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April 27, 2007
American Idol: Charity? Transformation?
So like many of you Wednesday night I was watching American Idol Gives Back. Well, maybe your wife watches it like mine so it's one of those things you do for your wife to keep the peace...haaaa. Actually, I asked my wife to Tivo it (which we usually do) and not watch it until I got home after some meetings that night.
I was drawn to the concept of this reality show thinking beyond themselves and honestly, they pumped up Bono's involvement in the show, which was actually disappointingly low. But after watching the show I was left with several questions and things I have been wondering about.
And as I ask these questions, please know that I don't come from a place of judging American Idol and what they have done, because I wasn't doing anything but sitting on my lazy rear, eating food and watching a reality show. Not much work or effort.
Unsure: I'm unsure what I think about the tie-in of charity and giving back with consumerism. American Idol was giving back, but the night was very consumeristic obviously in it's sponsorship, etc. So I'm just unsure what that looks like or what I feel about that. No judgement, just unsure.
Uncomfortable: I was pretty uncomfortable watching us Westerners going into complete poverty while still dressed in our expensive and trendy clothes. And I was uncomfortable watching us Westerners try to console these people and telling them we know how they feel or what they are going through. It just didn't see right with me. Again, they were there and I was sitting on my lazy rear. But it was just uncomfortable to watch. There was the tendency in the scenes for us Westerners to just try and fix the situation and make comments to make it all better.
Charity: American Idol raised $30 million for their causes. They list where the money went to on their site...I'm curious about how much of it went directly to their causes and how much got caught up in overhead, and other incidental costs. I had a friend who contacted the site to give money and wanted to know how much dollar per dollar was going to the causes and they said they wouldn't/couldn't answer that.
Transformation: As I have been reading through Shane Claiborne's Irresistible Revolution and Henri Nouwen's Compassion I have been wrestling through the concept of what it means to be transformed and to transform others (i.e. people, communities, charities, countries, etc.). Some of my college students and different members of our church have been asking the question about missional work that is charity, and missional work that is about going into the place (i.e. city, community, neighborhood), taking up residence and transforming it. The statement is that charity, or just giving money sometimes keeps us at distance from who or what we give to, and neither transforms the giver or the receiver. So I wonder how American Idol Gives Back will transform both the giver and receiver. Is there a disconnect and distance giving money from our couches, flipping off the TV and going to bed?
These are just some of the questions and things that I'm wrestling with. Bottom line. I think American Idol Gives Back took great steps to raise awareness, meet some needs, hitting important financial goals, etc. But we still must be asking questions and improving on what is being done.
And maybe I need to get off the couch and be about the work of transforming others and being transformed by them....rather than simply reducing my involvement to giving money at a distance.
Read Scot McKnight's quick thought on it.
Posted by rhett at 12:18 AM | Comments (2)
April 24, 2007
Pondering the future look and content of this blog...
This last year has been a very hard year to blog. Like most of you I have been extremely busy. Besides working full-time and going to graduate school I have been working as a therapist at a community mental health clinic 15 hours a week (21 hours when you include driving time in LA). I knew that this last year would take a toll on me, but it took a toll in ways that I did not expect.
Mainly, having free time or down time for creative energy. As I became more and more busy with the practicum and everything else, it was my blogging, writing and other creative endeavors that eventually paid the price. Well, I finished up my year practicum last Thursday night and I get those 21 hours a week back.
So I've been thinking a lot in the last few days of how I want to best use that time. I also have to consider new things into the equation, mainly as I pursue more work in therapy how much should I blog, etc. That will be something I need to process as many therapists try to maintain a low profile and limit information about them or their views to the public so as not to hinder the therapeutic relationship or process. But I'm also a pastor and blogging is one of the ways that I engage my students and others. And I also enjoy blogging.
So as I have more free time I hope to re-think, re-imagine what this blog can and should look like. I hope to bring something that is of valuable and that is different than what others are doing. There are others who do better than what I could do or bring to the blogging world, so I hope to bring something that will add a new side to the discussion or a new layer, rather than doing what others are already doing better.
I enjoy working with college students, theology, psychology, running, cooking, etc...is there a blog out there for those. HA.
I"m also looking to team up with some of my friends as we are currently working on another blogging project, so that many hands can make the work light.
If you have any thoughts or input about blogging, or what kind of blogs you want to see, please let me know.
Over this last year I just want to acknowledge a few of the blogs that have impacted me. I was online a lot this year, but I wasn't living in the blogging world as much as I was before my 1 year practicum.
But here are some blogs that I pretty much went to almost everyday for various reasons...you should read them too!
Andrew Jones: The guy is a prolific blogger and covers more topics in theology than anyone I know. Plus he is always steps ahead of everyone else in the "emergent" discussion.
Brent Thomas: Personally, I don't know when this guy sleeps because he comes up with very lengthy and well though out and researched blogs every single day. I went to college with Brent in Arizona and we have been friends since then. We disagree on a lot of things when it comes to theology, but his perspective has challenged me a lot and has helped me think through my own beliefs more thoroughly.
Chris Gonzalez: Chris is one of my favorite college pastor/ministry bloggers. I'm challenged by his thoughts on college ministry and he helps me re-think, and think through the college ministry I pastor.
Hugh Hewitt: Hugh is a good friend and has probably been the one person who has given me my biggest breaks and opportunities when it comes to blogging and he has encouraged me the most in blogging pursuits.
Lars Rood: Lars is one of my best friends and I credit him to helping me get my start in ministry. When I read Lars' blog it reminds me not to take myself too seriously. Meaning, Lars is able to look beyond just speaking theology and is able to see God in the midst of all things. He loves working with high school kids also.
