Yesterday we attended my grandma’s church in the small town where she lives. It has been around since 1883 and is the same church that my grandparents and my parents were married in. I was related to at least half the congregation of around 40 people. There was something special about being in a church with that much family history and it was really great to be there with grandma.
As the service went on a barbershop quartet came up to the stage to sing, “I am Proud To Be An American”. It was the 4th of July weekend in a small town conservative church so it was fitting with the surroundings of American flags and American flag banners. Even though it was fitting for the location, I don’t feel like it was appropriate. I felt very uncomfortable with the mixture of American patriotism and faith I experienced on Sunday.
I don’t recall the early church ever singing songs in praise of Rome (I’m proud to be a Roman where at least we have a Caesar…). There has always been an uneasy relationship between the church and state throughout history. This amalgamation of church and patriotism is confusing and destructive, and you can see the results from the damage of the religious right in America.
I am not an anti-american (although I think Canada beats America every-time!) but I do believe that the church in America needs to break its dirty affair with American patriotism and return to it’s first love. When it does the confusion of politics will be removed from faith and people will learn how to follow Jesus uncompromisingly.
read:
Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne
July 7th, 2008
We drove 16 hours yesterday from Lethbridge to Billings, MT to Casper, WY to Eaton, CO. We saw where the battle of little big horn happened and at least 30 gas station casinos. It was a long drive full of puking, headaches, roadkill, and the bee movie.
But we finally made it and now we are on vacation. It has been a year or since we have been at my parents house in Eaton, Colorado (near Ft. Collins). The house is great but it’s even greater to see my parents again. My brother john is coming on Thursday so that will be a lot of fun too.
We will post pictures soon, but for now here are some pictures from last year (link).
July 1st, 2008
There is a blog that I follow, which I think is hilarious. It is called Stuff White People Like and it is a blog that looks at the peculiarities of white people and our tastes. The authors take a scientific approach of explaining the stuff that white people like. I don’t care who you are…that’s funny.
Whenever Malora and I read it we laugh because it is right on. Take this most recent post:
#103 Sweaters
The sweater is an essential part of the white person wardrobe and it is a very good idea to familiarize yourself with all of the different types of sweaters that are most popular with white people.
When you approach the subject from the perspective of age, it’s essential that you combine very young and very old white people in the same group. This is because young white people think it is very cool to wear clothes that are popular with senior citizens. The most popular example of this is the cardigan sweater, which is essentially a wool jacket with less buttons. An old white person might combine this sweater with a button down shirt to provide himself or herself with valuable warmth in the winter months, but a young white person will combine it with a t-shirt to create a ‘layered look.’ This not only allows them to show others that their personality features as many layers as their clothes, but it’s a chance to show people that you own not one but two cool items of clothing.
White women will also purchase many small, thin sweaters that they can wear in combination or on top of other clothes. Though you may think it might make more sense to just purchase a thicker sweater, these layers allow them to achieve maximum temperature control (see Scarves for more evidence of this phenomenon).
Moving up in thickness and age, we move on to the ‘ultra thick’ sweater. Though you will find these at Farmer’s Markets and Community Gardens throughout the country, they are most popular in the Pacific Northwest. These are often light brown or almost beige and weigh upwards of 10 pounds. When you a see a white person walk into a bar or coffee shop wearing one of these sweaters, you can tell the weight by how much they are sweating when they take it off.
White people also appreciate the irony of ugly sweaters that usually feature things like reindeer and snowmen. Though it seems unlikely, white people have been able to turn this into a theme for parties. Typing in “ugly sweater party” into google will return a wealth of images and a dearth of diversity. Though there is one notable exception.
Regardless of the type of sweater, it is also good to be aware of the fact that finding a nice sweater at a thrift shop or goodwill is considered a major event in the life of a white person. Scoring a garment that makes it into the regular rotation for under $10 is a story that white people will tell for up to five years after it happens. Therefore, if you are seeking white friendship it is a good idea to do one of two things: You can go to dozens of thrift shops in hopes of finding a dream sweater or you can buy one, remove the label and make up a story about how you found in a Goodwill in a bad neighborhood that “hadn’t been picked clean by hipsters.”
Go to: www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com
June 13th, 2008
It’s 7:00am and I think I may have stolen two hours of sleep last night. I woke up on the couch in my office with gut rot and stiffness in my back. I stumbled off the couch to see the damage from last night and as I did one of my youth stole my blanket and my pillow. So I don’t really have an option to go back to sleep. Not that my couch is that great of a bed to begin with.
We had an all nighter with all of the Sr. High guys last night. RISK at 3:00 am. Nachos, cookies, and everything else bad to eat. Rock Star and HALO on the big screen. What could be better?! My own bed….thats what.
I have been the youth pastor at Dalhousie Community Church for 10 months now. Usually about now in the process we are just in the packing up boxes faze. Looking for a new job, in a new city or country. The last two youth ministry jobs have inevitably turned out this way. However, this time it is different.
Sure, I have gone through the super high honeymoon faze and the dreadfully low reality faze, and I have come to the point where I have had to decide whether I will stay or go. Every time it has been: go. This time the outcome is: stay. I am excited for the years ahead at the DOOR. Watching kids graduate. Leaders develop. Youth come to Christ. Community formed and outreach into our community happening. Watching youth grow up and being a part of the process. I love my job.
I plan to be here for a while and I think that is why it feels like I am just beginning here. The other times, by now I was chomping at the bit to leave, but this time it is different. This time I hope I can invest in my youth and be invested in by other leader. I know that there will be ups and downs, but by God’s strength I am going to stick it out for the long haul.
I don’t think I am going to eat artificial nacho cheese from a jar anytime soon again, but I do know that there will be tons more fun and exciting events like this in my future. Let’s just hope that they include more sleeping from now on.
June 7th, 2008
I don’t feel like I have had a lot of extra words to share on my blog lately. I do not know if this is because I am using all of my extra words at work and home or if I have lost some of my purpose for blogging. If you have a blog you may have felt this way before too. Like you should write something profound, but nothing really comes out.
I even think I have blogged about that before. I think the main problem is that my blog does not really have a purpose or direction. It is kind of like an empty chalkboard waiting to be used. I can write anything on it so it becomes to broad. Maybe I need to refocus it a bit.
Malora has been writing a lot on our other blog ourcompactlife and I am really proud of her and her amazing posts. Biggest news around the Mulhern house these days is that we held and pet three baby alpacas today. They were soft and cute.
June 2nd, 2008
The day has finally come for Buster to find a new place to live. So on Sunday afternoon Buster officially left Team Mulhern to live with another family in Calgary. This was one of the saddest moments of my life and Malora and I both were bitterly sad about it and cried a lot.
Ever since we moved to Calgary we have not been able to have Buster in our home and we knew that this day would come. We have put it off since August, but we finally decided we had to do something about it. Buster had been living with The Hueberts (the pastor of our church) and it was time for him to move on. We contacted the Basset Hound Rescue and they hooked us up with the family who now has Buster. They owned a basset 10 years ago but it died of cancer. They have another dog and kids so it will be a great place for him to live.
Even though it was really hard, it was the right thing to do. We loved the time we had with Buster and we will miss him sooooo much. Lord, watch over our dog.
May 6th, 2008
I am at another conference for pastors. This time it is a new pastors orientation for the Mennonite Brethren at Trinity Western University in Langley, BC. It is an introduction to the MB’s and a great chance to get to know other new Mennonite pastors from around Canada.
This morning we had a devotional exercise where we discussed some ideas and Bible verses. There was a question that we discussed that I would like to continue on my blog. So I will pose the question and I want responses from anyone reading in the comments section. This is interactive blogging. So. Here is the question and I want your feed back and responses:
Can you name your church practices that were once infused with life and purpose but today have no intrinsic relationship to faith, are devoid of meaning, and separate you from your mission?
May 1st, 2008
well I am on the plane on my way home from the SHIFT student ministries conference 2008. I feel completely wasted (not like booze cruise) from staying up late playing guitar hero with Josh and the Suiters, and then waking up early for a full day of seminars. I fell asleep for a while and was snoring, so I am pretty tired. But I am also really pumped up and inspired.
I feel like this week has been a cup of ice cold water in the midst of a desert. That might seem a little dramatic, but I feel very refreshed in my faith and ministry. These past 3 days have refocused me and given me new ideas and inspiration for the DOOR. I feel like I really needed this week and I am looking forward to unpacking the conference over the next few weeks.
Yesterday we had a full day of breakout seminars. They were all pretty good and I enjoyed the discussions that came up during each session. Especially the breakouts with Brian McLaren and with Mark Miller on developing a passion for global justice in our students. After the breakouts Josh and I went back to the our friends, The Suiters, house and had the best steak I have ever had. After dinner we went to an exclusive acoustic performance with Switchfoot (well….Jon Foreman). There was a great interview with the band, and they had some interesting things to say. The concert was absolutely amazing. No joke, it was beautiful. We also experienced the Psalters.
This morning we had two more seminars. Kara Powell from Fuller Seminary spoke on moving from Redbull youth ministry to a more transformative deeper youth ministry. Dan Kimball finished the conference speaking about how the world likes Jesus but has a serious problem with the church and Christians. It was very interesting and I picked up a small group curriculum based on his book for our NEXUS young adults ministry.
Those are the facts and stories of SHIFT conference, but soon I will unpack the experience more on emergentjourney. For now, all I can say is that this conference was amazing and I think it is going to transform the way I do ministry at DOOR and how I live out my faith.
April 12th, 2008
for a breakout with Shauna Niequist we have to unpack the past couple days in 5 minutes…so here goes:
Chicago
Chicago is a beautiful city. Full of brownstone brick houses, old monumental buildings and Italian owned restaurants that all end in -ino, -illo, or -anos. The rain in the city is like buckets of rain being dropped on the city from heaven in hopes of washing clean the filth that builds up over time.
In the suburbs the filth is cleaned up and turned into large industrial parks or giant McMansions. The burbs are full of small strip malls and business parks. The island of grandeur in the midst of the west burbs of Chicago is Willow Creek. The gargantuan church which is the mecca to many and the face of corporate Christianity to others.
April 10th, 2008
The first day of the conference was amazing. I was blown away by everything that I experienced today, from the campus at willow creek, to the speakers, to the music, to the food. I will highlight some of the experiences of the first day of the Shift Student Ministry Conference.
The Campus
The campus at Willow Creek is huge. When you drive up it looks like a community college. It is a massive brick building with multiple parking lots and signs directing you everywhere. When you walk in there are escalators, fountains, and 457 (just a guess) flat screen tv’s scattered throughout the place. It reminds me of a shopping mall with a coffee shop, bookstore, and food court. The actual sanctuary looks big enough to host the finale of American Idol and the sound and video systems could probably handle it. I will not make any judgements other than to say everything in Chicago is huge.
The Speakers
Today there were three amazing men who spoke to us. Brian Mclaren was the first speaker. He spoke about his book “Everything Must Change” and how we as Christians need to address the issues that world is truly dealing with and look past the issues that preoccupy us as pastors. He was very good. Mark Yaconelli was next and he spoke to the pain, frustration, and heart of youth ministry. He was very contemplative and I was moved deeply in my soul by him. The last speaker was Shane Claiborne. He is one of my heros and I was thrilled to see him live. Malora made a quilt for him and we ran into him in the parking lot, so I talked with him and gave him the quilt. Shane is one of the most humble and passionate voices in the church today.
The Music
Charlie Hall led the worship and he and his band were superb. They are very passionate in their worship and I was blown away by how good they were musically. Hall has written many of the worship songs we do in church with Passion. It was great and I felt a close connection to Christ during the passionate times of worship. Plus, he plays a telecaster…so I pretty much think he rules.
The Food
Chipotle…Oh how I have missed thee and oh how I love thee. Seriously, I have not had good Mexican food since I left Phoenix, and that Chipotle burrito was the best tasting burrito I have ever had. I fully enjoyed it!
I was also introduced to Italian Beef
Day 1 was great and I cannot wait for tomorrow. To see some photos click here
April 9th, 2008
I am really excited because I am sitting in Sky Harbour Airport on my way to Chicago. I am going to attend the the SHIFT student ministry conference at Willow Creek. Brian Mclaren, Dan Kimball, Mark Yaconelli, and Shane Calirborne are going to be speaking. I am attending a bunch of breakout courses and I am excited for the whole experience. It is going to be a great chance to get some inspiration and ideas for my youth ministry. I love experiences like this which challenge me to grow as a youth pastor. I will try to do some live blogging from the conference.
I am also stopping in Arizona for a couple days after the conference. It will be great to see old friends and my brothers. If you are in Arizona lets hang out! I will be here on 4/11-15.
April 8th, 2008
We went for an easter egg hunt at Butterfield Acres farm in Calgary. It was a beautiful day and there were lots of farm animals. I even got bitten on the shoe by a piglet. Check out the album here (link)
March 22nd, 2008
“Are you a Christian?”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked that question. Every time I was asked when I was younger, I would bubble with excitement, puff my chest out, and respond with a resounding, “Yes, of course I’m a Christian”.
The first time I clearly remember being asked that question was when I was a freshman in high school. I was playing golf with a friend of mine. I wanted to call him my best friend, mainly because it sounded so cool when he cussed and because sophistication reverberated from him every time he lit up those Marlboros. Not to mention every time his phone rang it was another “hot chick” wanting to “holla at him”.
Being a member of the National Honor Society and straight-A student, “hot chick” and “holla at him” were not in my vocabulary.
We were in the middle of our golf game when the infamous question was asked. He had just spat out several curse words, when I gave him a condescending look, leading him to ask, “What are you a Christian or something”? After I told him I was a Christian, he responded with, “So you’re one of those religious people?”
And that’s where it all began …
That day on the golf course is one of many times I’ve been asked if I was a Christian. Although excitement has often spilled over when I’ve been asked, throughout the years it has been replaced with feelings of discomfort. I’ve realized that the term Christian that I use and the term Christian that everyone else uses, is starkly different. I’ve come to learn that to some people, the term Christian referred to big, Caucasian men standing at the front of a overpowering pulpit, wearing robes and holding a staff and holy grail. To others, the term referred to certain women wearing pant suits, holding a bible and picket sign that reads “turn or burn”. So, I made a decision a couple years ago that I would never again tell someone I was a Christian when they asked me.
Instead of telling people I was a Christian, I was going to tell them I was a follower of Christ. By telling people that I was a follower of Christ, I was giving them more than a one-word statement of what I was, which was often open to their own interpretation. People would then understand what I was because I had given them something deeper–a verb, a follower. But, had I really given them something deeper or just caused more problems?
The term Christian isn’t the only term people have problems with. There are a myriad of words such as liberal that vary in interpretation.
When we hear the term Muslim, words fill our mind such as jihad, Taliban and Bin Laden. Yet these words do injustice to the Islam world. I had a close friend in college who was a Muslim. I’ve known few people who were as moral, devout and caring as he was–and is one of many Muslims, who are such. Nonetheless, we have often described Muslims solely on what we see in the media. And then we get upset when people describe Christians based on what they in turn see in the media. We feel threatened, wronged and pressured to defend ourselves.
In reality, the words to describe Christians are kinder than they could be. They could call us murderers based on the actions of the Crusaders who went through the world killing in the name of Jesus or pedophiles because of the sexual exploitations of Christian leaders. So what do we tell people?
Whether we tell people that we are a Christian or a follower or a believer, doesn’t really matter. The conversation should never stop, “Are you a Christian?” People are going to make their inferences based on how they see us live up or live down to the words we use. What matters is that we embody the words we use.
Link to Relevant Magazine
March 19th, 2008
…let me down today and I have lost a but of the love I once held for this machine. I registered for a big youth event today and the browser I was using didn’t work becuase I was using a mac with Firefox. You have cut me deep mac and it will take a long time to rebuild what has been lost.
March 5th, 2008
Click to view album
February 4th, 2008
It is really cold today! Our car wouldn’t start this morning and the moment you step out the door you can feel the hairs in your nose freeze and your lungs begin to burn. While I was trying to get our car to start my ears and fingers went completely numb and I was only outside for a few minutes. Luckily, there is still a big blue sky despite the arctic temperatures.
Who needs a nice warm Arizona when you can have frozen snot in 30 seconds flat!
January 28th, 2008
Malora and I went to see Cloverfield the movie yesterday for Malora’s birthday. We were both really excited to see the movie because it was directed by J.J Abrams the creator of LOST (only 9 days till the premire). We are huge LOST fans and we thought that this movie looked awesome.
As we were walking into the theater there signs posted up that said “Cloverfield will cause motion sickness”. We asked the lady at the ticket booth if anyone had walked out and she said “not today”. We sat down and saw the awesome previews for IronMan and Jumper. The movie started and about 5 minutes in I knew I was not going to make it.
I get motion sickness easily. I blame it on a 23 hour stint of watching Joel Ditson play Hitman in bible school. Ever since then I get queasy easy (it ryhmes!). 10 minutes into Cloverfield I looked over to Malora and said, “I don’t feel good”. 15 minutes in I got up to get a refund on my ticket. It was ridiculous! I don’t know how anyone could make it through that movie. It is shot to look like a video camera so the screen is bumping all over the place. blech!
We went for a nice dinner at Earls instead. If you get motion sick easily DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE!
January 22nd, 2008
We set up the website for our Compact experiencement of 2008. Both Malora and I will be adding our thoughts and experiences of not shopping for one year. Only 4 days left till it starts.
Our Compact Life
December 28th, 2007
Noah got a digital camera for kids from the Leasks for Christmas. He started taking pictures with it and he is pretty good. I am excited to see the world through his eyes. hurray for technology!
Noah’s Flickr Photo Set
December 26th, 2007
Everyone makes New Years resolutions that most of us never keep. To exercise more, to drink less, or to stop speeding through school zones. Most of us do them for the first week or so and then stop doing them. Well, we have decided to do something in 2008 which will last all year.
We have decided to take a break from shopping for one year.
It all started when we read an article in Good magazine (link to the article) about a group of people in San Fransisco who decided to make a compact to not shop for one year. When we first read it we thought it was an interesting idea, but not for us. However, the more that we thought about it, the more we felt like maybe we should give it a try. So, we started going through all of the possible scenarios:
“What about guitar strings, can we buy those?”
“What about dining out, can we do that?”
We decided to pray about it and get input from friends, and over time we felt more convinced that we needed to do this.
So, we have made a compact not to buy anything new for one year. There are some exceptions to the rule including food (groceries), safety items (light bulb), personal care (deodorant), and other necessary items you don’t want to buy used (underwear). We have a list of “no buys” that we can not buy for the next year. We have invited some friends to join us in this experiencement (experience/experiment), and if you are interested in joining us please email or call or something. This would be way better to do in community.
Here are our goals:
- Bring less “stuff” or clutter into the world and our home
- Break our addiction to consumerism
- To be more creative in the way we live our life
- To be an example for others and share our experiencement
- Spend more time as a family doing fun free things
- As a period of fasting - to remove any hindrances in our walk with Christ
- Save money
- Gain a new and Biblical perspective of money
- Become more generous and instill that in Noah
We are not going to do this forever and we know it is not going to be easy. But, we think that it will be an important year in our lives and we are excited to see what happens. I am going to set up a blog to journal our experiences on (I will have a link soon).
Please comment me and give me any thoughts or feedback.
Links:
Good Magazine article
The Compact - SF
Buy Nothing Christmas
Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping
Freecycle
Story of Stuff (video)
December 15th, 2007
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