parables of a prodigal world

N.T. Wright Easter Audio (and a pie graph)

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:30:00 +0000

One of the most inspirational, eye-opening, spirit-raising Easter messages you will ever hear.

Enjoy, be challenged and, God willing, changed. It's only about 22 minutes, so no excuses...

MP3 File

Grace and Peace,
for He is Risen,
Raffi

-"Why do you look for the living among the dead?"

...Oh, yeah. And, just for fun, here's the Easter pie graph.

Repost: Some Thoughts on Martin Luther King...

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:15:00 +0000

My 6-year-old daughter was recently mentioning to me that they had been learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. in her 1st grade social studies class. I was curious about how a teacher could communicate the greatness of someone like Dr. King to a group of 6-7 year olds, so I asked her, "So who was Martin Luther King?" She responded, simply, "He was a man who changed the rules." I was expecting to hear a response that I would need to add to, clarify, to get more in-depth upon, to explain to my unusually bright daughter the details. But when I heard her answer, I could only say "That's right, honey."

He was a man who changed the rules. Kind of sums up Jesus, too, don't you think?

When my daughter grows a bit older, I might get into the details of how and in what sense Dr. King "changed the rules." I might explain that he didn't literally change the rules, but lived by a model, one taught to him by his Lord, that has a natural tendency to change rules that need to be changed.

A little later, I might get into it with her about the Social Gospel and my takes on its strengths and weaknesses, a thought that comes to mind every time I think about Dr. King. I read an interview with Brian McLaren today where he touches on this. What he said convicted me, because I realized I had always tended to think about the issue in isolation, in black-and-white terms, if you will. Is the social gospel the right or wrong way to go? One part of the interview went as follows:

Q. This week, we marked the birthday of Martin Luther King. He was clearly a religious person who went out there and tried to deal with the hurts and injustices of the world. Are there models -- saints even -- that we can follow? King, Mother Teresa -- people who went out there?

A. Catholics talk about saints, but I don't hear much about them from evangelical Christians.

To me, this is one of the great resources that Roman Catholics bring to all other Christians -- this awareness that, by elevating certain people as heroes, we have some great examples to follow.

It's interesting that you mention both Mother Teresa and Dr. King because they represent to me two very important but very different models. Mother Teresa represents the model of caring for the poor, being with them as they die and, in a very personal and compassionate way, showing the love of God to poor people. Dr. King represents a very different approach, which says that we also have to deal with the unjust systems that keep causing people to suffer.

So I would hate to have Dr. King without Mother Teresa or Mother Teresa without Dr. King. But when we have the two of them, that's a great balance. It's the balance of mercy and justice.

Brian's answer reminded me of what Paul says in Ephesians about "the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things," and that plan is this: so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. In its rich variety. Polupoíkilos. I was reminded that we need both the social gospel and the gospel of personal salvation, each in its context, each where it is needed, and each carried forward by those called by God to carry it forward.

I really look forward to discussing these things with my daughter. But for now, I like the little doctrine she has embedded in her little brain. It's a good seed.

Grace and Peace,

Raffi

Advent Conspiracy 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:05:00 +0000

"To become a disciple of Jesus is to accept now that inversion of human distinctions that will sooner or later be forced upon everyone by the irresistible reality of his kingdom."

- Dallas Willard

Join the conspiracy.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

Heaven, Hell and Hamlet

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:30:00 +0000

Remember those SAT analogy questions?

1.) BIRD : NEST as...

(A) dog : doghouse
(B) squirrel : tree
(C) beaver : dam
(D) cat : litter box
(E) book : library

I hated those questions. Though I was young, I knew in my bones that WORDS : ANALOGY as CUCUMBERS : MUSIC.

With that in mind...

Been noticing a lot of chatter on the Heaven/Hell issue lately. Since I'm sitting around with not much to do, I thought I'd throw in my two cents.