Mike Devries: Mike is someone I love to read because of his heart for the local church. I love reading his posts and watching him wrestle out loud with different things. There is a big vulnerability there that I don't see in many bloggers.
Scot McKnight: Scot is awesome, what else can I say. He touches on everything and I think that he's one of the most important voices in theology and especially in the "emergent" discussion. I especially love his blogging on women in ministry. He is a much needed voice.
Scott Dunlap: Scott is not a theology blogger and I'm so glad I found his blog. I was getting way too insulated in theology circles. Scott is a runner, knows a lot about running and posts some of the best blogs and interviews on running. If you want to find an interview with some of the top runners in the world, check out his blog. Running is what keeps me sane so his blog is very important to me.
Tod Bolsinger: I like Tod for many reasons and I feel a certain kinship to him though I have never met him. He's a pastor. He's a Fuller alumni. He loves running. He loves studying Spanish. He loves many of the same authors as me. One of our favorite professors at Fuller was Ray Anderson. Those are just a few. He is a phenomenal writer and thinker.
Will Samson: Will makes me think more than almost anyone else. His blog is challenging. And it's not just the content that he posts, but that he also lives out what he preaches. You don't see that too often. Will helps move me towards areas of tension that I need in my life.
Zach Lind: Zach is someone I love reading. He speaks his mind and he covers a lot of topics. He's a creative guy (musician), a deep thinker and his views challenge me to think through my more thoroughly as well.
Posted by rhett at 11:36 PM | Comments (1)
April 18, 2007
Silence is sometimes golden...
Some of you may wonder why I haven't commented about the Virginia Tech tragedy at this point, mainly because I'm a college pastor and work with college students who have a certain kinship to this incident.
And all I can simply think of to say is that I have nothing to say at this point. Nothing that seems of any worth. I am speechless for one of the first times in my life.
As I watch the news I am really sickened for one of the first times in my life about all the rhetoric, name calling, blaming and other things that are going on in the light of horrible tragedy. As students and faculty lay dead the media is relentless to get their story and find anyone to say anything about the incident. It all seems very surreal and inauthentic to me.
I am living in a weird place these days. Working as a pastor at church where words are a majority of my vocation and working at a community mental health clinic as a therapist where silence and listening are my vocation. And right now I am most comfortable in the latter because I can only grieve for those who have lost their lives and with their families.
Working in community mental health has put a name and face to people who were at one time in my life "out there", or "those people." When people are "out there" or "those people" it is easier to label, judge and demonstrate a lack of campassion. So as I look at the Virginia Tech incident I'm afraid to say much since I don't know any of these people and I don't want my words to come across as contrived or inauthentic.
So instead I will continue to pray for all of them and I hope that we as Christians can be people who are comfortable with sitting in the mess and tragedy of life with those who are suffering, and not feel like we always have to have answers to these things or fix them as quickly as possible.
Posted by rhett at 01:22 PM | Comments (1)
April 11, 2007
Women in Ministry Blog Resource
Scot McKnight is a must read for anyone who has an interest in women in ministry (he's a must read for many other things as well). His blog category Women and Ministry is phenomenal.
I'm an egalitarian as many of you know. And over the course of the last few weeks I've had the great opportunity to dialogue with more and more women on this issue as my MFT cohort at Fuller is finishing up our program with a gender and sexuality class. So go read Scot's stuff.
Posted by rhett at 12:47 AM | Comments (1)
April 02, 2007
Boating Down the Amazon...
So I just got back from spending 8 days with 20 of our college students on a boat on the Amazon/Rio Negro. It was an absolutely amazing week. I blogged a couple of months back about our Spring Break mission trip to Brazil.
Our church within the last year or so has partnered with Manaus Presbyterian Church in Manaus, Brazil in the Amazonas state. They have a boat ministry that goes up and down the Amazon River ministering to the local villages along the river. Our college group sent two teams this month. We sent a team of 10 students in early March, primarily from LMU. And then I took a team of 20 students primarily from UCLA and LMU.
It was the largest group they have ever had on the boat. 46 of us total for one week on a boat. That 46 included our team of 20, plus me, and then cooks, a captain, translators, pastors, etc. We spent the week traveling and living on the boat as we stopped and spent each day in a different village meeting the different needs of the community (i.e. medical and dental work; VBS; evangelism; playing soccer, etc.) and then we would end our day in the village by doing a worship service that involved doing music (the Americans and Brazilians together), a sermon, and then usually a couple of testimonies by our students. I had the privilege of preaching in a Brazilian church on Wednesday night which was a great joy.
I hope to blog more about this later. But I think our team (or at least I did), learned a lot about what it meant to be the body of Christ....what it meant to function together....46 of us on a boat all week, working together to bring glory to God and to minister to each other as well as those in the villages.
It was a hard week as it was the longest my wife and I have been apart since we have been married (8 days) and it was even harder since she is 6 months pregnant. Nothing like being out on the Amazon with no communication for 8 days. So even though I loved the trip it was great to come home as well.
It's late and I'm still recovering from the trip. But let me just say that I absolutely love working with college students. They are an amazing bunch of people and I love sharing life with them. And living on a boat with my students for that amount of time in such small quarters really allowed us to share life in a great way....we had great conversations....wrestled with calling and vocation....discussed what missions are all about and what we thought they should and shouldn't be....witnessed students take big risks and step out in faith....watched students share their testimonies for the first time....laughed and played and cried together....and on and on and on.
It was such a blessing....stay tuned for more.
Posted by rhett at 11:48 PM | Comments (1)
