Abiding in the vine long enough to bear fruit

A new beginning take two…

jlshef — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 16:52:37 +0000

Isn’t funny how we go through rhythms of life. This blogging things has been up and down for me. I’ve found it very hard to carve the time for it. But that has also lead to the fact that I haven’t really wanted to blog. So, I’m giving it another try. Why? Well life is changing… we are moving to the east coast. To Lansdale, Pa, to join an apprenticeship program that J.R. Briggs is starting (you can check out his site here http://www.jrbriggs.com/)

So needless to say there will be a lot to write about in the coming months…

So here is to a beginning, that will lead to places i’m not sure of, and will hopefully be an encouragement and joy to you all

A new beginning

jlshef — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:52:01 +0000

Well once again i have taken quite the sabbatical from blogging. But, as life as changed quite a bit over the last six months, and i no longer have to write for a grade. I want to blog once again. Not sure that I have much to say, but we’ll give it a go. Plus my wife is stoked that we are no longer wasting 5 bucks a month on Typepad. Here’s to a new beginning!

Hello Friends

jlshef — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:56:16 +0000

Hello Friends, it has been a while. It really does seem like I go through these stages of feeling inspired to write, and other seasons of feeling like I have nothing to say. Well, I am searching for my inspiration to continue to make the blog a place that will stimulate the mind, and push out how we can live out the Kingdom in relatable ways. Which brings me to what i have been thinking a lot about, postmodernity.

This word scares the crap out of me. It is so expansive, a summing up of a whole worldview, a whole way of thinking. Yet, I feel it is extremely important to grasp. It is something that is influencing my life, shaping the way I and those around me think. I don't really have many answer, thus the process of questioning.

Is postmodernity a negative thing? What are the values of the post-modern? What ways does postmodernity expand the gospel/ hinder it? What would Jesus say to the post-modern? Has postmodernity really already pasted and now it is post-post-modernity?

In a class i am taking about oral communication, the prof said that culture is shaped by the prevailing technology of communication. That it literally shapes the way our brains work. So, in oral communication the culture literally embodies knowledge. They know that they know because they have to remember it, and experience it. Today we know what we know because of Google (remember what it was like B.G. – before google). I think this is true. So how does this massive shift in communication (internet, web 2.0, social media) shape this post-modern thought?

Does anyone know of any good book or blogs about this?

hopefully there will be more to follow as I process thru this.

Show don’t tell

jlshef — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:44:19 +0000

I was reading on a blog on the website Neue, about how we should not point people to Jesus, but that instead of telling, we need to show first. I got me thinking about the writing class I have been taking this semester. "Show don't Tell" was something my teach said over and over. If you think about the best authors are those that show us what to imagine, not tell us how to imagine. Yet, it is far easier to just tell. Showing requires descriptive, thoughtful word choice, something many of us don't give any time to. It is much easier to be lazy with our word choice, and just tell.

Then as I started to think about this in terms of the Gospel I started to see how often we tell people, but spend very little time showing. Why? It is easier and less messy to tell, showing takes relationship, thought, and time. Jesus showed. He showed people with his words and actions what the kingdom is. He showed people by engaging in relationship and eating meals. Everything he did was about showing people, not telling.

Yet, he did tell. He told a lot of stories and metaphors. But the main difference is that his showing out did his telling.

At the core of this feel I feel a bit cliché, we have all heard "actions speak louder than words". But how do we take this truth of showing, I mean we know the power of it if we have read a good novel recently, or look at Jesus' teaching and life a little closer. So, this is where I am stuck, how do I show, but in an authentic life changing way, not because I want to be a good christian (cause we all know that lie).

Show don't tell.

The Autumn Film

jlshef — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:53:24 +0000

This is a band that you need to check out. They are out of boulder and have been around for the past few years. They just came out with a new Ep that you can get for free. Download it and let me know what you think. By the way Reid, their guitar player, is a friend from high school. We shared an epic trip to a music festive in Illinois called Cornerstone. During the hours of driving we would jam out in the car, yet do to my own lack of musical ability, i could only play the car horn, which sometime got us awkward looks as people driving by couldn't here the other beautiful music in the car. Check them out The autumn film.

It been a while

jlshef — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:36:16 +0000

So, it has been awhile since I have blogged, my greatest apologies. I have found that I go through rhythms of thought, and sometimes there is just nothing there, so instead of boring you with another youtube video that is worthless, I have been silent. Well, this last week has been one of thought, and I don't really think that i can full put it into words, but I preached my first sermon yesterday.

It was an interesting experience. It wasn't the first time that i have spoken, but it was the first time that I have spoken on a sunday morning. There are lots of things that I felt, mostly the feeling of wanting to puke. Which I didn't, luckily, mainly cause I hadn't eaten for the past 12 hours.

