A few things...

• Last night I threw wisdom to the wind and went to the late night showing of Superman Returns with some guys from here at church. There were a few surprises, and it was somewhat predictable (which is to be expected), but overall I really enjoyed it. I was especially struck by all the spiritual metaphor.
• Still very interested in what some of you have to say about all the questions I posted in my last post about small groups. Thanks to those of you who responded.
• Spent some time reading Mark Palmer's wife's blog today...I was moved to tears as I read her pain. I never met this man, but he must have really been something special, especially to have moved a bunch of the guys in his community to have the word elpida (hope) tattooed on their forearms, where he had it tattooed. It made me revisit my thoughts of having the word charis (grace) inked somewhere, especially as a tribute of our time in Kansas and what the Lord taught us there.
• Prayers would be appreciated today for Peter Gammons. Gammons is the Hall of Fame baseball analyst for ESPN who yesterday suffered a brain aneurysm. He revolutionized the way baseball was covered in the 1970s while writing for the Boston Globe. Even though my Dad and I always kid that he says "I mean..." too often, he is respected by everyone who has ever been around him.

Now Reading: We Really Do Need Each Other, by Reuben Welch

I can't believe I managed to make it the entire month of May without a single post. I hope some of you are still reading, as your input is so important to me.

Part of my responsibility at Beavercreek Church of the Nazarene is to develop and maintain the small groups ministry. Kari and I have been part of an amazing community (small group) of people for the past two years in Kansas, but now I have to apply what I learned (both the good and the bad) from there to a large church with an existing Sunday School ministry, some small groups already meaning, and (probably) a general sense that not much needs to change.

So, I figured I'd open this discussion to the smartest group of people I know...you. What should a small group ministry look like? What is the purpose of small groups? Evangelism? Accountability? Bible Study? Prayer? All of the Above? What about mixed demographics? Do the senior adult couples meet with the 30-years old couples with two kids and the 34-year old single person? Do each of these demographics have their own group? What about the existing Sunday School? Should small groups be allowed to become large groups? (I think I know the answer to that one.) Should one of the goals of small groups be to multiply themselves, "planting" new small groups as time goes by? What about small group leaders? How do you train them? Are there books they should be reading, videos they should be watching, things they should be listening to? Should people meet according to where they live? How on earth do you initiate all this? Have I asked the right questions? Enough questions?

A quote from the book I'm reading: "You see, I have come to believe with all my heart that the life that Jesus brings is a shared life. The life of God in the world does not have its meaning in isolated units, but in a fellowship of those who share that life in him."

Now Reading: We Really Do Need Each Other, by Reuben Welch

Kari's grandfather, Harold Sutherland, passed away this afternoon in Iowa. If any of you were at our wedding, you may remember him as the funny older gentleman who said a sweet prayer for us near the end of the ceremony. He left behind a beautiful legacy for his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Occasionally, when he got fired up about something, he would send a four or five page email to the entire family detailing his thoughts, complete with Scripture quotes, malapropisms, and hilarious misspellings. I was fortunate enough to be on the recipient list of those messages.

You will be missed, Grandpa.

Well, the day has come.

When Braden was born, almost a year ago now, Kari and I had no idea what we were in for. As she tried to hold down a full time job and be a mommy, she became overwhelmed. We began talking about how nice it would be if we could get closer to home, so our parents could be with the grandson and we could have some relief.

When I lost my job at headquarters a couple months ago, our desire to get home reached its height. We decided to begin actively looking for an open door to return closer to home, wherever that may be. We received a few enticing opportunities, including ministries in Honduras, an Asian country, and Seattle, but none of those fit the "closer to home" rule. We received conjecture from two other locations which did fit that bill, one in Michigan and one in Tennessee (difficult to pass up, for sure). But there was no peace. So we waited, and eventually we saw what we thought was an open door at our alma mater, Mount Vernon Nazarene University. The job, while it would have been amazing, would not have been ideal for our family situation, but I applied anyway. After a phone interview, I was asked to fly to Mt. Vernon for an interview in person a couple weeks ago. We were excited at the possibility that was before us.

The day before I left, I received a phone call from a pastor in Dayton. He had offered me a job before and had had a staff position come open just one day earlier. He had heard I was going to be in the area for an interview and wondered if I might be able to change my return trip so I could chat with him and his ministry team. I agreed, not knowing what was around the corner, and headed to Ohio. After arrriving at MVNU, I was told that the folks in another office had found out I was in town and would like to interview me for a position they had recently had come open. Again, not wanting to close any doors, I agreed. That night I had interviews at 4:00 and 7:30, followed by a quick drive to Dayton for a night with Kari's folks and an interview at 6:00 the next morning at the church.