HEAT : COLD as LIGHT : DARKNESS.

and

COLD : REALITY as DARKNESS : REALITY as UNICORN : REALITY

That is, "cold" and "darkness" are not actual states of being. They don't, in a sense, exist.

They are states of nothingness.

"Cold" is simply the absence of "Heat," and Heat is simply the energization of lifelessness.

"Darkness" is simply the absence of "Light," and Light is simply the energization of emptiness.

Not everything has an opposite.

Take Love, for instance. You know, agape?

I used to think that the opposite of Love was Hate.

Then I got a little wisdom (a dangerous state), and concluded that the opposite of Love is Fear...that Hate was just a symptom of Fear.

As I've come (slowly and begrudgingly) to view and accept God's creation as complete, as "good," as "very good," I've also come to believe that the opposite of Love is neither Hate nor Fear. They are both symptoms.

Hellish symptoms.

The opposite of Love is Nothingness. Cold. Darkness.

HEAT : NOTHING as LIGHT : NOTHING as LOVE : NOTHING

The more removed I become from reading Genesis literally, the more I'm amazed at it's unexplainable, poetic accuracy.

I mean, think about the paradigm "Let there be..." There was not, and God said "Let there be..." Didn't have to be worded that way. Most other creation myths, if you examine them carefully, have creation occurring out of something else. Genesis? "There was not...Let there be...It (that which became) was good, very good."

To be or not to be? That is the question.

Imagine for a moment what would become of you (the eternal state of your soul, if you will) if you failed to embrace the notion that heat was real and necessary to life, and then lived accordingly. Or light.

There'd be some serious weeping and gnashing of teeth, I'd imagine.

Now then. How would you answer this one?

HEAVEN : HELL as...

...

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

Blog Action Day: George Carlin on Climate Change

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance.

This year's topic is "Climate Change."

The Blog Action Day website contains a few suggestions for particular types of blogs on how they might address the issue. Some of the suggestions...

* A Technology or Business blog might write about emerging clean tech and how innovative companies might be able to help address the problem of climate change.
* A Health or Lifestyle blog might write about how climate change will affect our children's health and daily living.
* A Nonprofit or Political blog might write about how climate change is deeply connected to many other issues - such as poverty and conflict.
* A Design blog might write about new trends in eco-friendly or sustainable design.
* A Travel blog might write about the places you want to see now before climate change makes them difficult to access or, well, under the sea.

I didn't like any of those angles.

I like George Carlin's take on the issue.

Not always, mind you. There are days when I would violently disagree with George on this one. But sometimes, I think he's really on the right track here. Maybe (and I know this is shocking) the truth lies somewhere in the middle (and probably skewed a bit toward George's perspective).

And, in any event, I didn't think we'd be hearing too many voices coming from this particular angle on Blog Action Day. So in the interests of balance, perspective, humility and, perhaps most importantly, a bit of humor, here's what George Carlin would have said about this year's topic.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

9, 11 and Some Other Interesting Numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:02:00 +0000

PREAMBLE: I grieve for those who lost their lives on 9/11/01, and for their families, for whom I frequently forget to pray. I condemn the actions of the perpetrators and name them (the actions, not the perpetrators) as what they are: unmitigatedly evil. As a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, I also condemn the immature "lashing out" in reaction to that evil, and I grieve for those who have lost their lives in furtherance of that lashing out, and for their families, for whom I frequently forget to pray. END PREAMBLE.

Now here are some other numbers that we may want to keep in mind on 9/11/09, as a matter of perspective.

