The Spirituality of Creativity

I have received interesting emails and Facebook messages following this past weekend's teaching at The Vineyard. It seems as though a lot of people needed to hear one of two things: 1.) That it is just as Biblical/spiritual to ask questions as it is to answer them. We should not be afraid of verbalizing the big questions of life. 2.) That it is time to go for it, creatively speaking. I have had a dozen emails of people telling me that they are going to practice hospitality, or finish a novel or pick up their guitar or whatever.

If you missed the weekend,  my task was to give an overview of the literature and poetry found in the Old Testament - books like Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. It was a rather daunting assignment to try to do in thirty minutes. When doing a quick overview of the Old Testament, one is struck by the value that the Bible puts on creative writing, poetry, song, and fictional/allegorical storytelling. As modern Western Americans we tend to value answers more than questions. We value logic over emotion. Data over imagination. We want direction from the Bible. We want a formula. Perhaps, more than anything, we want it to be practical. But a huge chunk of the Hebrew Scriptures seems unfazed by our modern desire for practicality.

These books are real people wrestling with God in their cultural climate using the forms of art and media that they have at their fingertips. There are more unresolved questions than answers in these books. More imagination than dictation. Sometimes, they even disagree with one another. These books remind us that the journey with God is a process.

I was very excited that my friend Todd Henry was able to join us this weekend.  Todd is one of the people I go to personally when I want to think about creativity and expression. Todd's new book The Accidental Creative just released this month to great reviews from people like Seth Godin and Steven Pressfield. Check out his website www.accidentalcreative.com to get the book. (And check out his podcasts while you are there - they are invaluable.)

This weekend helped to remind me of something I have based my life upon - that we all have a story to tell. We all have a creative mandate. We are not just allowed, but encouraged, to ask the big questions before we have the answers. Our stories are what make us different than the rest of creation.

This is why I am not just a pastor, but also a filmmaker. The more I go along, the more important it becomes for me to tell stories on film and video. It engages a passion in me like nothing else does. I am learning that the best part of filmmaking is how collaborative of an art form it is. Seeing dozens of people working on one piece of art as a missional community is a beautiful thing. This weekend with Todd was exactly what I needed to cleanse my palate before we begin shooting the next movie August 15th.

Keep praying for  A Strange Brand of Happy. (If you pray - not all of my readers are into the whole God thing. You guys can just think lovely thoughts about me for a second.) It looks like we have most all of the crew and cast, but could still use help with meals, extras and finding some props. You can learn more at the movie's official site - www.astrangebrandofhappy.com. The more the merrier! We'd love to have you join us in this effort to make a movie that asks the big questions while being ridiculously entertained.

My challenge to you this week is to create something - just one thing that didn't exist before your brain thought of it. It doesn't need to be a feature film or the great American novel. It could be a meal, a poem, a business plan or a birdhouse. Just create it. It's what you were created to do.

Hitting The Nuts Wins at Las Vegas Film Festival

I am back in the friendly skies headed home to Cincinnati. I miss my bed. We had a great week in Las Vegas. Personally, it was great to be back. Aidan, my 9 year old, said that he felt like he was home in Vegas. (He was only 3 when we moved away.) This statement both thrilled and worried me a little :)

On the business side, Hitting The Nuts screened to a full house and was universally praised. We won another award. It is all nice, but the real joy is taking a story I made with my friends and watching strangers belly laugh for 100 minutes. In short, we made a real movie that makes people have a better day. That's something to be proud of. 

If you are the type of person who needs the details...or a writer for the Hollywood Reporter, I have pasted todays press release below. 

PRESS RELEASE
July 18, 2011

Hitting The Nuts Wins at Las Vegas Film Festival

The poker-themed comedy Hitting The Nuts won a Golden Ace Award for Superior Filmmaking at the 2011 Las Vegas Film Festival. This is the third award in as many festivals. (The movie won Best Feature Film at both the Cincinnati Film Festival and the Derby City Film Festival earlier this year.)

The movie screened at the Las Vegas Hilton on July 16^th to a packed house. Joe Boyd is the producer and director of the movie. He says, “It really was an amazing reception. The crowd never stopped laughing from beginning to end. We are humbled by the movie’s success. We are grateful to the Las Vegas Film Festival and the international poker community for the support.”

Currently the DVD is only available at www.HittingTheNuts.com, but according to Boyd, “We are getting very close to a wider distribution deal that will get the DVD to major retail centers, as well as a digital version to outlets like iTunes and Netflix.”

Hitting The Nuts is produced by Rebel Pilgrim Productions with offices in Las Vegas, Nevada and Cincinnati, Ohio.

xxx

Movie News from Delta Flight 845

If I had to guess, I am 30,000 feet above Missouri right now. I am headed "home" if there is such a thing for me anymore. Of course, my real home is where my wife, kids and beagle hang out. Which is Cincinnati. Or more accurately, 25 miles north of Cincinnati. But going "home" means going back to where one grew up.  I grew up in lots of places, but nowhere more so than Las Vegas.

