New Feed

Quick reminder, I've moved my blog, I keep getting a lot of folks visiting this site, so please update your links, subscribe to my new feed:

New Blog: http://chrismarlow.wordpress.com

Also, here is the new rss feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/MusingsByMarlow

Click on it, and you will automatically be given a choice on what newsreader you want to use, like google reader or bloglines etc.

Thank you so much.

I'M MOVING AGAIN

...not cities silly...Just my blog. HA!

You can now find me on my new blog: http://chrismarlow.wordpress.com/

I tried to personalize it a little more, so I hope you like it. Also, you can grab the new feed when you visit the new blog.

Take the trip now...And thanks for reading.

Peace & Love from Austin.

Lost

So the mid-season finale is over...Lot's of possibilities for sure. So far season 3 has been a bit of a bummer. It's good, but not great. To me is seems to lack focus, too many things going on. Also, I'm getting a little tired of the "others" holding the trinity (Kate, Sawyer, Jack) hostage. Come on folks move on would ya?

The new characters have not been developed, we have no clue who the "others" are yet.

Also, not sure about the 3 month hiatus. I could see them taking a month or six weeks...But 3 months, that seems LONG...Plus ratings are down...Criminal Minds was 7Th in the ratings and Lost was 12TH, kinda of surprising.

You kind of wonder what direction they (the powers that be) are going to take Lost. Especially after season three.

BTW, I like watching lost on DVD. I could watch a whole season in 2-3 weeks. Maybe this type of format will be the TV of the future?

Isn't She Beautiful?

This lovely, frustrating, intoxicating, painful, hard, compelling mystery called church and why she's worth dying for.

That's right, Rob Bell and the fine folks of Mars Hill Bible Church are FINALLY doing a conference. I'm hoping to go. The quote above really paints a great picture of the church. Anyhow, for more info click on the link:

Isn't She Beautiful?

BTW-Yes she is!!!

Blog Change

Well...I got to tell you, I'm not all that impressed with blogger beta. I think it's time for a change. So, I'm getting my new blog ready via Wordpress. I love the layout and feel of Wordpress. But I really did not want to change.

Anyhow, I got some cool things that I want to do my new blog. So we shall see if I stay focused and get the job done.

So for those that stop by here every now and then, I wanted to say thanks and I will update you as soon as the job is done.

BTW-The free version of NBA League Pass is now over. Maybe I will not get to bed earlier now. I'm glad I can not watch every Laker game, I would never get anything done!

Change

So the elections are over...THANK YOU JESUS! So tired of hearing all these lame commercials that do nothing but degrade other people. Anyhow, the Dem's will now take over the House and the Senate is still up in the air, so here are my thoughts:

- No matter the outcome, God is in control, and that is a good thing!
- Jesus was neither a Republican or Democrat, so for those who are Christian, and maybe you think "we" lost, that is not the case.
- I think the church needs to start worrying more about herself, than Government.
- Maybe...Just maybe, the Dem's will bring value and balance to the Prez???
- IMHO, Change is a good thing-I think we need change, a fresh voice and perspective.
- Also, I think the changes that are taking place in the political landscape will cause a greater level of accountability. Which is needed and good!

Honestly, I think the church has to see the issues that we face as a nation and world and respond in a way that is Kingdom oriented. We've got to stop assuming that if we elect the right people in office, then change will take place.

Thinking out loud here, but maybe the greatest problem with the world is not politicians, evil, religion, etc...

Maybe the problems that the world faces is caused by a weak church, a church that has forgot it's priorities and mission. I'm not necessarily talking about the institutional church, but what I'm really talking about is me, and maybe you.

Because it's our job to live out God's mission in our world. And if every Christian saw themselves in this light, the world will be a much better place. And this is why I love the church, because I see the potential; the hope that we can bring to the world, the love that can cause forgiveness and healing, the resources that can eradicate poverty and disease, the message that can mend families and relationships, the wealth that can be distributed and shared.

