the upper room

new website

2012-02-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

we have a new home on the interwebs.
visit www.uprm.ca to find out more about the upper room winnipeg

believe-behave-belong?

2012-01-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

this sunday we will be talking about the gospel. believe-behave-belong. i want you to think about your journey of faith. where are you in these three words? is this the order you would put them in? what about jesus...how did he share the good news with people? behave-believe-belong? belong-believe-behave?
when you think about your experience with "the church", what order would you say most churches live by? (realizing that we are all in fact "the church")
a further question...at what point does salvation or conversion occur? believe? belong? behave? when does someone become a christian...when do they truly understand the good news?
join the conversation here online or with us in person on sunday night.
peace to you,
scott

making room

2011-05-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

one of the speakers for the congress this fall is christine pohl. i have decided to try and read each of the main speakers books before they come to winnipeg in november. christine's book "making room: recovering hospitality as a christian tradition" has been really challenging.

many of us, especially when we compare ourselves with much of the world's population, live in abundance, not scarcity. but we often act as if resources are scarce; we fear there won't be enough, even before we begin sharing what we have. the problem may have much more to do with our willingness to respond than with our resources. p.135

i think the challenge for us right now is not to determine, 'how much is enough?' but rather 'am i willing to give until it costs me something?'

will we live our lives for ourselves or for others? will we focus inward or outward? will we be known for our love and hospitality, or for our seclusion and indifference?

peace to you,
scott

church planting congress

2011-03-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

so looking forward to this time together in november. will be good to gather and continue the discussion of what it means to be about the mission in our consumer society. plan to be part of it...online registration will be available soon.
peace to you,
scott

incredible music for lent

2011-03-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

came across this album last week and it has been on repeat on my ipod nearly non-stop. stop in and download it for free...please leave a tip for the artist as I am fairly certain you will not only enjoy, but be enriched by it.
peace to you,
scott
(click here to get the download)

lent

2011-03-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

here is a little calendar to help guide you through some suggested activities as you focus your life in this season of lent. (thanks to mars hill for the inspiration)
peace to you,
scott

the tangible kingdom

2011-03-05T20:12:00.001-08:00

great book that gives you a glimpse into what we are all about...been doing this about 4 years now and just read a book explaining a journey that looks very similar to ours. worth the read.
peace to you,
scott

a group of people who could change everything

2011-02-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

A community of people who begin to wake up to the covert curriculum in which they swim each day would want to band together to share their insights about it. They would help one another not to be sucked in, not be massaged into passivity, not to be malformed by this powerful education process occurring in a multimedia classroom without walls or vacations. They would remind one another of the alternative framing story they had come to believe was good, beautiful, and true, and they would seek, together, to live by this alternative framing story, the radical good news.
They would develop practices of spiritual formation so they and their children for generations to come would be able to learn, live, and grow as a part of the solution, not part of the problem; as agents of healing, not as carriers of the disease; as revolutionaries seeking to dismantle and subvert the suicidal system, not as functionaries and drones seeking to serve and preserve it.
They would understand that at every moment, their identity as revolutionaries remains under assault; the gravity of compromise pulls and drags to hunch their backs, slacken their step, and lower their gaze. They would be on guard for ways they themselves could sabotage themselves--by becoming preoccupied with trivia, or by working from the system's logic and values when trying to fight the system, or by slipping into dual narratives as the Pharisees and religious scholars of Jesus' day did, or by substituting talk for action or activity for fruitfulness.
So through word and deed, song and ritual, holiday and daily practice, they would seek to be the revolution they wished to see in the world, and they would work to spread their vision and extend the invitation to others to join their revolution in every way they could.
A group of people like this, functioning in a difficult environment dominated by a hostile system with a covert curriculum, would make lots of mistakes and need continual renewal. But it would be worth the effort and sacrifice--as long as it understood its sacred and unique role as bearers if the revolutionary good news, the message of hope: another world is possible, available now for all who believe.
This kind of group would be the current expression of Jesus' original band of disciples. It would be the church as Jesus intended. It would be an exciting thing to be a part of: a community that forms disciples who work for the liberation and healing of the world, based on Jesus' good news of the kingdom of God.
Groups like this wouldn't need buildings, pipe organs, rock bands, layers of institutional structure, video projectors, parking lots and so on...although having these things wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, and could possibly be useful. What they would need would be simple: a passion to understand Jesus and his message and a commitment to live out that understanding in a world in which everything must change.
- an excerpt from Brian D. Mclaren's Everything Must Change

i long to be this kind of christian...this kind of church.