This past Wednesday, we received a call from Keven Wentworth, pastor of Beavercreek Church of the Nazarene. The board had voted to offer me a staff position: Associate Pastor for Community. I would be in charge of small groups. We gladly accepted. BCN is the church where we were married, and where Kari served as College and Career Pastor. Her parents attend the church, which is only about 2 1/2 hours from my parents' home in Kentucky. I start June 1.

And tomorrow I start looking for a place to live. I would appreciate your prayers, as I have the responsibility of doing this without the assistance of my wife, the one who will truly make it home.

We are very excited to be close to some of you who read this who we haven't seen for too long, and very sad to leave some really close friends out here in Kansas. But, the former things have taken place, and God is declaring new things (Isaiah 42:9).

May it be so.

Now Reading: The Importance of Being Foolish, by Brennan Manning

The guys in our small group had an amazing conversation last night...One of our best ever, I think. It reminded me about hearing the other person's viewpoint, something that many of you who read this taught me a lot about.

Our conversation focused mainly on two topics, which I'll briefly discuss here because I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on them.

1. Christianity vs. Other Religions. The question about Gandhi was raised, which spurred this conversation. The gist of it was that Jesus is the only way to the Father, so is it possible for a Buddhist, Muslim, etc. to make it to Paradise? Many different viewpoints and angles were shared. I'm still formulating my opinion, but, suffice it to say, I'm getting further and further from the "Fundamentalist" Christian view as we would know it. I'll leave it at that.

2. America's Presence in Iraq. Basically, I began this conversation by stating how opposed I am to our being there at all, then backing up and saying that I'm more concerned with the motive and (this is my word) hypocrisy of our decision to go there. One of the other guys in the group talked about how we still accomplished something great (by removing Hussein from power and making hopefully positive changes to their government), and we should be glad for that. While we disagreed, it was civil and, I felt, a time that stretched both of us and the thoughts of the other guys there (some of whom also participated in the conversation, albeit to a lesser degree).

So, as I'm still formulating what I think about these two topics, I'd be very interested in hearing what some of you, my respected and loved brothers and sisters, think.

Now Reading: Blue Like Jazz (second time)

...from the Lectionary reading for this week.

O sacred Head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
Whit thorns thine only crown;
How pale thou art with anguish,
With sore abuse and scorn!
How does this visage languish
Which once was bright as morn!

What thou, my Lord, hast suffered
Was all for sinners' gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
Look on me with thy favor,
Vouchsafe to me thy grace.

What language shall I borrow
To thank thee, dearest friend,
For this dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever,
And should I fainting be,
Lord let me never, never
Outlive my love to thee.

Amen.

CPT rejoices in the release of our peacemakers
by Doug Pritchard and Carol Rose

Our hearts are filled with joy today as we heard that Harmeet Singh Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember have been safely released in Baghdad. Christian Peacemaker Teams rejoices with their families and friends at the expectation of their return to their loved ones and community. Together we have endured uncertainty, hope, fear, grief and now joy during the four months since they were abducted in Baghdad.

We rejoice in the return of Harmeet Sooden. He has been willing to put his life on the line to promote justice in Iraq and Palestine as a young man newly committed to active peacemaking.

We rejoice in the return of Jim Loney. He has cared for the marginalized and oppressed since childhood, and his gentle, passionate spirit has been an inspiration to people near and far.

We rejoice in the return of Norman Kember. He is a faithful man, an elder and mentor to many in his 50 years of peacemaking, a man prepared to pay the cost.

We remember with tears Tom Fox, whose body was found in Baghdad on March 9, 2006, after three months of captivity with his fellow peacemakers. We had longed for the day when all four men would be released together. Our gladness today is made bittersweet by the fact that Tom is not alive to join in the celebration. However, we are confident that his spirit is very much present in each reunion.

Harmeet, Jim and Norman and Tom were in Iraq to learn of the struggles facing the people in that country. They went, motivated by a passion for justice and peace to live out a nonviolent alternative in a nation wracked by armed conflict. They knew that their only protection was in the power of the love of God and of their Iraqi and international co-workers. We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq. The occupation must end.

Today, in the face of this joyful news, our faith compels us to love our enemies even when they have committed acts which caused great hardship to our friends and sorrow to their families. In the spirit of the prophetic nonviolence that motivated Jim, Norman, Harmeet and Tom to go to Iraq, we refuse to yield to a spirit of vengeance. We give thanks for the compassionate God who granted our friends courage and who sustained their spirits over the past months. We pray for strength and courage for ourselves so that, together, we can continue the nonviolent struggle for justice and peace.

