Fan-atic Anyone?

Feel the (Honda-Powered) Force
Like many a Star Wars fan, Shawn Crosby (AKA “Obi-Shawn”) dared to dream the impossible: to own his own A-Wing starfighter. Okay, so he couldn’t afford that particular piece of spacecraft, but he was able to transform his Honda Del Sol into something he calls the “H-Wing.” Equipped with its own R2-D2 unit and blasters made of aluminum baseball bats, this ultimate geek ride gets quite a bit of attention whenever he drives it. “Most of the police have a lot of fun with it and generally don’t ticket me,” Shawn revealed. “But R2D2 gets all the chicks.” - from g4tv.com

Brown Emerges But Leaves No Clue

Aaron Brown, former CNN host of NewsNight, emerged from the abyss of cancellation recently in a public speech highlighted in this article, "Broadcaster says serious news at risk." Many Brown fans, myself included, have seen hide nor hair of him since his departure from CNN and have been on the lookout for where he might go next. This article is the first inside look at his personal take on the business as a whole since leaving the network. I personally found Brown's style of broadcast journalism inviting and balanced. He made the viewers feel like they were at his table drinking coffee engaged in a dialogue on the issues. After hearing from so many pundits throughout the cycle of the news day, NewsNight was always a refreshing commentary in the evening to gain a perspective on the day. While the article gave no insight into where Brown's career might take him, we will keep our eyes and ears open. Good luck, Aaron!

A Candlelight Prayer

Lighten our darkness,
Lord, we pray,
and in your great mercy
defend us from all perils and dangers of this night,
for the love of your only Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.

- from rejesus, "Taking Steps of Faith"

Yuletide Hypocrisy Lingers Past Epiphany

My wife asked me if I needed help picking up my jaw during our Sunday morning drive to church. It had literally dropped when she read the elementary school marquee aloud to me. It read "Great Americans' Day, January 16, School Closed." I suppose that I should not have been so taken back considering we were driving through a small rural town in Central Louisiana, but I was stunned and saddened. A number of thoughts came to mind.

I wondered if the schools on the west end of the parish in the predominantly black parish seat displayed "Great Americans' Day." Somehow I doubt it. I have yet to understand how one school principal has the authority to single handedly change a federal holiday adopted by Congress in 1983, signed by Pres. Ronald Reagan into law, and ratified in the state of Louisiana as a paid holiday for state workers. Does redesignating the holiday at will imply that the school principal and staff wish to have the day off without pay?

It should be noted that Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday is listed as a holiday on January 16, 2006 by the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. House of Representatives, the White House, the LA State Department of Education, and neighboring parish school boards. "Great Americans' Day" is not a federal holiday, and a Google search lists few places that observe the day sometime in either February or March.

It is interesting to note that the same demographic residing in this rural community represent the same "Christian" segment of our population that protested the replacement of "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays" only a few weeks earlier. No one should be forced to celebrate a holiday they do not believe in, but a public entity such as a school should not be used to promote a political agenda or practice "reverse political correctness," otherwise known as discrimination. An appropriate resolution might be to require the school principal and students to actually study the life and message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a great American.

Celtic Daily Prayer

The New Year has been a great opportunity to go deeper in my faith. It has had a tremendous psychological benefit to start fresh with new practices to strengthen my faith. My friends and I have been discussing the three major emphases of the emerging church, as I understand them: Inward Journey (spiritual formation), Corporate Journey (community formation), and Outward Journey (missional action). While we have committed to meet weekly in a small group environment to further our pursuit of Biblical community, we are also trying to hold each other accountable for the Inward Journey. All of us may be utilizing different devotional practices, but we are all united in making time with God a priority in our daily lives.

