I'm off on my scheduled retreat, and have already consumed 4 books. I will be blogging about them over the next week, but I wanted to try something....
I'm finishing up "Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be)" by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. One of them was driving D.A. Carson around and talking about postmodernism. Carson said:
"The feedback on blogs is immediate, " Carson continues. "You have a thought and then three minutes later, it's published for the world to digest. And then in another three minutes you have anonymous folks posting messages about how wonderful you are. It tends to inflate one's sense of importance."
Okay, all you anonymous folks. You have 6 minutes....make me feel important!!!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
To Refresh
Emilie Griffin, in her book "Wilderness Time", writes this about Solitude:
There's more to the discipline of solitude than just spending time by yourself. Wilderness time is your chance to detach from the opinions of others, to forgive some people who have made you angry, to come to grips with the way other people are getting in the way of your relationship with God.
Detach. I have used Emilie's book several times on personal retreats, and detaching is key. When my life gets crazy, I need to detach. Take my current situation, starting a new job that is likely to be high stress. My wife knows that I am better all around when I have a chance to detach. She gets it.
I'm not an introvert. Being around people charges me up. So, solitude is brutal on me. But, over the years, I have learned that I really need it.
It has been a long, long time, more than 4 years, since I last took a personal retreat. We know that I need it. My wife found a handful of Bed and Breakfasts here in the local area, as well as some retreat centers. I have scheduled two nights and a B&B, and will be going off to just detach.
Someday, I would like to do a weekend/week retreat to an actual retreat center somewhere. My friend Natalie has done it, and she swears by it. Maybe next year.
So, what are some of your favorite retreats?
Been anywhere where God could really work on you?
Do you go on a regular basis?
I'm always looking for recommendations.
I will be writing while I'm gone, may even blog about it.
There's more to the discipline of solitude than just spending time by yourself. Wilderness time is your chance to detach from the opinions of others, to forgive some people who have made you angry, to come to grips with the way other people are getting in the way of your relationship with God.
Detach. I have used Emilie's book several times on personal retreats, and detaching is key. When my life gets crazy, I need to detach. Take my current situation, starting a new job that is likely to be high stress. My wife knows that I am better all around when I have a chance to detach. She gets it.
I'm not an introvert. Being around people charges me up. So, solitude is brutal on me. But, over the years, I have learned that I really need it.
It has been a long, long time, more than 4 years, since I last took a personal retreat. We know that I need it. My wife found a handful of Bed and Breakfasts here in the local area, as well as some retreat centers. I have scheduled two nights and a B&B, and will be going off to just detach.
Someday, I would like to do a weekend/week retreat to an actual retreat center somewhere. My friend Natalie has done it, and she swears by it. Maybe next year.
So, what are some of your favorite retreats?
Been anywhere where God could really work on you?
Do you go on a regular basis?
I'm always looking for recommendations.
I will be writing while I'm gone, may even blog about it.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Everything Must Change....and oh, boy, is it changing...
Last weekend, while most everyone else in the greater Seattle area was paying attention to the visit of the Dalai Lama at the Seeds of Compassion event, Brian McLaren snuck quietly into First Free Methodist church in Seattle to present the Everything Must Change tour, in concert with DeepShift, an organization that provides counseling and coaching for churches. Anyone who is anti-emergent or anti-interfaith gathering would have had a heyday. I’m just waiting for some well-known Evangelical Christian leaders to start questioning why Seattle didn’t burn down (again), or fall into the ocean.
My wonderful wife and I have had tickets to the Everything Must Change tour since right after Off-The-Map in November of last year. I was glad to hear that some of my friends from OTM were able to go to the Seed of Compassion event, but was disappointed that I didn’t get to see any of them at the EMC event.
This Brian McLaren event was excellent. I have heard for years that he will not discuss topics about atonement, or the natural exclusivity of Christianity, and will lean toward Universalism at every bent. Boy, that wasn’t the case this time. He talked about Christ. He talked about the gospel. He talked about what his detractors often say, and gracefully said what he truly believes. These topics, however, were secondary to the EMC tour.
If you’ve read “Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope”, much of this was a reiteration of the content of the book. However, it’s different to hear it spoken, see slides, and hear solid real-life examples that weren’t explored in the book. It’s different to be able to ask questions, and receive answers.
I had an opportunity to talk with Brian on Friday night about some things going on in my life. For instance, my wife and I are starting a community of faith in our home for people who have been “burned” by the church, but still want to talk about faith issues. He was engaging, asked great questions, then said, “This is exactly what I was telling the students at Mars Hill Grad School earlier today that they need to be doing, and you’re doing it, Brad! Can you give me your contact information so I can keep tabs on this, and I’d like to give it to someone at Mars Hill so they can maybe have you come and talk?” WOW, I hadn’t considered going to MHGS to talk about a group that we are starting that doesn’t actually start until NEXT week!!!! Brian immediately “got” what we are trying to do, and said that as long as it leads people to the gospel, even experientially, then it’s right. He and I then got into a conversation about the Saturday morning 7:29am session discussing “new” communities of faith and church plants. We went out of our way to make sure we could attend that on Saturday.
One thing Friday night that had a huge impact on me was a “visit” from an old friend. Attending the event was Heidi, whom I had grown up with. Her dad had been the pastor of the church in which I grew up. I haven’t seen her in 23 years. That’s right. TWENTY-THREE years!!!! I didn’t recognize her. However, her youngest sister was there, and she had been in the college age Sunday School class I was teaching several years ago. She pointed me out and said, “You know that guy.”
