where Jesus raises a little girl from the dead:

Tim Keller, King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus, pp. 67-69, commenting on Mark 5:38-42:

Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.

---

Do you think it is odd that when Jesus arrives at Jairus’s house he says that the girl is just sleeping? The parallel account of this story in Matthew and Luke’s Gospels make it clear that Jesus understands she’s dead. She’s not mostly dead; she’s all dead. Then why does he make that reference to sleep?

The answer is in what Jesus does next.

Remember, Jesus sits down beside the girl, takes her by the hand, and says two things to her.

The first is talitha. Literally, it means “little girl,” but that does not get across the sense of what he’s saying. This is a pet name, a diminutive term of endearment. Since this is a diminutive that a mother would use with a little girl, probably the best translation is “honey.”

The second thing Jesus says to her is koum, which means “arise.” Not “be resurrected”: it just means “get up.” Jesus is doing exactly what this child’s parents might do on a sunny morning. He sits down, takes her hand, and says, “Honey, it’s time to get up.” And she does.

Jesus is facing facing the most implacable, inexorable enemy of the human race and such is his power that he holds this child by the hand and gently lifts her right up through it. “Honey, get up.”

Jesus is saying by his actions, “If I have you by the hand, death itself is nothing but sleep.” . . .

. . . There’s nothing more frightening for a little child than to lose the hand of the parent in a crowd or in the dark, but that is nothing compared with Jesus’s own loss.

He lost his Father’s hand on the cross.

He went into the tomb so we can be raised out of it.

He lost hold of his Father’s hand so we could know that once he has us by the hand, he will never, ever forsake us.

Book Review: The Liturgical Year

A while ago, I signed up for a program through which I receive free books in exchange for a fair review. As of yet, I haven't really enjoyed any of the books that I've reviewed. Until now. The Liturgical Year is another installment in The Ancient Practices series overseen by emergent-ecumenical-ancient-modern-guru Phyllis Tickle. The author, Sister Joan Chittister, does a great job as a Catholic in introducing an ignorant Protestant like me to the almost 2,000 years of church year tradition. Having been raised in more non-denominational & charismatic circles, our focus is always on "the new" or "the fresh thing." While there is nothing inherently wrong with that focus, I can't help but feel like we've lost a bit of our roots.

This book serves as an excellent introduction not just to the what or how of the church year, but to the why. As Chittister puts it,

We do not develop a liturgical life to look good to other people. We do not develop a liturgical spirituality to affect a kind of spiritual dimension to our lives. And we certainly do not go to Mass regularly to avoid hell. We live a liturgical life to learn to think like He thinks. To do what He would do. To mak Him the center of our lives - not our work or our money or our status...Liturgical spirituality is about learning to live an ordinary life extraordinarily well.

The author does a good job as a Catholic to be welcoming and inviting to Protestants through her writing. With the exception of the very last chapter on the Marian feasts - which I found to be a incongruent with what I know of Catholic doctrine - there was almost nothing that I had any significant theological quibbles with. I appreciated her focus on the major issues without getting bogged down into Catholic dogma.

The first few chapters felt a little repetitive and unnecessarily touchy-feely, but much like the church year itself, the book picks up steam and gets more and more exciting as we head toward the ending chapters on Resurrection Sunday. The writing style is accessible and is an easy read. 5 stars from this non-liturgical Protestant for this book.

Christianity: Restriction or Celebration?

The following is an excerpt from a book I'm reading called The Liturgical Year by a Benedictine nun named Sister Joan Chittister. I will be doing an overall review on the book soon, but I wanted to share with you a couple of paragraphs that I found particularly inspiring.

Note: I am generally opposed to the usage of the term "religion" in a positive sense as I view "religion" as a set of man-made rules and obligations meant to keep people in line. I view my faith in Jesus as something much deeper, much more relational, much more sacrificial than just "religion." The author of the following paragraphs, however, is using the term "religion" in a broader sense, meaning more along the lines of "a system of faith." I do not begrudge her this usage of "religion," I just thought a little clarification might help.

One of the interesting things about religion, about Christianity, is that in a society full to the brim with excess - a glorifier of excess, in fact - religions has come to be seen as one of life's great restrictive factors. Religion, this society assumes, exists to say no to the good things of life. It damps the human need for pleasure and destroys joy.

But nothing could be farther from the truth. Religion is life to the excess.

Religion celebrates what the rest of the world forgets - the inherent goodness of life itself. Religion knows that life unadorned and raw is the ultimate high. Everything else is a pale shadow of the real thing. All the excesses in the world - sex, alcohol, drugs, gambling, greed - are simply substitutes for the real thing. They are made for people who have yet to discover the joy of being human, the glory of God among us.