This is a business trip, though I took vacation time from The Vineyard for it. (My life is confusing.) I am heading to Vegas in hopes of finalizing a distribution deal for Hitting The Nuts. It screens at the Las Vegas Film Festival on July 16th. This week is also the beginning of the Main Event of the World Series of Poker, so it timed out well to visit some of my friends in the poker world who have backed HTN.

Officially, Rebel Pilgrim Productions is still based in Las Vegas. My business partner, Jim Nyberg, is there along with our office. I am excited to focus on the film production stuff for a full week. (Our new movies are partnered with The Vineyard, but HTN is not. Again, my life is a little confusing.) I have been in negotiations with some name talent for our next movie, A Strange Brand of Happy,  this week. I would love to tell you who it is, but I can't. It could be a really cool thing though.

Speaking of the next movie, if you live in Cincinnati and want to help us out with A Strange Brand of Happy will still need some small groups and restaurants to provide delicious meals for the cast and crew. Head on over to www.astrangebrandofhappy.com to volunteer.

I never feel more alive and excited than during a collaborative creative effort. I have several of them going at once right now. I love it. Nothing gives me joy like seeing a community of people create art. It's beyond spiritual for me.

If you are in Las Vegas, I'd love to invite you to the Hitting The Nuts screening. You can get tickets through the festival at www.lvfilmfest.com. It is a 10 a.m. screening on Saturday, July 16th. The perfect time of day to laugh, I say.

Fenced Off, our drama,  is moving along in post-production. If you haven't seen the trailer for it, head on over to www.fencedoff.com. We hope to get it out to you later this year.

I hope this post didn't feel like a big commercial. I try not to do that on here. It's just exciting stuff for all of us. Lots of turbulence now...gonna sign off and pretend like it isn't bothering me.

Blessings from the friendly skies...

How to Disagree Like a Christian.

We Christians disagree about most everything, especially us Protestants. It's in the very label we go by - Protestants are the those who "protest." One of us protested 95 Catholic positions 500 years ago and we never stopped protesting against one another since. That's why it seems like there is a Christian denomination for every three people on earth. (There are at least five varieties of church on the drive from my house to the building where my version of Christianity worships.) It is truly amazing and somewhat embarrassing that the people who believe in "one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all..." are splintered in every conceivable way. Most all of our disagreements stem from how we interpret one book - The Bible. (And many of them actually come from how we interpret just a few verses in that one book.)

At this point I have a confession. My instinctual response to controversy, especially Biblical controversy, is to keep my mouth shut as long as possible. There is some wisdom in this, but also some cowardice. Sometimes it has meant that I will close my mind as well as my mouth. My personalty (INTP) seeks understanding more than answers. I am most uncomfortable when I am sure that I am right about something. I prefer to not have an opinion so that I can somehow foster unity among those who disagree. I am now seeing that my methods are probably the wrong directions to try to get to the right address. I have decided it is time to buckle down and figure out what my opinion is on several issues that I have basically ignored.

As a result, I have been thinking and reading a tremendous amount of late about some issues that might be thought of as controversial within the scope of Evangelical Christianity. I came across something foreign to me that I thought was very helpful. Not having ever been a Presbyterian, I had little knowledge of the specifics of their recent history until stumbling upon some Presbyterian writers and scholars this year. In doing so, I discovered the UPCUSA Guidelines for "a positive not restrictive use of Scripture in matters of controversy" written in 1982. I wanted to submit them here as a starting point for any of you currently in a situation where it could be beneficial:

1. Recognize that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the center of Scripture. The redemptive activity of God is central to the entire Scripture. The Old Testament themes of the covenant and the messiah testify to this activity. In the center of the New Testament is Jesus Christ: the Word made flesh, the fulfillment of Israel's messianic hope, and the promise of the Kingdom. It is to Christ and the church witnesses. When interpreting Scripture, keeping Christ in the center aids in evaluating the significance of the problems and controversies that always persist in the vigorous, historical life of the church.

2. Let the focus be on the plain text of Scripture, to the grammatical and historical context, rather than to allegory or subjective fantasy.

3. Depend on the guidance of the Holy Spirit in interpreting and applying God's message.

4. Be guided by the doctrinal consensus of the church, which is the rule of faith.

5. Let all interpretations be in accord with the rule of love, the two-fold commandment to love God and love our neighbor.

6. Remember that interpretation of the Bible requires earnest study in order to establish the best text and to interpret the influence of historical and cultural context in which the divine message has come.

7. Seek to interpret a particular passage in the Bible in light of all the Bible.

As I look back on the hot button issues that have defined much of Evangelicalism in my lifetime, I can't help but think that a slight glance over to the left at our Presbyterian brothers and sisters might have brought about more civilized and productive discussions. I have personally witnessed, and probably enflamed, debates that ignored all seven guidelines above. As I currently seek to bring a little more resolution on some Biblical passages in which honest, God-loving Christians disagree, the seven guidelines above give me the framework to press forward.

What an unprecedented witness could emerge if Christians genuinely learned how to disagree on important issues without labeling, excommunicating, damning or hating one another. It seemed, after all, to be a great hope of Jesus - that others would know we are his followers because of the love we have one for another.

Time to Make a Movie!