Saturday was equally as good as Friday, and the resources we received, and the seminars we attended really did show us that Everything Must Change. Conference successful.
So, what else is changing?
I have accepted an offer from a “large software company on the East side of Lake Washington” (Rhymes with ShmicroShmoft) to take on the position of Sr. Technical Product Manager. This was a difficult decision, but there were some key reasons I took the job. First, they came to me. Second, the hiring manager met with me multiple times to make sure I was the right fit. Third, they offered to make serious changes to my “equity crisis”, my “prosperity crisis” and effectively make me more “secure”. (If you haven’t read Everything Must Change…..you won’t get this…..GO READ THE BOOK!!!!) I am taking some vacation time right now to prepare myself to discuss with my current employer that I’m leaving. I should make it clear that this is not my first time working for the company I’m going to. I spent 5 years of my career there, so I’m going back. It’s weird, exciting, and just an all around good thing.
What I’m learning is that I’m not in charge. God is. Everything must change; and it is. I’m also learning, that for once in my career as I transition, I have the respect of my peers, and a company that doesn’t want to see me go, and another that wants to see me come to work!!!
This blog is not meant to be anything about my job, so don’t expect to read anything about new products, conferences I’m speaking at or attending, technical information, etc. But, when there are things that affect me, I will blog about it. For my technical blog, you will want to look elsewhere….it doesn’t exist, yet. But, I have yet to see a Prod Manager at the Empire who doesn’t have a technical blog.
My wonderful wife and I have had tickets to the Everything Must Change tour since right after Off-The-Map in November of last year. I was glad to hear that some of my friends from OTM were able to go to the Seed of Compassion event, but was disappointed that I didn’t get to see any of them at the EMC event.
This Brian McLaren event was excellent. I have heard for years that he will not discuss topics about atonement, or the natural exclusivity of Christianity, and will lean toward Universalism at every bent. Boy, that wasn’t the case this time. He talked about Christ. He talked about the gospel. He talked about what his detractors often say, and gracefully said what he truly believes. These topics, however, were secondary to the EMC tour.
If you’ve read “Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope”, much of this was a reiteration of the content of the book. However, it’s different to hear it spoken, see slides, and hear solid real-life examples that weren’t explored in the book. It’s different to be able to ask questions, and receive answers.
I had an opportunity to talk with Brian on Friday night about some things going on in my life. For instance, my wife and I are starting a community of faith in our home for people who have been “burned” by the church, but still want to talk about faith issues. He was engaging, asked great questions, then said, “This is exactly what I was telling the students at Mars Hill Grad School earlier today that they need to be doing, and you’re doing it, Brad! Can you give me your contact information so I can keep tabs on this, and I’d like to give it to someone at Mars Hill so they can maybe have you come and talk?” WOW, I hadn’t considered going to MHGS to talk about a group that we are starting that doesn’t actually start until NEXT week!!!! Brian immediately “got” what we are trying to do, and said that as long as it leads people to the gospel, even experientially, then it’s right. He and I then got into a conversation about the Saturday morning 7:29am session discussing “new” communities of faith and church plants. We went out of our way to make sure we could attend that on Saturday.
One thing Friday night that had a huge impact on me was a “visit” from an old friend. Attending the event was Heidi, whom I had grown up with. Her dad had been the pastor of the church in which I grew up. I haven’t seen her in 23 years. That’s right. TWENTY-THREE years!!!! I didn’t recognize her. However, her youngest sister was there, and she had been in the college age Sunday School class I was teaching several years ago. She pointed me out and said, “You know that guy.”
Saturday was equally as good as Friday, and the resources we received, and the seminars we attended really did show us that Everything Must Change. Conference successful.
So, what else is changing?
I have accepted an offer from a “large software company on the East side of Lake Washington” (Rhymes with ShmicroShmoft) to take on the position of Sr. Technical Product Manager. This was a difficult decision, but there were some key reasons I took the job. First, they came to me. Second, the hiring manager met with me multiple times to make sure I was the right fit. Third, they offered to make serious changes to my “equity crisis”, my “prosperity crisis” and effectively make me more “secure”. (If you haven’t read Everything Must Change…..you won’t get this…..GO READ THE BOOK!!!!) I am taking some vacation time right now to prepare myself to discuss with my current employer that I’m leaving. I should make it clear that this is not my first time working for the company I’m going to. I spent 5 years of my career there, so I’m going back. It’s weird, exciting, and just an all around good thing.
What I’m learning is that I’m not in charge. God is. Everything must change; and it is. I’m also learning, that for once in my career as I transition, I have the respect of my peers, and a company that doesn’t want to see me go, and another that wants to see me come to work!!!
This blog is not meant to be anything about my job, so don’t expect to read anything about new products, conferences I’m speaking at or attending, technical information, etc. But, when there are things that affect me, I will blog about it. For my technical blog, you will want to look elsewhere….it doesn’t exist, yet. But, I have yet to see a Prod Manager at the Empire who doesn’t have a technical blog.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Someone is wrong!!!
My wife sent this to me. This hits a little close to home. **GRIN**
I will be posting a review of my weekend with Brian McLaren on the Everything Must Change tour, as well as some "life updates". Let me just say, I am being stretched, blessed, and am excited about where "things" are going.
Brad
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