peace to you,
scott

the divine commodity-our genie in a bible

2010-05-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

i just finished reading 'the divine commodity' by skye jethani. there are a few moments where god pushed words from this book deep into my heart. one passage that has been haunting me (in a good way) for the past two weeks reads as follows...
we have a certainty about god and his ways that leads us to replace the mystery of faith with manageable spiritual formulas... Regardless of the medium, we utter phrases like 'god always...,' 'god never...,' 'god only...,' and even 'god hates...' with flippant regularity. such absolute pronouncements should rarely be spoken by fallible humans and then only with much trepidation.
the abundance of our definitive words about god shows that we don't view him as a great mystery anymore, but as a sterile calculation without ambiguity or obscurity. and, not surprisingly, this definitive god usually conforms nicely to our personal desires and politics. the resurgence of the prosperity gospel movement is one sign of this. quoted in a time magazine article titled "does god want you to be rich?" television preacher joyce meyers says, 'who would want to get in on something where you're miserable, poor broke and ugly and you just have to muddle through until you get to heaven? i believe god wants to give us nice things.' she has a point. who would want an uncontrollable, mysterious and holy god when you could have a genie in a bible? pg 35
mystery or math?
art or science?
beyond comprehension or completely figured out?
more on this later...
peace to you,
scott

happy easter...he is risen indeed

2010-04-04T08:34:00.000-07:00

an excerpt from our easter liturgy this morning...

Yours is the glory, O God, for raising Jesus from the darkness of death.
Yours is the glory, O Christ, for being prepared, through your sacrificial love, to conquer death and give us the gift of eternal life.
And, as if that were not enough, you greet us by name, as you greeted Mary in the garden, and transform our lives forever with your Easter life.
Risen Lord, we worship and adore you .
We pray that the Holy Spirit, your life in us, will so conform us to your image that we radiate your glory here, through our rejoicing and praise, and in all the places where people’s lives are still affected by the powers of sin and death.
Yours is the glory, risen Lord Jesus, and we rejoice that ‘endless is the victory that you over death have won’.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed! Amen
peace to you,
scott

the upper room l.i.v.e.s.

2010-02-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

so we have shifted gears a little at the upper room. we have been meeting at our house and have entered a time of regrouping. in this time of preparing we have been challenging each other to "live" by some simple disciplines. we believe that jesus came to give us life abundant and we believe that life is only experienced as we are discipled by the one who showed us what perfect humanity in touch with perfect divinity looked like. as we follow in the footsteps of jesus we truly live. this is what that looks like from week to week for us:
l - listen to god - for one hour each week we set aside time to quietly listen to the one who created us and speaks life into us.
i - invest in others - we pour ourselves into the lives of at least two people each week. one person that is a part of our community and one that is not.
v - versed in truth - we read one chapter from the gospels (the best way to know jesus is to spend regular time reading his story), one chapter from somewhere else in scripture and one great, inspiring piece of literature.
e - eat with others - this is one of my favorites. we take time to be face to face (not facebook) with people and share food and drink. we do this with at least two people each week. one person that is part of our community and one that is not.
s - sent into the world - each one of us lives as though we are to be the light of the world. we desire to bring peace, love, hope, courage, patience, grace and truth into the places we find ourselves each day. we live as sent people.
l-isten to god - 1 hour
i-nvest in people - 2 people
v-ersed in truth - 3 books
e-at with others - 2 people
s-ent to the world - 1 for all
it is a challenge to follow in the footsteps of jesus, but what a feeling to know that we are his disciples...that is what it means to truly "live".
peace to you,
scott

if you want to destroy my sweater...

2009-12-13T20:33:00.000-08:00

tonight we got together for a little christmas fun. ugly sweaters, cotton ball lambs and the single greatest living room re-enactment of the birth of jesus. next week we will get together at our place for readings and carols...lit by candlelight. we will light the fourth and final candle of our advent wreath as we will be less than one week from the birth of our lord and savior...let him be born in us again...
peace to you,
scott

christmas at the upper room

2009-12-08T16:47:00.001-08:00

this sunday we will be getting together for christmas at derek and heidi's house. the kids will be dressing up and acting out the christmas story as scott narrates from the scriptures. shepherds and sheep...mary and joseph...a christmas we won't soon forget.
the new year promises some pretty great things...we will be talking and praying about that on sunday night...until then, continue to absorb the goodness of the one who came to bring us life, as you prepare your heart for his advent.
see you sunday...email scott if you need directions.
peace to you,
scott

this sunday brought to you by the letter 'a'

2009-12-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

advent
aroma
awe
absorb
we prepare ourselves for the coming messiah. we quiet our hearts with reverence and awe that a child would be born to be the perfect sacrificial lamb...
the sights, the smells, the brutality of levitical worship, brought to an end in a stable manger bed.
what sights, what sounds, what smells accompany this new worship of the perfect sacrifice?
allow your heart to absorb the sweetness of this season...
peace to you,
scott

re:location

2009-11-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

as the christmas season tends to lend itself to christmas parties, and the space we currently use at fude is often used for said christmas parties, we have decided for the next two months to meet at scott and brenda's house to keep the confusion of location at a minimum. so come chill in the living room with us at the upper room. email scott for directions.
peace to you,
scott