The world will only become better...When every Christ-follower steps up to the plate and begins to live out their faith everyday. We have to be fed up with the evil that exists, fed up with the poverty that runs rampant, fed up with consumerism that has become a national tragedy, fed up with our nationalistic views of the Christian story, as if others who do not live in our "borders" our not apart of our family or mission.

Another words...I need to look in the mirror today, and everyday and pray that God will help me stay on mission. The reason the world has so many issues is because of Christians like me, who have yet to truly live for Jesus in the way that Jesus called me to live!!!

Maybe Someday

Man I would do anything to be in Australia, Japan or Hawaii because of this.

At Last

...We've finally found a church. It was random (or sovereign), the cool thing is the location-1 mile from our apt. The pastor is cool, he preached his entire message with no notes. (that is not easy) Great organic worship-the presence of God was evident.

The church has been around for close to a year and they've already planted another church. Which is growing like gremlins in water.

This is a multi-generational church, which is nice, lot's of energy and our kids can connect with other kids and Necole and I can connect and build community.

We attended community group last night-Lot's of fun, very real and we enjoyed the interaction.

So Necole and I will lock down and attend and serve. Looking forward to it.

BTW-The church is called Vista Community Church.

Monday Musings

It's sad and ironic, but truth be told, seeing the fall of Ted Haggard has driven me to my prayer closet. I just keep asking God to help me to be a man of character, to walk in humility and to make sure I have people who can speak into my life and hold me accountable.

(Of course the Laker loss last night almost drove me to my prayer closet, but that's another story-Every Laker game to me is like game 7 in the world series or something. Yes, I know I'm sad. Usually I'm so happy when summer comes, because I no longer have to stress about the Lakers *sigh*)


Erwin McManus has some great and thought-provoking things to say about the church and leadership in general. I gotta say, I really dig Erwin philosophy of ministry.

Mark Driscoll did not take long to throw his .02 in regards to Ted Haggard and pastors in general. While he has some good wisdom, he also baffles me with quotes like the one below. Of course in his eyes I'm just a little blogger with nothing to do...And of course he hates being criticized, but then he says these types of statements and the blog world lights up with folks like me who really have no clue why he would say this off the cuff.

Like I said before, I respect Mark, I just sometimes wonder if he really needs to be "in the thick of things" all the time. I'm just not sure you can express sensitive information like this via the blogworld, especially when you have a platform like Mark does.

Most pastors I know do not have satisfying, free, sexual conversations and liberties with their wives. At the risk of being even more widely despised than I currently am, I will lean over the plate and take one for the team on this. It is not uncommon to meet pastors’ wives who really let themselves go; they sometimes feel that because their husband is a pastor, he is therefore trapped into fidelity, which gives them cause for laziness. A wife who lets herself go and is not sexually available to her husband in the ways that the Song of Songs is so frank about is not responsible for her husband’s sin, but she may not be helping him either.

The Road To Redemtion

This will be my last post on the Haggard thing. My concern all along was that Ted would try to spin this. When I watched his interviews you just knew something was wrong. It seemed quite obvious.

But, this afternoon I read this statement that Ted made to New Life Church. You can read a snippet below. All I can say is this: Thank God Ted came out and spoke truth with humility, grace and authenticity.

My heart is so broken for him, his family, his church and the rest of of us who are looking in from the outside with a sense of confusion and hopelessness.

This is such a great warning, or should I say a "learning" moment. We all need accountability, we all need to be able to have mask-less conversations.

We must walk humbly and within community. I for one, have such a burden to make sure that I can talk to folks; that someone knows what's up with my life, that I have mentors who I can talk to and friends who I can share my fears with. Why is it so hard to be real?

This afternoon I'm proud of Ted Haggard, and I personally think he is on the road to redemption. And that my friend is a beautiful thing.

But I alone am responsible for the confusion caused by my inconsistent statements. The fact is, I am guilty of sexual immorality, and I take responsibility for the entire problem.

I am a deceiver and a liar. There is a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I've been warring against it all of my adult life.

