Family of Four

As we wait for the arrival of Magnolia we are making plans to maximize space in Scout's room - since it will be Mags room too. We bought a long plank and some wooden brackets so I could install a shelf in the room. Scout opened the wooden brackets and found these treasures hidden inside the packaging. She set them up on the stool just as you see them here. Then she said, "Look! It's Daddy, Mommy, Scout, and Magnolia!"

Looks like she is making some preparations of her own.

The Easter Story...

It's Easter 2009. Every time we put Scout down, whether for a nap or actual bedtime we tell her a story about Jesus or God or something. For some reason we try to avoid stories about princesses and frogs and whatnot. We like to believe that maybe God will mysteriously do something deep in her soul through these stories. Anyway - today as we were putting Scout down for her nap she said, "Tell me the Easter story."

I looked up at Lexie. We exchanged wide eyed glances and her hand motioned towards me as if I was being introduced to speak at youth group. Damn.

"The Easter story?" I asked.

"Yeah. We've never done that one." Scout added.

"Ok...Ummm. What should I tell her?" I discretely asked Lexie. I wasn't going to tell her any junk about an Easter bunny or chocolate eggs, but she's a 2.5 year old. This was no time for atonement theory.

Whispering, "That he died and came back to life." she said.

That he died and came back to life? How do I explain that to my tiny daughter? I don't think she understands death and all that. Not to mention the fact that Jesus was God...and man...and lived a sinless life...and died...simple right? This was going to be interesting.

"Once upon a time (This is no fairy tale...I must have started it like this because of some insecurity or something) Jesus was...Jesus was teaching and talking and being with people. And..."

Scout was staring intently at me. Hanging on every word.

"And he (was killed? no...not yet) died."

"Why did he die?" Scout asked.

"Because some people were mad at him. But you know what? Jesus is God. And Jesus is also a man! Like Daddy! But because Jesus was God, he lived a special life and after he died...three days later...he came to life again!" Scouts eyes had gotten larger at this little piece of information. I had no idea what to say.

"That is the Easter story, Scout. That Jesus died and then came to life again. And because of that, we can be friends with God. Isn't that special? Doesn't that make Easter a special day?"

"Is that it?" Scout asked.

"Yep. That's it." I said. "That's the Easter story."

"I want some water." Scout had moved on.

So that was it. 3 years of seminary training and nothing like a 2.5 year old's question about the Easter story to freeze me in my tracks. The simplicity of the gospel doesn't necessarily translate into easy answers. Is Jesus IN the gospel? Do you think God meets us, even a 2.5 year old in the telling of that story? I do. Maybe God will mysteriously do something deep in her soul through these stories...just maybe.

Moments with Scout

There were some classic moments today with Scout that I just have to pass on to the world. First one.... I put Scout on the potty because she said she had to pee. After she peed for a bit, she tooted - at which point her face lit up and she exclaimed, "Ha! Just like Daddy!" I'm ashamed and embarrassed to tell that story, but it is a riot. Second one...after her bath this evening as I was getting her dressed she noticed by basketball shorts and she said, "Those are fancy!" Because they are kind of shiny, you know, like basketball shorts are. And I said, "Fancy?" to which she replied, "Yeah - like lip gloss!" So those are our stories for tonight. She is actually in my lap right now and wants to type you all a message. Here is goes...

k'/ZXCVBB.B / /∂Ω /dff/ff s ƒjx zMzmmzCCCD

Who can top that?

She also has something she would like to say to everyone...

"I love you. That's it."

Wild Thing

If this doesn't make your heart race and bring a tear to your eye then I don't want to know you...



Well - I do want to know you but c'mon. This trailer strikes a chord deep down inside of me. This looks like it's going to be amazing. "Where the Wild Things Are" is not only one of MY favorite books from childhood, it's quickly become one of Scout's favorites too.

MP520 - Week 10: Peter Rollins

This isn't a response to reading for the week...I think I finished with that. This is a response to a video (linked below) featuring the one and only Peter Rollins who spoke at his 'Beyond Evandalism' conference at Hollywood Adventist Church this spring.

I want to briefly comment on three points that Peter made in this clip...
Regarding Mission. Peter talked about his perspective that mission should be about about ME being transformed and touched by God, not about me transforming or touching the folks I am going to mission to. This idea that mission is what I do in order to be transformed. Therefore in the work of the mission of the gospel, we Come in in weakness, not strength to create spaces where we can join together. I like this perspective a lot. Frankly I don't think this is that radical of an idea, I guess it depends on where you are. I think this idea of mission lines up with the idea that God is already at work where ever we are going, we don't "bring" Jesus with us as if we are some kind of ushers of the divine. Rather our job as Jesus' followers is to find him in our communities, find him in the world, align ourselves with what he is doing, and talk about it.

"The church becomes the object we embrace so we don't have to feel the impact of our everyday existence."
A concern of his is that we tend to try to make God as the answer to all of peoples questions - which leads to the fulfillment of the popular slogan, "God of the gaps". Not only that, but WE as followers of Christ tend to hide out in our churches. In what ways is this statement true? I've noticed people doing exactly what Peter is talking about. How can we embrace the church and embrace our existence? What is our existence outside the church?

"The structure is the one place we don't allow doubt to exist. Perhaps the church should be the place where we allow doubt to be expressed in our worship...not something that takes away from a life of faith but something that adds to it."
Why do we take doubt out of the structure of the church? Now this is an interesting idea. How might this look? How could we make doubt a part of our worship? This leads me to some questions about worship. What is it? What is it for? I think depending on how you answer that question, doubt may or may not fit into it. I'm all for bringing doubt into the structure of the church, I just don't know if doubt needs to be expressed in our worship.

If anyone is interested in Peter, check him out here...
Rollins' Blog
Rollins on Evandalism

soulpancake

If you haven't heard of it yet, soulpancake.com is out there. check it out. very interesting. a place to "chew of life's big questions." this is what's going on in our culture so we should tune in. this video was on the page and i thought it was pretty interesting.


Did You Know? from Amybeth on Vimeo.

MP520 11-MAR-2009

Zizek. Woah. I'm going to admit something that kind of makes me feel stupid...I had never heard of Zizek before today. If I had, I don't recall. Zizek.

Thought provoking to say the least. Zizek on Christian theology? I don't know about that. I'm pretty much speechless after today. In a good way...I think.