justinbryeans.com

I’m hanging out with some great people today and sharing a session designed to encourage lifelong learning that leads to transformative action.  With this in mind I’ll be highlighting 30 resources, each for only 30 seconds, and then using this experience to host a dialogue about the components of connectedness, curiosity, community and creation, as they related to mission shaped living and leadership.

Here is the Keynote presentation I am using.  Here is a Powerpoint version.  Also, here is the accompanying handout.

Friday.

Larry.
Pete and Amanda.
Flint and Mia.

Matthew’s Gospel with a caddy.
A wedding, Leonard Cohen meets Johnny Cash and the contrast of Wonderland and vocation.
Soup, bread and the journey and art of being

These people, and the accompanying scenes, conversation and experiences that are possible with them, helped me enter the weekend well.  And I am deeply thankful.
Thankful for stimulating dialogue and a growing friendship.
Thankful for being invited into a marriage celebration that will be.
Thankful for being allowed to see and hear a bit of the journey of two new friends.
Thankful for we.
Thankful for the we/ekend.

Late last week I received a copy of ReWork by Jason Fried and David Henemeier Hansson, founders of 37 Signals.  I have used Basecamp, one of 37 Signals products, in the past, have followed their story a bit and was eager to take a peak into this new release that comes out swinging against status quo business thinking.  As I opened the first chapter tonight, which begins with the phrase above, I read these words:

“The real world isn’t a place, it’s an excuse.  It’s a justification for not trying.  It has nothing to do with you.”

In the preceding paragraphs the authors speak candidly about the depressing, pessimistic and un-ready for change nature of this so called “real world.”   And to this situation they respond:

“That world may be real for them, but it doesn’t mean you have to live in it.”

So what world am I, are you, living in?  What do we hope for?  What are sweating for?  What are we saving for?  What are speaking up for?  What are we spending our days for?

Today is World Water Day.  More than 1 billion people still have no access to clean water.  Here is Charity: Water’s new video highlighting their ongoing efforts in Haiti.  May we not forget.  May we resist apathy, sloth and life in the bubble.

Here’s the view from where I sit.  Orange room.  Desk.  Coffee Mug.  Daily Prayer: A Little Book for Saying The Daily Office.

Several months ago, through the recommendation of my good friend Dave Wilkinson, I became aware of Robert Benson’s writing on prayer, hourly prayer to be specific .   I had previously encountered this ancient practice through the good writing of Scot McKnight in his book Praying With The Church: Following Jesus Daily, Hourly, Today.  Through both of these pray-ers, I am finding an open door to a deeply helpful, lively, and bigger than me view and practice of communion with God and those made in his image.

And yet, before this begins to sound too formal, academic or pious, here are a few observations I’m making along the path.
“We entrust all who are dear to us to Your never-failing love and care, for this life and for the life to come; knowing that You will do for them far more than we can desire or pray for. Amen.”

This prayer is part of the morning office, or morning prayers and is exactly what I need to pray.  For I have this tendency to believe that in some way I can control things, situations, relationships and beyond.  I have an enormous tendency to play God, yet starve for clarity and reality.  This prayer warps me out of my tedious practice of pretension and into my God given identity and  hope.  It also kicks start my faith, my ability to catch a glimpse at God’s deep love and care for those I love darkly at best.  This prayer is deeply radical, transformative, centering and practical.  I’ve already shared some of the essence of what I mean by radical, transformative and centering.  But practical?  At times, the previously mentioned items are cut apart from one another, but here in this prayer they find their rightful wholeness.  I say this, and thus appeal to the deeply practical nature of what takes place in these words, because as I pray for my boys, my wife, my friends, my family, my neighbors, the new friends I’ll meet in Haiti this June, and so on, I am doing so in the most needed way.  I am loving them by entrusting them and their day, whatever it may bring, and their ongoing life to the only one who loves fully, has the power to act fully, and has the foresight to provide life fully.

I am deeply grateful for the century upon century practice of praying through the day.  I am deeply grateful for this gift of God through creative women and men.  I am deeply grateful that all of my God playing can be brought into the light.  I am deeply grateful that I am learning to pray and encounter the God who is capable of entrusting those most dear to, both in the now and the now to come.

And now, I / we head into the day:
“We go in peace to love and serve the Lord, and to live our lives so that those to whom love is a stranger will find in us genuine friends.  Amen.”

After a tasty detour at The Yellow Church Cafe, Hannah and I arrived in Yakima on Friday evening for a few hours of seeing old friends, being reminded of some of the voices who’ve been influential in our lives, and sharing on the inter-connectedness of marriage and mission (for those who are married and on mission).  Below are a few resources mentioned during the session we led.

The Spirituality Of The Cell Phone, Shane Hipps
In this video, from the Q gathering in 2009, Shane Hipps discusses the process of recognizing God’s presence and being present ourselves.

A Few Questions For Transformational Conversation
During the session we discussed the idea of the home being a free seminary, a “little church” (connected to the imagery of Paul’s instruction to Timothy in 1 Timothy, specifically his saying that elders should manage their own house well.  For how, if one can’t live and lead well in the little church at home, could they lead the slightly larger church with whom they gather, live, serve, etc.).  As we did we talked about the place of intentional, transformational conversation, and mentioned these group questions.  The reason for this went something like this: many of us talk about the value of intentional communities, work to foster their development, etc.  Why wouldn’t we do the same thing in the midst of our marriage, a relationship that serves up a great example of the mystery, beauty, and way of God’s redemptive mission in the world?  The point of sharing these was / is to provoke thought and action, not merely to prescribe.

A Million Miles In A Thousand Years / Narrative Expression, Donald Miller
During one part of our conversation we alluded to Miller’s latest book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years.  Hannah and I both found it to be a good read that lived up to its intent of exploring the makings of a good story, and how one might live into a good story.  We are convinced that living on mission with Jesus is the good story way.  As such, we recommended this little video, which briefly shares what the book does in more detail.

Tomorrow Hannah and I will drive to Yakima to spend time with a very talented, creative and focused group of leaders who give themselves to mission shaped living and action among middle and high school students. While there we’ll teach a session on marriage and mission. As such here are a few questions that continually cause me to pause, reflect and act…

How do I foster a way of living where the following frame and guide me: God’s good creation at the beginning of the story; the personal, communal and systemic devastation caused by human rebellion and sin; and the reign and restorative mission of God that has come and is coming in Jesus?

How do these layers of the story inform and affect my life in community, including marriage?

How well do I pay attention, or not, to God’s continual use of the metaphor of marriage in Scripture, as an image of his relationship to a people (not just me) and his mission “on earth as it is in heaven?”

How am I cultivating the life and mission of the “little church” at home?

How am I responding to those ideologies that would make an idol of the home and family?

We’ll explore a bit of the essence of these questions, share practical expressions from our experience and do a bit of resourcing during our session. We’re also looking forward to hearing how others are approaching these issues, fleshing out a vibrant expression of mission at home and beyond, and experiencing, although brief, a collaborative moment with those we gather with.

(I’d love to hear any feedback to these questions, expression, etc. here as well.)

*And lastly, thank you to the wonderful musical act known as She & Him (Zooey Deschannel and Matt Ward) for the tunes and the title.