The Spirituality of the Cell Phone

When was the last time you turned off your cell phone? Confession time - my cell phone is on 24/7 (during daylight hours my phone is set to vibrate and the ringer is on during the night). Now I do have a a very good reason why I do not turn off my phone. I am a pastor and keeping my cell phone on provides my congregation 24/7 access to me; and isn't that what being a pastor is all about?

The last time I turned my cell phone off and disconnected from the technology was during our Tuesday night session at Q. Shane Hipps was presenting that evening on "The Spirituality of the Cell Phone" and the organizers asked us to leave our technology behind for a few hours. Being the dutiful ISTJ that I am, I left my cellphone and computer behind in my hotel room. When I arrived at the venue that evening it was interesting to discover that the organizers had placed some "accountability partners" at the doors and they asked each of us upon entering if we had left our technology behind. Just in case we slipped up, they even had a check-in system in place where you could leave your phone or computer for the evening - nice touch! And I have to admit that other than experiencing a few phantom vibrations (am I the only one who has these?) in my pocket, my sensitivities that evening were heightened and I felt more present to the moment.

Here are a few questions that Shane raised for me that evening:

• What does it mean to be God-like (created in the imago dei)?
• What is desire and motivation behind the impulse to text, tweet and continually update our Facebook status?
• How can I become more fully present to the people in my world?
• What does it mean to incarnate Christ in a discarnate world?

Shane suggested that part of bearing the imago dei is the capacity to create. He told a great story about the invention of the mechanical clock (hopefully a true one). According to Hipps, a group of monks invented the mechanical clock as a means to more faithful and regularly "pray the hours." The advancement of technology was designed to serve their life of prayer and faith. And yet have you ever stopped to consider what happens when the technology reverses itself on us? Instead of "praying the hours" do we now "punch the clock?" Or view "time as money?"

What is up with all the texting, tweeting and moment by moment updates on Facebook? What is the motivation behind this impulse (or perhaps compulsion)? Personally, I have come to realize part of my own motivation has to do with the shadow side of one of my StrengthFinders themes of significance. People strong in the significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent, want to be recognized and have a strong desire to make a difference in their world. Does my significance somehow increase with every text, tweet or Facebook update? Is my own capacity to make the world a different place somehow measured by how many friends I have on Facebook (and who those friends are)?

In his book, Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith, Hipps writes: "Christianity is fundamentally a communication event. The religion is predicated on God revealing Himself to humanity. God has a habit of letting His people know something about His thoughts, feelings, and intentions. God wants to communicate with us and His media are many: angels, burning bushes, stone tablets, scrolls, donkeys, prophets, mighty voices, still whispers, and shapes traced in the dirt (13)." I would add that the strongest communication event is the incarnation. Eugene Peterson translates John 1:18 as follows: "No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day."

Shane provoked some thinking on my part on the difference between mediated interaction and face to face interaction. Is one to be preferred? Is face to face always the best way to communicate? How can I leverage technology to enhance and strengthen my relationships? Can a text, tweet or status update on Facebook draw us deeper into the risk and reality of our common life in Jesus Christ? Later today I am going to do a little Facebook experiment. Of my current 358 friends, how many of these friendships are actually grounded in a face to face relationship and encounter? should I have two categories of friends - mediated and face to face?

I would love to hear your thoughts on any of this. There is a ton more I could write about this session, but I have to run - my cellphone is buzzing.

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Q: Power and Privilege (Andy Crouch)

Last week I had the privilege of traveling to Austin, TX and participating in my second Q. Q describes itself as a gathering where innovators, church leaders, social entrepreneurs, and cultural pioneers come together to explore the church's role in positively contributing to culture. The format of Q is unlike any other conference I have attended. Each speaker is literally "on the clock" and given 18 minutes to present their big culture shaping idea. Over the course of the three day experience I had the opportunity to hear over 25 presentations - it's like drinking from a firehose. But it provides plenty of fodder for thought and reflection and I am looking forward to sharing some of my processing and reflection here.