* Total number of deaths during 9/11 attacks (excluding the terrorists): 2,973

* Total number of people who will die on 9/11/09: 150,835

* Total number of people who will die on 9/11/09 from hunger/starvation: ~24,000

* Total number of children under the age of 5 who will die from hunger/starvation on 9/11/09: ~18,000

* Total number of people who will die of HIV/AIDS on 9/11/09: 5,479

* According to a recent Cornell University study, number of people who will die of causes directly related to water, air and soil pollution on 9/11/09: 60,334

* Total number of people who will not be allowed to live, due to their inconvenience to others, on 9/11/09: 126,027

* Total number of people who will survive on less than $2.50 on 9/11/09: ~3,000,000,000

* Total number of people who will survive on less than $1.00 on 9/11/09: ~1,300,000,000

* Total number of children of primary school age who will not be able to attend a school on 9/11/09: ~72,000,000

* Percentage of money spent on weapons required to put all 72,000,000 of those children in school: <1%

On September 11, 2009, let us mourn, let us remember, let us pray, let us think, let us speak, let us work, let us hope, and let us love (and, remember, the greatest of these is love). But let us do so within a proper context, within a proper perspective.

On September 11, 2009, I won't forget to pray for that.

Join me, please.

Grace and Peace,

Raffi

BtheIelephantBinLtheEroom

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:00:00 +0000

My new favorite American beer is from Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, California. It's an American Strong called Arrogant Bastard Ale. Hoppy. Yum.

Which leads me to my first post in a few months.

So I've been keeping my eye on this whole "let's talk Christianity" thing...from a safe distance. I didn't know why I was asked to keep my distance, but I was. Maybe it was to acquire the courage (non-accountability?) to say this. Maybe not.

...So I'm pretty much convinced that a lot of what's in the Bible is wrong.

{uncomfortable pause}

OK, here's the thing. Yes, I am an arrogant bastard. I tend to speak and think as if my position on the wisdom-mountain-climb is the correct position. That's a problem. I'm working on it, my new favorite beer notwithstanding.

OK, back to the whole Bible-wrong thing.

What are these stories? Simply, they're the words of human beings trying to interpret/make-sense-of this gargantuan, unspeakable God/World dynamic. And these particular humans have taken a pretty admirable stab at it, often the most admirable stabs in human history. We can learn much from their attempts, and especially when we look at the collection as a whole.

But at the individual-interpretation level, can we just come out and say that they're often wrong, i.e., they don't match the vision of the God revealed in Jesus Christ?

Can we just say that?

Look, don't get me wrong. The Bible is packed to the gills with truths, valiantly reduced to human language. The most valid accounts of the Truth-revealer are found within its pages.

But can't we just say that the guy who thought the God-revealed-in-Jesus ordered the killing of the Canaanites was wrong?

Can't we just say that the guy who thought the God-who-is-Love hated Esau was wrong? And that the guy who used that passage to argue that the God-of-the-Cross has created certain people in order to damn them was, to that extent, just plain wrong?

Can't we just say that? Would the whole system collapse if we admitted that ancient peoples doing their best to communicate the divine often messed up? Do we have to build entire, ridiculous theological systems around these good-intentioned-but-un-Jesus-shaped interpretations (yes, Calvinists, I am talking about you)?

Yes, the Spirit of God inspired these writings. The Spirit of God has inspired me to do a lot of things. I still fuck up while sincerely trying to do them every now and again...

...and again...

...and again.

And so do you.

And so does he.

And so does she.

And so did Paul.

And so did the guy(s) who wrote the Pentateuch.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I can just hear my narrative-enamored brethren now:

"...poetry..."

"...metaphor..."

"...apocalyptic imagery..."

And my postmodern brethren:

"...not about true/false..."

"...context..."

That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it.

I'm talking about the "God did/said this" passages, and we who come up with complex explanations because we're too chicken shit to say, "Uh, if your talking about the God revealed in Jesus of Nazereth, no He didn't."

I'm talking about the passages that Scot McKnight has to write parakeet books to explain. I'm talking about the passages that Bart Ehrman can cite to justify his atheism, and to which N.T. Wright can say nothing in response.

Yes, I'm glad Paul won that political-theological battle against the circumcision party, and I still consider him the second greatest theologian who ever lived, factoring in the circumstances under which he was writing.

But, in my humble but accurate opinion, Paul wrote some things that simply don't jive with what Jesus was talking/living/rising about...notwithstanding the book in which they're found.