Throughout these difficult months, we have been heartened by messages of concern for our four colleagues from all over the world. We have been especially moved by the gracious outpouring of support from Muslim brothers and sisters in the Middle East, Europe, and North America. That support continues to come to us day after day. We pray that Christians throughout the world will, in the same spirit, call for justice and for respect for the human rights of the thousands of Iraqis who are being detained illegally by the U.S. and British forces occupying Iraq.

During these past months, we have tasted of the pain that has been the daily bread of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. Why have our loved ones been taken? Where are they being held? Under what conditions? How are they? Will they be released? When?

With Tom's death, we felt the grief of losing a beloved friend. Today, we rejoice in the release of our friends Harmeet, Jim and Norman. We continue to pray for a swift and joyful homecoming for the many Iraqis and internationals who long to be reunited with their families. We renew our commitment to work for an end to the war and the occupation of Iraq as a way to continue the witness of Tom Fox. We trust in God's compassionate love to show us the way.

Living through the many emotions of this day, we remain committed to the words of Jim Loney, who wrote:

"With God's abiding kindness, we will love even our enemies.

With the love of Christ, we will resist all evil.

With God's unending faithfulness, we will work to build the beloved community."

Doug Pritchard and Carol Rose are co-directors of Christian Peacemaker Teams

When I started blogging, I thought..."Maybe this won't be a trend. Maybe I'll actually be able to stick to it. Maybe I won't have long dry spells."

So much for that.

Now Reading: The Big Book of SuDoku #2, by Mark Huckvale

Well, the job search officially commences tomorrow, although it has been unofficially underway for some time now. Unfortunately, the two most promising leads both fell through on Friday of last week, so we're kinda back to the start, I guess. It's not a great feeling not having a job, not knowing if there's one in sight, not knowing how I'll continue to provide for my family. Not so great at all.

My faith is shaken.

By the way, Happy Birthday, Dave Ballenger.

Tomorrow morning at 8:35 AM Eastern, I'll be appearing on my friend Obadiah's radio show to promote my new web site. Dave Ballenger and I hatched the idea for this site, and, since Dave moved back to Ohio, I've kinda taken things over. The site provides information for people who play fantasy baseball...I'm hoping to make it an extra source of income for our family during this time of transition...But we'll see. Either way, it's something I've really enjoyed putting together. Special thanks to my brother-in-law, Brian, who gave me a badly needed tutorial on HTML while I was in Florida recently. If you think the site looks great, give all credit to him. If you think it looks lousy, that would be my fault. :) Anyway, I'm posting this far too late for most of you to actually get on the website and listen...But, Obi told me they'd be archiving the interview, so if anyone wants to remember what I sound like, you should be able to hear soon.

My time in Florida was good...Thanks for asking, Chris. And thanks to any of you who thought to say a prayer for me. We spent the entire weekend talking about how Christians should treat others, especially "the least of these." A few kids came up to me after the services and told me they had received a call to full-time missions. Humbling.

I just finished reading Richard Clarke's "Against All Enemies," an account of what went on in the White House before, during and after September 11, 2001. I believed it was a bad idea to invade Iraq all along, but this shed new (disturbing) light on the subject. I learned things I didn't really care to learn. It's interesting...I know some people will read this and totally agree with me, and some will read it and disagree vehemently...I'm not interested in the partisanship that apparently comes with being an American these days. I'm sure if I were to read something written by some pro-Bush, pro-Republican person, they would tell the other side of the story with equally convincing rhetoric.

One things I said to the teenagers in Florida is what it boils down to, I guess: Mass genocide and other atrocities have been carried out by Americans (and those of other nationalities) in the name of Christ, and I can't imagine anything Jesus Christ would want to distance himself from more than those things. My friend Kevin wrote a great piece on his blog the other day about the trendy, non-violent stance of many Christians these days. (Kevin, if you ever read this, I really appreciated what you had to say.) My other friends, Kyle and Eric, replied to Kevin thoughtfully. Even in the midst of their replies, I found myself wondering if I was becoming a non-violent because it was the cool thing to do, the thing my friends were doing. After finishing this book, and re-reading Matthew 25:31-46 about 50 times this past weekend, I'm sure the opposite it true. Jesus Christ longs for non-violence...Jesus Christ longs for peace, especially from those who readily claim his name.

Now that seems like about the most obvious thing I could have possibly said.

Now Reading: Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt by Anne Rice