Screw
The
Wild
Card.

Kari, Braden and I had a really nice weekend. We flew to Columbus on Friday morning, where her family picked us up at the airport and we all drove to Kentucky. Sis had flown in earlier in the week, so the whole family was together (except for Brian, Sis's husband, whom we missed a TON) for the weekend. We played games and talked and ate and hung out. Sunday I got to preach at my home church. But the best part of it all was that we dedicated Braden Sunday, and I had the privilege of doing the dedication. I never dreamed I'd dedicate my own son, but that's what I was able to do. My Dad, Kari's Dad, my Grandfather and I sang a song for Braden and then we dedicated him. It was so special. Pictures to come later, over on Braden's blog (linked to the right).

Sis took several wonderful pictures while we were home, and one of them is posted on her blog. He's a pretty cute kid.

Check This Out
By clicking here, you can read about a victory for Sojourners. If you're not a subscriber, their email is free and it will help you know how to conscientiously object when government is about to make an anti-Kingdom decision.

At Church
I mentioned that I preached while I was home. I wouldn't call myself a preacher, but I hope the Lord gave me something worthwhile to say to those people who have meant so much to me over the years. I talked to them about the Kingdom, and how it is both a present reality and a future hope. The text was from Matthew 10: "Tell them the kingdom is here."

I used a quote from Nouwen that I think is amazing: "The Church is not an institution forcing us to follow its rules. It is a community of people inviting us to still our hunger and thirst at its tables." I talked to them about the reality that we need to open our doors and our arms to homosexuals and terrorists, to genuinely love them. Sis said my message was controversial. I think I think I'm glad for that.

Anyway, thanks to those of you who prayed for me this weekend, and thanks to all of you for helping me, in some roundabout way, formulate the message that I spoke, that the Kingdom is here, it is present reality and future hope, and that the Church should be inviting people to our tables.

In Other News
The Cardinals are in the process of letting me down again, I'm afraid, although Albert came through with a mammoth home run last night. Now it's back to St. Louis for Game 6 (and hopefully Game 7) for the right to play the White Sox in the World Series. Here's to the RedBirds.

Now Reading: The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by Leo Tolstoy
Cardinals' Magic Number: 6

My God, thank you for the physical sight to see both light and darkness around me. Thank you too for insight that comes with the vision to tell the difference. I know that my perception of reality, my vision, determines my ability to respond to life, and that the greater my vision, the more fully alive and fully human I can be.

Still I confess that sometimes the smallness of my vision limits my perception of myself, my neighbors, and the world, so that I treat others as less than human and not fully alive--personally, politically, economically, socially...

I need the vision that Jesus gives, that sees no difference between sacred and secular, sexual identity and personhood, ethnic group and worth, economic position and dignity, education and value.

I need the vision to ask the hard questions and to change my attitude and the structures of society where I can. Because of the sensitivity of sight you give, enable me to stand in awe and wonder at life and its possibilities. Help me kneel in humility to worship you and not myself. Lord, hear me as I say, "Let my eyes be opened." Amen.

--From Visions of a World Hungry by Thomas G. Pettepiece

Now reading: The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by Leo Tolstoy
Cardinals' Magic Number: 8

Friday night my wife and I had dinner with George Costanza. Well, not really. At a Japanese Steakhouse in Overland Park, we sat at a table with another couple, and they were quite unique. When the check came, the gentleman stood up and began wrestling to get something out of his pocket: His enormous, cantaloupe-sized wallet. This thing was amazing...It made Costanza's look puny. If I were to guess the contents, I would include money, credit cards, receipts, car keys, a pickle spear, the Yellow Pages, and pictures of their grandkids, among much else, clearly. He set it on the table, unzipped it (yes, it had a zipper), and chose a few bills, placing them with the check. But he wasn't done. After the waitress returned with his change, he proceeded to remove a calculator from his fanny pack (that's right), along with the checkbook. At this time his wife got up and left...didn't just go to the restroom, but left the restaurant entirely. We began to wonder if they were perhaps just on a date, but this seemed unlikely, as they had to be in their 60s. So he opened the checkbook and the calculator, and began crunching some numbers there at the table. He must have had 20 receipts folded up in the checkbook, and he added the one from dinner. After working with the calculator for a while, he folded up the checkbook, closed the calculator and returned them to his fanny pack. He then struggled mightily to return the gargantuan wallet to his pocket. Kari and I had to wonder why he didn't keep the humongo wallet in the fanny pack, too.

The Playoffs
The Cardinals begin the Playoffs this afternoon, hosting the San Diego Padres in a best-of-five series. I can only hope for a happier ending than last year. But, should the RedBirds make it back to the Fall Classic, Dad and I will once again make the trek to St. Louis in hopes of not having our hearts broken in person, again.

