The Migrant Lifestyle

My words often speak of the desire to "settle down" when the time comes for us to start a family, but I wonder if that will ever become a reality. I've moved 12 times in the past 8 years (since I left home after high school), and am about to make it 13. Now of course the college lifestyle is prone to rapidly-changing locatedness, but I've been out of college, working full-time, and married for almost 5 years now and still continue this pattern of moving every year.

I'm not sure why this has happened, and am less sure if it will continue throughout the coming years of my life, but it is causing me to ask questions about why I fail to "stay." Is this a bad thing that I move so often? Do I have issues committing to a certain way of life? Do I easily get bored with my current situation? Will I be able to suddenly "stay" once I have children (and is that "stability" even important for kids?)?

I have no real answers to these questions, but am finally starting to recognize this pattern in my life and taking seriously the task of asking why this pattern exists. All I know for now is that this upcoming move across town will be much easier than the previous move across the country. Thank God for that!

Big News!!...Communal Living

Some of you will know this already, but Mandy and I have been contemplating living in community with 2 other couples from our church. I have hesitated in writing about this endeavor here because I was still unsure whether this would actually happen, but last night the 6 of us signed a lease to live together for at least the next year.

Over the next 2-3 weeks we will slowly be moving into a 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house in a neighborhood of Seattle called Northgate. Northgate is a bit further from downtown Seattle than we originally intended, but renting this house will allow us to save a lot of money each month and will afford us great community with our housemates. We understand how difficult this experiment will be at times, so we thought it necessary to have a house with ample space to "get away" from the rest of the community to recharge ourselves emotional and spiritually.

A number of months ago Shane Claiborne (a writer & speaker who lives in community in Philadephia) spoke at our church. One of the couples purchased one of Shane's DVDs and the 6 of us met the next week to watch it and have dinner together. Out of that meal and conversation, this idea of communal living was birthed. All 6 of us desperately want to take seriously the life and message of Jesus and feel that a large part of that calling is to a life of simplicity, humility, sacrifice, and surrender. I think we will experience all of these throughout this next year. Please be praying for us as we begin this exciting yet terrifying experiment.

So Funny...Gotta Be An Act

I didn't catch this video live, but I think it is hilarious. I'm not sure whether Joaquin is being serious or not, but I still laughed pretty hard. Rumor is he is shooting a mockumentary with Casey Affleck on the downward spiral of celebrities and clips like this would be a part of it.

The Movement of Mission

I'm in the process of reading a book called Bible and Mission, by Richard Bauckham, for my "Mission in a Global Context" class. Bauckham talks about the mission of God, the missio Dei, being a movement from the particular to the universal, from our specific locatedness in time and space to a univeral blessing from God for all of creation. He speaks of a number of different ways that this movement takes place, but the one that has caught my attention is the missional movement "to all by way of the least." God's movement in the world seems to consistently involve a destruction of social status and a quest toward freedom and solidarity in relational unity. I loved Bauckham's words here:

"This is the God who habitually overturns status, not in order to make the non-elite a new elite, but in order to abolish status, to establish his kingdom in which none can claim privilege over others and all gladly surrender privilege for the good of others."

And also here:

"...the church's mission cannot be indifferent to the inequalities and injustices of the world into which it is sent...It [the gospel] engages with the injustices of the world on its way to the kingdom of God. This means that as well as the outward movement of the church's mission in geographical extension and numerical increase, there must also be this downward movement of solidarity with the people at the bottom of the social scale of importance and wealth."

Excited for Donald Miller

One sweet perk of going to Mars Hill Graduate School has been the guest lecturers who have visited our seminary. A few months ago Pete Rollins visited, and this Thursday, Donald Miller will be gracing our presence.

Donald Miller, the author of "Blue Like Jazz" and "Searching for God Knows What", is in the process of turning Blue Like Jazz into a movie, and will be at MHGS Thursday to talk about the movie.

I've been a huge fan of Donald since he first wrote "Prayer and the Art of Volkswagon Maintenance" (now re-titled as "Through Painted Deserts") and continue to follow his blog regularly. It has been a treat hearing some of my favorite authors in person, and I'm sure Donald will be no different.

When Desperation Sets In...

As I was driving through a neighborhood in Seattle today, I was brought to laughter a number of times as I kept seeing the same sign at a number of different intersections. The sign said "I Need A Girlfriend" and included a phone number on the sign. I guess I'm not sure if these are real or meant to be a joke, but either way they consistently made chuckle.

I Hope This Is Never Me...JK

HT: ASBO Jesus

A Huge Reminder

Tonight, while waiting at the bus stop, I received quite the reminder to not stereotype or judge when I encounter others. I rolled up to the stop on my bike and quickly noticed a man who I immediately assumed was homeless. He was a Native American man dressed in all camouflage who seemed, on the outside, like he was probably without permanent shelter. I see homeless people everyday, so I tend to know that look...but not tonight.

I had been chatting with him for just a moment when he began pulling something out of a shopping bag. I watched as he pulled a newly purchased copy of Norton Antivirus out of the bag. Obviously he wasn't homeless. Obviously he was on his way home to install his new software on his computer. Obviously I was wrong about him.

While I wasn't rude to him and didn't treat him differently because of my stereotype, I was still reminded of the need to not judge others, especially before I truly know their stories. I appreciate those simple reminders. I need them.