Is Big Church Worth All The Hassle?

As a Christian who doesn’t attend church—at least, big church/program Sunday—every time a mega-church controversy bubbles into mainstream, three things happen in my brain: 1) I’m reminded that people still go to church 2) I remember that Christians identify themselves and their faith with a specific brand (excuse me, denomination) 3) I question if big church is worth all the hassle.

Mark Driscoll’s ongoing saga of pretentiousness is a good place to start. To catch up, read up on the Mars Hill best-selling list controversy. Then read Mars Hill’s response. The problem is not that Mars Hill/Driscoll made a mistake; every organization, Christian or not, makes mistakes. But bigger the organizations, bigger the mistakes. And when mistakes happen, time and money is lost fixing them. Instead of spreading the Gospel or serving the poor (one in the same), the administration spends all its time in damage control: phone calls, accountability meetings, media avoidance, website postings, etc. All these things distract. (more…)

Years Later, My Favorite Wedding Gift

You twist, you spin, I pull you apart; you are my favorite wedding gift. Years have passed. The avocado colored bowls, plates, and cups have cracked, chipped, and splattered–thrown out in the garbage can, also since replaced. How do you throw away a garbage can?

You are my favorite wedding gift.

You are dependable and full of life, easy to convince. At your best you come through when I need you. Paper airplanes and renegade shoes have flown across rooms to kill visiting spiders; picture frames were hit and dented the floors. They didn’t last. (more…)

The Avett Brothers—the ‘Breaking Bad’ of Live Music

Formal Opening: This esteemed, academic discussion will argue that The Avett Brothers are to live music as Breaking Bad is to television drama: elevating the craft and challenging the accepted paradigm through optimal songwriting and storytelling, employing a diverse range of genres, effectively executing dynamically positioned theatricality.

Relaxed Opening: I saw The Avett Brothers for the first time last night, and they were freakin’ awesome!

And It Spread

The Avett Brothers made a stop here in Rochester to promote their new album, Magpie and the Dandelion; however, brothers and co. primarily performed older material from Emotionalism and I and Love and You. (more…)

Songs to Get You Through Winter

Happy Monday, everyone. We made it through February! March, baby. I’m ready for you. The temperature still averages below school-zone speed-limits and the sky is dirtier than week old camping socks; nevertheless, I think I’ve found a way to get through the rest of winter.

Good, old-fashioned (not whiskey) winter music mix-tapes! What songs construct your winter mix? Add them in the comments and I’ll check it out. I’m hungry for new music right now. Also, I’m hungry for a breakfast burrito.

Songs for Winter

Water Liars. I’m obsessed with a Noisetrade EP they released a month back. Check out their website HERE. From the South, this “whiskey rock” trio howled their way out of the Mississippi river and into my ear-heart.

Lucy Rose. She’s British, she’s a red-head, and she sings about hogging the bed. Yes please. I’m pretty sure this song, and its album, is a couple years old and I’m just late on the draw. Sorry, draw. (more…)

5 Lessons for the Workshop Writer

Now, my darlings, a quick lesson on workshopping. Every writer must seek feedback on his or her work. It’s imperative. Thirty minutes in a workshop table can fuel you for an entire week. Don’t accept the adage of “All work and no play make Johnny a dull boy,”—a writer by himself going crazy from the lonely craft. Writing is, or should be, a team effort.

Last semester I had a playwright workshop course; currently, I’m in a short story workshop. Because I’m nice, I thought I’d share what I’ve learned. You’re welcome, America (and possibly Croatia).

Fair Warning: This blog post was not workshopped. I know, I know.

Here’s my top 5 lessons from the workshop table.

1) Prepare for the worst. Sorry, but your first draft wasn’t perfect. Embrace what’s coming. Get into the habit of looking forward to the edits. (Edits are your friends. They take you to new places and introduce you to new things.)  (more…)

The Hunt for Red Jobtober 3: White & Nerdy & Inner City Youth

I watched Mary Poppins for the first time. It was a prerequisite of sorts. See, my wife and I we’re going to see Saving Mr. Banks at the cheap theatre, and though I grew up watching TV with a cupboard full of VHS tapes, Mary Poppins never once stopped by my house. “A spoonful of sugar” is a lot of sugar. That’s all I’m going to say.

Okay, I’ll say a little more. While watching Poppins, I realized that I am a Bert of sorts. In the film, Bert (Dick Van Dyke) never seems to be doing the same thing twice. He has four different jobs: one-man band, chalk-artists, chimney sweep, kite salesmen. He’s an unpredictable cockney, and I couldn’t help but love him.

SIDE NOTE: Saving Mr. Banks was a wonderful picture. You see it?

As the blog title suggests, I’ve had another “vocational realignment.” I’ve pulled a Bert (awkward), working where I never have before: the inner-city.

White Boys Can’t Hump

Last semester, I had a job at Wegmans (a New York grocery store chain) making coffee in their “Buzz” cafes. Wegmans is a great place to work and shop. There’s a strong sense of local pride that permeates off the walls, and it makes you feel like you’re apart of something special. While the coffee itself was not very good (Northwest coffee snob, ova-heer!), the job was a good one.

A new job opened up in a social program that works with inner-city youth, encouraging them to graduate high school and go to college. Yes, coffee can be a worthwhile vocation, but bad coffee is bad coffee, and I needed something a little more meaningful. So I learned about the program. I realized it would be like mentoring, like working in a youth group again (which I loved!), minus the cheesy Christian songs and dealing with “visionary” pastors and elders. Sounded absolutely wonderful to me. (more…)