Congratulations...
...are in order for my friends, Doug and Molly Wharton, who were wed this weekend in Columbus, Ohio. Doug and Molly live in Honduras, where they work at a place filled with hope for children with HIV/AIDS. It is called Montana de Luz, which means "Mountain of Light." I invite you to read a speech Molly gave at their wedding, which was posted by my friend Eric Stetler, here. If you feel led, please support this mission in any way you possibly can.

And finally...
...this from Sojourners.

Now Reading: The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by Leo Tolstoy
Cardinals' Magic Number: 11

I had a remarkable conversation today.

A man named Don called Headquarters today (I have no idea how he managed to get patched through to me) and asked me if we could talk about his faith. "Sure," I said. Then he told me some things...He wasn't "raised" to believe in the Bible, he doesn't believe Jesus is the Son of God, he doesn't believe in Satan, but he has some friends who have been talking to him about sin and the need for forgiveness, who have told him what Jesus did for him (us), and who gave him a Bible. He asked if we could read some of it together.

Amazing. We've been praying in our small group for encounters with people who don't know the Lord, but rarely have I had one fall into my lap like this. Don and I had a wonderful conversation. He was (is) afraid to say the name "Jesus Christ," and he was afraid to say words like "repentance" or "forgiveness." (I had asked him to read some from the book of Mark aloud, and that's when he encountered these words and asked if he could skip them.) We talked for over an hour before he said he had to go, but I told him I was going to share his story with my small group and post it on my blog so my friends could pray for him. He begged me not to do this, saying he knew that he had been feeling guilty and was afraid that would make him feel more guilty. I shared with him that Jesus did not want him to have a spirit of fear, and that God wanted to free him from his guilt. He asked me what I believed about Jesus, and when I got to the part about the crucifixion, he wanted me to stop. When he read aloud the description of Jesus' baptism in the first chapter of Mark, he wept when he came to the part where God's voice proclaimed Jesus as His beloved Son, with whom He was well pleased. I told him that was also God's message for him, should he choose to accept it.

I prayed all throughout the conversation that God would give me wisdom and courage, and I believe He did. I told Don that I was going to pray for God to pursue him. I'd like to invite all of you to do the same. I told him his life would never be the same, but that it would be richer than he could ever imagine. I told him I loved him (which he didn't understand) and that that God loved him (which he didn't believe).

Please help me pray for my new friend, Don.

Now Reading: Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller
Cardinals: NL Central Champions; Magic Number: 11

I've been excited the last couple days to learn about the new projects I'll be working on. Yesterday I received a call from Barefoot Ministries, the youth publishing company for the Nazarene church. They asked me if I would edit their teen curriculum based on the lectionary. Very cool. They're sending me a contract.

Then, in my email today, I received my next proofreading project for Youth Specialties: you can see it by clicking here. It's a re-release of a book, but it's one I've been wanting to read. I'm especially interested in one of the authors, Brian McLaren. I haven't yet had the privilege to read anything of his yet, so I'm anxious to get started.

Now reading: Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller.
Cardinals: NL Central Champions; Magic Number: 11

Kari and I are reading this book together right now, and we both are really enjoying it. The subtitle is so true: Non-religious thoughts on Christian Spirituality.

At the end of his chapter on grace is this wonderful statement: "In exchange for our humility and willingness to accept the charity of God we are given a kingdom. And a beggar's kingdom is better than a proud man's delusion."

Now Reading: Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller
Cardinals: NL Central Champions; Magic Number: 11

I'm looking out my hotel window at half of the Gateway Arch...Quite a lovely view. I sure do miss my wife and son, though.

My time here in St. Louis has been good. I am here working for Nazarene Headquarters at the USA/Canada Nazarene Youth International District Leadership Conference (what a name!). But the best of my time has been spent in worship and in sharing my heart with a friend, James (his blog is linked to the right). Last night in the worship service we sang a song that repeated the line "Less of me and more of You," clearly sung to God. But, the worship leader threw us for a loop when he told us to sing it to each other. "Less of me and more of you, Brother." I was moved when James came from the complete opposite side of the room to hug me and sing it to me. And I sang it to him. And I so sincerely hope that I meant it.

Much was stirred up (and has been stirred up for some time now). James and I went to Starbucks this morning for breakfast and began talking about where we are, what we're doing, what we're thinking, what we're dealing with. James told me (very) briefly about his community, and I told him (very) briefly about ours. We talked of the existing church and the emerging church, friends and their thoughts, worship styles, pastors...We talked and we talked. We hardly even mentioned our two precious kids, Halle and Braden, both 3-4 months old, which gives you an idea of how prevalent these topics are in our minds.

