And it only took me 36 years...

It would be nice to see a sign when you get there, wouldn't it?

The fam did a bit of recon with Grandma in tow and saw the sights of the STL from 630 feet in the air at the top of the St Louis Arch. Pretty cool experience.

TBD Baby

A new baby is making his/her way into the Marshall household.

Scheduled arrival is in October.

Footage of TBD Baby Marshall is below. 9.4 weeks old and you can see the arms and legs move and the heart beat. Sheer beauty.

Post Easter reflections

So yesterday was "the big day" in the Christian world.
Easter. Resurrection Sunday. The Lord's Day.

It's also the day a lot of people get dressed up (what's that about?) and come sit through a service.

Here are my reflections on the Easter holiday, in no particular order.

• It was great to have some guests with us. I hope they know we do this every Sunday. Regardless, anyone is welcome, anytime.
• Tons of energy in the service yesterday. Loved it. It seemed like people were really having fun.
• There is a great temptation on the part of pastors to measure success by numbers. Numbers equal people, so they do need to be measured, but they are only an indicator--not the final measurement. People learning to follow Jesus in every area of life is the final measure. So "church" isn't the building or the service, it's the community of people who are learning from Jesus how to live their lives.
• I think people get dressed up on Easter because of (1) tradition, (2) they feel it's honoring to God (3) It's fun to do one day a year (if you don't do it every Sunday). None of those are in themselves bad things. I would simply argue it's more honoring to God to dress "normally" (especially if you are a "church" person) for these reasons:
• #1 - Breakdown stereotypes. Let's face it, religious people (Christians mostly) have a certain reputation and stereotype (As in, "those people who dress up once a week and go into that building"). Dress "normally" and you send the message that being a Christian isn't about keeping up a certain appearance and breakdown a stereotype.
• #2 - Love God. If you love God, you love the things God loves. And, if I understand Scripture correctly, God loves people more than anything (see John 3:16-17). More than tradition. More than feeling like you are "dressing up for God." More than doing something fun once a year. So to love God is to do everything possible to connect with the people God loves.
• #3 - Avoid the funny looks at the restaraunt after service. Seriously, I've been in STL for a few months now. I don't think people like Christians here. Religion has a bad rep. Let's follow the example of Jesus--who came in part to clear up God's reputation that religious people had ruined.
• Love that the people of Trinity don't make a big deal out of dress. I've been some places that do--and they aren't reaching people.
• I love talking about Resurrection. Here's my logic for making sense of what seems impossible. Life is a gift and a mystery. We don't know where it really comes from (other than attempting to name the scientific processes behind it--which still aren't able to describe it's origins.). If life itself is beyond our comprehension and defies explanation, then someone coming back from the dead is actually within the realm of plausibility. If you are intellectually honest, you have to at least give the idea some credence.
• The tomb is empty...so we now serve the world in Jesus' name. We are agents of resurrection, making it happen wherever we go. Second chances. Working for justice. Spreading human kindness and compassion. Living with grace as a fundamental orientation toward people. Creating beauty. All acts of resurrection.
• Easter week is exhausting, so next year, the Monday after Easter will be a church staff holiday!

Here's the video we showed to begin the Easter service. Fans of U2 will appreciate the music.

What Kind of Person Am I Becoming?

This past week, I was led to meditate on Hebrews 13:7. Particularly the question: What is the outcome of my way of life, and is it something worth following?

Since my life's work is about the answer to the query, it's a powerful question.

We were encouraged to write that down in the form of a prayer about the kind of persons we are becoming. Here's mine.

Lord,
I need a way forward. I need a real path.

I need a kick in the pants to stop the things
that are slightly and slowly strangling my own soul,
my relationships and my heart.

I want, desperately, to be what I seem.
I want radical congruence.

Show me what to stop--give me the courage and discipline to do it.
Show me what to start--give me the vision to see it.
Give me the trust that you do all things well.

In your name and for your glory I ask these things.
Amen.

Headed East

I'm headed to DC this week for a short conference on the emerging missional church--i.e., church understood from the perspective of doing God's mission in the world--the Missio Dei (just sounds so much better saying it in Latin).

It's a group of like-minded church planters, pastors and leaders who gather every year to do some thinking, discussing and praying about where the church is headed and how to actually get there.

Since I think we are on the cusp of a new day in the American Church, I'm excited to be part of it and look forward to the interactions and partnerships that emerge as we step into a new day as followers of Jesus.

Budget dollars are pretty tight, so I'm footing the bill this time around. It's an investment in the future I'm glad to make. Get to hang with my buddy Doug too. My amazing wife gets the most credit. She's watching the kids while I'm gone.

It's pretty cold in DC this week and with a recent snowstorm dump, I'll be bundling up and packing my snow shovel.

A Blogging Hiatus

Kyle and I are blogging through the season of Lent here.

This blog will go (mostly) silent through that time frame.

Why We Can't Handle Being Alone

I've jumped on the bandwagon.

• I have a cell phone with unlimited text messaging (and have learned a whole new language: "u gng 2 a movie 2nite?") which I've found myself inadvertently reverting in my normal writing routines.
• I'm on Facebook (passed 700 friends a while back. My rule is that I won't "friend" anyone I don't have some sort of personal relationship with) and voraciously check the statuses of my "friends", probably too much.
• I'm even thinking about twittering.

But I'm starting to have misgivings about it all. I am wondering where all this instant availability will take us as a culture and what it will mean for the quality of our relationships.

Since we are made in God's image (i.e., for relationships), do we harm that image when we no longer look each other in the eye, hear each other's voice and spend time in each other's presence? And what happens to us when we can longer be alone?

Dallas Willard says that solitude (i.e., being alone) is the foundational spiritual discipline. In it, we are alone with God and really do find out if there is something to us. And if we can no longer really be alone...how does that fare for our future and our ability to truly be human beings made to reflect the (relational) image of God?

This article from the Boston Globe, "The End of Alone", confirmed some of my suspicions.

Some poignant quotes from it:

"What's fueling this? Conley says it's anxiety borne out of a deep-seated fear that we're being left out of something, somewhere, and that we may lose out on advancement in our work, social, or family lives if we truly check out. "The anxiety of being alone drives this behavior to constantly respond and Twitter and text, but the very act of doing it creates the anxiety."

"Loneliness is ubiquitous...But people are less equipped to deal with it. Rather than going deeper, they try to push it aside."

A short man-on-the-street video the Boston Globe did on the subject:

I'm not suggesting we jettison the technology, I'm asking how we need to treat it and behave toward it. Thoughts?

Consumerism 101 (or how to know when your child has been watching too much TV)

"Daddy,"

Hudson quips this morning over breakfast while covered in a blanket because he was cold,

"the man on TV says that when you wear a blanket your arms are trapped. But if you buy a Snuggie you won't be."

He is four (FOUR!)

He is not allowed to watch anymore TV.

Morning Glory

This was what greeted me when I came out to my car a couple weeks ago.

I have missed you snow!

How to Look Smart

Found a great place to do the spade work of digging into the ancient text we know as the Bible in preparation for bringing that message forward into the 21st Century. It's a seminary library with great resources.

But just like every place, there are status symbols. Or rather here, smart symbols.

Pseudo-smart. Bible open + notebook with copious notes + thin reference book = smirks of disapproval.

Smart. Bible open + notebook with copious notes + monster thick reference book = eyebrows raised in impression.

The score keeping game is rooted deep in the human heart. Here's to creating the beloved community Jesus had in mind where you are accepted no matter how "thick" your books are.