Hosive

spent a weekend up in boston and new hampshire with the good folks at BCEC, CBCGL, and CGCM. i think thems is the acronyms. i made reference to the neon bible. its a song by the nutty band arcade fire. here they are making music in an elevator. note the percussion. the band has mormon roots but methinks that they are as disturbed by the crass commercialism and branding of faith and the bible as i am. go see them if you have a chance…they are amazing, amazing. here we are in austin watching them.

my main motivation was to go see old friends. i don’t like to speak at retreats where i know no one. so pastor enoch used jim and christine to lure me and out. i’ve known them for close to 15 years. zoiks. how did that happen? in the middle are me and isaac jumping up and down first with a slower film speed and then a higher action speed catching our insanity. ellis slept through most of it.

here’s my view of the crowd at the retreat. the top set is a bit clearer and the bottom “fits” together better. i made them take ancestor pics…..and advised only ugly people to smile. they were so great even when i told that patriots joke. they asked what was my favorite bible verse. i said i liked genesis 18:1 or exodus 18:1 or matthew 18:1….basically anything 18 and 1 was perfect!

i had a great time sharing my jonah series with them. originally, i was going to do the esther talks but some of the churches mentioned having done that book earlier already. i usually have a few series that i preach at churches and retreats for a few years. seems like jonah was the way to go and god seemed to have something for everyone.

i’m always nervous to go up to boston to speak. it seems like a more conservative culture. and i never know if my humor is going to fly. but i sensed god telling me to be myself in my brokeness and insanity.

a bonus benefit was seeing other longtime friends and connections from all the periods in my life. i got to reconnect a lot with tim lo from wheaton and nyc/nj ministry. the little cutie in the middle is my friend phil chew’s daughter, Rachel. phil is someone who i grew up with in high school at OCM Chinatown. Lastly, that’s Ethan who i used to play with a lot when he was a toddler during my time in MD. in fact, it was a pre-sermon ritual to visit ethan and his class until they moved away to UMASS.

all in all, a great trip to the land of beans.