hurry up and wait

2009-11-02T05:53:00.000-08:00

this morning as i was reading lamentations, (i know...not the most encouraging monday morning read) i came across a great line in chapter 3.
"because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. i say to myself, 'the LORD is my portion; therefore i will wait for him.' the LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." lamentations 3:22-26
seeking and waiting. i'm not sure if you find it easy to just sit and wait, but it is probably one of my least favorite things to do. (especially when that waiting is behind someone in traffic who is not moving as quickly as i would hope.) in the midst of our busy lives, it takes discipline to sit and wait. It take discipline to seek god and stop and listen to what he would say to us. it takes discipline...
funny how the word disciple looks a lot like discipline...
seek and wait.
stop and listen.
stop.
listen.
wait.
this week the upper room will be at our house at 4pm. we will be looking at this passage as well as the idea of waiting on god...on listening to what he has to say to us and committing ourselves to one hour of meditative prayer during the week.
peace to you,
scott

what you believe = what you be/live...

2009-11-02T04:17:00.000-08:00

if jesus is the way, the truth and the life, how does that impact the way we live monday to sunday? this is what we discussed last night at upper room.
we are asking ourselves two questions at the end of each day this week.
#1. where did i see god working and join in?
#2. where did i see god working and resist?
it is a great exercise to see where our beliefs match up with our lives...and where we show what we truly believe when there is a discrepancy between what we say and how we live.
believe = be/live.
peace to you,
scott

the one and only?

2009-10-18T17:02:00.001-07:00

just what was jesus getting at when he said 'i am the way, the truth and the life...no one comes to the father except by me.'?
is he the only way?
is that not a little exclusive?
is it possible that there is more than one way?
inclusivity vs. exclusivity?
we will dig into some scripture passages and look at the popular idea that jesus is in fact just one way to god...but perhaps not the one and only...
come and discover the truth with us next sunday night at fude...
peace to you,
scott

can these bones can live?

2009-09-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

tonight we are looking at ezekiel 37:1-14...the valley of the dry bones. perhaps the pivotal point in this passage is the question god poses to ezekiel. as he surveys the valley, walking back and forth, covering every inch, and seeing 'a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry', god asks ezekiel, 'son of man, can these bones live?'
do you know what his answer was?
what would yours be?
tonight we will dig a little deeper (pun intended) into the valley of the dry bones.
see you at 4 at fude,
peace to you,
scott

no upper room this week

2009-09-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

the upper room will not be gathering at fude this week. most of us will be up at family fellowship weekend at manhattan beach camp. scott and brenda will be leading in worship out there. we will be back at fude next sunday. have an awesome long weekend...
peace to you,
scott

run the race

2009-06-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

this morning i was standing on the side of the wicklow waiting to see my friend brent sprinting down the street. at 8:16 he shouted 'pineapple' and handed me the bracelet that was around his ankle. that is when i started to run.
along the way i saw a few familiar faces. there was john on the side of the road cheering us on...sheri-lee was running over the overpass...my kids and gorgeous wife sitting at the halfway point giving me high fives.
it was pretty hot...i could feel my muscles in my legs getting tight. but i kept running. the soundtrack blaring in my ears helping me keep pace.
i ran 7.6 kms.
no great feat.
but it felt good.
it felt good to run.
it felt good to do good and run.
sometimes i feel like my faith is a bit like the relay i ran in. i do great for 7 kms but the race is so much longer. others ran 26 miles today.
too often we live life in short spurts. when the real heroes are the ones who go the distance...the ones who finish the race. in the words of the author of the hebrews...
therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. let us fix our eyes on jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of god. consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
let us run the race...throw off everything that hinders...fix our eyes on jesus and run the race.
peace to you,
scott

he is risen!

2009-04-12T06:47:00.000-07:00

he is risen indeed!
peace to you,
scott

the day between

2009-04-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

there was really nothing good about yesterday. jesus brutally beaten, spit on and hung on a tree. blood spilling all over the ground. whips tearing at the flesh on his back. insults being hurled as he stumbles with the weight of the cross on his back. the death of jesus is the darkest moment in human history. yesterday he said it is finished.
and today he lies in the tomb.
that which was the light and life of the world seems to be snuffed out. hopelessness is setting in.
so many people live there lives in the day between. not really alive...waiting for redemption, waiting for resurrection...waiting to become fully alive. filled with a numbness, a sense of hopelessness, that this really is as good as it gets.
but there are those who understand that there is a dawn coming. easter is less than a day away. that which was dead will be brought to life again.
tomorrow is easter...which means we all can escape our tombs and live again. and so we wait for the morning...
peace to you,
scott
p.s. the upper room will be having brunch together at derek and heidi's tomorrow instead of our normal 4pm @ fude...email if you need directions.