As I read these words this morning, I was reminded of another quote from C.S. Lewis:
Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

I am challenged today to continually wage ware against the cultural lie that Jesus came to give us a bunch of rules and restrictions against all fun, pleasure and enjoyment. I am challenged to remember that Christ came to give us abundant life, peace beyond our understanding, joy unspeakable, and love of the purest kind. When I forsake worldly pleasures, I do not do so out of a sense of obligation, trying to somehow earn God's favor, but rather out of a sense of joy, knowing that I am trading my mud pie for the riches of God's kingdom.

Am I A Post-Evangelical??

It seems like everything today is post- something else. Post-modern, post-Christian, post-hardcore, post-American, and on and on. In my theological "Word of the Day" today, I came across another "post" something.

Post-Evangelical: A modern movement among Evangelicals who are dissatisfied with the current trends in Evangelicalism toward compromise in practice, thinking, and methodology. The evangelical church, according to Post-Evangelicals, has become a circus which integrates its method of “doing church” with the corporate world of business and marketing. Voices of Post-Evangelicalism call for a reform, pleading with the church to re-establish its traditions in the roots laid by two thousand years of church history, not a reinventing of church based upon current cultural trends. Post-Evangelicals are “post” because they believe the name “Evangelical” is beyond recovery.

This definition of post-evangelical may have one or two omissions based on other objections that I've heard. How about this one: "The Evangelical church is just a front for the Republican party." Or this

However, based solely on the above description, I find myself fitting into the post-evangelical category more comfortably than I would have previously thought:

• I am dissatisfied with many of the current trends in the American Evangelical church, particularly in the "dumbing down" of the gospel, doctrine and theology.
• I am not particularly stoked on the way the church often gets marketed and treated like a business
• I do deeply desire to recapture a church that has roots in history. I feel like someone who has just started learning about my family tree and I love it!

I would not adopt the term for myself, however, because of one important disagreement with the definition: I do not believe that the term "Evangelical" is beyond saving. Within the last decade there have been those who have advocated that followers of Jesus should no longer use the term "Christian" because it comes with so much baggage. I feel like that kind of defeatism doesn't really serve it's intended purpose. Call me crazy, but I'd like to part of the rebranding of my particular strain of Christian faith. I am not Catholic. I am not Orthodox. I'm not an Anglican. I am not a Mainliner. While I do value and appreciate aspects of each of those veins of the Christian faith, I am an evangelical and I'm not ashamed of it.

Maybe we need a reformation. Maybe we need a refocusing. Maybe we need a renewed appreciation for our roots as a 2,000 year old church. I'm just not personally ready to throw out the term because I believe it still serves as a good definition for those who are committed to sharing this good news (evangelion) with the world around us.

My Favorite Records of 2010

OK, here we go with another subjective list of my favorite things from the last year. This was a good year for me, musically speaking. I have discovered a few new artists who I honestly feel have changed my life, I got to see several of my favorites in concert, and even got to open for one of my favorite bands of the last decade. Before I launch into my favorites of the year, let me explain a couple of the criterion that go into this decision for me:

- Good songs. Call me old fashioned, but I still like a good song. It seems to me that a lot of the music that I've heard in the last year or two have amazing tones and unique sounds, but are lacking in the "quality song" department. I appreciate a song that is memorable yet fresh at the same time. I don't want something so abstract that I couldn't pick it out of a police lineup with an 80's German movie soundtrack; I also don't want something that is completely unoriginal and rehashed.

- Re-listenability. It's a common enough phenomenon to like a record upon the initial listening, but have it grow tired too quickly. My favorite records are the ones that I can keep listening to for months or even come back to years later.

- Production Quality. As a producer myself, I am completely unable to not take the production into account. Audio quality, mix, creativity, harmonies, and the like all play a significant role in whether or not I like a record.

- Intangibles. Like or not, we are all subjective humans who will have certain music grab us for no apparent reason. I can make a pretty good case for why certain albums are worth listening to, but in the end there will always be some intangible reason why it really "clicked."

Now, to the list. I'm going to assume that you already kind of know what the artist sounds like, and am going to give you a couple of reasons why I liked the record as a whole.

My Top 10 Favorite Records of 2010:

10. Underoath - Disambiguation

These guys managed to do a great job of reinventing themselves after the departure of founding member and co-frontman Aaron Gillespie. The songs have some of the best elements of classic Underoath with a new twist (anyone else hear some Deftones in there?). I especially want to give props to Spencer who sang a bunch on this record. Comparisons to Gillespie aside, he did a fantastic job.

9. Red Letter - Red Letter

This Seattle indie band put out the best record of "church songs" I have ever heard, and I've been listening to church music for almost 30 years. This record is extremely diverse without sounding frenetic. Led To the Slaughter is a cool heavy song with a ton of percussion, My God, My Father has an unusual time-signature that is very smart, and You Have Opened My Mouth features some really cool slow blues work at the top.