We are happy to announce that principal photography will begin on our next film, A Strange Brand of Happy, on August 15th. The movie is a romantic comedy starring Rebecca St. James. It's very funny, but it will also start some serious conversations about the big questions of life. We are all crazy excited to begin shooting.

If you live in the Cincinnati area, we would love your help. Making a low-budget movie like this one is an amazing collaboration of hundreds of people who come together for a common goal. The most pressing need we have right now is providing really great food for our cast and crew. We also need extras, props and a few big ticket items - like an RV and a private jet for Brad Wise, our pretentious director. (OK, we don't need a jet. But the RV thing is true.)

Head on over to the website for A Strange Brand of Happy and let us know how you'd like to be a part of it all.

Not all of us believe in the "Rapture"

Well, I almost made it past rapture-pa-looza without commenting. I am going to be short and sweet here. I have no desire to be controversial on this topic. Many of my Christian and Non-Christian friends have asked me about the prediction that the "rapture" was coming today.

My opinion was that it would not happen today primarily because I believe it will never happen. I don't believe in the rapture. It is ok if you do. I can see how some Christians interpret a few Biblical passages in a such a way to get there. I'm just saying that I am not one of them.

I do believe in some down-right unbelievable things: physical resurrection after death, a second physical returning of Jesus to earth, a future "New Heaven and New Earth," etc. I am not denying the rapture because it appears on the surface to be unrealistic and a little wacky. I am denying it because I don't believe it is mentioned the Bible as a futuristic prophecy.

Instead of writing why I believe this, I will include a few links below to some New Testament scholars who have influenced my thinking on how to interpret the disputed passages, particularly I Thessalonians 4:13-18.

We need not dread the end of the world. Our faith teaches that the world will be redeemed and beautiful someday through the reign of God in Jesus. That's our future. That is the truth that spurs us to endure the current "tribulations" that some of us are currently suffering. The world isn't going to end so much as it is waiting to begin. That's the point, IMHO (as the kids say).

So, read these links if you want to know more. (I have some fear of the comments to follow this post. I hope no uncivilized arguments ensue. I won't be commenting. If you know me personally we can talk about it next time you see me...)

http://www.gregboyd.org/qa/end-times/when-will-jesus-return/
http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_BR_Farewell_Rapture.htm
http://www.gregboyd.dreamhosters.com/qa/bible/what-is-the-right-way-to-interpret-revelation/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5fVgAQunWg
http://jimzartman.wordpress.com/2011/03/27/origin-of-belief-the-rapture/ *

*I am hoping listing Jim Zartman with Greg Boyd and N.T. Wright will not go to his head.

**If I am wrong about this I will issue an apology to those of you who believe mid-flight. I promise.

A Christian Response to Recent Events

The geo-political/pop-cultural events of the past few days are a mirror into the human story. 2.4 billion people recently watched a Royal Wedding. I looked at the pictures. It seemed super fancy. Someone asked me why I thought Americans were so captivated by a prince and princess living in another Kingdom. Especially since it is a relatively neutered monarchy with no real power. My answer was that we all want a King. William and Kate are only still "royal" because we desperately seek a world where royalty exists.

Deep in the communal center of a group of people is a desire for royalty. I do not mean by this that we all want to be the King or Prince or Princess of our world. (At some level, we all do. But that is not my point.) And I am not speaking so much of our individual desires, but the combined desire of the communal "us." We want a King. We want someone with authority, power and majesty to lead us. We have always wanted a King. That's the whole deal with the human race - especially as we divide ourselves into geo-political groups.

Those of us who wrestle with the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures see this theme throughout our entire story. For the Jews, the theme comes to an apex in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 8. Here we get a clear view of what our Scriptures teach us. That we desperately want a King, but that YHWH himself desires and deserves that position. Yet we choose idols in the form of human kings. We label these replacement "gods" our kings (or more modernly we call them governments, presidents, prime ministers, etc.) Compared to YHWH any king or political leader who has ever lived is just like our current U.K. royal family - all presentation and circumstance with very little affective power.

This is a long text, but work through it to see where it all leads:

I Samuel 8:4-21

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

See what YHWH says? You don't want the kind of king you think you want. You want me, but you don't realize it. And the irony is that when you get a king, he will become your god. So do you want a man to be god...or God to be King?

We always choose a man to be god and reject the true King (who is God). So, that is why the Scriptures teach us that after centuries of failed kings and kingdoms, a new man came claiming to be the long-awaited great King. This is how far God went for us. He became a man to become our King (Messiah/Christ). We wouldn't accept him for who he was, so he lowered himself to who we are. And he came with one gospel message as recorded in Matthew 4:17:

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Here is our King. And he brings his rule - the Kingdom.

This brings us to the second event of recent days. After ten years, the nation of America has defeated an enemy who caused terrible destruction and death on her people. An evildoer was killed for his sins. I was immediately asked what the "Christian response" should be to Osama Bin Laden's demise. That is a complicated question with a complicated answer. I don't know if I am fully qualified to answer it with conviction. I can only say that my personal reaction was a sober one. I was not sad for Bin Laden, but I was not happy for America. It reminded me how the Kingdoms of this world operate, regardless of how just they genuinely try to be. This world is ruled through the weapon of death. Death is how all "kingdoms" reign.