For extended periods of time, I would enjoy victory and rejoice in freedom. Then, from time to time, the dirt that I thought was gone would resurface, and I would find myself thinking thoughts and experiencing desires that were contrary to everything I believe and teach.

Through the years, I've sought assistance in a variety of ways, with none of them proving to be effective in me. Then, because of pride, I began deceiving those I love the most because I didn't want to hurt or disappoint them.

Ted Haggard Dismissed

Heartbreaking to say the least.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Life Church
Colorado Springs, Colorado
We, the Overseer Board of New Life Church, have concluded our deliberations
concerning the moral failings of Pastor Ted Haggard. Our investigation and
Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has
committed sexually immoral conduct.
The language of our church bylaws state that as Overseers we must decide in
cases where the Senior Pastor has "demonstrated immoral conduct" whether we
must "remove the pastor from his position or to discipline him in any way they
deem necessary."
In consultation with leading evangelicals and experts familiar with the type of
behavior Pastor Haggard has demonstrated, we have decided that the most
positive and productive direction for our church is his dismissal and removal.
In addition, the Overseers will continue to explore the depth of Pastor
Haggard's offense so that a plan of healing and restoration can begin.
Pastor Haggard and his wife have been informed of this decision.

Do You Like Sex

...Then you may want to check out a few posts from the greatness called the blog world. Now first let me put this in context. Up in the cold lands of Canada, Pastor's Jason & Lori do a tag team week long blog series on sex. I enjoyed the husband and wife dialog, the back and forth conversation, which is a great way to learn.

Then Makeesha jumped on the bandwagon and she had multiple post on the issue as well. Makeesha had on some rather controversial area's that you will find interesting and beneficial.

Also, remember you do not have to agree with everything in order to learn and have conversation.

All three bloggers actually talk about stuff that needs to be said, discussed and thought through. For some reason when we in the church discuss sex it comes with a bit of shame-the silence is frightening to say the least.

I wonder how man marriages would have been saved, or more fulfilling if the church would be willing to speak up and provide some guidance and leadership?

Anyhow, props to these three bloggers for starting the conversation and opening up the door for further dialog. Bold to say the least.

FYI-You will have to search their blogs to find the starting point for the discussion. But it's not to hard.

Enjoy and peace & love from Austin.

Congrats To The Hudson's

My buddy Jason Hudson and his lovely wife Katie had their little bambino last night. You can check out the pics here.

Jason is the Pastor of Church On The Hill in Seattle. Without the friendship of the Hudson's, Necole and I would have really struggled in Seattle. We appreciate them so much.

Also, I'm jealous of Jason-He has a boy, plays guitar, can design his own website, lives in a great neighborhood that includes the greatness of Espresso Vivace.

Anyhow, the Hudson's are some of the coolest folks on earth, I hope they can feel the love from Austin!

More Haggard Info

Update:

Here's an article by SFGate.com that gives a non-christian perspective on this horrific situation. Not good.
__________


Haggard is interviewed by a reporter.

Men Beware-This Is Painful

You have to check this out. Looks so painful, and how dumb can one get?

Via Perry Noble

Kenzie's Trick or Treat Video

Birthday Boy

Happy B-Day to Ashdown, who is now a cool 26. Also congrats on buying that house...Now the rest of the world is waiting for the kids :)


I hope you have a great day!

Ted Haggard

Update 2: Here's the news report.

After Pastor Ted Haggard went public Wednesday night denying allegations of a homosexual affair, senior church officials told KKTV 11News Thursday evening, Pastor Ted Haggard has admitted to some of the claims made by a former male escort. The church's Acting Senior Pastor, Ross Parsley, tells KKTV 11 News that Pastor Haggard has admitted to some of the indiscretions claimed by Mike Jones, but not all of them.

Update: According to news reports this morning-Haggard has confirmed that SOME of the allegations are true.

Now I still think we must be patient and allow time to unpack all this. But the reality is rather harsh, because the backlash will be intense. This will truly be a black eye for the church. This reminds me of the Baker/Swaggart era.