i see the groom's reflection in the eyes of the bride

2009-03-01T17:47:00.000-08:00

tonight i was reminded again how much i love living life in the context of community. there are some who say that they need no one else to complete them-- that they are fine on their own--but i am pretty sure that i would not survive without others to walk alongside me.
i know that some people have grown weary of the church. i know that some have considered her message to be out of touch and out of date. that we have moved past the point of needing her influence in our lives. (keeping in mind that we all have varying definitions of what/who the church is)
some might say that it is possible to love god, to follow the teachings of jesus, to be a christian and not go to church. and on some level, i can see where they are coming from. at one point in my journey i would have whole-heartedly agreed. but today i don’t.
i am not sure that this whole “christianity” thing was meant to be as individualistic as we have made it out to be. we have made such a big deal about knowing jesus as your ‘personal’ lord and savior that i think at times we have missed what it means to be a body. we have individual parts saying that they really don’t need each other.
maybe god meant for us to be in relationship with more than just him. maybe it is about each other just as much as it is about him. maybe it is not just vertical, but horizontal. maybe the two really cannot be separated.
the truth is, life experience is richest when it is shared with others. the valley never seems quite so dark when we do not walk it alone. likewise, the mountaintop seems so much greater when we reach the summit with another at our side.
i guess what i am trying to say is that i love the church. i love when she lives out the life she was designed for. when she welcomes those who are hurting and weary. when she brings hope and healing to those lost in despair. when she truly is the body of christ.
i love that i am a part of that glorious bride. we are the church. i love being a part of the upper room...doing life together and breaking down what it really means to "be" the church. i love when we reflect just a bit of the one who loves us so much.
peace to you,
scott

tonight tonight

2009-03-01T07:53:00.000-08:00

we will be meeting at our house tonight. (fude has a special event planned)
we will be talking about the miracle in mark 10.
we will be praying for a miracle for a friend who is in surgery this morning.
he healed a man who could not see...so he can heal a man who may not walk again.
peace to you,
scott

o mickey you're so fine...

2009-02-01T17:25:00.000-08:00

scott and brenda will be in orlando next sunday...a few of us will still get together at someone's house, but there will be no upper room at fude on the 8th. drop us an email if you want to know what's happening where.
peace to you,
scott

what god has joined together...

2009-01-16T16:05:00.000-08:00

this week we will be looking at jesus' words concerning divorce...what he has to say may actually shock you...read mark 10 for a sneak peak.
see you sunday at 4 at fude,
peace to you,
scott

the sunday night shuffle

2009-01-10T09:41:00.000-08:00

i just got word from surf that fude is in use this sunday...so we will shuffle on over to our place for the upper room this week...see you at 4! (email if you need directions)
peace to you,
scott

so this is the new year

2008-12-30T21:52:00.000-08:00

so this is the new year.
and i don't feel any different.
the clanking of crystal
explosions off in the distance (in the distance).

so this is the new year
and i have no resolutions
for self assigned penance
for problems with easy solutions

so everybody put your best suit or dress on
let's make believe that we are wealthy for just this once
lighting firecrackers off on the front lawn
as thirty dialogs bleed into one

i wish the world was flat like the old days
then i could travel just by folding a map
no more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways
there'd be no distance that could hold us back.

there'd be no distance that could hold us back

so this is the new year
-the new year--death cab for cutie

looking forward and looking back...we begin another new year sunday at fude. see you at 4.
peace to you,
scott

the upper room in our living room

2008-12-28T07:58:00.001-08:00

the upper room will get together tonight in our living room...(call if you need directions)...fude is open for business, so we are going to go back to where it all began...our living room.
peace to you,
scott

upper room family christmas

2008-12-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

this week we will be getting together at derek and heidi's to celebrate christmas together...with turkey and all the trimmings. we will not gather at fude, so if you want to join us, send me an email and i will get you the details.
peace to you,
scott
p.s. next week (the 21st) we will have a candlelight christmas at fude.

a sunday night with ray

2008-11-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

we will not be gathering at fude restaurant this week. we are getting together with andrew from ray (resource assistance for youth). if you want to hang with us and see how we can be of 'assistance' to the at risk youth in our city, meet us at 4 at broadway and young.
peace to you,
scott

great gift idea this holiday

2008-11-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

*hint* *hint*...i want a pair (or six).
peace to you,
scott

MIC Check

2008-11-20T21:50:00.000-08:00

we got together tonight and tried to come up with a statement that reflects not only who we are, but gives us direction and focus for our shared future as a community. we really like the words missional, incarnational and communal. we like the idea of being with people the way that jesus was with people. we wholeheartedly buy into the idea that we could actually follow in the footsteps of jesus and be disciples. we really love hanging out together and forming the sort of intimate relationships that jesus had with his disciples when he was here. missional...living for others. incarnational...living like jesus. communal...living life together. it's time for a MIC check. we have the audacity to think that it might actually be possible. that there might actually be more to life, more to faith, more to church than what we are currently experiencing. so let's do this. it has to start somewhere, it has to start sometime; what better place than here, what better time than now.

peace to you,

scott

new orleans is sinking...and i don't want to swim

2008-11-02T05:59:00.000-08:00

i had an amazing time in new orleans with starbucks...refocused and re-energized...and not in the ways i thought i might be...i'll tell you all about it tonight at fude.