Death is the most powerful weapon at our disposal. It was Bin Laden's greatest power - death and the fear of the death. Today we see that it is America's great power. His reign was ended with his own weapon. It has always been this way. The kings of the earth kill one another. Some will argue that there are times when killing is justified. I am torn on that matter. What I do know is that the world runs on the fear of death.

Our King understood this. So, he attacked the biggest enemy itself. Our King died to beat death. While every other King who has ever lived used death to gain power, Jesus the Christ died to gain power. And our King is the only King to ever beat death. In Revelation, chapter 1, John has a vision of the resurrected King Jesus:

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."

And then at the end of his vision, we see the new Kingdom Jesus is leading us toward. We see a metaphorical glimpse of the tangible reality that awaits:

1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

And so it will end. The God who wants to be King and rule a Kingdom will create a new heaven and new earth. Since he holds the key to defeating death, the new heaven and new earth will not be ruled by the threat of death, but by the real presence of God. In essence, God will get what he has always wanted. He will be the God who is King. And, we will get what we have always wanted, a King worth following. And, by the way, it all begins with a royal wedding:

9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

What do you know? Turns out we are the princess after all. Not me. Not you. Us. The city itself...the people who long for royalty are made royal. The people who long for justice are made right. The people tormented by tyrants, terrorists and madmen live peacefully in the city of God.

So, to put it simply. The "Christian response" to any event that may come upon us is to be Christian. Christian first. Not British, American or Pakastani. Simply Christians.

Love America. But submit to your King.

It's Maundy Thursday - Feeling "Maundy" Yet?

"Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos"

Yeah, I didn't know what that meant either. It's Latin. I looked it up. It's the Latin translation of the Greek text in John 13:34. Basically, in English it says something like this:

"I give you a new command: Love each other as I have loved you."

John puts those words in the mouth of Jesus on the day before his crucifixion. So today, in Holy Week, we remember that Jesus said this. Today is the last supper. The passover. The advent of the eucharistic tradition.

It seems that the first word of the phrase in Latin, "mandatum," evolved through the centuries to "Maundy." Maundy Thursday. (There are other theories on how today got its name, but this seems to most common.)

So today, we reflect on the living Jesus who is yet to die. The one who shares his life - his very body and blood - with his followers. The one who is with us, eating with us, drinking with us, teaching us, loving us. The one who calls us to obey his central command: Love each other as I have loved you.

N.T. Wright, in his sermon God in Private and Public says this about today:

That rhythm of private and public is what we find, sharply and starkly, in the events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Today, Jesus takes the disciples into a private room, and the door is shut. Nobody else knows what’s going on. But the words he says there in private, and still more the small but earth-shattering actions he performs, will turn within twenty-four hours into the most ghastly and shocking display of God in public: God shamed and mocked, God beaten up and humiliated, God stripped naked and hung up to die. You can’t get more public than crucifixion by the main west road out of Jerusalem. And, as in fact you can observe throughout Jesus’ ministry, you need that rhythm of private and public at every stage. The private without the public becomes gnosticism, escapism, a safe and narcissistic spirituality. But the public without the private becomes political posturing, meaningless gestures, catching the eye without engaging the heart. We need both; and the events through which we live today enable us to inhabit both, and be strengthened thereby for the ministries both private and public to which we are called.

And the events of Good Friday tells us something we urgently need to know about doing God in public. If it is the true God we are talking about – the God we see and know in Jesus Christ and him crucified – then we should expect that following him, speaking for him, and living out the life of his spirit, will sometimes make the crowds shout ‘Hosanna!’ and sometimes make them shout ‘Crucify!’ We are not in this business to court either popularity or martyrdom. When they come, like Kipling’s triumph and disaster, we should treat them, imposters as they are, just the same. Speaking and living for God in the public world will sometimes dovetail exactly with what the world inarticulately knows it wants and needs; sometimes it will cut straight across what everyone else is saying. But those who have sat at table with their Lord, and have known him in the strange privacy of the breaking of the bread, will not waver the next day when they need to stand as a sign of contradiction in the market place, in the council chamber, or in the courtroom. This is a lesson, my friends, we are going to have to learn more and more in the days to come. Work hard, you who stand up to be counted as the Lord’s publicly recognised servants, work hard at the private disciplines, so that you will know where to stand and how to stand when everyone else thinks you’re blaspheming against the secular gods of the day.

We will reflect on the crucifixion tomorrow at 7pm at The Vineyard if you want to join us.

38 Proverbs for 38 Years

Well, I'm calling it. I have now officially moved from my mid-thirties to my late-thirties. For what it is worth, here's a life lesson for each year I have muddled through. (I figure I'm old enough now to try to dish out a little wisdom.)

