Robot Wedding

Did you happen to see this article over the weekend? It's the story of two robotics experts in Japan getting married by a...robot!  Here's a part of the story...

"The nuptials at this ceremony were led by "I-Fairy," a 4-foot (1.5-meter) tall seated robot with flashing eyes and plastic pigtails. Sunday's wedding was the first time a marriage had been led by a robot, according to manufacturer Kokoro Co."

"'Please lift the bride's veil,' the robot said in a tinny voice, waving its arms in the air as the newlyweds kissed in front of about 50 guests."

"The wedding took place at a restaurant in Hibiya Park in central Tokyo, where the I-Fairy wore a wreath of flowers and directed a rooftop ceremony. Wires led out from beneath it to a black curtain a few feet (meters) away, where a man crouched and clicked commands into a computer."

I am assuming that this was a civil ceremony and not a religious one- but what does it say about our society that the door has been opened to be married by a robot?  What has happened to real interaction?

This reminded me of a story I read earlier this year about a robot named Roxxxy who is touted as the first sex robot (Read the article here).  A statement on the website for the developers of Roxxxy says...

"Our caring staff deliver to you the specific sex robot which best meets your specific requirements. Your TrueCompanion.com robot will deliver the ultimate in robot sex. She will also be able to talk, listen, carry on a conversation, feel your touch and be your true friend. She can also have an orgasm when you touch her!"

While you may not get married by an I-Fairy or need the services of Roxxxy the Sexbot- how often are our interactions with others more robotic than human?  Are we more prone to offer a programmed response rather than take a risk and allow ourselves to be vulnerable in a relationship?  It is certainly safer to offer the pre-programmed responses, but are we sacrificing what truly makes us human- our ability to be in community with each other?

We do this on Facebook, Twitter and other social media as well when we use social media alone for our interaction.  It's much easier and quicker to tell someone happy birthday on their Wall or send them a quick text message than to call them up on the phone and have a conversation.  We can often trade in real community and relationships for the imitation.

The image of the Trinity is the image of community. Father, Son and Holy Spirit in movement and interaction; giving and receiving.  Likewise, we are designed for community with God and with our neighbors.  As we go through our week- I challenge you (and myself) to make a phone call, meet for coffee and get personal rather than our programed, robotic responses that we can sometimes resort to.

Swine Flew

A look at this Scripture passage from Mark 5:1-17 in my Missional Preaching class has had me thinking since last Tuesday.  In the passage, Jesus encounters a man who is possessed by many demons (Legion).  The man is a raving lunatic because of this possession.  He lived among the tombs and no one could bind him.  Even when the townsfolk used a chain and shackles, the man would break free.  He would cut himself with stones and was clearly a danger to himself and those around him. 

When the man encountered Jesus- the demons realized who Jesus was and the power Jesus had.  The demons asked to be cast into the herd of pigs that was nearby.  Jesus gave the demons permission and they entered the pigs and the herd (numbering 2,000) rushed over a cliff and into the sea where they drown. 

The formally demon possessed man was know in his right mind as the town folk came out to see what had happened. When the town folk realized that they had lost their pigs, their source of food and income, they told Jesus to leave.

Here are some thoughts on the passage...

1.  The townfolk wanted their pigs more than they wanted transformation.  Seeing the demoniac transformed and in his right mind had to be an amazing sight.  Yet, there was fear in the midst of transformation.  The people would rather have the status quo (pigs and a lunatic in the graveyard) than transformation (no pigs and a transformed man).

2.  More people likely needed to be transformed in that town.  There may not have been more demon possessed people, but surely there were sick and crippled people who were in need of healing.  The fear that the town felt at the loss of their pigs and the transformation of the demoniac took away any opportunity for Jesus to transform other lives in the town. 

3.  How many times does fear keep us from being transformed?  This could be a personal question and a question to ask our churches.  How often do we tell God, "I don't know if I can give that up?" or "We've never done it that way before" ?  Fear can keep us from experiencing the freedom that God has come to give us.  Do we like our pigs more than a transformed life?  Are we too comfortable with our 'little sins" and thus are unable to experience the fullness of a relationship with God?