Anyhow, I think it's important for the church to react swiftly, if mistakes were made let's admit them, repent and ask for forgiveness. NO COVER UP"S PLEASE, this is not politics for God's sake!

Also, we do need to pray for Haggard and his family. And we need to find the redemptive opportunities that can and will come out of this situation.

Quick Thought: By no means did I really see Haggard as my leader because he led the evangelical association. I guess I'm one who is on the edge of those labels. But I do see the importance and implication that this will cause the church. Therefore this is important to me.

_________________________


Ted Haggard stepped down amid sexual ALLEGATIONS. Man this is not good, I hope it's not true. I'm not really into Haggard or many of his beliefs, but I hope he did not do what they say he did.

Click here to read the article.

Partnerships

I just got off the phone with Steve Saccone who is the director/leader of Mosaic Alliance. Great conversation. I've been searching for some like-minded folks that I can partner with. I personally believe that the right partnerships can catapult a church (or any organization) and the wrong partnership can slow-down or even cause death in a church. (or any organization) Partnerships helps create the ethos of the organization. Good ethos = good organization, bad ethos = bad organization. I must partner with the right people who will help me achieve my God-given dreams.

So, I'm hoping to connect with partners that will stretch me and help me grow as a leader. But the partnership must understand the mission and help me stay on track. One of my biggest frustrations in life has been my lack of focus. I'm determined to stay on mission, and stay focused on the dreams that God has birthed in my heart.

Anyhow, I say all that to say this:

I've been invited to attend ethos in New York City (At Columbia). Mosaic Alliance is going to help off-set some of the cost. But I still need to cover my plane ticket and day-to-day expenses. So, if anyone out there would be willing to help...Please let me know. Also, please pray for me, this would be a huge opportunity.

Copeland

The new Copeland CD rocks. If you don't have it get it, you'll be happy!

I'm A BAD BAD BAD LAKER FAN

So last night, after the kids & candy thing, we put the little ones to bed. Necole was blitzed also so she went to sleep early.

So that left me with a chance to catch the Laker game. But I was a bit tired and all, but there is no freaking way I'm missing opening night. Of course I found out that Kobe was not playing (BITTER) and neither was Mihm and Kwame.

Therefore the chances of the Lakers winning were not all that high. But hey, I'm a believer so I watched the first quarter. Of course we played BAD and the Suns played GOOD so we were down by 19. I thought for sure we were done. So I turned out the lights and went to bed.

Then morning arrived. I kissed my wife, hugged my kids and opened the iBook to see the score. Holy cow, what-I could not believe the score. I screamed like a little girl who just found her lost doll...So sweet.

I miss winning championship and all, but I love this team, because they are a TEAM. They like each other and they want each other to succeed. Of course Phil Jackson is a stud and for those who thought he only won 9 rings because of Scotty, MJ, Kobe and Shaq, well I think they will no longer be criticizing PJ. (after last years success)

The season has started, 81 games left-I LOVE IT!

How Sad & Frustrating

I saw this somewhere in the blog world, but lost connection, therefore I cannot give credit

From Relevant Magazine:

Nov/Dec. 2006, page 30 (Sobering Fact #23)


If Christians had given the traditional 10 percent tithe of their income to their churches in 2004, instead of the 2.56 percent that they actually gave, there would have been an additional $164 billion available, according to a report released in October called "The State of Church Giving through 2004." If the churches chose to funnel just $70-80 billion of that additional income to missions and humanitarian works, the basic needs of every person on the globe would be provided.

All I can say is WOW. Of course, I do have to ask myself some very important questions, assuming most of this money is being given to the local church:

1. Would the church "funnel" these funds to humanitarian projects, missionaries, and other various organizations to help eradicate the most basic needs of the world? Or would they build larger buildings, spend more money on various programming, pay the "staff" larger salaries, put more into retirement accounts, etc.

Also, if the above statement is true, the very fact that the world suffers is because Christian simply lack the obedience to give back to God what he requires. How tragic!