1. Real friends are people who know your middle name, biggest flaws and hidden talents.
2. Having a job is a good thing, but it is never really the ultimate thing.
3. You can't be happy if you aren't submitting to the right person.
4. Some people you know will never ask the big questions of life.
5. The key to a happy marriage is being a servant.
6. Being a parent of a toddler is exhausting...and you will miss it when it is over.
7. You can't be spiritually fit while being a glutton or a drunk.
8. You can be spiritually fit while enjoying a hamburger and a stiff drink now and again.
9. Some people know God really well but just haven't learned his name yet.
10. Embrace the geekiest and/or nerdiest things about you.
11. When you don't know what else to do, tell a story. If that doesn't work, be silent.
12. You will be embarrassed in ten years of some of the things you believe today.
13. Winter, for all its flaws, makes the other three seasons better.
14. God lives in the mountains and the beaches, but he is even more visible in the city.
15. Jesus is misrepresented about 90% of the time both inside and outside of the church.
16. If both your religious and irreligious friends think you are crazy, congratulations.
17. A loving dog is worth the pain of having a dog...but just barely.
18. If you want to be a Christian, study what Jesus meant by the "Kingdom of God."
19. It is ok to not have answers about God. You aren't his PR department.
20. A worthy life is about not giving up.
21. If you are going to waste money on something, let it be a family vacation.
22. Don't partner with anyone in business you wouldn't want your wife and kids to live with.
23. Unrestrained cynicism will make you and everyone you love miserable.
24. When you look back, your hobbies will have shaped your life. Pick good ones.
25. Every new friend will end up hurting you. Then they might become a great friend.
26. If you fancy yourself an artist and don't do art, you will never feel complete.
27. History is not boring. Some historians are. Know the difference.
28. Sometimes good ideas and organizations need to die. Euthanize and eulogize them.
29. If a friend loses a loved one, go and be in the same room with them.
30. Be alone with your husband or wife for at least one week every year.
31. Take a massive risk every five years.
32. If you can walk somewhere on a nice day instead of driving, do it.
33. Learn to love the things your kids love.
34. Sometimes a pen and paper is still the best option.
35. Floss.
36. Find an exciting author smarter than you and read everything they have ever written.
37. Re-read your favorite books from each decade of your life.
38. Learn to pray in a way that doesn't really feel like you are praying.

Endorsement: Love Wins by Rob Bell

I hesitate to write anything about the book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived because of the inside-evangelicalism controversy over it. Not to mention, two of my really smart friends beat me to it. If you want to read two well-written reviews check out Jim Zartman's and Steve Fuller's blogs.

I knew going in that I wanted to like the book because I felt that Bell was probably unfairly attacked by Piper and others before the book released. To be honest, I haven't read Bell before. I have used some of his Nooma Videos and listened to a few of his sermons. I have been profoundly shaped by CS Lewis, NT Wright, Dallas Willard and (of late) Timothy Keller. This book was influenced by those thinkers as well. There is nothing in the book that cannot be found in the writings of those men. So, this stuff wasn't new to me. It's filled with the kind of Kingdom thinking that kept me from abandoning Christianity in my twenties. What makes it different than the others is Bell's tone. His style is smart yet simple and modern. I have no doubt that I will recommend this book to dozens of people this year. And so...I recommend and endorse it here as well. Not because it is or isn't controversial. I'm a little past caring about that stuff. I recommend it because it contains the gospel as I understand it today. I agree with 90% of it. And, no. I won't tell you what the 10% is that I disagree with...because I haven't figured that out myself yet.

A Filmmaker's Dilemma - What to Cut?

We are busy putting the final touches on the Hitting the Nuts DVD. (It comes out April 15th.) As a result, we have been able to resurrect a few of the scenes that did not make the final cut to use as DVD extras. The first cut of the movie was over 180 minutes long. The final cut is under 100 minutes. We removed enough footage to make a second feature film during the editing process. Some very funny stuff landed on the cutting room floor. Most scenes were deleted because they didn't move the story forward. They may have been hilarious and well acted, but they didn't help get us where we needed to go.

Today we released on youtube one of the deleted scenes that will be on the DVD. It is one of my favorites. It features my friends Matt Donnelly and Nick Ghizas playing father and son, "Dirty" and Josh Rivers. If you aren't aware, this entire movie was improvised. There was no pre-scripted dialogue. It all happened in the moment. To me, this is comedy at its simplest form: two selfless improvisers setting the other up for success. I hope you enjoy it:



For more information on Hitting the Nuts check out the official site at www.HittingTheNuts.com.

An Open Apology

This post has a way of re-appearing on this blog every so often. It has been a working document for 13 years now. I read this apology at The Vineyard this weekend and many people requested that I post it online. It is meant for those of you who have been hurt by Christians and the Church. I hope you are able to receive it as an honest apology:

I ask your forgiveness for the ongoing corruption of the church at large since the early days of the church, for I believe that it is a sin to use the church for personal or political gain.

I ask your forgiveness for every boring church event, church service, or sermon since the creation of the world, for I believe that it is a sin to bore people with really good news.

I ask your forgiveness for the silence of a significant percentage of the European church during the Jewish holocaust and of the American church during the years of slavery, for I believe that it is a sin for the church of God to stand by while innocent people die.

I ask your forgiveness for the unimaginable violence done in and through and with the blessing of the church throughout history, for I believe Jesus died once for all of us to put an end to violence.