{Ducks hurled stone}

There. I said it.

Goin' back to the cave to hide now. See you in a few months (or maybe tomorrow...depends on what God predestined for me).

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

Peter Rollins on Why I Quit Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Peter Rollins has written a book of parables called The Orthodox Heretic: And Other Impossible Tales. "Parables" are powerful things, and Peter is somewhat hesitant to call his stories by that name, instead inviting his readers to decide if they are worthy to be so labeled.

Peter Rollins has written a book of parables.

'Bout a month ago, I bid farewell to the blogosphere. Well, not entirely. I did mention that I might post the occasional piece here and there, but I'm done with the regular, every-other-day stuff.

I received a lot of feedback on that decision. Thanks to everyone who expressed some pretty powerfully kind words about the stuff here at Parables. I was truly humbled by your sentiments.

Some others asked "Why?" I tried my best to explain, but I never adequately expressed, or could ever express, the specific reasons.

Peter Rollins did it for me.

The following is the first parable from Orthodox Heretic...for all those who asked me "Why?"

"In a world where following Christ is decreed to be a subversive and illegal activity, you have been accused of being a believer, arrested, and dragged before a court.

You have been under clandestine surveillance for some time now, and so the prosecution has been able to build up quite a case against you. They begin the trial by offering the judge dozens of photographs that show you attending church meetings, speaking at religious events, and participating in various prayer and worship services.

After this, they present a selection of items that have been confiscated from your home: religious books that you own, worship CD's, and other Christian artifacts. Then they step up the pace by displaying many poems, pieces of prose, and journal entries that you had lovingly written concerning your faith...

Throughout the case you have been sitting silently in fear and trembling. You know deep in your heart that with the large body of evidence that has been amassed by the prosecution you face the possibility of a long imprisonment or even execution. At various times throughout the proceedings you have lost all confidence and have been on the verge of standing up and denying Christ. But while this thought has plagued your mind throughout the trial, you resist the temptation and remain focused.

Once the prosecution has finished presenting their case the judge proceeds to ask if have anything to add, but you remain silent and resolute, terrified that if you open your mouth, even for a moment, you might deny the charges made against you. Like Christ, you remain silent before your accusers. In response you are led outside to wait as the judge ponders your case.

The hours pass slowly as you sit under guard in the foyer waiting to be summoned back. Eventually, a young man in uniform appears and leads you into the courtroom so that you may hear the verdict and receive word of your punishment. Once you have been seated in the dock the judge, a harsh and unyielding man, enters the room, stands before you, looks deep into your eyes and begins to speak.

"Of the charges that have been brought forward I find the accused not guilty."

"Not guilty?" Your heart freezes. Then, in a split second, the fear and terror that had moments before threatened to strip your resolve are swallowed up by confusion and rage.

Despite the surroundings, you stand defiantly before the judge and demand that he give an account concerning why you are innocent of the charges in light of the evidence.

"What evidence?" he replies in shock.

"What about the poems and prose I wrote?" you reply.

"They simply show that you think of yourself as a poet, nothing more."

"But what about the services I spoke at, the times I wept in church and the long, sleepless nights of prayer?"

"Evidence that you are a good speaker and actor, nothing more," replied the judge. "It is obvious that you deluded those around you, and perhaps at times you even deluded yourself, but this foolishness is not enough to convict you in a court of law."

"But this is madness!" you shout. "It would seem that no evidence would convince you!"

"Not so," replied the judge as if informing you of a great, long-forgotten secret.

"The court is indifferent toward your Bible reading and church attendance; it has no concern for worship with words and a pen. Continue to develop your theology, and use it to paint pictures of love. We have no interest in such armchair artists who spend their time creating images of a better world. We exist only for those who would lay down that brush, and their life, in a Christlike endeavor to create a better world. So, until you live as Christ and his followers did, until you challenge this system and become a thorn in our side, until you die to yourself and offer your body to the flames, until then, my friend, you are no enemy of ours." "

Grace and Peace,
Peter

The Farewell Post

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:00:00 +0000

Anyone who knows me well enough to follow the flow of my heart/mind over the last few weeks won't be too shocked by this one. I think its started right about here.

So here it is...

In the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

Yeah, I think I've pretty much said all I have to say about the subject matter here for almost two years.

I've gotten a strong sense lately that I've just been killing time/space. And for what? Not too many of "the least of these" have online access.

So thanks to all those who supported me in this segment of my life.

Thanks to all the friends I made during the journey. I'll miss you.

Thanks to all the loyal readers and the passers-by. I only hope that I was able to say something that may have resonated with a few.

Thanks to all my teachers/mentors. You know who you are.

I might still put out the rare narrative/theology piece that I think would be edifying, if and when they occur, but that's about it for the day-to-day stuff/fluff here at Parables.

I might have a change of heart in the future, but from where I sit today, not too likely. Also, if there are any projects, etc., that you think I can help with, feel free to get in touch.

Other than that, yipee-ki-yay gang. The real, flesh-and-blood Kingdom awaits.

Grace and Peace to All,
Raffi

My REAL "Good News" Post

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Sat, 02 May 2009 10:30:00 +0000

I got a couple of responses to my "You Can't Handle the Good News" contribution to JR Woodward's Good News series, saying something like this:

"You didn't really just tell people they shouldn't bother with the Gospel, did you?!"

My response...

"You're goddamn right I did!!!"

Well, not really.

Calm down, people. It was a blog post. It was a pretend article.

Would I have done it if the Times had really asked me to write about "the Good News?"

Probably not.

Maybe.

I'm not sure.

There was one occasion when I had an actual opportunity to speak of "Good News" in print to the people of my community.

And it went something like this:

Better?

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

My Good News Post

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +0000

If you haven't yet heard, JR Woodward is running a blog series called The Good News. The series is running from Easter through May 31st, with daily contributions from 48 of the best and brightest minds in the blogosphere...

...and me (you'll have to ask JR about that decision).

Well, my humble contribution is up today.

Stop by Dream Awakener to take a look.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself...

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:35:00 +0000

There are some stories, some images, that defy any efforts one may make to explain them. They are are so beautifully deep and meaningful that any efforts to explain them, analyze them, dissect them, would be self-defeating.

Here's an example.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

The Good News Poll Results

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:50:00 +0000

OK, you got it. Some "You Can't Handle the Good News!" with a little sprinkling of "Lakers Win, Recession Over, No-Doc Loans are Back...Good News!" thrown in.

Watch for the post over at Dream Awakener on Thursday, April 30, as part of The Good News Series, which is taking place throughout the Easter Season, from Easter to Pentecost. A full list of the contributors, with links to all the posts to date, can be found here.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

Ten Shekels and a Shirt: A Missional Narrative/Theology

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I was saved at the age of 34.

Long story.

What I was told is that I would now be going to heaven when I died, because my sins were forgiven, and I had come to believe in the method by which that occurred. I'd reached my life's goal. That was pretty cool.

What I soon discovered, though, was that if salvation was the goal, it was a very anticlimactic goal, at least from the perspective of life here on earth. Fine—I was saved and my postmortem eternity would be glorious, filled with love and praise to God and never-ending bliss.

But down here on earth, I started to realize that the questions and struggles in which I was mired before my salvation were still around. The same weaknesses, the same fears, the same doubts. I prayed and meditated daily about how I should now face these issues, but the fact that I was saved was a given. It was non-negotiable.

The logical answer, therefore, was that life after salvation would be pretty similar to life before salvation, except with a change of perspective. The goal of this earthly life was not to make anything better down here, though that often happened as a little fringe benefit. The goal, salvation, had already been attained, and my job was to get as many others to that goal as I could. The means were irrelevant. This was my duty here on this vile earth before I went on my eternal vacation.