8. Norma Jean - Meridional

Who would have thought that the insane chaos of their earlier years could have morphed into something so listenable, so (dare I say) catchy? Somehow, the almighty Norma Jean managed to blend their best chaotic elements and their best melodic elements on this record and Cory Brandan's vocals get successively better with each release. I'm a sucker for a heavy breakdown, and the "You're not getting under my skin" section from The Anthem of the Angry Brides is the heaviest thing I've ever heard.

7. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

So I might be cheating a little bit here, but this record didn't come out in the U.S. until 2010. What can I say bad about this record? This group of Brits has put out one of those record that, I believe, will still be talked about for decades to come. They definitely have their niche, but the songs remain fresh. The lyrics and the vocal delivery are some of the most honest that I've ever heard. I'd love to take Marcus Mumford out to dinner and just let him tell me all the stories that I know are behind these songs.

6. Secret & Whisper - Teenage Fantasy

I feel a little weird about putting this record on my favorites list, but when I looked back on my 2010 iTunes stuff, this was one of the ones that I consistently went to the most. It is supremely re-listenable. The comparisons to Saosin should be forever dropped because these guys can really play. The drums and guitars are tight and fast, and the vocals make me proud to have been born in the 80's. Nerd alert: I LOVE that the kick is well-gated to work on a system with deep bass, like the subs in my car. Most of the metal and rock stuff sounds like garbage.

5. Sara Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart

I will make no apologies for liking the music of this piano-pop singer-songwriter. She has a great singing voice with more than a little attitude (I love an attitude-y chick singer!) and she can straight write a good pop tune. I really love the production and the mix on this record; it is very commercial and slick but they managed to NOT suck the life out of it. The lyrics are very honest and very heartfelt.

4. The Black Keys - Brothers

I have liked the occasional Black Keys song in the past, but this is the first time where I felt that they made a good record from start to finish. I know some of the Black Keys purists may bemoan the fact that this record wasn't as stripped down and raw as some of their previous work, but if it works, it works. I will never understand why people want their favorite artists to keep putting out the same exact stinking record over and over again. My favorite song is probably Next Girl, but my little girls love the whistling part on Tighten Up. The world needs more music with whistling!

3. Page CXVI - Hymns II & III

As a music pastor, there are times when I am ready to give up on trying to lead music that is congregationally singable, musically creative, and theologically rich. It seems like most artists have to sacrifice one or two of these elements. Not Page CXVI. I'm not exactly sure how I stumbled upon this Colorado trio, but their "church music" came across my path at the exact right time to save me from doing Beatles tunes in church with different lyrics. They put out Hymns I in '09 and Hymns IV is due soon in 2011, but I highly, HIGHLY recommend this female-fronted, piano alternative band to you.

2. The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

I didn't realize it until I saw them live this summer in Portland, but Jack White started this band just so he would have an excuse to play drums again. Alison Mosshart is NOT the best singer in the world, but she has attitude a mile wide and hair a mile high to boot. The first record that The Dead Weather put out was pretty good, enough to make me be a declared fan, but this record takes the cake. I love the line in the first song: "all the white girls trip when I sing in Sunday service." I don't know what it is, but that makes me laugh every time. This record also sounds way better production-wise than their first.

1. The Autumn Film - The Ship and the Sea

I don't know how to put my feelings into words without sounding like an over-dramatic middle school girl. This record has done something significant to me. The Autumn Film is the same trio as the above-mentioned Page CXVI, but is an outlet for their original, non-church music songs. Tifah Philips' voice is just truly amazing and is soaked with sincerity. I am not one of those people who will listen to the same song multiple times in a row, but cannot stop playing Mended over and over. Ships on the Ocean Floor and Roll Over Me are also great songs with some cool chord progressions. This is my record of the year, hands down.

A Couple of Honorable Mentions You Might Light To Check Out:

Brett Detar - A Bird In the Tangle

Former Juliana Theory singer's debut solo country record.

Lecrae - Rehab

Not quite as good as last year's Rebel, but I love how this guy unabashedly preaches the gospel.

Deepspace5 - The Future Ain't What It Used To Be

Super fun rap record. Christian guys, but they rap about all kinds of stuff, not just straight

gospel rap like Lecrae.

Ascend the Hill - Take the World But Give Me Jesus

Outside of the box modern worship/hymns record

Anberlin - Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place

Not the same ol' Anberlin. Kinda hit-or-miss, but OK overall

The Devil Wears Prada - Zombie EP

This record really works as an EP; a full-length would have dragged on too long.

Saturday Sleeper - Mixed Martial Arts & Crafts

Ahem...well, I thought it was pretty good...

The Rizers - Meet the Rizers

Best kid's music ever. 100% scripture songs that helped me memorize more of God's word.

House of Heroes - Suburba

This record didn't change my life, but it does have a couple of truly brilliant songs.

One Dishonorable Mention

The newest Linkin Park. I'm not even sure why I bought this album. Just weird and terrible. 'Nuf said...