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What a fantastic weekend I had. Was able to spend some time in Michigan to celebrate the wedding of my two dear, dear friends Jon and Amy. It was so cool to not only meet so many new people there, but to be completely taken in by both families. Toward the end of the weekend, I had met so many awesome people and made so many great memories with them that it was very difficult to say goodbye... and I had just met them two days prior! I tell you, there is incredible power in human relationships... relationships with no pretense or barriers. Just people coming together and spending important moments with each other. Honestly, this whole weekend was absolutely filled with Kingdom moments, and those are the moments I cherish the deepest.
I got my birthday present from my dad and stepmom as well: a new (used) set of golf clubs! I broke them in twice this weekend and shot a 123 and 117. Definitely room for improvement there but not too bad considering it had been at least two years since I had swung a club prior to this weekend.
Real quick tonight I want to post observations and react to my trip to Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids. I decided to stop in there on my way home from Detroit. For those unfamiliar with Mars Hill, it is a progressive church situated in a former anchor store in a mall. Rob Bell (author of "Velvet Elvis" and "Sex God," as well as the teacher in the "NOOMA" video series) is the lead pastor. However, he did not speak on Sunday morning. I had the absolute treat to hear Shane Hipps speak as he was visiting Mars Hill for the Poets, Prophets, and Preachers seminar series that was held there this past week. I was extremely interested in hearing him as I was a HUGE fan of his book "The Power of Electronic Culture" that released last year (and its followup "Flickering Pixels" released in April). A basic summation of the book actually points more toward noted communication theorist Marshall McLuhan than Hipps as Hipps admittedly borrows much of his teaching from McLuhan. What each says is that the message is so intertwined with the medium used to project it that when the medium is altered, the message inevitably is altered as well. This stands in stark contrast to the accepted perspective in the general church that "we will use any method available but the message will always stay the same!" What Hipps (and ultimately McLuhan) is saying is that you cannot separate the two systems, they are way too tightly intertwined. An example: prior to the advent of the printing press, the Christian faith was far more communal than it is now, by sheer necessity. The canon existed in the hands of only the foremost priests and scholars and they shared the knowledge of scripture to the church through integrated community. HOWEVER, once the printing press came about, the entire faith was altered to move toward a much more individualistic perspective. You could now study the scriptures on your own time and did not require to be part of a community. Thus the idea of having "quiet time with God" and ultimately the advocacy of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as salvation came about. Not saying that this is bad, per se, just pointing out that the medium had much more to do with shaping the message than we are willing to admit.
All of that being said (and if you want more I really do highly recommend both of Hipps' books. Get only one or the other though, the Flickering Pixels book is basically a rewrite of the Electronic Culture book aimed more at laypeople), I was definitely excited to hear Hipps speak.First though, some observations on Mars Hill (this was my first time visiting there):
- The church exhibits very minimalist architecture and decoration. There is no flashy sign outside advertising the church and its pastor. In fact the only way you could know it is Mars Hill is by seeing the stenciling on the doors at each entrance. Inside the church the minimalism continues, it is very utilitarian... and I like that. I'm tired of extravagant buildings and flashy wastings of money. The church is a body of people, not a building.
- Free coffee as you walk in... HUGE plus!
- In the sanctuary (if you wish to call it that), the seating was in the round. I LOVE seating in the round. I firmly believe it intrinsically enhances the spirit of community by forcing you to see the reactions of your neighbors in worship. It also puts the service leaders on less of a pedestal.
- Communal scripture reading in the middle of the worship set. I am also a firm believer in the impact and power of the spoken word, and it takes on a much greater meaning when you hear it read aloud by the body of Christ. Super cool!
- A time of silence built into the service. For most, this was the only time all week that they could actually breathe and not be overcome by thousands of exterior distractions. More on this later.
- A lyric in one of the songs absolutely blew me away. It read "The world is good, the world is fallen, the world is being redeemed." AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! We sang that lyric over and over again, it was a beautiful experience. That type of theology cannot hit closer to home with me. A thousand affinities from me on that one.
Whoa. That's huge.
All day long we are stimulated intellectually. We have to process everything we see and do through the mind. However, being silent means learning to turn down the mind and listen a little closer to the heart. God definitely speaks through the heart. This dualism really floored me but I definitely think I agree. Hipps then taught us all an exercise in silence by teaching that a deep breath will keep the thoughts of the brain from trying to take over the heart. The brain cannot help but go crazy when silence happens, but we must be disciplined and exercise ourselves to learn to turn down that inner monologue and let the heart speak through the silence.
I really think he is on to something here and I am going to start working on practicing times of silence on a much more frequent and daily basis. What do you think of all of this? I have read some criticism of Hipps on the internet, mainly from those who casually throw around the term "heretic," who say that he is nothing more than a new age proponent and the gospel he teaches is not the gospel of Christ. Hmmmmmmmm.... I think I'll sum up my thoughts on that in this statement: anyone who flippantly throws around the term "heretic" is not worthy of being heard in the first place. Folks, like it or not, we are all in this together. Stop trying to erect walls and throw stones and learn to dialogue and converse. That is how we will begin to understand each other and ultimately, understand God.
Okay enough from me for the evening. It is late. It is now my birthday. I am 24. *insert lame Jack Bauer joke here*
ONE MORE THING: I almost forgot! If you direct your browser to http://www.jeremybixler.com you will find it redirected right here. Big plans for the site coming in the future (perhaps distant future). I am spinning some ideas in my head for what to do with jeremybixler.com... would love to hear some of your thoughts! And with that, I bid you good night!
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"If I stray too far from you, don't go and try to find me. It doesn't mean that I don't love you, it doesn't mean I won't come back and stay beside you. It only means that I need a little time to follow that unbroken line... to a place where the wild things grow... to a place where I always used to go..."
