(Please note: There is graphic language which may be offensive to some.)

These days can be a crazy time to live in. There are all sorts of issues that arise on a second by second basis. One begins to ask the very real theological question, “Where is God in all of this?” Moreover, “Does God even care?” Tupac was no different, he asks the question in context and from a marginalized perspective: I wonder if the Lord ever heard of me?

 

If you have ever had some tough times to live through, then these are questions that are real. They get at the very depth of theological understanding that I look for and where I want to find God. But, they are troublesome in nature; they question existence; they question reality; they question dogma; they question tradition & culture; they even question God—a blaspheme worthy of the auto de fé in the Spanish Inquisition. Yet, in all of this, they are necessary questions for the growth and development of faith. Tupac places these issues at our feet and begs of us to begin the very difficult journey of faith development within the crap of life—the murky middle of faith.

continue reading

Today, in honor of her Concert at the Tacoma Dome, I confess that I listened to Miley Cyrus on my wife’s ipod. Through my daughter, Miley, or Hannah Montana, has invaded our home, via Disney TV, cd’s played in our car, and merchandise like cups, nightlights, and toothbrushes. Miley is a big deal around here. So I thought I’d write Miley a quick note. You are welcome to read it, too.

Dear Miley,
I pray for you. I invite others to pray for you as well. I bet that might come across sounding hard, or meanspirited, but that’s not my heart. It is offered with compassion and grace. Here’s what I mean:

Miley, you have achieved the kind of stardom and wealth that very, very few people ever achieve. I’m talking Solomon-like wealth. Flipping through an issue of Time, I read that last year, your merchandise net alone brought in 1.3 billion dollars. Bring in the way Disney has packaged your TV personality into a product. Add in the CD sales and your 3-D concert movie. Remember that you can sell out a stadium concert faster than anyone ever has. There’s a lot of gravy flowing, and Billy Ray’s little girl is riding that train at breakneck speed. Since wealth is power, I pray that you’ll steward yours well.

continue reading

One of the ideas I’ve grappled with over the years is, What is Christian art?  I mean, what makes an artistic expression like music or drama or dance uniquely Christian?  What does that term mean anyway?  And I’ve come to the conclusion that it isn’t necessarily anything that has Christian symbolism or religious themes or doves and crosses.  More than anything, Christian art must begin to reflect the overarching story of God, the Meta-Narrative, that our Triune God is in the process of redeeming that which has fallen, that which He had created, that which He loves.

The story of all that is, is the story of God.  He takes His pen in hand to write this story: Creation, Fall, Redemption.  All of history, all of the Bible, all of what was and is and will be, reflects this three act play of Creation, Fall, and Redemption, that God is writing in the universe.

But that’s not all.  He writes this story in our souls as well.  For all of us have our own stories, our own vignettes of how God’s grace has saved us, changes us.  And our stories enter into His larger story of the redemption of the universe.

continue reading

One of the best things about working so closely with Makoto Fujimura is that I have a rich resource of amazing recommended reading, and that from a man who embodies radical generosity in a way I have rarely seen. Books he has given me to help feed and nourish my spirit include "To Kill A Mockingbird," "Surprised by Hope" (NT Wright), and most recently, "The Gift," by Lewis Hyde. (Not to mention Mako's own books, "River Grace" and "Refractions."

continue reading

When I was Austin, Texas screening my movie Purple State of Mind at the Alamo Drafthouse, my friends at The Work of the People grabbed a few minutes with me outside.    They produce the smartest and snappiest and most gut punching videos for churches around the world.  Nobody creates resources for worship with more originality and verve.   

Ever the provocateur, filmmaker extraordinaire Travis Reed launched a few loaded questions my way.   No planning, no prep, just spontaneous riffing.   His camera rocked and rolled across an array of issues.   Fifteen minutes later, our conversation had concluded.  

And yet, through the miraculous power of editing, Travis turned those fifteen minutes into three potent short pieces about the danger of televangelists, how to