peace to you,

scott

happy thanksgiving

2008-10-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

we will not be gathering at the upper room this week as many will be celebrating thanksgiving with their families. so eat lots of turkey, watch lots of football, be extremely grateful and be thankful for the abundance that is in our lives.
peace to you,
scott

next week's musical guest

2008-09-18T05:37:00.001-07:00

a shocking revelation

2008-09-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

i picked up a book last week that i had been in search of for quite some time. I had read a quote in brennan manning's 'the ragamuffin gospel' and ever since had been keeping my eyes peeled for flannery o'connor.
i finished reading her short story revelation as was once again moved by the shocking grace of god.
i feel that those of us who would consider ourselves 'respectable' christians will be a little shocked at the procession we find at the pearly gates. we may also be shocked by the place of prominence that those who are less 'respectable' find themselves in.
in the story the main character, mrs. turpin, is a good, white, southern, upper class christian. she has people work in her cotton fields. those people may not be slaves, but they sure are close.
she thanks god that he did not make her "white trash" or a "(n-word)".
in her revelation however, her world is turned upside down.
'a visionary light settled in on her eyes. she saw the streak as a vast swinging bridge extending upward from the earth through a field of living fire. upon it a vast horde of souls were rumbling toward heaven. there were whole companies of white-trash, clean for the first time in their lives, and bands of black (n-word) white robes, and battalions of freaks and lunatics shouting and clapping and leaping like frogs. and bringing up the end of the procession was a tribe of people whom she recognized at once as those who, like herself and claud, had always has a little of everything and the god-given wit to use it right. she leaned forward to observe them closer. they were marching behind the others with great dignity, accountable as they had always been for good order and common sense and respectable behavior. they alone were on key. yet she could see by their shocked and altered faces that even their virtues were being burned away. she lowered her hands and gripped the rail of the hog pen, her eyes small but fixed unblinkingly on what lay ahead. in a moment the vision faded but she remained where she was, immobile.
at length she got down and turned off the faucet and made her slow way on the darkening path to the house. in the woods around her the invisible cricket choruses had struck up, but what she heard were the voices of the souls climbing upward into the starry field and shouting hallelujah." flannery o'connor - revelation
now this story was written about a time when racism was common even among those who would call themselves lovers of god. mrs. turpin's vision it was a shocking revelation.
what about us? what about our city? who would you be shocked to see entering the procession before you?
the truth is; god's grace and mercy are much bigger than we could ever imagine.
we just might be shocked by the people who enter the kingdom before us.
peace to you,
scott

2008-08-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

we are all blind.
we live in constant denial.
we say that we can see, but clearly we cannot.
we are all blind.
jesus help us.
spit on us.
save us.
mark 8:22-26

peace to you,

scott

the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

2008-08-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

this past sunday at the upper room we planned to discuss how god reveals himself in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary. that we do not really need a sign for god to prove that he exists, that we need only to open our eyes, for there are signs everywhere. signs, signs, everywhere signs.

we had a relatively small group show up and more than enough food to share, so brenda went down and invited a few people up for supper.

we ended up sharing our table with five young adults that were hitching their way across the country. three of them were from out east and were heading west. one of them was from victoria and wanted to experience an authentic manitoba winter, so had decided to chill (pun intended) in winnipeg until spring. and the fifth had been all over, was heading back west for a bit, then overseas, and back to winnipeg in the spring.

we started talking about the beauty of this vast country (many of them have seen things we do not take the time to appreciate). we talked about how god reveals himself in the simplest things...the majesty of the rockies, the beauty of a prairie sunset, a meal shared between strangers.

one of them said 'the lord is constantly revealing himself, and too many people call it coincidence.' truth spoken around our table...from a hitchhiking teenager.

as the last of them got up to leave, they thanked us, said the food was awesome, and that it wasn't the least bit awkward...(at which point it proceeded to get a little awkward.) :)

we were reminded again that god is constantly speaking, constantly revealing himself, and we just need to open our eyes, or our tables, or our hearts and see.

sir isaac newton once said. 'in the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence.'

god reveals himself all over the place...in nature, in sharing a meal, and in the thumbs of a hitchhikers truth.

peace to you,

scott

signs signs everywhere signs

2008-08-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

the pharisees came and began to question jesus. to test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. he sighed deeply and said, "why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? i tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. mark 8:11-13

i find it funny that the pharisees were asking for a miraculous sign after witnessing the feeding of the five thousand. after jesus had healed a blind man. after demons were cast into a herd of pigs. after he had fed another group of four thousand people. yet they still asked for a miraculous sign.

i wonder how many people do not believe in god because he has not chosen to break into their work in an abnormal or miraculous way. that they are waiting for him to alter the universe somehow to prove that he is real.

the lead singer mewithoutyou penned some incredible lyrics that i resonate with my heart more than the hearts of the pharisees.