And there were hundreds of writers, teachers, and preachers who fed into this conception of the “Saved! So now what?” question. I became particularly enamored with a popular old sermon by a preacher named Paris Reidhead called “Ten Shekels and a Shirt.” It is one of the two or three most downloaded sermons on the internet, hugely influential and extremely powerful. It is essentially a treatise on Christian Mission, as it stands in stark contrast against the secular philosophy of humanism, which Reidhead defines as “a philosophical statement that declares that ‘the end (or goal) of all being is the happiness of man.’” The sermon reaches its climax in the following testimony, which essentially summarizes the message of the entire message:

Yes. The end of all being is the glory of God. That was it. That was the mission. The battle between the glory of God and the happiness of man. It had to be. Otherwise, how would we deal with these pesky little sinners that we were trying to save who seemed to want no part of such salvation? Answer: they deserved hell anyway, so don’t worry too much about it. You just go on trying to save them "for the glory of God." Translation: it’s OK if you don’t love the sinners, because Jesus did and He died for them, and if you grit your teeth and try to deal with them, you are serving Him who is worthy of service, “not for the sake of the heathen, but for the Savior who endured the agonies of hell for them.”

So I started on my mission, assuming the role of the saved one and casting everyone around me as “the heathen.”

With this self-serving cast of characters in place, the analysis was easy. Why was I enduring the continuing hardships of community and relationships, given that I couldn't be causing those hardships, what with my being saved, and all? Answer: For the glory of God. Not as a result of my love, per se, but for the love of Jesus that I could not possess (because He was God, and I wasn’t), yet through longsuffering and a change of perspective could implement. Not for my sake, or for those around me, because none of us deserved it, but for Jesus’, who did. Human happiness was not the goal. Why would it be, given that our role as “humans” was so transient in relation to our ultimate role as disembodied spirits?

The problem with this view of Christian mission, apart from the fact that it is wholly and utterly unbiblical, is that “the heathen” have a tendency of sensing that you're viewing them as heathen. Someone once said that Jesus never ate with prostitutes and tax collectors. When people would confront him with biblical references saying that He did, he said, “Yes, but He never viewed them as prostitutes and tax collectors. He viewed them as people, as children of God.” Paris Reidhead didn’t view the Africans as people. He didn’t view them as children of God, but as potential children of God. And he did so both before and after his epiphany. The only change was in himself. He came to a realization that would allow him to tolerate the heathen, and the struggles and disappointments he felt in trying to save them. The goal was salvation. The goal is always salvation, not people.

The people around me knew that this was my perspective. They could sense it in the tone of my voice. They could see it in my body language. I started to sense this fundamental error in my belief system from the strange fact that I could not communicate it to people during times of calm, but only during times of anger and strife. The summary of the perspective was “I don’t love you. But I know that Jesus does, and I’m only here for His glory.” That’s not something that someone you love wants to hear. It’s an insult that you hurl at someone in times of anger.

A lot's changed since then.

Another long story.

Mainly, I no longer speak of the gospel (as I have come to understand it) simply during times of anger...

...To the glory of God.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

The Ineffective Evangelical

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Evangelical: “Hey, man, have you been saved?”

Buddy: “Huh? Uh, oh yeah, one summer, up at camp… we were out in a boat, and it was a really nice night… I stood up in the boat, and I can’t swim–”

E: “No, no, no, no, no… I mean, have you been born again?”

B: “Uh, I don’t think so…”

E: “No, you know, have you been washed in the blood?”

B: “I hope not…”

E: (Raising voice, frustrated) “I’m trying to tell you the Good News!”

B: “Alright. What’s that?”

E: (Shouting) “You’re going to hell!!”

(Pause)

B: “What’s the bad news?”

[HT: Brother Maynard]

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

April 24, 1915: A Day That Will Live in Infamy(?)

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +0000

My grandmother and grandfather used to tell me the story of how they were each the sole remaining survivor of their individual families subsequent to the Armenian Genocide of 1915. They grew up in the same orphanage, and were eventually married.

