Q conference

This past week I had the opportunity to volunteer at and attend the majority of the Q conference that was held in Chicago this year. Skipping three days of classes has never been so worth it. Q is all about bringing together cultural leaders to explore how the gospel is and can further be expressed in culture. In their own words it’s about exposure, conversation, and collaboration.

This year’s conference was held in the Civic Opera House—an absolutely breath taking place. We heard from people like Alister McGrath,Tim Keller, Scot McKnight, Wayne “Coach” Gordon, Brian McLaren, Mike Foster, Phyllis Tickle, and Soledad O’Brien. We also got to hear from lesser known names who are doing equally amazing things; people like Skye Jethani, Jonathan Olinger of Discover the Journey, Greg Helvey creator of the short film “Kavi,” Andrew Marin of the Marin Foundation, artist Dayton Castleman, Rosalind Picard a professor and researcher at MIT, and Sean Woman founder of TBD Agency. Perhaps one of the greatest things about Q though is that all of these presenters and attendees are seen on an equal level. During my time at the conference I got to be in conversation with folks like Andy Crouch and Bill Hybels along with Jason from Lee University and a church planter named Andy.

All that to say, I undoubtedly recommend the conference. It cost a good amount, so if you can’t afford it try to volunteer—it was a great experience. I learned a good amount, but I was also deeply refreshed and encouraged.

Over the course of the three days we were given countless resources and heard of numerous ideas and things that are happening all over the country, so I thought I would share a few of those things:

TheCommon.org – what happens if we take out the middleman and allow people’s needs to be met by other’s skills?

A new perspective on what’s happening in the world—The Third Post

Beautiful stories of radical grace—People of the Second Chance

Some new jams from Zach Williams—I’m a fan

A story of surprising neighborliness in Colorado

Speaking up for children around the world through artistically telling stories—Discover the Journey

Helping a generation that is growing up without fathers - The National Fatherhood Initiative

A short, Academy Award Nominated, film, "Kavi," about slavery today

filled vs. centered

A little over a month ago I was in Chicago for two weeks with 20 other senior christian educational ministries majors on our two week capstone trip. As we’ve back at Taylor there’s been many things that have got me reflecting on that trip as there was much to unpack (visiting around 30 ministries I would venture to say). Specifically I remember a service we went to at an Anglican church. I was sitting next to my professor, who knew I had been going to a local Episcopal church for a while. She leaned over as the services was over and said, “That was centering.”

Ever since that conversation, I’ve found myself using that same word to refer to my little Episcopal church in Marion (Gethsemane) as people ask about it--centering. Frequently I hear people talking about being filled after a service or saying that that one church just didn’t ever fill me. Much of this is based upon if the sermon was engaging or the music stirring. Now these things are not wrong in the slightest; I do not mean to say that. But as I’ve been thinking about why I went back to the Gethsemane, it comes back to this idea of centering.

The service there is not one that is going to fill you. Instead of everything building up to a sermon, it is all building up to the Eucharist. The liturgy is so beautiful as it reminds up of who God is no matter where we are at. Each week I come away not feeling filled, but centered. Centered in that I am reminded of who Christ is, what he has done, and who I am in light of how he is.

I’m thinking that I want to be a part of a centering church over a filling church in the future.

the mobile church

I don't think there are words to describe this. Strange, thought provoking, surreal, and, well, hilarious.

How far would you go to relocated a church?

an unimpressive god

Sitting in chapel the other day, I was taken back as I looked around the auditorium. To the right the girl sitting next to me was checking her email on her cell phone; the girl to my left was texting. Another row up a guy pulls out his phone as his thumbs meticulously pound on the screen. I felt that maybe I was missing out in the chorus of small glowing screens that seemed to be appearing all around me.

Now I must admit that I’m currently not the biggest fan of chapel, but I couldn’t help but wondering ‘is it really that boring? Is getting that text out right now that important? Have our attention spans become that small?’ I’ve had conversations with people after chapel asking what they thought of the services and answers tend to be all over the spectrum. However when there’s a teacher who’s able to speak with high energy, clever rhetoric, and an in-your-face message, the majority of students come away generally pleased--it was an impressive chapel. Yet those times that don’t seem quite up to par, well, that’s when the cell phones come out.

Lately I’ve been chewing on this thought of am unimpressive God. When I was talking with a friend about why he and his family chose to start going to the Episcopal church (where I’m now going), he mentioned that there’s really nothing impressive about it. No one is going to pull out flashy teaching or put on something that will draw more people in. You can take it or leave it.

Now in all of this I do not mean to say that God is unimpressive in the way that we commonly think of the word. He is omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient, and he is God; that is impressive. But even in the ministry of Jesus we see that when the Pharisees ask Jesus for a miracle, something flashy and impressive, Jesus rebukes them. He never tried to be impressive. Henri Nouwen refers to it as the need to be relevant, when in reality all that one has to offer is their vulnerable self.

Often times we think of how this applies to us as church leaders as we struggle with the temptation to be impressive. But I want to ask what implications does this have on us as we participate in things such as chapel and church? Are we able and willing to open ourselves up to the unimpressiveness of Jesus? Can we put aside our impressive technology and desire to be entertained for a moment to be stilled by something unimpressive?

speaking peace

This weekend we got the chance to go on a group trip to the poorest province of Costa Rica, Limon. The history of Limon is a sad one filled with racism and inequalites, but in our visit there was one place that didn´t seem so dampered by it´s surrounding conditions.

It was that catholic church. On Sunday half of us went to a service that I was anticipating to be dry, empty, and boring. Yet it ended up being the complete opposite of all of those. It was suprisingly refreshing. The service undoubtedly had the flow of mass, but there was a depth and significance to it. The singers were all singing in their own key, but it didn´t matter because they were worshipping. Everything that was done was cnetered around scripture, and we even got to sing Oh, how I love Jesus. I think my favorite part of the service has to be the ‘say hello to your neighbor time’ (you know that time when everyone in church turns around to greet each other). Well they took this time to speak peace to everyone. So literally every one in the service (granted it was only 30 people) greeted eachother with the work peace.

There was something special about that. Maybe we should start speaking peace to others more often.