Ultimately, James helped me come to a conclusion that I probably have needed to confess for some time: That, especially during my most formative years in college, I mostly lived my life to meet the approval of certain people. Jesus was typically not one of them. Some of these people I felt never approved of me, and some I felt I managed to "win over." Only now do I see (admit) the silliness in it all. Sadly, though, I find myself still longing to meet with the approval of some of these people. Most of them are far ahead of me in this "post-postmodern" way of thinking, and I read their blogs and wish I were as "spiritual" as them. Sad. I think most of them would call themselves my friends (perhaps simply "acquaintances"), so is it my insecurity? Maybe there's a better word than approval...maybe it's respect. I want them to respect me so badly...My pride is clearly in the way. Funny how insecurity and pride so often go hand in hand.

There's a lot more rolling around in my head about the role of the existing church in this emerging church paradigm...but I don't know how to articulate it yet. I'm working on it.

If you have read this and are afraid you may be one of the people I mentioned earlier, please don't worry. I don't think those people are even aware I have a blog. (One of them stumbled upon a mutual friend's blog not long ago and talked about how happy he was to reconnect with him, and that he would be frequenting his blog as a place of refuge...I found myself undeniably envious of him, who clearly had been approved by one whose approval I had [have] so long been seeking...I apologize to both of you, if you read this and know who you are.) Either way, it is a change in my heart that needs to be made, not in yours.

I am tempted to skip all the evening activities and go watch Chris Carpenter pitch, but it's almost sure to rain, and I am at "work."

Now Reading: "Reflections on the Psalms," by C.S. Lewis
Cardinals' Magic Number: 2

We Taylors have been privileged to have a special guest with us this week:


The Durek is Here

Bryan drove out to KC last Sunday to begin his in-service master of divinity degree at Nazarene Theological Seminary. He is staying with us and becoming acclimated to life in a girls’ dorm and life with a baby boy. Holly even flew out over this past weekend, and we enjoyed some fellowship with them before she flew back to Ohio on Monday morning. Bryan will be finishing up his first module course this week and heading back to Marysville Church of the Nazarene, where he is youth pastor, on Friday.

As we've been hosting our friend and Kari has been reading this fabulous book, we've been thinking a lot about hospitality. This from Nouwen in Reaching Out:

"Hospitality, therefore, means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines. It is not to lead our neighbor into a corner where there are no alternatives left…It is not an educated intimidation with good books, good stories and good works, but the liberation of fearful hearts so that words can find roots and bear ample fruit…The paradox of hospitality is that it wants to create emptiness, not a fearful emptiness, but a friendly emptiness where strangers can enter and discover themselves as created free; free to sing their own songs, speak their own languages, dance their own dances; free also to leave…Hospitality is not the subtle invitation to adopt the life style of the host, but the gift of a chance for the guest to find his own…Reaching out to others without being receptive to them is more harmful than helpful and easily leads to manipulation and even to violence, violence in thoughts, words, and actions."

No one says it quite like Henri. I've been moved by reading the thoughts of several of my friends in the wake of the terrible tragedy taking place in Louisiana and the surrounding states. I'd like to find a way to go there and help, too. Kari and I will contribute to the cause of Heart to Heart International, which has established a presence in New Orleans and is assisting refugees. Heart to Heart was founded by a gentleman at our church here in Olathe. If you are reading this and don't have a way to contribute, may I suggest this fine organization? By clicking on their name above, you can read about their core beliefs and find out how you can contribute.

May God bless those so profoundly affected by this awful event.

Now Reading: "Reflections on the Psalms," by C.S. Lewis
Cardinals' Magic Number: 11

Well, the Vols managed to win their opener today, but, from the looks of things, they're going to have a mighty tough time at Florida in two weeks.

Here are a couple quotes from the book I'm proofreading that I found interesting and appropriate:

"The Scriptures are devalued when they’re used only to affirm and bless our culture and its characteristics. When the Bible becomes an “amen” to selfish politics, consumerism, individualism, the American way, and our many other cultural agendas, its radical message is silenced. The Bible becomes a weak-voiced pastor sitting at the cultural head table and offering a meaningless invocation—just happy to be in the room. But the Jesus who shakes up the religious authorities by healing on the Sabbath, scandalizes the norms of his day by conversing with a Samaritan woman, frequents the table of tax collectors and other marginal persons, and says we meet the eternal God in the faces of the poor—this Jesus is silenced and excluded."

"Yet the preeminence of systematic theology carries with it the danger that we may read the Bible for affirmation of our favored system, strip-mining the biblical narrative for verses, illustrations, and smaller segments that fit a prescribed theological package. The marvelous contours of the narrative forest are lost or ignored as we remove individual trees to be used as pillars of a theological system."

Just some food for though, I suppose.

Now reading: "Reflections on the Psalms," by C.S. Lewis
Cardinals' Magic Number: 16