The Church is to call people to Jesus Christ in order to experience holistic transformation in the lives of those who come through our doors.  There should be constant change in the midst of our congregations!  Change should happen in our lives...and because change is happening in our lives it will change the way we worship- and it's all because of Jesus!  Rather than fearing change, our prayer for our lives and our churches should daily be asking God to change us, transform us into God's image.  That is a change we can all hope for!

The Weakest Link

Pic- Jerry Lampen / Reuters

I was thinking back over the Winter Olympics the other day.  I'm not a huge Winter Olympics fan, but each night Andrea and I found ourselves watching the Olympics.  One of the events that I found intriguing was the Men's Team Pursuit Speed Skating.  I saw the final between Canada and America.  The sport consist of a team of three skaters who skate at the same time.  The skate in a single file line- trying to synchronize their motions.  At the end of the race, the attempt to skate side by side as they cross the finish line because the last skate to cross the line is where the judges count the time.  As the announcer said on the final lap, you are only as fast as your slowest skater.

It's like that in our Christian communities as well.

I hear and read much conversation about the freedom we have in Christ for various pursuits.  For example- I'm around Christians who enjoy a beer from time to time, and they are right in saying that the Bible doesn't prohibit the comsumption of alchohol (although it's pretty clear on drunkeness). Other areas are media consumption, language, and even co-habitating (we're not having sex, just living in the same house/apartment).  I think much of this is a backlash against legalism in the church as they strive to enforce a "Christian morality."

In Romans 14, Paul is writing about weak and strong Christians.  The weak Christians are those who are unable/unwilling to give up certain observances such as dietary laws or the Sabbath.  For Paul, and the strong or mature Christian- the taboos no longer apply- Yet if Paul or another Christian were to eat a food that was previous "unclean" in front of a person who is not at the same place as Paul- then Paul may cause the "weaker Christian" to stumble.  This is what Paul says:

"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.  Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.  All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.  It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall."  (Romans 14:19-21 NIV)

For Paul, it was an issue of the food or wine that they drank.  There are issues today that we ask Christians engage in without consideration of how it affects the community we are in.  Is it worth having a couple beers if it causes a brother or sister to stumble/question their faith?  Does our sarcasm cause another person to sin?  I don't think we like to ask these sort of questions because we are very individualistic in America (and the West) and rarely consider how our actions affect our community- but they do! Paul says that we should make every effort to do things that edify (build up) our brothers and sisters in our community.

For me, that means denying myself of some extras in life that may be seemingly harmless, but may cause someone else to question their faith or mine.  Our lives are not our own.  They are a living witness and testimony to the God we serve and the faith community we participate in.  Our communities of faith are only as strong as our "weakest" participant.  The entire life of the community is to work to build up faith (edify) and to continually seek maturity in Christ. 

In what ways does your Church and/or your life build up and edify those who are "weaker" or less mature in their faith?  Do you actions/life put out a stumbling block or set the pace?

Where Transformation Takes Place

I finished Michael Frost's book, Exiles, somewhere between Dallas and Chicago last week and want to make one final (I think) post about what I read. Overall, I thought Exiles is a thought-provoking look at how Christians and the Church can live missionally in our society. Onto the final post.

When I think about my faith journey, the places where transformation occurred in my life where not in Sunday worship or Sunday School. I did not experience transformation from a Bible Study (although I learned more about my faith). Most often, I have experienced spiritual transformation outside of our Sunday morning. For me, it was Seneca Hills Camp when I was a pre-teen. That's when God used a missionary named Hudson Hess to help me hear my call to ministry. It was Jumonville and Wesley Woods where I experienced God's presence and community in amazing ways. It was trips to Brazil and Paraguay where I learned (and saw) God's heart for the poor. My spiritual journey has been shaped by the space outside of Sunday worship.

