learning to breathe

This year’s Off The Map conference (Hear. Listen. Connect.) is coming up in the next couple months (Nov 1-3, to be exact).  I’m excited to see how what the presenters and workshop teachers will have to say and what discussions will play out as a result.  I’m also interested to attend this one with a much greater sense of freedom than I did last year.

A year ago I was in a terribly frustrating place, very much having to fly underneath the radar in the position I was in.  I went to the conference alone, feeling like I had been holding my breath underwater for almost two years.  The time at the conference was like being able to come up for air and breath for a few days…but I new at the end I was going to have to grab one more gulp of air and put my head back under when I returned.

But this year, I’m going after just accepting an invitation to serve at a church where, although it may not at all be emerging and many people there still fear the word “postmodern,” the pastor and a few others understand it…and they know what’s going on.  One person from the church I’ve talked to has already bought a ticket to go, and the pastor might be going as well.  Even if he doesn’t, he’s already mentioned something about attending Brian McLaren’s Deep Shift conference that will be coming to the Pacific Northwest.  That was amazing, just knowing I’m among people who are interested and plugged-in, that I can at least have a conversation with about these things. 

A year ago, that wasn’t possible without being pegged as someone to keep an eye on.  Someone who might be losing his grip on ‘truth.’

But now I can breathe, and the feeling of my chest moving again is indescribable.

Favela Rising

A local conference/retreat center has regular movie nights.  Last night they showed the documentary Favela Rising.  I invited some of the students I work with to go see it as well, as I thought it would illustrate the kingdom of God in a more tangible way than the lessons and explanations I try to give.  The film

“…documents a man and a movement, a city divided and a favela (Brazilian squatter settlement) united. Haunted by the murders of his family and many of his friends, Anderson Sá is a former drug-trafficker who turns social revolutionary in Rio de Janeiro’s most feared slum. Through hip-hop music, the rhythms of the street, and Afro-Brazilian dance he rallies his community to counteract the violent oppression enforced by teenage drug armies and sustained by corrupt police.” 

One of the points I have been trying to communicate lately to the students I work with, especially in regards to the kingdom of God and the revolutionary methods and message of Jesus, is that his movement was one of non-violence…and somehow that overthrew the dark strength of Rome.  But I’m not sure they get it.

I’m not sure I even get it.

We’re so ingrained with the idea of ‘just wars’ and ending violence with even bigger violence.  Tragically, it seems to be the American way.  To end WWII we dropped cataclysmic destruction on top of Japan, which obviously isn’t right.  But the quick justification appears: “But if we hadn’t, how many more of our troops and citizens would have been killed?  It was unfortunate, but had to be done to end the violence.”  But did it?  Has it?  As far as I can tell (and history seems to be a pretty concrete indicator), violence just seems to spawn more violence.  ‘Shock and Awe’ may cause just that…but it doesn’t last forever.  Soon anger and revenge are in the hearts and mouths and hands of those who were attacked.  It never ends. 

But to take something that seems so weak as peace?  Non-violence?  How does that stand against a sword or AK-47?  How practical is that, really?  It’s not.  And I suppose that’s why we so quickly cast it aside as an option.  If we want to stay on top of the heap, then we have to do a little pushing.  But we’ve lost the plot.  We’d rather defend the top of the dung pile than be doorkeepers in the house of YHWH.

In light of all that, this film helped flesh out in a tangible way the concept of non-violent resistance, of hope springing forth from the cracks of a bleak and violent soil.  Of death being swallowed up in life.  Through music, through creating a new form and structure that children and people in the community can put their hands to, Anderson Sa and the members of AfroReggae are doing something that logic and our polluted intuition claims to be impossible.  But it is possible, and it’s happening.  It’s spreading.  Like yeast in dough and a vine through a garden.

This was a great reminder that the kingdom is here…but not yet  and even more.

you say you want a revolution…conference

I attended a conference a couple weeks ago called You Say You Want A Revolution, put on by Off the Map.  I’ve been wanting to blog about it since then, but haven’t been quite able to get my thoughts about it in coherent order.  I’m not even sure I’ve managed to at this point, but wanted to get it done anyway.

To put it simply, I really enjoyed the conference.  Over the last couple weeks I’ve been keeping up on the Revolution blog and have honestly been a bit surprised at how disappointed some people were and how critical they have been of what went on.  Some seem upset that so much emphasis was placed on ‘being kind’ and not enough on ‘truth.’  I really don’t get this.  Sure, if all we ever talked about was being kind and never did anything else, I’d be getting worried.  But I’ve been following the Way of Jesus for about 10 years or so now, and even in that short amount of time I would say the vast majority of the atmosphere and underlying attitude in what I’ve learned is all about being right (and if that doesn’t come across as being all that kind, well too bad for that person on the receiving end, because sometimes the truth hurts…).  I can’t think of really any times where the ideas of kindness and mercy and grace and how to actively express them in our interactions with others (especially with those outside the faith) were really focused on and discussed or taught about at length.  It’s always about truth and ’standing for truth.’  I’ve been a youth pastor for 4+ years now, and most of the messages I hear at conferences and youth rallies and festivals are about encouraging students to ’stand for truth’ in their schools.

I don’t think we’re really in short supply of learning how to be right.  But I do think many Christians are pretty sparse when it comes to being kind and gracious.  And if we’re lacking in our exercise of grace and kindness, why don’t we spend some purposeful time on that and figure out out to integrate it into our understanding of truth and interaction with others.  They two aren’t mutually exclusive, nor does one need to be dropped for the other.  But the way some have critiqued the conference you would start to think so.  True, parts of the conference really honed in on kindness (especially Brian McLaren and same of the interviews with various types of people onstage).  I don’t recall Barna talking about this in any of his talks.  I don’t recall any of the workshops hammering into people “BE KIND!  BE KIND!  FORSAKE TRUTH…AND BE KIND!”  Each workshop leader(s) came with their own focus and dealt with that, and they were all extremely varied in what they dealt with.  So, again, I don’t see what the problem is.

In regards to other aspects and my personal thoughts of the conference, I’ll just quickfire some of my thoughts: