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January 30, 2007
Jesus and Hitler: Second Coming
Mike Clawson directed me to this movie. Maybe the title is best. Too bad its not actually a movie or it might be worth seeing in a dumb and dumber kind of way. It is a funny concept clip none the less.
Posted by joshuacase at 08:36 AM | Comments (1)
Tuesday is for Thomas
I'm starting a new Tuesday blog inspired by Thomas Merton. Merton has had a major role in my life for the last 12 years. At various points, I have read and reread New Seeds of Contemplation and have used A Year With Thomas Merton for several years. Indeed, Merton is one of the more consistent voices in my life.
Merton writes:
Faithful to Truth
In concluding:
1. There can be no doubt, no compromise in my decision to be completely faithful to God's will and truth, and hence, I must seek always and in everything to act for God's will and in God's truth, and thus, to seek with God's grace to be "a saint,"
2. There must be no doubt, no compromise in my efforts to avoid falsifying this work of truth by considering too much what others approve of and regard as "holy." In a word, it may happen(or may not) that what God demands of me may make me look less perfect to others, and that it may rob me of their support, their affection, their respect. To become a saint therefore may mean the anguish of looking like, an in a real sense "being", a sinner, an outcast. It may mean apparent conflict with certain standards that may be wrongly understood by me or by others or by all.
3. The thing is to cling to God's will and truth in their purity and try to be sincere and to act in all things out of genuine love, so far as I can.
May it be as such for us all...fear not...seek to act out of love in all things!
Posted by joshuacase at 07:15 AM
January 29, 2007
The 'Other Forum' that took place in January
While the WEF was taking place in Davos Switzerland, another forum was happening in Nairobi Kenya.
The World Social Forum, met...though I am not sure it went nearly as smoothly as the WEF.
Adam Ma'anit recounts his experience here, including the time when "The monopoly of catering companies was broken as sellers from nearby areas came touting their wares. Street kids feasted on the finest food from the internal security minister's now occupied catering company. One Pakistani group sold "chapatis against Bush" and "anti-capitalist curry" at affordable rates. The first few days of underwhelming, half-hearted workshops seemed a distant blur."
Indeed Ma'anit's account is just one of several, but be not mistaken, this was a real social affair!
I guess the another real question is, why is that the world social forum included a "youth program" but the WEF did not? That troubles me somewhat especially as we consider the capacity of young people to really impact change today!
Posted by joshuacase at 12:39 PM | Comments (24)
What a champion!
Tiger's back on top again for the seventh consecutive time on American soil. Though this time, it wasn't from the beginning!
After starting day three several shots back, Tiger Woods proved he is the man (golf speaking) even when it comes to being behind going into the last day tied for 4th.
In a some what humorous article, this exchange is noted between Tiger, Charles Howell III, and reporters. Don't you love this guy?!
"It's just fun to be there," Woods said. "That's why you bust your butt as hard as you do in practice sessions to get yourself in that position. And when you do, I feel comfortable being there. I've been there enough times."
So he didn't sweat it when his tee shots went into fairway bunkers on hole Nos. 1, 5, 7 and 18.
He showed no fear when he needed to get up and down from greenside bunkers on 14 and 15, with playing partner Charles Howell III filling Woods' rear-view mirror thanks to three birdies in four holes.
Woods all but clinched this thing on the 17th hole, when he hit a five-wood 300 yards down the middle of the fairway, then lifted a nine-iron 143 yards to within three feet of the cup for a birdie putt. That gave him a two-shot lead over Howell.
Howell's on good enough terms with Woods to tease him that he should let someone else win for a change.
"He just sort of gives me that sheepish laugh," Howell said. "Which means, 'No.' "
Howell says he can't even beat Woods during their friendly rounds at Isleworth Country Club in Florida.
In an informal session with reporters, someone wondered whether Woods would ever let Howell win. His tone grew temporarily icy.
"No," Woods said. "Why?"
When it comes to winning golf tournaments, this is who Woods is. This is what he does.
At the end of the day, there were still talk of Tiger's father and his influence on Tiger today. It's simple I think to think that Tiger is still processing the loss of his father. After all, I think we'd all do the same.
But in a small line at the end of the article, there is a hint that Tiger too may be entering into Fatherhood? rumors? Conspiracy? Or just another way for a normal human being to leave his mark on the world in which we live? And maybe, a child, would be an even more lasting mark than all the trophies!
Posted by joshuacase at 12:20 PM | Comments (1)
January 28, 2007
Choose Leslie Treece
If you can, choose Leslie Treece Photography. You will simply thank yourself.
She's got an artistic vision for the future, and gift to make it come to life.
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 10:55 AM | Comments (0)
Six things you can do to avoid a cold
According to Life Hacker, there are a few things you can do to avoid a cold this year.
They are here (along with lots of others suggestions). I'm still waiting to see what Lammert's wife Conny suggests. Afterall, she's the doctor!
Try them, lets see how it goes!
Good luck at staying well!
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 08:41 AM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2007
March for Peace- Virtually
I get a newletter that let me know about a virtual and literal 'march for peace' happening today on Washington DC.
Why march? "To demand peace and justice in Iraq and the Middle East. The global partnership Avaaz is working to raise a worldwide voice of solidarity through an international virtual march."
In the words of the organizers, "this could signal the rebirth of the US peace movement. We need to show them the world is on their side. Let's bring our call for peace to the streets of power in Washington."
Apparantly you will be representded as, "Avaaz supporters in Washington have offered to carry real banners and placards at the US demonstration—showing how many internet marchers from all round the world are joining in. We will carry the flag of each country that generates more than 500 internet marchers."
Join the global peace march and tell your friends today!
Posted by joshuacase at 12:19 PM | Comments (1)
January 26, 2007
Who will get to heaven? Look who has the power now!
Scott McKnight highlighted the recent article in USA Today entitled Saving the E-Word. While i think the article is interesting, the link to another article entitled Who will get into heaven was slightly more telling. The article incorporates the voice of Phyllis Tickle who, very interestingly, points out the importance of the semanitics used when conducting the survey. I wonder if the exact survey were conducted in Europe, what the percentages would be or how many people would say, 'heaven?' Or maybe Africa or India. Geez, how about China??
Even more interesting though, is the other link in the side bar which simply reads: Women: More Open to Paranormal
If this is true, shouldn't women be allowed greater portion of spiritual authority within our communities of faith? Shouldn't those who are more in tune with the spiritual realm be given that voice in the authentic community seeking to follow after a practical and yet deep spiritual God? How can we continue to empower those in our communities who have different gifts with different forms of headship/authority? If this happens, will man get upset with God for his loss of power in the traditional religious setting? Will the once in power be upset with the newly empowered? Might the below image be how a man feels like responding to an image of God who once gifted him with total authority, but now seems willing to distribute spiritual authority to others? And might this too be the image of how traditionally "E" Christians want to respond to a God who distrubutes the power and place of heaven to other religions? Or could it be the way that so many within Christianity treat the image of God in other Christians who question thier preconceived notions of how to get to heaven? Indeed, regardless of who is right, should we treat each other with such contempt? With such hatred?
Either way, the perceived axis of power in the world of Christendom is changing...and I thank God for that. Lead on global South! Lead on Belle! Lead on deep science! Lead on Jesus!
Posted by joshuacase at 01:29 PM | Comments (3)
Today, Australia became an interesting place...thanks to globalization
So lets see how many Australians, Americans, or English laugh...
Did you know on this day in history in the year 1788, the first convicts arrived in Australia from the UK? It's true.
Speaking of globalization, did you also know that the Zimbabwe dollar has an expiration date and that McDonalds now serves over 54 million customers each day? Yep, its true.
Did you also know that in the time it took you to read this blog alone, at least 10-15 people have died of starvation?
Man, we've got to do something. God, please help!! Yahweh, help those who can make a difference to really make a difference! Allah, bring peace!
jc
Posted by joshuacase at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2007
Davos, Jim Wallis, Web 3.0
The World Economic Forum continues to take place in Davos this week and there are few conversations (at least from my perspective) which ought to be making the headlines. What i did not know was that Jim Wallis (of God's Politics) is participating in one of the sessions. That is, I did not know until he told us here.
One of the summaries that i have been looking at is the one on Web 3.0 (Beyond Web 2.0- From Content to Collective Knowledge). As you read through each of the summaries, you really get a sense for the nuggets of gold floating around at this summit.
A couple of the highlights from this session are very practical, very human, and very real. They read:
a. The technology will expand possibilities, but human beings must still figure out how to make good use of everything. Quoting Wired magazine founder Kevin Kelly, Gage said: "Google has the answers. So what are the good questions? That is an art. We had better get the questions right."
b. New developments will create threats to privacy and, at the same time, opportunities. As machines develop "the ability to talk behind our backs," said Gage, they will be able to do things like identify the location of a person at any time. "The police will love it and we will love it. It will be a business opportunity."
c. The virtual reality website Second Life is increasingly being used by businesses and politicians. "It changes how we view human interaction," said Gage.
It seems to me the more digitial we go, the more we have to use real life to recreate there. I am optimistic about what seems to be the progress of humanity, especially when we start really getting the technology to work for us. I guess the most interesting aspects of this was the brief insight into the development of things like Google One Box for Enterprise. Seems to be a tool for data creation from....well as they put it, unstructured data on the internet. Now that's real stuff...a program that reads, collects, and creates whole new ideas that make sense from previously unstructured data. Geez, as a person who is high on ideation and input, this is nightmare...what good will i be?
