Deep Dirt

Thursday, March 28

life is a-mazing. take time to contemplate what god has given to us... many folk are finding that walking a labyrinth is a spiritual discipline that can help us focus on the god connectedness of life. many christian communities are building labyrinths. you can even get portable labyrinth kits.

i found this cool link on small voices, leading to a cool site for those wanting to know more about the spiritual aspects of labyrinth walking. on the site you can also do a virtual "online labyrinth walk," so check out labyrinth.org

posted by COTA | 5:09 PM|

Sunday, March 24

nu ecumenism

yesterday i went to a church planting clinic sponsored by "off the map." it was cool because the crowd was a real postmodern era "trail-mix." we had vineyard folk, independent church folk, a few lutherans and an episcopalian.

postmodern ecumenical stuff is literally more "out of the box" than more established and formal conciliar stuff. (conciliar = being geared around a centralized council, like the national council or world council of churches). emerging ethos ecumenism is de-centered, grassroots, wild and networked. it is sanctioned by no one (robert's and his rules are not around) and thus it is open to anyone.

hey episcopalians, have you hugged a cov brother or sister today? hey vineyard dude, consider hanging with a local lutheran pastor and talkin' some serious theology!

the best place to sample emerging ethos ecumenism is in your own backyard. just trot over to a church you are clueless about and say hey. if you are trot shy, try going to one of the events sponsored by emergent village.

posted by COTA | 5:20 PM|

Thursday, March 21

busted halos

i'm really disturbed by what seems to be happening with the roman church in america, with all the allegations of sexual abuse by clergy. the church is one, and the problems in the r.c. quadrant are problems for all chrisitans in the united states. postmoderns don't parse labels. christian is the only tag they know (catholic, protestant, whatever... has less and less distinct meaning).

pray for the roman church in our land. pray for some bravery and honesty from the bishops, so no attempts will be made to sweep a serious problem under some ecclesial rug (which won't work anyway).

some postmodern catholics are starting to talk honestly about this issue. check out "busted halo," a site for x gen catholics and see what an x gen priest has to say about this topic. read about a busted halo

posted by COTA | 12:59 PM|

church watch

there are some cool emerging ethos churches popping up all over the planet. if you are ever in amsterdam (one of my favorite places), kick back and unwind in one of the most international and relaxed european cities, but also go to church! consider crossroads church

also, don't forget to check out my "church of the month," listed on in the right side column of this blog. the current church of the month is "the bridge." a very cool ancient-future xer vibe church in michigan. check out the bridge

posted by COTA | 10:15 AM|

Wednesday, March 20

today was a great day. i got a call from ruben duran (of the elca lutheran outreach office in chicago). my previous post that mentioned the lutheran division for outreach (d.o.) was not at all favorable. well, it looks like my "low priority" seattle mission has moved up a notch or two... thanks to some advocacy on behalf of our synod outreach chair terry kyllo (himself a mission developer) and of my bishop chris boerger and our outreach staffer in the northwest richard wendt. three cheers for bishop! (go bishop! go bishop!) and three cheers for dick! (go dick! go dick!)

thanks so much for believing in the church of the apostles mission... enough to go to the wall for it. we are still short funds, and will not get money from the big house in chicago until next year. from may till january, we have to raise money locally from the episcopal diocese and the lutheran synod.

everyone here on the ground in seattle is supportive. i'm out of the wilderness, at least for a while... and feeling "bourn up" now... just as my foot was nearly dashed against some huge stones. god does work. believe in miracles. i certainly do.

posted by COTA | 8:31 PM|

Sunday, March 17

emerging church q & a

i recently got to add my 7 cents to the church and postmodernism conversation. check out my 7qs
also check out the whole kuhl ginkworld universe

posted by COTA | 4:06 PM|

Saturday, March 2

bubble tea mania (and mission)

i must admit it... i have a crazy habit. i love hanging out at asian bubble tea bars. there is one in seattle called pochi tea station at 5014 university way.

bubble tea is a real cultural trend among pan asian millennial youth, that is spreading into the wider north american culture. wanna get a bunch of asian youths to your church bible study? serve bubble tea as part of the fellowship time (rather than punch and cookies).

i know a church planter in vancouver bc who is planning a "bubble tea outreach" with asian youth. just so you know, it is not just about tea, it is about culture, community, belonging, ritual and fun. bubble tea mania is also gaining popularity among anglo millennials. also, this tea culture is not just for millennilas. adults (especially 20's-30's xer adults), like the stuff also.

for those of you who are saying bubble what? read the following online history of bubble tea. if you live on the coasts or in a bigger city, chances are, there is a bubble tea culture going on in your area.

do a GOOGLE search (the best search engine on earth), type in "bubble tea" and the name of your city, you might find a listing of where to go, so you can get a feel for this edge trend in postmodern asian youth culture. READ ABOUT BUBBLE TEA

also check out a postmodern aware church in canada doing BUBBLE TEA MISSION

posted by COTA | 5:26 AM|

		::church planting :: culture surfing::

		archives

		links
		emergingchurch vintage faith phuture eln (lutheran network) episcopal xers a kingdom space seven emergentvillage ginkworld stuff to read theooze nextwave lutheran xers forum northwest brews emerald city search geek nirvana

		church plant i.p.o.
		my church plant (apostles, seattle) has little funds, but big dreams... we are seeking to raise $200,000 to launch a non-profit cafe/art gallery for god in seattle. we need both small and major donors. click below to make a tax deductible donation. if you are a major donor, please contact me off blog at: karen@apostleschurch.org

		book club
		i ain't oprah, but here we go... digital storytellers by len wilson and jason moore: at last, a book to save the world from the "modernist use of powerpoint in worship hell." if you want to torpedo boring ppt. bulleted sermon points from a modernist pastor who thinks he or she is now hip because he or she is using technology, read this book! better yet, buy the book and send it to the modernist pastor and do his/her congregation a big favor. read digital storytellers gen x religion, ed by richard w. flory & donald e. miller, provides an accurate "npr like" documentation of religion, as actually practiced by xers, and even reflects theologically on xer subsets (like the goths) and on the phenomenon of piercing among us. and, unlike many other xer books (filled with clever quips by boomers about xers), this book was written by serious sociologists of religion (many of them xers) who actually researched and studied churches founded by and for xers. amazing and authentic... read gen x religion

		blogging team
		tallskinnykiwi iggie online alan creech kevin rains jonny baker jordoncooper eggbert andrew careaga wolfhowler punk monkey

		the gardner
		i'm karen ward. i'm baptized. i'm cascadian (from the pacific northwest of north america). my house is in seattle. i like my house. you would too, so drop by and visit sometime. i'm postmodern (a 60's born xer). i can be geeky (but i'm NOT socially backward). i webmeister emergingchurch i'm helping with a new lutheran network called eln i'm digging dirt around a nu church plant, called apostles seattle

		church of the month
		landing place

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