daniel broke the king's decree,
peter stepped from the ship to the sea
there was hope for job like a cut down tree,
i hope that there's such hope for me
dust be on my mind's conceptions
and anything i thought i knew
each word of my lips' description,
and on all that i compare to you
the preference of the sun was
to the south side of the farm
i planted to the north in a terra-cotta pot
blind as i'd become, i used to wonder where you are-
these days i can't find where you're not!

elizabeth barret browning wrote

earth's crammed with heaven
and every common bush afire with god
but only he who sees, takes off his shoes
the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries

i find it hard to ignore god. he seems to show up everywhere. in the moment i see someone curled up asleep beside garbage bins at a downtown coffee shop. in a conversation about hope for the future with a colleague at work. in the sunshine, the blue and the green, the scent and the sound. god does not need to break in and give us a sign...we need to wake up and open our eyes.

peace to you,

scott

re-creation not just recreation

2008-07-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

then jesus left the vicinity of tyre and went through sidon, down to the sea of galilee and into the region of the decapolis. there some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged him to place his hand on the man.
after he took him aside, away from the crowd, jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. then he spit and touched the man's tongue. he looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "ephphatha!" (which means, "be opened!" ). at this, the man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly.
jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. but the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. people were overwhelmed with amazement. "he has done everything well," they said. "he even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."
mark 7:31-37

i love this seemingly innocuous story from the life of jesus. i see so much of his heart in the way this goes down. notice the details mark shares. some people bring to jesus a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. what does jesus do? he takes the man aside away from the crowd. he does not make a spectacle of this man. the miracle is a personal encounter with jesus. jesus opens his ears and loosens his tongue.

why does his put his hands in his ears? why does he spit? we will talk about that sunday.

the thing that really gets me is that jesus pulled the guy aside and made him new again. jesus still is in the business of making things new, of doing everything well. he is into re-creation...not just recration.

what about us? is our faith about re-creating the kingdom here? is it about doing everything well? is it about meeting people as individuals and having god make them new? or is it more about recreation...hanging with a group of people who like the same things we like...believe the same things we do?

things to mull over until we meet on sunday at 4...see you at fude.

peace to you,
scott

dogs under the table

2008-07-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of tyre. he entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. in fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a greek, born in syrian phoenicia. she begged jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
"first let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
"yes, lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."
then he told her, "for such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."
she went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
mark 7:24-30

this sunday night at fude we will be talking about the dogs under the table...come with questions...see you at four on sunday night

peace to you,
scott

happy father's day

2008-06-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

we are going to take this sunday off to honor our fathers. we will not be meeting at fude this weekend. we will be back around the table next sunday at four at fude. have an awesome father's day and give your dad a hug.
peace to you,
scott

hard hearted harbinger of haggis

2008-05-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

there is a phrase that occurs a few times (at least 35 on my count) in the bible that causes me to scratch my head.

this week at the upper room we are looking at the miracle of jesus walking on water.

the disciples have recently returned from preaching in pairs; many were healed and delivered. they are tired, so jesus decides to take them away for a little r&r. their plans are foiled when a large crowd gathers on the shore as they arrive for their much needed rest. jesus begins to teach. the day gets late and the people are hungry. the disciples tell jesus to send the people into town so they can go get some food before the markets close up for the night.

'you give them something to eat' was his response. go see how much food you have. five loaves and two fish. jesus prays, breaks bread and the multitude is fed. pretty amazing.

the disciples are still exhausted so jesus sends them back into the boat to head across the lake for some time off.

they get half way across the lake and a storm kicks up. jesus is not with them. what are they going to do? he was on his way to pray on the mountainside.

there in the mist a figure appears...some sort of ghost. the disciples are terrified. then jesus calls out. "take courage! it is i. don't be afraid."

then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. they were completely amazed, and then the bible says "for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened."

now i have all sorts of questions about this episode in the life of jesus. but my biggest one is this: "what does it mean to have a hard heart?"

this and more on sunday night at fude,

peace to you,
scott

kick it to the curb

2008-04-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

then jesus went around teaching from village to village.
calling the twelve to him, he sent them out two
by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.
these were his instructions: “take nothing for the
journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in
your belts. wear sandals but not an extra tunic.
whenever you enter a house, stay there until you
leave that town. and if any place will not welcome you
or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you
leave, as a testimony against them.”
they went out and preached that people should
repent. they drove out many demons and anointed
many sick people with oil and healed them. mark 6:6-13

odd instructions that jesus gave. take nothing. no food, no money, no extra jacket.
don't bounce around from house to house.
and if people do not listen or welcome you, then shake the dust off your feet.

dust on your feet? kick it to the curb on your way out of town.

but why? and why two by two? why bring a staff? why not moving around?

think about it...and bring your thoughts sunday night...