Well, it's not that good. Here is the Google One Box for Enterprise launch announcement. I guess I am still safe!
Still waiting to see if Bono is gonna show up. He generally does...guess I'll just have to keep watch!
Posted by joshuacase at 04:15 PM | Comments (0)
The Woman, the African American, and the Latino
Yes, looks like a new season of politics in America. For the first time ever there are serious contenders for the democratic nomination for President from people that would normally be considered a "minority" in American politics.
Sad, i think so. But i think it is a joyous occasion that such options are out there! Check out the sites below to see the candidates (of course there will be many more to come!). If you can vote, be sure to vote in 2008. If not, get someone you know to vote!! We can all do something! No matter where we live in the world!
The Woman: No, not Oprah,Hillary Clinton
The African America: Barak Obama
The Latino: Bill Richardson
Posted by joshuacase at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
January 24, 2007
Leaders Arrive in Davos, Switzerland
Well, they are arriving. And, its still snowing.
Yep, just as the leaders arrive in Davos for the World Economic Forum, the Snow just keeps on coming. Maybe this is global warming's way of saying, "do something"!! I guess time will tell.
Not heard yet if Bono will be there; however, Bill Gates will be speaking on the 27th. See the full list of speakers and presenters here.
Posted by joshuacase at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2007
Lammerts, Alans, and Jonnys, OH MY!!
I first heard about Starfish and Spider from Lammert. We've been looking at this text as well as discussing the nature of decentralized leadership in structures that are missional quite a bit recently as we have been forming the core team of Shema. Then, just recently, Jonny came out and started talking about it as well as John Smulo. And now (or maybe even and now i found out), Alan Hirsh seems to be discussing it.
Could this be another example of "birds of a feather flocking together"? Yet it hasn't just been them but several others over the last several months who have in different ways explored it; people like Jase, Paul and Molly. Not to mention Josh Brown and Nicholas Fiedler.
In fact, I have to admit that I've done more follwoing than leading on the blogging front when it comes to these things; however, the struggle has been the same: do we need hierarchies of leadership, or not? That is the question!
Posted by joshuacase at 09:06 PM | Comments (0)
Let it snow...Let it snow..
So I've been absent...well, at least from here.
I have been active as ever in real life here in Geneva. We're in all sorts of stages. Stages of planning over ski trips and snow camps for students in the international schools in Geneva. Stages of task forcing Altitude (thanks to lammert!! and thats a good thing!!) and YFC Geneva so that our interns and intern prospects from Urbana (click on the Global church audio link. I promise, you'll be glad!!)can enter more fully into a developed training program. Stages of rioting and praying about riots; riots within us and culture that Jesus should, would, and could start....
Yes, the new year has started...and that ain't no easy thing. In fact, January-April generally proves to be one of the busiest times of the year for me. What's the old saying, "we're on the road again".
Pray with me friends...yes, pray with me even as the snow begins to fall in Geneva. Yes, even in Geneva (if it doesn't work, check back during day light Geneva time) the snow has started falling. We thought the force of global warming had grown too strong. We thought the alps were doomed. But alas, streams in the desert...snow on the pistes!
It's good to be back! It's good to be back!
Posted by joshuacase at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2007
Praying as if it depends on you...
Peter Rollins has once again twisted around one of those sayings that we've all heard, or that we've all used, or that we've all experienced in the way we choose to follow Christ practically in the world. And yet somehow, his capacity to actually confront the theological and ontological flaw in such reasoning comes with great grace and wisdom.
Below is Peter Rollins critique of the statement that says we should "Pray as if it all depends on God and act as if it all depends on us."
I also googled the phrase, "pray as if it depends on you" and found the following link on Yahoo! Answers kind of interesting...
On with Pete's thoughts:
It is often said that the Christian should pray as if everything rested upon God and act as if everything rested upon us. Another way of putting this is that one should be a theoretical theist, believing absolutely in God via the mind, and a methodological agnostic or atheist, acting as if God does not exist and that we must make change happen for ourselves.
But perhaps there is a deeper truth in the turning around of this axiom so that it reads: pray as if everything rests upon us and act as if everything rests upon God. What this means is that we doubt or deny God theoretically, wondering whether there is a being who cares for or loves the world and accepting that we must be the instruments of change in the world. Prayer thus becomes the means of wrestling with the idea of God and the means of challenging oneself to make a difference. However, when the Christian steps into the world, they act in a way that presupposes God’s presence in the world. Instead of acting reasonably, thinking that one must give only what one can afford and bearing in mind mortgages, pension plans and insurance policies etc. when thinking about what to sacrifice, the Christian lives in an impossible way, giving up more than is reasonable in an act which seems to presuppose the existence of God. In short the believer can say, ‘who knows if God exists as an entity out there, but I feel compelled to bear witness to the existence of God as present in the word via my unreasonable life choices’.