Frost talks about creating a "liminal" state where community and faith development can occur. For instance, one can go on a mission trip to Guatemala. Because I am not at my home, nor am I really living in Guatemala, I am in a liminal space. It's a place of transition. It is in this space of transition where community and change occur as people work towards a common goal. Liminal spaces are most effective when experienced within community. We cannot go it alone (first, we are not designed to be lone rangers) as we are products of a Triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and are image bearers of the divine.

Michael Frost writes this,

"Have you ever noticed how many men attend worship only occasionally and begrudgingly, but when there's a church cleanup day, they'll turn up joyfully and work hard all day? Such workdays creat a mini-communitas. So do short-term mission trips and youth mission trips. So does church planting. But weekly church services do not. It's like sitting at the apostles' feet and drinking in their teaching in Jersualem in the first century. It serves a useful purpose, but the ultimate purpose of the Jerusalem church was to go and make disciples of all nations."

Being part of a faith community (church) is essential to our faith, but it is certainly not the only thing we are about. We are to go out from our churches and into a world of transition, into the liminal spaces to experience community, hope, grace, mercy, compassion, and love. It is imperative for the church of the 21st centuy to create liminal space, and encourage the body to go into this space in order to experience transformation and community.

Where have you experienced spiritual transformation? Through a Sunday morning worship gathering? A mission trip? Bible Study? Service project? I'd love to hear your story!

Ministry in the Third Places

Ministry "happens" in many places. I've found that they happen outside of the church most frequently- which makes sense because most people don't spend a ton of time in the "Church" building. In Michael Frost's book, Exiles, he talks about the importance of doing ministry in the "Third Places." (He actually cites some other people like sociologist Ray Oldenburg who coined the phrase). The idea of a "Third Place" presupposes a First and Second Place. 1st places are our homes. 2nd places are our workplaces- where we spend the majority of our time. 3rd places are environments like coffee shops, cafes, bars, pubs, the gym, etc. They are the places where people meet to develop friendships, discuss issues/politics, and to interact with one another.

Starbucks is, perhaps, the most well-known 3rd place in our culture today...or at least one that is universally known as a 3rd place. Starbucks has gone to great lengths to create a space where conversation can happen. A place where people can connect with each other. Starbucks and other places have become places where real intimacy can occur.

For mission-minded Christians, it is important to build relationships in 3rd places. First, not everyone goes to church to explore their faith, but they're willing to talk about it in a 3rd place. Second, we are to take to gospel to all the world. We cannot subscribe to a bunker mentality that keeps us entrenched in the church and separate from the world. Dan Kimball, in his book "The Like Jesus But Not The Church" really stresses the importance for Pastors and Christians to get outside of the church or the Christian bubble to meet those who are not Christians in order to build relationships that ultimately point to Christ. Unfortunately, many I know many Christian leaders who struggle to get out of the church (out of the bubble) to begin to minister in these 3rd places. We've become so caught up doing the work of the church that we've failed to do the Work God's called us to.

There is a great 3rd place here in Milford called Dolce. It's a small coffeshop that makes the best pastries and has a wonderful atmosphere. This year, I've been intentional about consistently being present in this 3rd place to build relationships with those who work there and the patrons. It's been awesome how conversation opens up to faith and how it can be discussed in a non-threatening way. Honestly, this doesn't surprise me, but it encourages me and my efforts to get out of the office and into places to build relationships that point to Christ. For the Church to truly live up to it's calling, It must see itself less as a building or a schedule of ministries and see itself as an living organism that grows, responds, reacts, and interacts with others around it.

Do I always make it out of the office? Sadly no. But each opportunity is a way to reach out to the community around me.

Changing Paradigms

When I graduated from Commodore Perry High School, one of our speakers spoke about changing paradigms. Back then, I really didn't know what a paradigm was, but now I have a better understanding of it. A paradigm is a model or an ideal. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a paradigm as "A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline." Each of us has a paradigm in which we view our lives.



Christianity in America needs to change it's paradigm.