Due to a nightmarish travel experience with Northwest and Delta, I missed the morning session of Q and arrived just in time for Andy Crouch's afternoon session. Andy is the author of Culture-Making and was one of my favorites at last year's Q and I awaited this year's talk with great anticipation; he did not disappoint. "Power, Privilege and Rank" was the title of Andy's talk and my guess it was the essence of a book that he is working on right now. Here's a sneak peak.

Andy stated with a great question: "what happens when culture-making actually works?" Have you ever stopped to reflect upon success and the implications (both positive and negative) of successfully accomplishing something?

Andy threw out his own working definitions of some important terms. The first was "creative power" which he defined as "the ability to propose a new cultural good." I believe all of us possess creative power; it's one of the characteristics of being created in the image of God. Today I spent some time reflecting on my own creative power. I love to create worship and learning environments and it energizes me to use my creative power to catalyze missional initiatives and new kingdom ventures. What about you? What creative power has God entrusted to you and what is the context for the release of your creative power and energy?

The second term that Andy unpacked was the concept of "rent," but not the kind of rent that you pay your landlord or Avis. Andy defined rent as "the excess income you can demand for what you would do anyway." For example, David Beckham as a high degree of rent when to comes soccer. While he commands millions to play the game, he most likely would play the game for the love of it! While reflecting upon this I thought of two other high rent people: Chris Martin from Coldplay and Giada De Laurentiis, the everyday Italian wonderchef. Again my suspicion is that Chris Martin would be making music even if he wasn't playing sold out venues and Giada would be creating magnificent meals even without the bright lights of TV.

Are there any areas of rent in your life? And if so, how might you leverage that rent for the purposes of building for the kingdom of God? This is something I am thinking quite a bit about lately, especially as I have entered my second half of life.

The final term Andy leveraged was privilege which he defined as "the continuing benefits of past successful exercises of creative power." Here are some questions I have been considering:

• In what ways am I banking on or coasting on past successes?
• How often am I aware of the incredible privilege I have as a white, male living in the United States in the 21st century?
• How am I measuring furitfulness in the present?

Two last words from Andy, the first a statement and the other a question:

"Jesus is not satisfied by the past but is interested in creating new pathways of creative shalom."

"We all have privileges as sons and daughters of the Most High God - are we willing to prodigally spend it on behalf of others?"

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The Journey to the Cross

This Sunday we enter into the week we call holy. It is a fresh opportunity to enter more deeply into the passion of Jesus - His life, death, and resurrection. This Lent we have invited artists in our community to use their artistic gifts to help each of us and all of us experience anew the reality of Christ's amazing love and sacrifice.

"The Journey to the Cross" will be open to the public next week at the Uptown Center (668 Washington Road in Mt Lebanon on Monday - Saturday from 10 AM-2 PM and Thursday and Friday evenings from 6:30-8:30 PM for viewing, reflection and prayer. Tonight (Friday) at 6 PM we will have a First Friday Open House preview. I hope you will join us during this holy season as I believe this exhibit will enable you to more fully apprehend the amazing, divine love of God in Christ.

The following is my introduction to the Journey and I invite you to reflect upon these words today.

Many years ago, during my final year of theological education at Pittsburgh Seminary, I had the opportunity to visit the nation of Israel for a month long immersion into the land we call “holy.” It was a rich, life changing journey and my experiences with fellow seminarians along the shores of the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea, in the mountains of Caesarea Philippi, the lush valleys of Jericho, and the deserted places – these experiences continue to inform and enlighten my reading of the Scriptures almost 25 years after the fact.