For a couple months I have been enjoying the online daily prayer site, Sacred Space, provided by the Irish Jesuits. My only reservation is that it is very short. I have felt compelled to join the tradition of so many other Christ followers in Morning and Evening prayer. There is something about the rhythm of devotion that is very meaningful to me. This led me to research Celtic Spirituality more, hoping to find something akin to the Book of Common Prayer used by our Anglican and Episcopal brethren. I discovered Celtic Daily Prayer which is prayer and readings from the Northumbria Community.

The Northumbria Community is actually a dispersed community with Companions all over the United Kingdom as well as internationally. They describe their community as "a conscious attempt to find a practical modern expression of a new monasticism, which preserves an uncompromising allegiance to the imperatives of the Sermon on the Mount." They are united by three fundamental commitments. The first common commitment is taking vows of "availability and vulnerability" both to God and others. The second commitment is to their "Rule, 'A Way for Living,' which embraces a dogged fidelity to the Sermon on the Mount as an expression of Christian discipleship." The third commitment is to pray the Daily Office.

The Daily Office is primarily marked by Morning and Evening Prayers, but they also include Midday Prayer and the Compline (bedtime) which are optional. I would spare you my inadequate description of the Daily Office and urge you to pray it for yourself for a day, a week, or a season, as a fresh approach to your own spiritual formation.

You may be wondering like myself, how a former Southern Baptist pastor came to a structured repetitious prayer life. For me my prayer life has never been disciplined. It has often been taken hostage by my feelings and the circumstances of the day. While my conversation with God has always been ongoing in whispers throughout the day, I have been craving a deeper walk with Him. These devotional practices predate our modern program Christianity by hundreds of years. Though I have been guilty of being dogmatic in my beliefs in the past, I am not so arrogant as to believe we all have it right and the saints of the ages had it all wrong. There is a measure of comfort and strength in walking down a well trodden path, when you know it leads to the garden.

I am not promoting anything to anyone, just sharing where I am in my own personal journey. Today is the first day since I received my copy of Celtic Daily Prayer that I have actually prayed the Daily Office completely from Morning to Midday to Evening to Compline. I want to encourage you to find whatever works for you. Whatever time using whatever tool that helps you to prioritize and realize your time spent with God. I share this old Celtic blessing as a prayer for you:

O God, make clear to us each road.
O God, make safe to us each step;
when we stumble, hold us;
when we fall, lift us up.
When we are hard-pressed with evil,
deliver us;
and bring us at last to Your glory.

Change for Louisiana?

"We believe Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco will announce she will not be a candidate for re-election." - Babs Zimmerman, KALB Newschannel 5, Alexandria, LA.

Aside from giving away dogs and cats, Babs Zimmerman shows up on KALB on occasion to opine on Louisiana politics and call election returns. She was all but giddy on live television the night Kathleen Blanco was leading Bobby Jindal in returns for Governor. Her political leanings are difficult to hide. That is why I find it all the more interesting that she predicted that Blanco will not run for re-election. I'm still not sure who "we" represents in the transcript of her on air segment to which I've linked. I would have to imagine she must have been near tears to make such a prediction, given her glee and optimism for Blanco's ascension. Time will prove whether she is right, but the ball has started rolling down hill once the Governor's most enthusiastic supporters join her opponents in declaring her political demise.

Will the Emerging Church Fully Emerge?

"Will the Emerging Church Fully Emerge?" by Frank Viola is a thought provoking critique of the emerging church. He spotlights several areas that should be considered and engaged in dialogue. His repeated insistence on what I consider a "pure democracy" form of church polity is where I primarily disagree with him. Throughout scripture God called, equipped, and used individuals to lead His people. Several of the spiritual gifts demonstrated in the New Testament are gifts used for leadership in the body. I am in definite agreement that professional clergy have had a detrimental impact upon church health and growth and do not reflect the New Testament church model. However, there is a legitimate and needed spiritual office of leadership. Sometimes you can't help but wonder if Frank didn't have a really bad experience with a former pastor that completely soured him on pastoral ministry. Regardless, I appreciate his perspective because he challenges me to examine what I really believe about the kind of church that honors God.