I ask your forgiveness for the weight of rules and legalism that has shackled the church, making it oppressively fear-based and guilt-centered, for I believe that it is a sin to deny people their freedom in Christ.

I ask your forgiveness for every power-crazed political zealot who has ever advocated hatred against people in the name of Christ, for I believe that it is a sin to judge in the place of God.

I ask your forgiveness for every sidewalk and soap-box preacher who has so much as cracked upon a Bible with anger or pride in his heart, for I believe that it is a sin to misrepresent the character of a loving God.

I ask your forgiveness for every cult leader and extremist group leader who has ever led people astray in the name of Jesus, for I believe that it is a sin to desire the position of Jesus as the head of the church.

I ask your forgiveness for every pastor or priest who has ever served the church to get money, fame or sex because I believe the church is Jesus’ Bride, not some random guy’s mistress.

I ask your forgiveness for the millions of men in the church who have somehow stretched the Bible to validate their own sexist views, for I believe that it is a sin to dishonor a woman.

I ask your forgiveness for the thousands of church splits and denominational factions that have ripped the body of Christ in every direction except heavenward, for I believe that Christians loving and forgiving each other is the best way to show people who God is.

I ask your forgiveness for the thousands of churches who are set up as extravagant social clubs, for I believe that it is a sin to ignore the poor among you.

I ask your forgiveness for every misspent dime that was ever placed in an offering plate, for I believe that it is a sin to waste an old lady’s tithe.

I ask your forgiveness for the prostituting of the American church and the American church leader to the American dream, for I believe that it is a sin for the church or her leaders to love money more than God.

I ask your forgiveness for every self-centered, self-proclaimed “miracle worker” who has sold people counterfeit hope and light and fluffy theology for $19.95 plus shipping and handling, for I believe that it is a sin to spit in the face of God.

I ask your forgiveness for every sin of every priest, pastor, minister, reverend, teacher, elder, deacon, pope, nun, monk, missionary, Sunday school teacher, worship leader, and for every Christian who has ever come into your life for any other reason than to love you. If any of us came to you and hurt you, we are the ones at fault. On our behalf, let me say that I am very sorry. It’s not who we are supposed to be.

And lastly for me. I am no better than the rest. I am no role model. I’m misguided. I get confused a lot and I have hurt people in my misguided attempts to be “Christian.” I have not always loved God or the people around me. I am ashamed of me much of the time. I am ashamed of my people who have hurt you.

But I am not ashamed of the gospel. I am not ashamed of the good news that God has come near to you and is right now available to you through Jesus. I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is power from a loving God who can save you. He can save us all, even us Christians.

Hitting the Nuts Released!

Hey everyone...just a quick note to let you know that my movie, Hitting the Nuts, is now available for pre-order on DVD. It comes out April 15.

If you don't know about it, read this recent blog.

If you've been waiting for it, head over to our newly designed website at www.HittingTheNuts.com to see the first four minutes for free and reserve a DVD. (This is just a limited initial run of DVD's for our fan and supporters.)

Thanks!

The Open Journey Starts...Now

Those of us at Vineyard Cincinnati, along with six or seven other churches in town, are beginning a six-week spiritual journey called "Open" today. The idea is that many of us our living closed off lives. That we all have a story, but usually keep it to ourselves. But your story matters. Hearing your story, especially your spiritual story, is key to your friends processing their own story. Those of us who follow Jesus understand that our story is not our own. It is rooted in the bigger narrative of Israel, Jesus and the Church.

If you are part of The Vineyard, you need to do three things to go on the journey.

1.) Come to the weekend celebrations at Tri-County or our new MicroChurch in Hilton Head, SC. The weekends celebrations will propel you onto the next step of the journey. If you absolutely can't make it, catch up by watching the teaching online at VineyardCincinnati.com.

2.) Get in an Open group for the next six weeks. It is in the group experience that real life change can occur. If you aren't in a group yet go to this page and get hooked up.

3.) The last thing is the online personal guide. This is 30-60 minutes of weekly "homework." It is the alone time that you spend with God. It's a great, free tool to help you open your heart and life to the gospel. Go now to www.theopenjourney.com and get started! You will want to do week one of the personal guide before going to your first group meeting.

If you aren't a part of one of the churches participating, you can still join us. Watch the videos online and do the personal guide where you are. If you want the small group curriculum email us at VC and we'll hook you up with the e-file. (If you are a church leader and want to do the journey at a later date, we can give you all of the materials for free.)

That's it. I'm personally hopeful and a little nervous about where all of this will take me. It's going to involve some risk and vulnerability. But on the other side I am going to be more open about what is most important to me. I hope you will join me in the journey.

Hitting The Nuts on DVD!

I have some exciting news about my movie, Hitting the Nuts. I will paste it below after a short disclaimer.

This blog has been my companion and voice to the world for nearly ten years now. I have had a variety of jobs and activities through the years - reflecting upon all of them in this online journal. This movie, Hitting the Nuts, began as a script way back in 2006. At that time I was living in California and working as an actor and improviser. It has taken five years to get it to DVD. And to be honest, it has felt that long! I'm proud of it. It is funny, which was the first goal. And it has a heart.