However, my favorite memories were the early morning and late night walks I took through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem. The ancient paths possessed a maze-like quality and every twist and turn along the cobbled way brought with it intrigue, mystery and great delights of sight, sound, smell and taste. Over time we become familiar with many of the shopkeepers and street vendors along the way. Complex and competing Arab and Hebrew melodies, braying donkeys, freshly baked breads, tantalizing falaphal sandwiches, amazing fruits and vegetables, strong Arab coffee – these walks are locked deeply into my sensual memory banks. And yet there were moments on these walks when a profound sense of sacredness, might I say even holiness, overtook me as I came to the realization that the path my feet were traveling were perhaps tracing the very steps that Jesus took two centuries earlier.

For countless generations, followers of Jesus have referred to these sacred steps as the Via Dolorosa – Latin for "the Way of Grief” or “the Way of Sufferings". Traditionally, the Via Dolorosa is held to be the pathway that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion and death. Nine stations mark the Via Dolorosa, each one commemorating a specific event that contributed to the suffering and passion of our Lord in his final hours of His earthly ministry. For most pilgrims who find their way into the Old City, the exact location of each event along the Via Dolorosa is of little importance; what is most significant however is the spirit of the journey.

It is my honor to welcome you to the Journey to the Cross. This exhibit features the creative work of artists from our community of faith. As you take time to consider their artistic renderings of the final steps of Jesus, I invite you into the spirit of the journey.

May the same Spirit who empowered Jesus, each and every step of His journey to the cross, open your eyes, ears and hearts and may the Spirit guide you deeper into the mystery of the passion of our Lord – His life, death, and resurrection. And as we follow our Lord along the Via Dolorosa and ultimately to the empty tomb, may we be reminded of His passionate love for each of us and all of us.

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An Invitation to Join Me on a W-Trek

Most of you know worship is one of my personal passions. As I look back at my ministry over the last 25 years, I can see how God has used me to invite people and communities to enter more deeply into the mysterious thing we call worship. And so I invite you to join me for a W-Trek.

What is a W-trek? W-treks are a small band of fellow travelers who come together as a learning community seeking a deeper experience of worship and most importantly a deeper relationship with the One we worship. W-treks differ from traditional sit-and-soak events because they are multi-sensory, integrative, interactive and involve participants on a variety of levels.

Who should attend a W-trek?
Worshipers of all types would benefit from participation in a W-trek. joining a trek can be extremely valuable for those serving as worship leaders, pastors, worship designers, or members of worship teams.

Trek Guide
Terry Timm, serves as lead pastor of Christ Community Church of the South Hills. Terry is a seasoned worship leader and brings his background in music, education, theology, and teams to this trek leadership.

Trek Signposts
Signpost One: what is worship?
Signpost Two: worship in the post-modern world
Signpost Three: worship in the experience economy
Signpost Four: epic worship
Signpost Five: designing worship in community
Signpost Six: worship and mission

Trek Expenses
$25 which includes trek guide, resources and refreshments

Trek Dates (choose one)
Saturday April 18, 25, May 2 (8:45 AM - 11:15 AM)
Tuesday April 21, (no trek on April 28) May 5, 12 (7 – 9 PM)

Trek Departure Point
The Uptown Center, 668 Washington Road in Mt Lebanon, PA

To register for a w-trek:
Simply email terry @ terrytimm@mac.com indicating a Saturday or Tuesday departure and forward a check (payable to CCCSH):
126 Woodhaven drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15228.

All proceeds from the trek will go to the establishment of the Pastors Resource Center in Guraghe, Ethiopia.

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Help Me Celebrate My 50th Birthday

This is my last week to enjoy my 40's. The past decade has been quite a ride! But next Friday (Friday the 13th actually), I will be celebrating the big 50. Would you help me celebrate it in a BIG way?

