Echoes and Moments

Many people in my generation  were introduced to pop philosophy through the words of the cloaked future warrior Morpheus, played with concise elegance by one Laurence Fishburne in The Matrix trilogy. Although some dismiss the movies for their shoddy treatment of philosophical and religious themes, I've always been a fan for the pure amount of adrenaline that the series creates as Morpheus guides the hacker turned hero Neo to claim his identity as 'the one.' The series pits humanity against a race of machines that desires nothing but control through a programmed dream world. Neo awakens from this dream to a nightmarish reality where humans "are no longer born, but grown" in vast fields of embryonic chambers. He is trained so that he can face the deadliest of these computer programs, called "agents" and then proceeds to lead us in a series of increasingly impressive action sequences where his skills are honed and we are generally reminded that the purpose

Today marks the last full day I'll spend as a resident of the city of Roseville. Tomorrow I embark on the great adventure towards which I've striven these past six months: the move to the inner city of Fresno to minister to college students there. While I never expected to live here as long as I did, there are a few things that I've learned to love about this place, even though it represents a great contrast from the place that I'm called to live in for this next season of life. It's important to me not to reject the life I've found here, for I need to be conscious of all God's children, rich or poor. 5. The Variety of Food Roseville is a large suburban center, designed both as a hub for tech business (Hewlett-Packard has a large plant here) and as a center of major shopping outlets. The entire north-central part of the city is outlined in a Specific Plan (to use the urban planning jargon that I was trained in) that guides development around a ma

Good art shows, it doesn't tell. Therefore 'Worship Arts' may appear paradoxical at first glance, though it increasingly forms the job description for many new pastoral church staff. For a few years the title 'Worship Coordinator' formed my ministry identity as a member of youth group and later in college. So you may understand my ambivalence when I attempt to explain my practical theology of worship, which has more to do with David crying in a cave than it does with light shows, good guitar tone, and reverb-washed vocals. Let me explain. For many years the contemporary church has been embroiled in something asininely referred to as the "worship wars." Relevant Magazine has a helpful summary of the phenomena for the post-evangelical age, which I won't treat in depth here. See, I led worship for two years in a multiethnic fellowship of college students committed to seeing Jesus transform the lives of students and faculty in a profound and rea