peace to you,
scott

in my hometown

2008-04-24T09:14:00.000-07:00

i was eight years old and running with a dime in my hand
into the bus stop to pick up a paper for my old man
i’d sit on his lap in that big old buick and steer as we drove through town
he’d tousle my hair and say son take a good look around
this is your hometown, this is your hometown
bruce springsteen

yesterday i was back in my hometown.
i was looking forward to seeing familiar faces and catching up with old friends.
and yet i was not looking forward to going back to my hometown.
we were back for a funeral of a dear friend.
it was one of the saddest and most inspirational funerals i have ever been to.
as we listened to the family share, we were reminded of what a special women she was.
it is easy to forget. it is easy to overlook the little things they do to make you great.

sometimes when familiarity should breed a growing respect it breeds an increasing and easy-going familiarity. sometimes we are too near to people to see their greatness.

that is so true of our friend irene.

these words were spoken about jesus when he was back in his hometown. the place where he was misunderstood. the place where people refused to see him for who he was. they were too near to him to recognize his greatness.

i often wonder how people will remember me when i am gone. will i be thought of as the quiet kid in elementary school? will i be remembered for the way i acted as a teenager? (these are the things that they held against jesus when he came into their synagogues and taught with wisdom and authority.) what about the people around me right now? how will they remember me? what impact am i leaving in their lives? what fingerprints have they left on my heart?

what would they say about me in my hometown?

peace to you,

scott

this little piggie

2008-04-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

in the first few lines of mark 5 we find ourselves in one of the more puzzling stories in the life of jesus.
demons causing a man to cut himself with stones as he lived in a cemetary.
jesus confronts the demons and "gives them permission" to enter a herd of pigs.
life and beauty confronts chaos and cruelty.
pigs are destroyed and people are enraged. they beg him to leave. misunderstood miracle.
i have seen this story played out in our day...maybe not with pigs..but...
well, we will talk about that more on sunday night.
peace to you,
scott

he don't even care/who dis is?

2008-03-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

that day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "let us go over to the other side." leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. there were also other boats with him. a furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. the disciples woke him and said to him, "teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
he got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "quiet! be still!" then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
he said to his disciples, "why are you so afraid? do you still have no faith?"
they were terrified and asked each other, "who is this? even the wind and the waves obey him!"

heard this story so many times...read it just as many. listen to the rich texture of language. you can totally picture it.

a furious squall.
the waves broke over the boat.
it was nearly swamped.
jesus was sleeping...on a cushion.

such incredible detail in this story. i would imagine if i had been there, it would have been in slow motion. i wonder how many details you would remember if you thought it would be the last few minutes of your life.

and he don't even care.

or does he? he is the calmer of the storm. he speaks. the waves stop.

who dis is? even the wind and waves obey him.

this is true shock and awe...they were terrified.

peace to you,

scott

happy ressurection day

2008-03-23T06:13:00.001-07:00

in memory of j.c.

2008-03-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

we take time this week to focus on the unfathomable sacrifice of jesus on the cross. we remember the searing pain and respond to the shed blood by falling to our knees in humility. you gave so much...the least we could give is our lives. thank you jesus. thank you.
friends, take time this week to survey the wondrous cross on which the prince of glory died. respond to the immeasurable of love of god.
peace to you,
scott

p.s. enjoy this video by my other favorite j.c.

all about the green

2008-03-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

this sunday is all about the green...
not golf...
or frogs...
or money...
the significance of palm sunday
the symbolism of st.patricks day
the sweet allure of green jello (ok maybe that's a bit much)
so study up on your palm sunday and your maewyn succat...
peace to you,
scott

riddle me this

2008-03-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

he said to them, "do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? instead, don't you put it on its stand? for whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
"consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "with the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." mark 4:21-25

riddle me this…riddle me that…who can understand mad phrasing from this hep cat?

it seems that jesus taught in parables to make things more plain; to give us a tangible example of some invisible, untouchable reality. but this passage requires a little mind workout. i wonder if that was also part of jesus’ plan. almost as if the phrase, “if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” means…stop and think about this for a minute, or wrap your mind around this one for a second.

i love the fact that jesus’ words are not always immediately accessible. that for one to understand what he was getting at, you have to dig, think for yourself, ask questions. this is no teaching for the light of heart or weak of mind. following jesus requires all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

and yet if we come to scripture with the heart of a child…the kingdom is ours. this is the glory of the paradox of faith. a path not at all easy to figure out and live perfectly, yet so simple a child can comprehend and walk it.

so unravel this riddle for me…what is this parable all about? lamps under beds, hidden things brought to light, measures used and more for those who already have?