In October - November 2007, I visited a region of Ethiopia called Guraghe. My friend Barbara and I had the opportunity to travel with World Vision and see first hand how the good news of Christ enacted in word and deed can bring real help and hope to people in desperate need. Clean water, health care, food security, the empowerment of women through education, care provided to orphans and vulnerable children, churches being birthed - these are true signs of the life that Jesus desires for all people. I have been thrilled that our faith community has jumped headfirst into a partnership with the people of Guraghe. We have sponsored almost 75 children there and contributed to special projects like the Mother and Infant Nutrition Initiative. As a leader, our commitment really pumps me up and I am extremely proud of our community

There has been one group of servants in Guraghe that have been heavy on my heart lately. One Sunday afternoon in Guraghe, I had lunch with about dozen men who are serving the emerging churches in that community. Evangelical Christianity does not have a long history or broad reach in Guraghe, but in conjunction with the tangible expressions of the Gospel through World Vision, the Church of Jesus Christ is being established and people's lives are being changed, physically and spiritually.

As we talked with these pastors and they shared their God-stories, I was overwhelmed by their commitment and sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel and the life of the Church. Each of them worked a full time job and yet poured themselves out for the people of the community. Not long ago I read the words from James 1:9, "Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position," and I immediately thought of these pastors. They wouldn't trade their call and humble place in life for anything the world could offer. And as I reflected upon these words from Scripture, the Holy Spirit prompted me to do something.

My venti dream for my 50th year is to bring blessing and encouragement to the pastors of Guraghe. Would you help me celebrate my birthday by making that dream a reality?

I have been working with World Vision, both here and in Ethiopia, to find a tangible expression of encouragement and support for these faithful servants. After consultation with the World Vision Guraghe staff and the local pastor’s fellowship in Guraghe we have landed upon a great concept. Our goal is to create a Pastors Resource Center that will help the local pastors serve their people more faithfully and fruitfully. The Resource Center would contain Bible study and other reference materials, musical and sound equipment, and basic office furnishings. All of these items will resource these pastors and greatly encourage them in their common ministry.

Someone asked me what I wanted for my birthday. They wanted to give me something significant and meaningful. While I have never asked for a birthday gift like this, I figured you are only 50 once – why not go for it!

Our church is establishing a special fund to do this very thing. If this resonates with you and you would like to help make this dream a reality, please send a check (payable to CCCSH – memo Guraghe PRC) to:

Christ Community Church of the South Hills
PO Box 13393
Pittsburgh, PA 15243

Thanks so much for considering this. Your generosity will help catalyze spiritual transformation among the people of Guraghe. And synergized with the physical and material expressions of love, men and women, boys and girls will experience the full life of Jesus Christ. And I could think of no better birthday gift!

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Good News from OptINnow

For the past year, I have been trying to bring real help and hope to women in Africa through micro-economics loans. By partnering with others through the work of organizations like KIVA and OptINnow, small amounts of money can make a huge difference to some of the poorest yet hardest working people on the planet.

Today I received this update on a loan I made about six months ago to a Kenyan women named Florence Achieng. It is a reminder that God is in the business of transforming lives and bringing all the broken and disclosed pieces of the universe back together again in and through Jesus Christ. As you read her story, if the Spirit so prompts you, why not invest $25, in the life of a hard working woman in Africa. Help her break the cycle of poverty and get with the God who is on the side of the widow and the ophran.

OptINnow Update

Florence Achieng is a young industrious lady aged 30 married with 1 child and lives with her brother and sister. She is able to earn money to pay for her loan,provide for the basic needs and to invest Kshs.1000 in her bank account monthly. She wishes to expand her grocery business to carry tomatoes and cereals.

Florence Achieng runs a grocery business in her neighborhood. She meets her customers' needs so they do not have to travel far to purchase groceries. Certain clients have asked her to provide them with regular stock of certain grocery items, and so she has used her loan to satisfy their demands by purchasing certain goods in wholesale. When she satisfies her customer's demands, she increases her profits. With these profits from the wise investment of her loan, she was able to expand her grocery store to include the sale of chips (American French Fries), the most common cheap lunch item in Kenya. The sale of this popular lunch item has really assisted Florence in providing for her household. Thank you for the hand-up you gave Florence through this loan! This loan was repaid in full.