I grew up hearing those stories. Everybody Armenian kid I knew heard similar stories from their grandparents. Those stories defined us, quite literally. Those stories were good enough for us.

But they're haven't been good enough for the world...

Until now?...

It's time...

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

Did Jonathan Brink Just Kill Missional Tribe?

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +0000

With that single tweet, my good (cyber)buddy Jonathan Brink announced the launch of his twainchild, Missional Twibe, and may very well have dealt a death blow to Missional Tribe.

A bit of background for those just joining us....

Missional Tribe was launched a little over 3 months ago by the collaboration of some other good (cyber)buddies, Brother Maynard, Kingdom Grace, Sonja Andrews, Bill Kinnon, Peggy Brown, Rick Meigs and Brad Sargent.

"The Seven" were convinced that what the missional conversation needed was a centralized place to discuss, share stories, watch videos, ask questions, and grow together; where all of this can easily be tagged and indexed for rapid access in the future. The Missional Tribe social network was born on January 6, 2009.

I immediately loved it. From simply reading and commenting on posts and in the Forums, to creating your own dedicated Missional Tribe blog (which I did), there was quite a lot to keep good, missional-minded folks like me busy.

Three months into it, and I see a lot of this:

Don't get me wrong. It was a terrific idea, and I love The Seven to death for doing it. But I'm confident that, given the choice, each of The Seven would say that they'd much rather see the conversation flourish than the Tribe.

The problem, I think, was this...A site dedicated solely to the discussion of "Missional" was, to put it frankly, boring.

What if we could keep track of the conversation while still engaged with the broader online world? What if, instead of dedicated blogs, forums, etc., everything was, well, a bit simpler, a bit more streamlined?

...A bit more like Twitter?

Well, I think Jonathan just got the ball rolling in that direction with Missional Twibe, and pushed the ball further with Emergence Twibe.

What's a Twibe, you ask? The concept is simple. It aggregates all members' tweets that use a particular term (in this case, "missional" or "emergent"/"emerging") into one string. It's really just that simple, but if you still don't get it, check here.

It's a new system and, for now, it's got some bugs. Two notables are the time it takes for the tweet to be found and listed (thus making it less "conversational" than one would like) and the fact that you can't "follow" the account (such that tweets don't show up as regular updates in your Twitter account).

Like I said, it's new, and I anticipate that the functionality will be tweaked in the near future.

But this thing has serious potential. If you're into this whole missional thing, and use Twitter, go join the Missional and/or Emergence Twibes.

Let's see what happens.

I'm sure The Seven are smiling right about now.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

The Good News Poll

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:46:00 +0000

I've been thinking/praying all morning about what I'm gonna write for J.R. Woodward's The Good News Series. My post is due up on the 30th of April (see full list of contributors here).

There's several themes that I'm contemplating. So I thought I'd get your take on which one you'd rather see.

Poll's open 'till midnight on the 27th. I'll do the theme with the highest votes.

Thanks for helping out.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

[NOTE: RSS readers might need to click through to the original page.]

The Disabled Old Jesus: A Narrative/Theology

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I was representing a client before the Social Security Administration. We had just emerged from a hearing before an administrative law judge where we had succeeded in obtaining disability benefits. I asked my client to wait for me in the lobby while I finalized some paperwork.

The pressures of the ordeal, coupled with the realization that she was now officially considered “disabled” by the government of the United States, reached a critical mass: my client began to cry.

I didn't notice her crying, consumed as I was with the red tape required to formalize her scarlet letter. One person did notice, though. She was an elderly woman awaiting her turn before the judge, mired in her own stress and fear.

She approached my client, sat down beside her, hugged her, and offered her a shoulder to cry on. Speaking to my client gently, the elderly lady then began to pray with her.