I want to make it clear that it is not a Vineyard project. It began before my time at the Vineyard and was finished in my spare/vacation time. It's PG-13ish and reflects the sorts of movies that I enjoy to watch. It is not a "Christian" movie, but rather a stand alone piece of comedy. The comedy and content is reflective of the sort of material you would see on Saturday Night Live or The Office. If that stuff bugs you, you may want to pass on it.

With that disclaimer, if you'd like to get the DVD I have pasted the official announcement below that was just posted on www.hittinthenuts.com

Hitting the Nuts on DVD for Limited Run!

March 11, 2011

We are excited to announce that Hitting the Nuts: The True Story of the Scott County Series of Poker will be released on DVD April 15, 2011. This is an initial limited release of the movie for our current fans and supporters. This is the first step of a larger distribution plan that will include digital downloading, Pay Per View and other options in the summer of 2011. However, getting the DVD now is the only way to see the movie until then.

For those who have been supportive of Hitting the Nuts since its conception in 2006, we will be offering pre-orders of the DVD for $11.99 plus S/H. After April 15th, the price for the DVD will be $16.99 plus S/H. Pre-orders may be placed beginning next Wednesday, March 16th only at the official website: www.HittingTheNuts.com. The site will re-launch that day with a new design.

This is our first step to get this hilarious, multi award-winning comedy to the world. We’d love you to be among the first to see what we truly believe is on the verge of becoming the breakthrough independent comedy of 2011.

We’d like to again thank the Cincinnati Metro area for all of the support we have received. Rebel Pilgrim Productions has never doubted the decision to film in Cincinnati. We will be shooting our next movie, A Strange Brand of Happy, there in September of this year. We are proud to announce that we will be having our official DVD Launch Party in Cincinnati on either April 14th or 15th at an undetermined venue. We will post the details as we know them on our official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HittingTheNuts and on our official Twitter at @HittingTheNuts. We will also be giving away free HTN DVD’s and T-shirts beginning today on both Facebook and Twitter.

Beginning March 16th we will release a new promotional video showing the first few scenes of the movie for free. It will be on the official site and all of the social networks.

Retailers wishing to buy the limited run DVD’s in bulk may do so while supplies last at a negotiated rate. Please email the company at HittingTheNuts@gmail.com.

Thanks again for your support.

Joe Boyd,

Rebel Pilgrim Productions
Producer/Director, Hitting the Nuts

*Hitting the Nuts is not rated, but would likely be PG-13 for some crude humor and mild language.

The Open Journey.

This weekend at The Vineyard we will start a spiritual journey called OPEN. I'm excited about it. I think it will be hard for many of us. It will stretch us. In the end, I am pretty sure it will change us. If you are in the Cincinnati area, come this weekend with an open mind. (And show up on time. We are doing things a little differently.)

Movie Motion

I'd like to congratulate the cast and crew of Hitting the Nuts for winning Best Picture at the Derby City Film Festival in Louisville, Kentucky this past weekend. This is on the heels of the audience choice award for Best Feature Film at the Cincinnati International Film Festival back in October. It has been rewarding and humbling for me to accept these awards on behalf of our team. Any sort of accolade with this project just adds to the gratitude I feel for being blessed to know such a talented group of actors and filmmakers.

We will be announcing the release date for the Hitting the Nuts DVD within a week or so on our Facebook Page. Head on over and click "like" if you want the most up-to-date details about HTN.

Things are progressing with our two new movies as well. We are still on schedule to shoot A Strange Brand of Happy in August. And we will soon be announcing a title and release date for the movie originally titled "Fences" that we filmed last year. If you'd like to keep up with everything, we have a new Facebook page for Rebel Pilgrim Productions as well.

There is a running joke among indie filmmakers that if someone asks what you are currently working on, you should say, "I have several projects at various stages of development." This really means, "Nothing really, but I can pitch you something." The exciting thing is that for the first time in my life, it's actually true. We do have several films at various stages of development.

If you'd like to volunteer with our new projects you can email us at film@vineyardcincinnati.com. (HTN was/is not a Vineyard project - I was working on it way before coming here - but our current movies are done in partnership with VCC.)

Actors Scott Docherty & Sean Michael Murphy in Hitting the Nuts

Do Justice. Do Culture.

I've been hearing things in my head again. Confident Christians say, "God is speaking to me," when this happens to them. I believe God reveals things to people...but I am never confident enough to say for sure that He is speaking to me. Of course, crazy people hear voices as well. And some of you think that I am crazy simply because I believe God could speak to anyone. So I'm either crazy or hearing God or both...

Regardless, I have two phrases that won't leave me alone. I keep "hearing" this:

"Do Justice. Do Culture."

Nothing that radical, I suppose. But the way it has been possessing my thoughts lately is a little overwhelming. I am caught by the simple idea that both justice and culture are things that can be "done" in the first place. We like to say that justice is served or administered. Culture is experienced or admired. "Doing" either of them seems to...simplified. But I think that is what I am being called into. (Now I really sound like a crazy Christian, right?)