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Album as Art-Form: A Sonic Feast

I have been listening to U2's "No Line on the Horizon" for the past couple of days. I have intentionally been listening to it as a whole - from the opening title track to the plaintive final offering, "Cedars of Lebanon." It is a masterful work of art from beginning to end. In this day and age of iTunes and single downloads, it is refreshing to know that there are still a few artists who have the artistic desire, will, and ability to pursue the album as art-form. (remember "Dark Side of the Moon" or "Abby Road"). As much as I appreciated Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" and their venture into the album as art-form (and believe me I truly do enjoy listening to it from beginning to end), it pales in comparison to NLOTH - musically, and lyrically and it is capacity to take this listener to a transcendent place. Experiencing this album has been a sonic feast for both my ears and my soul.

What about you? Is there an album that you experience in this way? Another art form where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts? I would love to hear your thoughts?

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Put on Your Boots

Our Gulf Coast team is completing a week of serving in the Houston area. Monday thru Thursday they have been primarily serving as a painting crew - working in both a residential context (Miss Pat's) and helping a local church (Gloria Dei) recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

They will finish their work today and tomorrow with what looks to be a major challenge - mucking out a home on Galveston Island. This house has basically been ignored since Ike struck the island. The equipment of the day: high boots and respirators. Don't they look great?!

I am so grateful to be a part of a community that is willing to roll up its sleeves, take up the towel, put on their boots and muck it up in the name and Spirit of Jesus. If you would join me in prayer, lifting them up before the Father asking God to strengthen them for the task at hand!

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U2 and Letterman

The Associated Press, February 12, 2009

NEW YORK (AP) -- Make room, Paul Shaffer. U2 will be on David Letterman's "Late Show" for a full week to promote their upcoming album. The band will be Letterman's musical guest each night from March 2 to 6. It's the first time a musical guest has been given a solid week on the CBS show. The band last appeared on the "Late Show" in October 2001.

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Compassion Art

Martin Smith is one of my favorite musicians, songwriters, and worship leaders. Along with his mates in Delirious, over the last 15 years they have created some amazing music. The band is winding down their work together in 2009, but Martin Smith has released catalyzed a project that has tremendous potential to bring real help and hope to people in real need.

The project is called Compassion Art and they describe themselves as follows: "CompassionArt is a charity that joins the dots between art and poverty. It raises money to help breathe life into the poorest communities, restoring hope and igniting justice."

Smith describes the journey of Compassion Art:

"As a song writer and a person with a microphone I made a promise to try and do something about it. What better than to call on my friends and do something together. To be people that can make a change rather than just singing about it. So the dream was born to gather some of the best-known writers in the gospel/Christian music scene and spend the week writing songs that could impact these issues on a long-term basis.

So after many phone calls, the team was assembled, Michael W. Smith, Darlene Zschech, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Paul Baloche, Israel Houghton, Graham Kendrick, Steven Curtis-Chapman, Andy Park, Stu Garrard, Martin Smith.

So, with so many songwriters gathering it felt like we needed a new structure to compliment and carry this dream. The usual way of doing things is for a publisher to own the songs and then distribute them to the writers. Although there's nothing wrong with this it felt like we needed a more radical approach to maximising all the income from these songs as the intention of the writers is to give every cent away. Also a lot of the publishers and managers were excited about being involved too and making a contribution.

So CompassionArt was born, a charity dedicated to seeing works of art generate income for the poorest of the poor. So these songs that will be written in Scotland in January will be owned by the charity meaning that every penny will come to it and the trust will own these copyrights forever. The publishers, the managers, the agents and the writers have waived all their rights to see something historic happen, the music business coming together for something great, something that is about something greater than any individual could achieve. So January 7th-11th 2008 we will be in Scotland, 13 people giving something of themselves for a big cause. We hope we will write some of the great songs together, watch this space, watch the future."