By this time I had noticed the scene. My first thought was, “Why is this lady doing this? She obviously has her own issues at a moment like this.” I then watched as my client’s tears of pain turn into tears of hope and joy. As the elderly woman wiped those tears away, I noticed her smile and say a few final words, eliciting genuine nods of acquiescence from my client, and then walk back to her seat beside her husband.

She sat there emanating true power, not the power envisioned by most everyone in the world today. She was emanating the power of love. And I was drawn to it.

I approached the woman and knelt down beside her. I felt like I was kneeling before Jesus Himself.

“You are a disciple of the Lord,” I said.

“Yes,” she replied, with the same smile with which she had blessed my client moments ago.

I bowed my head and confessed my sins to this stranger, to this powerless old woman. I described to her the struggles I was encountering within my own discipleship. And I asked her to pray for me. She did, resting her frail hand atop my head, a short, powerful, beautiful prayer whose words I could not recall today if my life depended on it.

Maybe one day I'll paint a picture of it.

Just then her husband, who was seated beside her and quietly witnessing this odd scene, intervened. He asked me what church I attended. When I replied, he said I should consider attending their church. He then asked which translation of the Bible I was reading. I was too dumbfounded to respond. He then told me about a wonderful Christian television program that I should watch that would really make difference in my life. Finally, he asked whether I would be willing to make a financial contribution to the program.

With the same force that I was attracted to the old woman, I was repelled by her husband. I glanced over at the woman. Her countenance had changed from one of light to one of shame. I mumbled an unconvincing excuse about why I had to go and bid them farewell. As I stood, I whispered to the old woman that I would pray for her as well.

The smile returned.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

RELATED POSTS:

45 Seconds: A Narrative/Theology

Oh Really, Facebook?

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:30:00 +0000

I beg to differ.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

Friday is for Fried Brain Cells: The Zoo Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:30:00 +0000

The human brain is a gift from God. Failure to use it, therefore, is a sin.

Here's this week's most egregious sinner...

The moral of the story?...

Don't climb into a polar bear's habitat during feeding time.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

My Contribution to the Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:30:00 +0000

YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP.

YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP.

YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP.

YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP.

YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP YAP.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

One Pilgrim's Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +0000

I was feeding swine when the Light found me.

I could not resist it. Either that, or I had nothing left to loose.

Some combination of both, I suspect.

I sprinted toward it...at first. Sprinting makes one tired. I rested. And rested.

The light grew dimmer. I missed it's brightness. So I got up. Having learned my lesson, I paced myself.

Which is to say I decided when I would follow the light and when I would not.

Much less tiring than sprinting.

But the light continued to grow dimmer.

I let go of the sprint/trot battle, and tried to allow the light to lead me at its pace.

The light grew brighter. It was also warm now.

I basked in its warmth for a while. Got me a fruity drink with an little umbrella in it. Rubbed on some lotion. Good times.

Refreshed, I moved on. Some asked about my tan. Some asked about my tropical attitude.

I told them stories about the light and the warmth.

Some found it foolish. Others seemed jealous. Others desired it for themselves. Others preferred the dark and the cold.

I liked telling the stories. I did it more and more. And as I did, the more real the light and the warmth became.

Brighter. Warmer. It began to emanate through me, as I simply went about my journey.

It became a part of me. Eventually, I tried to possess it. To control it. To turn it off and on as I saw fit.

The light grew dimmer. Cooler.

So I learned to let it do it's own thing.

It's been getting brighter. Warmer.

That's where I am.

...To be continued...

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

Easter Twitter Search

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:30:00 +0000

This is a screenshot of a random search of a few terms tweeted on Eastern morning.

It made me sad.

Grace and Peace,
Raffi

The Greatest Scantron Sheet of All Time (w/ Professor's Comments)

noreply@blogger.com (Raffi Shahinian) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:00:00 +0000

In the tradition of The Greatest Book Review of All Time and The Best Customer Complaint Letter of All Time, I now bring to your attention what is by far, hands-down, the greatest exam scantron sheet (w/ professor's comments) ever. EVER!

Grace and Peace,
Raffi