Singer/Songwriters, Crack Houses, & Church

Peter Rollins delves into a poignant conversation that is vital to our being, and vital for the Church.  I hope and pray that I can become more and more like the singer/songwriter that he talks about.  I hope that we all can...



Participate in this thought HERE!

Peace,
Ross

1 Year & a Story to Tell...

This comes from my wife Kate...but I'm thankful to have been part of the early creative vision and dreaming process!

The 2013 Grammy’s marks the
one year anniversary of
the beginning of a dream;

one year ago
a handful of people
sat in a room
and wondered what if?...

READ & SEE MORE HERE!

Peace,

Ross

A User-Generated Story.

Last night I sat down on my couch, in front of my TV, and devoured a week's worth of calories (thanks to the good folks at Rotel, Velveeta, and Oreo), while watching the Super Bowl.  Like many, I'm as excited to see the new and creative commercials, as I am to watch the game.  And this year I noticed something over and over again...

This year there seemed to be an abundance of user-generated content.  Everything from pictures to video to narration, the users seemed to be in the diver's seat.  And I believe this says something about our culture and younger generations.  We want (scratch that)...we NEED to be part of something bigger than ourselves.  And what's bigger than the Super Bowl?  We want to engage and interact, and tell our story, and be part of a grander story, and really make a difference in this world.

So what's my take away?

In your respective communities, focus on the ways you can become increasingly user-generated!  Top-down leadership structures are fading, and communities of passionate individuals are oozing with potential.

Peace,
Ross

Consistency.

Consistency matters.
It matters because without it, what you say (and do) means nothing.
If you say one thing, and do another, you're a hypocrite.
If you advocate for a policy, and vote against it, you can't be trusted.
And all too often, consistency can't be felt, seen, or heard.

Specific to politics and faith, I find an increasingly inconsistent pattern among right-wing-voting-christians (which is how the majority of christians vote - Republican).  This inconsistency is branded across the Church and perception becomes reality - that christians are either ill-informed, can't make a consistent and intelligent argument, or are just plain hypocritical.

On one hand, christians will overwhelmingly support other christians in politics (usually right-wing), so that politics resemble the ways of Jesus, biblical truths, etc.  They believe that electing more christians will make our nation christian once again (essentially that christian leaders will enact christian laws).

And most christians will also agree that Jesus came to earth, and lived his life to show grace and mercy to those that didn't deserve it (i.e. sinners, the sick, etc.), and that he came first for the marginalized, the poor, the blind, and "the least of these." 

However, when the government enacts policies and social programs that extend similar grace and mercy to the least of these, christians overwhelmingly call them "entitlements" and say that the government has no business in these matters.  So either the government is or isn't in the position to act and dispense policy, based on the christian faith.  They cannot have it both ways, because consistency matters.

In the same light, liberals (which most overwhelmingly support our President, and democrats) cannot remain consistent in their anti-gun/violence messages, while also remaining silent when the government is using drones attacks at an alarming rate and when our policies place assault rifles into the hands of Mexican drug lords.  The liberal message of non-violence has no backbone.

My point is this...there must be a true separation between church and state.  This is a good thing.  Because when the perceived "christian" candidate on one hand argues for life in repealing abortion rights, yet funds the military and supports capital punishment on the other, there is no consistency.  Likewise, when a liberal fights to pass laws that control the sales of arms (to "save even one life"), but systematically places these same weapons into the hands of Mexican drug lords, there is no consistency.  In both scenarios, I believe that arguing for life and saving life most closely represents the way of Jesus.  And in both scenarios the politics of the state become the voice of the church - either in support or criticism.  By separating faith and politics, the United States is not the mouthpiece of Christianity; and when it behaves in less than Christ-like manners, one is not co-opted by the other, and consistency is not in question.

Because no matter which side you find yourself, consistency is lacking - and when left unchecked, both sides become impotent to truth-telling and agenda.  Consistency matters because without we nullify any resemblance of intellectual honesty and debate.  And without consistency, we all become hypocrites.

Peace,
Ross

Upcoming...

Just wanted to let all y'all know that I'm currently working on a series of blogs, concepts, and prompts that I hope will stir some discussion and forward-thinking.

Here's what you can look forward to...

Consistency Is Everything

Knowing > Believing
Light & Shadows
Wind
How We Read & Why It Matters 

Peace,
Ross

There's A Sound {LIVE VIDEO}

If you missed my concert last Friday night in St. Louis, here's the live video (& debut performance) of 'There's A Sound.'  A big thanks to Dear Genre for playing some percussion on the tune! 



Peace,
Ross

You Can Only Love God As Much As You Love ________.

**I'm RE-POSTING this today, because I believe it needs to be said.  In light of demonizing politics and demonizing prayers (gun control, the election, the fiscal cliff, and yesterday's inauguration), its timely - for ME and for you.  I first need to admit that I did not come up with this thought.

You can love God only as
much as you love ______________.

(fill in the blank w/ terrorists, antagonists to your faith, your boss, George W. Bush, President Obama, Pat Robertson, or Mark Driscoll; whoever you cannot stand, and wished ill)
 *I can thank Katie Schultz for that nugget of inspiration.

Nor can I claim this statement as my own:
"I believe in the Trinity, so I believe God exists as a community of ecstatic love: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God names not merely a thing but a relation. God is a relational God bound together by love. Before God is anything else, God is love. It’s not that first God exists and then God decides to love. It is love which constitutes God’s very existence. Moreover, God’s love is not self contained, but it extends to all creation. God’s mission is to love creation. That’s straight up missional theology...If we want to know God (and if we want to be able to say something substantive about God), we have to participate in the mission of God. Without engaging in mission we can possess knowledge about God, but we can never truly know God. To know God is to participate in God’s mission."
*That was written by Tim Suttle, and it sums up a lot of background text.

In Matthew 5 & 25, we read that how we love our enemies and the least of these, is also how we love God.

Consider that the next time you post a nasty (or backhanded) Twitter or Facebook comment regarding your disdain for the President (or potential candidate), political party affiliation, or laws passed.  Because how you love, determines how you love...

Peace,
Ross