If you have been following the blog for any time, you know that I am pursing being a pastor. So the first sermon is a very telling thing. I have been reading all sorts of things that last few months on what it looks like to be a pastor, Peterson being a big influence, and it is interesting how I think that I somewhat started to romanticize the whole process. Honestly, it was the most humbling experience I have had.

God's word is powerful, and to speak it is an intimidating thing. Yet, He is good. I truly felt like He was moving. I am sure that there is more to be said, but the words are just not there right know…

The talk should surface on our Church podcast, in the next few days. On iTunes it is under Mountain Life Church Sermons.

Christian the Lion

jlshef — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:13:17 +0000

Maybe you are one of the 4 million people that haven’t seen this video yet, I was until this morning.

- this song is from Sigur Ros new album, which is really good.

ReThinking: Morality

jlshef — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:58:33 +0000

Morals are a sticky subject. Often we think we know what morals are, but I often wonder if we truly have a good grasp on it. I was recently reading an article from Adbusters called Virtual Morality which focused on the question of morals within a technological and virtual realm. This is a great question to ask, Does the technology world influence/effect our morals? They were focusing on the new release of Grand Theft Auto 4, and the new ability to sleep with prostitutes, and then kill them. Also well as the continuing theme to kill anything that is walking.

Is this moral? Our society has said that "Morality" is not hurting anyone else; you can do whatever you wish as long as no else is hurt. Have you heard this argument made? Who cares if I …. it doesn't hurt anyone else! This is how we have begun to measure morality. Who cares if I engaged with virtual sex, killing, no one is hurt. But Jesus felt very different about Morals. In Matthew on the Sermon on the Mount Jesus moves morals (the Ten Commandments) to the heart.

"You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing (RACA)' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell (Gehenna)

Matt 5:21-22

Ancients moral – Don't Kill

Jesus moral – Don't be angry with your brother, don't say, "You fool" or "Good-For- Nothing"

Jesus moves our morals from that which just hurts others, to that which hurts us. In a world that is increasingly allowing us to engage in acts that if were in reality would be immoral; the question must be asked can it be immoral in the virtual realm? Of course angry at a video game is different than angry at a brother, but can it sow seeds of anger?

The core idea is that morals have always been framed as that which hurts someone else, Jesus move morals to that which hurts us and others. So how can our morality be effected by a virtual world? Both in that which there is only fake – video games and what not – but also how we engage with people through virtual means. Is sex is Second Life immoral? Is the short, angry email I sent immoral?

Once again this is just the start of the conversation for me, be no means does it cover all the angles or is even all correct. But are just thoughts that might be engaging.

I think maybe we need to rethink morality as we continue to engage with this virtual world we live in.

Check out this article that just came out in the AP

Rethinking: money

jlshef — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:10:19 +0000

I am taking a development of classical sociological theory that one would think would be boring, but is really quite good. The theorist we are studying is Georg (no e) Simmel (pronounced Zimmel). He was a micro-sociologist, meaning that he cared about individual interaction over society as a whole. One of his most famous works was Philosophy of Money, which was more about culture and people's relationship to money than economics. At the core Simmel saw that money – money in a capitalist society – changed interaction between humans. Human interaction could know be quantified by monetary value. With money everything now have value. Example: the commercial that equates a million dollars to a million hamburgers. burger a dollar. Because the dollar allows us to calculate everything, we now can calculate the value of human beings with money. Simmel drew off of Marx's commodification theory that states that a capitalist culture values only that which can be bought and sold on the market. That which can't be bought or sold – love, truth, authentic care, time – become devalued. Because of this Simmel states that we have objectified the human interaction. We value only that which allows for the exchange of dollar.

I think as we look around us this is very evident, even in our Christian lives. Money has allowed us to objectify one another. Money allows us to take the relationship out of life, and exchange money for what we need. I am not fully sure all of the implication of this, but i do think that it runs deep into the heart of who we are. As we continually are seeking to love, and build relationship to the world around us; I think we need to see how the objectification of each other makes it really hard to love. By no means does this cover all that can be said on the subject, but is the start of a conversation. Talk to those around you, do you see this alive? Jesus spoke about not being able to serve two masters, Money and Him. Maybe what He is talking about is as much about having money as it is the way that money changes the way we treat each other. It then becomes clear that is hard to live in the Kingdom – defined by love – when we only see value in that which we can buy.

Beautiful Music and Jason Mraz, Oxymoron?

jlshef — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:31:56 +0000

Normally I am not a fan of Jason Mraz. I do think that he is one of the most talented singer/songwriters that have been bulldozed over by the industry. His produced music thus far has been overly pop'y (yes it is a word) and created for the masses. But in this video we get an intimate look as he sits next to a hungarian woman and plays a song. Mr. Mraz ditch the label and come out with more music that is true to who you are please!

Split Series – Jason Mraz – It's a lovely day
by lablogotheque