There is some great music on this collection and the movement of the Spirit at times is palpable. One of the very cool things about the project is that all the songwriters received songwriter credits for each song in the collection. Two of my favorites right now are "King of Wonders" and "Friend of the Poor."

Listening to these songs the past couple of days has stirred my heart and rekindled a passion for our sisters and brothers in Africa. I shared an idea to encourage locals pastors in Guraghe with a VP at World Vision and on Friday I will be in Chicago and have the opportunity to recconnect with Tim, a pastor with whom I traveled to Ethiopia in November 2007. I love how God knows what we need at just the right time.

Get a taste of Compassion Art here and may our hearts break with the things that break the heart of God.

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A Testament of Hope

This is a historic week in our history as a nation and my hope is to post a couple of things that reflect these momentous days.

This morning I reread Martin Luther King Jr's essay "A Testament of Hope." Hope is not a subjective feeling or wishful thinking about the future. Hope is based upon an objective reality and any hope that is based on anything other than this is nothing more than "pie in the sky dreaming." I was struck by these words from Dr King:

"People are often surprises to learn that I am an optimist. They know how often I have been jailed, how frequently the days and nights have been filled with frustration and sorrow, how bitter and dangerous are my adversaries. They expect these experiences to harden me into a grim and desperate man. They fail, however, to perceive the sense of affirmation generated by the challenge of embracing struggle and surmounting obstacles. They have no comprehension of the strength that comes from faith in God and man. It is possible for me to falter, but I am profoundly secure in my knowledge that God loves us; he has not worked out a design for our failure. Man has the capacity to do right as well as wrong, and his history is a path upward, not downward."

If anyone in history had the right to become a jaded, cynical, angry and vindictive person, it was Dr King. The hatred, bigotry, and evil that was thrown at him from all sides was brutal. Recently, I have become aware of some anger issues brewing within myself and I have been grappling with how to process them in a healthy way. Dr King never minimized the wrong in his world - yet, he refused to allow the wrong to control him. Hope, in God and in humanity, sustained him.

Some may say Dr. King was naive and that he thought too much of humankind's capacity to do right. His closing words of this essay remind me, that King's hope was not a subjective hope, but rather a hope that was certain and secure because it was grounded in the belief in a personal God who is on the side justice and the right.

"A voice out of Bethlehem two thousand years ago said that all men are crated equal. It said right would triumph. Jesus of Nazareth wrote no books; he owned no property to endow him with influence. He had no friends in the courts of the powerful. But he changed the course of history with only the poor and despise. Naive and unsophisticated though we may be, the poor and despised of the 20th century will revolutionize this ear. In our 'arrogance, lawlessness, and ingratitude,' we will fight for human justice, brotherhood, secure peace and abundance for all. When we have won these - in a spirit of unshakable nonviolence - then, in luminous splendor, the Christian era will truly begin."

Dr. King saw it! May our eyes be open to see it as well.

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Top Songs of 2008

Yesterday I was listening to WYEP's top songs of 2008. While 'YEP plays some stuff I truly enjoy, they also include a ton of music I haven't quite developed a taste for (yet).

They got me thinking though and I spent some time scrolling through my iTunes and here are my top songs from 2008 (in no particular order).

You Found Me (The Fray)
Violet Hill (Coldplay)
In Your Atmosphere (John Mayer)
Lost (Coldplay)
Hallelujah in the City (Joan Osborne)
I Will Posses Your Heart (Death Cab for Cutie)
Broken (Lifehouse)
Washington Square (Counting Crows)
Chasing Pavements (Adele)
At the Cross (Daniel Renstrom)
As It Is In Heaven (Matt Maher)
Breakable (Ingrid Michealson)
Count Me In (Leeland)
Hosanna (Brooke Fraser)

What about you? What songs filled your iPod this past year?

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