Here's what I have been playing around with of late. For my whole adult life I have strived to be congruent - to be the same person all the time. It is my presiding dominant value and ethic actually. The second I feel incongruent, I want to die. I hate to be seen as two-faced or insincere. That's the worst. To me, that is worse than being seen as evil. In a weird way it feels more right to be evil and know that you are evil than to be evil and pretend to be good.

Not that I am all that evil, or good for that matter. But I do fancy myself a rather complex fella. I have a wide set of passions that don't normally go together. There is something about those four words - Do Justice, Do Culture - that, for whatever reason, makes sense of my life. I can hang the rest of life on the pegs of doing justice and doing culture. I don't think those are the pegs for everyone. This is where it gets tricky. As a follower of Jesus, I already know what the two most important things are - loving God and loving people. But maybe, how I incarnate that is by primarily doing justice and culture. I could easily see how one could boil life down to other phrases, like "Do Worship. Do Community." or "Do Service. Do Mission." Or whatever. But I think these are my two words. I don't know what it means for me yet. But it is the path I am on. It feels congruent. I know I am out of balance when I do one and not the other. It's exactly what I want to do - to help to build a richly beautiful city that honors and serves the poor.

18 Thought Bursts

I haven't had blog-sized thoughts lately. I've only had mini-thought bursts. Twitter can be good for thought bursts. But about half of my tweets are never seen. I look at them and then erase them without posting. There was a day - many centuries ago - when Facebook and Twitter didn't exist. In the dark ages, there were only blogs. Now I find it a wee bit maddening to have so many web presences. I'm into it. Obviously. The good out ways the bad. But it's messy.

Here are some of my most recent thought bursts. These are the things I almost blogged about since my last post, but didn't.

1. I read this book and it made me ask interesting questions about the trajectory of my life: Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests

2. I have a huge spiritual crush on Dr. Tim Keller these days. So much so that I worry I may be straight stealing his stuff. I make it my own, but he has been the initial inspiration behind my last five or six teachings at the Vineyard.

3. I read this book of Keller's last week and it would be a great follow up to anyone who was challenged by the message this past weekend. Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters

4. I want to do culture more than I do. I think the Kingdom comes that way. I think we (most all Christians) are still afraid or unwilling to leave our church buildings more than we'd care to admit.

5. Life is better when you find a good shrink (and do what he or she tells you to do.)

6. The above shrink had me take some assessments. Turns out my main thing is that I am creative.

7. But my second thing is that I am merciful. That one surprised me...but I think I really am. I'm a fast forgiver. It has traditionally frustrated people who want me to be mad at them for a long time.

8. Two of my friends who had a hard time getting pregnant are having babies.

9. I buried my friend's father. It was maybe the best funeral I have ever been a part of. (I did very little of it.) It made me ask the following questions:

10. What do I really want my life to be about? What is my deep rooted passion that will reveal God to people?

11. I am marrying two of my improv friends in Las Vegas in May. That makes me happy.

12. I'm working hard to sell a movie. There are three hard parts to making a movie - getting the money, making the movie and selling the movie. I keep telling myself that I am 2/3 of the way there...

13. When an actor in a movie comes through the camera it is one of the most beautiful things in the world. I just saw a relatively average movie where that happened. Jennifer Aniston comes through in Just Go With It. To me, that's different than an amazing performance. It's a mysterious thing - maybe "spiritual."

14. It seems like 99% of the world is more uptight than me. People get really upset about strange things. I don't get it...but I always expect it.

15. I have almost survived my fourth winter back in Ohio. It just gets worse every year...but the strange thing is that it is making me love spring and summer more than I ever have. Maybe it's worth it.

16. Improv keeps me sane.

17. Dave Workman - that dude is the real deal. Blows my mind.

18. I'm going to write a romantic comedy screenplay with my friend Holly Walker. She asked what my favorite romantic comedy was. I had to think about it. I went with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Surprised myself with that answer.

It would have been great to get to twenty thought bursts, but I'm fresh out. This concludes the thoughts rumbling through my head...at least the ones I am willing to share on the world wide web.

Discipleship as an Invitation to "Kick My Butt"

Something happened to me yesterday that hasn't happened in a long time. I had coffee with a stranger who attends The Vineyard. That happens all the time...that wasn't the odd thing. The surprising thing was his posture. He wasn't in crisis, at least not the dramatic sort of crisis many of the people I meet with seem to be in. He wasn't trying to sell me on anything. Most amazingly, he didn't say what so many people say to me in similar situations - that he wanted to "pick my brain" or "get some advice." It would be wrong for me to tell you his name or story in a public forum, but let me just say he began our conversation with this, "I want to know God better and I need a coach. I want you to be my coach and kick my butt."

That got my attention. Christians talk a lot about discipleship. We have discipleship programs, philosophies and goals. Many of us carry around guilt because we aren't discipling someone or being discipled.

It appears to me that what many of us need is the humility and courage to approach someone with this attitude. I wonder what would happen if everyone reading this went to someone ahead of them in the journey and said, "I need your help. Tell me what to do and I will do it. Kick my butt."