This denial of God as a theoretical entity is not the denial of God as found within the Judeo-Christian tradition. Indeed it is precisely the type of denial which can help to bring us closer to God as testified to within Christianity. God as transcendent being who guarantees a meaningful world (a world in which all suffering and evil is ultimately explicable) represents the influence of paganism and is found permeating Western culture (in films, literature and theology – see the Zizek lecture below). God in Christ is not a being who explains the world in a pagan manner (here we must bear in mind the encounter between God and Moses at the burning bush, the book of Job and a theology of the cross as critiques of this idea) but rather is one who transforms the world via the crazy, unreasonable acts of people.
Posted by joshuacase at 01:10 PM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2007
Happiness, Wikinomics, and Balance
As we enter into the new year, I've already been pretty excited about the things I've been reading.
This week's copy of the Economist has the title "Happiness: and how to measure it" It is a very interesting take on happiness, and includes several sections on a range of topics from "Chattering Classes"; "Jinn"; "I think therefore, I am, I think"; "Postmodernism is the new black"; and "Pentacostalism: Christianity Reborn" to name a few. If you can get a copy of this week's magazine, go for it. These articles alone are well worth the read!
I also read Wikinomics on the plane ride to Geneva. It is a great read to put alongside The Tipping Point, The Wisdom of Crowds and Freakonomics. These three could make for an interesting class on the importance of harnessing mass collaboration in open systems such that all are benefited. And yes, as many critics say, it will pose an interesting threat to those who are seeking to build wealth, but open system thinking and mass collaboration will, as the author of Wikinomics suggest, "benefit everyone. Especially when its about building culture and global well-being, as well as wealth".
I was also recommended an artcle entitled Balance is Bunk by my friend Olli Hoeltje. It's quite and non-convential set of thoughts on the idea of balance. For a while now i have felt as though balance in the west was maybe less what needed to be striven for and that learning to live with tension was much more appropriate for the west as a culture. Maybe balance is just another thing many must hold in tension with "finding deep satisfaction", as the Economist article suggests, "from losing themselves in their work".
Where ever you, whatever you do may you ever learn the art of learning, living, and thriving.....
Posted by joshuacase at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2007
Wishing Saddam and Shane could have met..
I haven't commented much on the killing of Saddam, but many others have. On New Year's Eve Nicholas and I dared to watch the video of his hanging that had been posted online and chose not to invite our wives to watch. We're glad we did. As Nicholas said in response to Leslie's question of what it was like and if they could watch, "it's someone being killed. There is no reason to ever watch someone being killed."
I agree.
Just the other day i picked up a copy of Shane Claiborne's book entitled The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical at the suggestion of Aaron Mauer. I've only read a little bit of it, but it is radical in the most ordinary way. Already I'm impressed with Shane's commitment to justice, grace, simplicity, and faithfulness in the way of Jesus of Nazareth.
You can get a flavor of Shane from his article on Saddam entitled, Communicating through a Noose. In some ways i do wish Shane and Saddam could have met. Though I'm not sure what that would have been like. And i am most certainly not sure the relationship would have been reciprocated.
Posted by joshuacase at 05:00 PM | Comments (1)
January 04, 2007
In Honor of Ruby Dell Belvin
The end of my trip to the US for Christmas has taken a couple of weird turns. The one which i am least excited about it the amount of time i have spent thinking about death. Yeah, "happy new year".
Just the other day i attend the funeral of Ruby Dell Belvin. A woman aged 86 years old who was good friends with my family for many of those years. Towards the end of her life she was not very healthy, but she still sought to serve and love the same as she always had. Indeed, she had throughout the years of my life, formed what i know was an amazing legacy of faithfulness.
You see, if there was very much that one could count on, it was Ruby Dell. She was faithful. She was consistent. She was a servant. More than during times of crisis, or need, Ruby Dell loved people during the normal times of their lives.
As we all gathered at her funeral there was an amazing sense (at least for me) that in the silence of her service of others, in the diligence of her coming to see you every birthday, every holiday (without fail) she formed me in a way i want to be. That i, outside of return, outside of fame, outside of self, want to love and to serve and to be with/for people in a way that they know they can count on me. That in death, my service and faithfulness to others stands out. Yes, Ruby Dell formed me. Today, i honor her.
If you pray, please pray for my grand parents. Specifically, my grandmother Jeanie and my step grand father Virgil. They are both taking treatments right now. Her for potential breast cancer and memory loss, he to decrease the swelling in his brain after a stroke.
Edna St. Vincent Millay:
"Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned"
Posted by joshuacase at 05:14 PM