I don't want this to just be a rant, but a conversation (maybe with myself), about some of the practices of American Christianity and what sort of change needs to be made. I read an article recently that Phyllis Tickle believes that we are on the cusp of another great religious reformation or movement. She said that a movement like this happens about every 500 years, the last being the Reformation where the Protestant Church was birthed out of the Catholic Church. This movement, she calls The Great Emergence, is also the name of her new book where she explains ways in which Christianity are changing (I'll be ordering that book soon).



What are some areas of Christianity that need to change? I'm hoping to give a brief description below, and then in the upcoming days/weeks, expound on them a little further.

1. Corporate Worship: How has corporate worship become about the traditions/things of worship rather than the object of worship (That's God). Does our worship gatherings really send us out to serve the poor, feed the hungry, or to bring justice to our communities? How do we move away from consumeristic worship gatherings where the congregates want fed? How do we re-connect worship of God and Social Justice?
2. How Christians Think: The beef sometimes is that Christians do not critically engage the Word of God, the Theology we believe in, the world we live in, or the issues that are before us.
3. Community: What does it mean to be apart of a community, especially in the facebook/myspace era? If we were really to follow what the Bible says, would community look different?

Those are there topics I've been thinking about. Some others might be Spiritual Disciplines or the environment. I'm sure there are others that could be discussed. But, we'll start with Worship later next week.

Wishing for the Wave

Have you ever watched bikers when they pass each other on the road? They almost always exchange a wave. There are several variations to the wave. The most prominant that I have seen is down low (like you were signalling a left turn or something). While there may be some tough biker types who fail to wave at other bikers (or certain bikers), it seems that many do. It's created a motorcycle community feel to share that wave. Even You Tube has a video(s) about the motorcycle wave.




I'm jealous.

I drive a 1999 Ford Escort. When another Ford Escort passes me on the road, no one waves at me. Where is the community, the fraternity, the family of Escort drivers. I mean, there is even an identical blue 1999 Escort in Milford. They never wave. Wouldn't our world be a better place if we had more of a community feel?

• The other day, I saw a guy on a Harley wave to someone on a scooter in front of me. Come on! It was a scooter, not a hog!


• Even School Bus drivers get in on the action with a friendly wave to each other.


• Owners of Jeeps know that the rest of us just would understand because it's a Jeep Thing. Now that's brotherhood.

So, for the sake of community- to make this world a better place; I am proposing that all owners of crappy cars begin saluting each other so that others can be envious of our community. The wave should look like this:

Relationships Over Porn...

I was reading a 'in the news' piece in Relevant Magazine's leaders guide that came in the mail this week. The piece indicated that new research from Time magazine found that social networking sites dominated the web traffic by college students. This should come as no surprise as one considers the myspace and facebook phenomenon. What surprised the researchers was that the visits to adult websites have fallen in large numbers. There has been a 33% decline over the last two years to adult websites in the 18-24 demographic. The conclusion by the researchers is that as online users get more interested in social networking, the less interested they are in pornography.

This makes sense to me in several ways.

1. Porn is a fantasy that can never deliver on what it promises. Sure, it's on-demand and readily available, but the relational value of porn is one way. It's literally skin deep, or paper thin. People go to porn for many reasons- one of them being to fill a void in their relationships, a desire to be wanted, etc. Yet porn cannot deliver in any real way because it is a lie.

2. People crave relationships. We want to be known. We want to be connected. Social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook are aware of this. We live in a society that is increasingly isolated from one another. Social Networking sites give people the opportunity to feel connected, to know someone on some basic level. But I think they eventually leave us wanting more. Social Networking sites have helped me reconnect with a few friends from the past, but beyond that it tends to be a glorified messaging system.

The Bottom line is that we are designed for community. We are designed to love and be loved. We desire to share our dreams, passions, fears, and experiences with others. Porn can't do that. Social Networking sites can begin the conversation- but let's be honest, we desire something deeper than what we can acheive through Facebook or a blog.