peace to you,
scott

digging in the dirt

2008-02-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

the parables of jesus are pure genius. the master storyteller, weaving truth in fiction. farmer and seed…scattering on soils. most people don’t understand. left scratching there heads. i count myself one of them on this one. i get the soil story after the explanation that jesus gives. but why does he only let a few of them in on the deeper meaning of the dirt?
jesus words to the disciples before he explains the significance of the soil are these:
"the secret of the kingdom of god has been given to you. but to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
" 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"
yeah…that’s what he said.
what does that mean to you?
i think i may have to do a little digging in the dirt this week
i’ll let you know what i find on sunday.
peace to you,
scott

hey hermano

2008-02-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

then jesus' mother and brothers arrived. standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. a crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
"who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "here are my mother and my brothers! whoever does god's will is my brother and sister and mother. mark 3:31-35

jesus refered to his disciples as family, as brother and sisters, mothers and friends. what seems to be the prerequisite to one of those titles?
saying the sinner's prayer?
memorizing the ten commandments?
being a kind and generous person?
exactly what is obedience to the will of god?
if jesus were to give you a title, would it be hermano?
things to ponder until we meet,
peace to you,
scott

happy valentines day

2008-02-14T16:44:00.000-08:00

what the what?

2008-02-12T17:59:00.000-08:00

"i tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." mark 3:28-29

what the what?

peace to you,
scott

how he loves us

2008-02-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

ooo! ooo! pick me mr. kotter

2008-02-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

some of you are too young to remember the sweathogs, but i totally thought of them as i was reading this week about jesus picking the twelve disciples. they were quite a rag-tag bunch of hooligans. like horshack, washington, epstein and barbarino, you had impetuous, sometimes immature, guys who formed this close knit gang with jesus. peter shooting his mouth off like epstein and john, 'the one who jesus loved', raising his hand in the front like horshack.
it made me think of what that crew would look like if jesus were to pick them today. would they have piercings, mohawks and tattoos? or would they look like they just walked out of an old navy ad? would they be eccentric musicians and artists or perhaps math nerds who play world of warcraft? who would jesus choose today? would i have been one of the twelve? would you? i think we might be surprized.

peace to you,
scott

a new law

2008-01-27T21:28:00.000-08:00

over the past few weeks we have been discussing jesus and his 'sabbath-breaking' tendencies. we have realized that all too often our tendencies are to make lists and rules and we may even have the audacity to place those rules above compassion and love for others. this video captures the heart of that. it is by an artist that often inspires and always challenges me...derek webb. enjoy.
peace to you,
scott

hand hand fingers thumb

2008-01-22T22:27:00.000-08:00

hand hand fingers thumb
one thumb one thumb
shrivelled up and numb

one hand two hands
called him up to the front
the pharisees lean forward
to see the sabbath stunt

hand hand fingers thumb
one thumb one thumb
made right and them some

one hand one hand
the healing over and done
by the love of god’s one and only son

the power of jesus to heal amazes me. whether it is cancer or a disfigured limb, jesus has power over this body. the physical world is under his authority. i do not understand why or how it happens, but there have been times where i have witnessed firsthand the healing power of christ. (i have also had more times than i can count where i have prayed and it seems that there has been no change in the situation at all--maybe that is proof that there is no formula)

i love the story that mark shares in the beginning of his third chapter. jesus is in the synagogue again. the pharisees have gathering in the front row, the place of honor…hoping to somehow trap jesus in leading people astray.

enter the man with the withered hand. he was not born this way. a disease has taken hold of his body and rendered his hand useless. jesus has compassion on him…a stone mason by trade, desperately in need of both hands to provide for his family. too proud to beg. he turns to jesus.

jesus asks him to stand. the pharisees get excited…this is their moment. he will heal this man. they will have him trapped.

the plot thickens. is it lawful to do good on the sabbath or to do evil? to save a life or to kill?

stretch out your hand.

hand hand fingers thumb
one thumb one thumb
made right and them some

one hand one hand
the healing over and done
by the love of god’s one and only son

peace to you,
scott

wheat kings and pretty things

2008-01-17T18:32:00.000-08:00

one sabbath jesus was going through the grainfields,
and as his disciples walked along, they began to
pick some heads of grain. the pharisees said to him,
“look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
he answered, “have you never read what david
did when he and his companions were hungry and in
need? in the days of abiathar the high priest, he entered
the house of god and ate the consecrated bread,
which is lawful only for priests to eat. and he also gave
some to his companions.”
then he said to them, “the sabbath was made for
man, not man for the sabbath. so the son of man is
lord even of the sabbath.” mark 2:2
the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath...there is a lot packed into that statement.
we will unpack that phrase...the picking of wheat...the eating of consecrated bread..on sunday at 4 at fude.
peace to you,
scott

slow down and go fast

2008-01-11T13:40:00.000-08:00

fasting is not one of my strong suits. let's just get that out on the table. i like food. i thoroughly enjoy the consumption of carbohydrates, proteins and sugars. i take great pleasure in pacifying my palate. i have actually contemplated writing a book on food. certainly not a cookbook, as unless it goes on the bbq, i am quite sure i can make it taste bad. but a book based on the biblical model of sharing a meal. (i even have a couple of sample titles should it become a reality: 'the sacrament of the shared meal - eating together as a sacred act of worship' or 'the sacrilege of the common meal - rediscovering the lost art (heart) of eating together')
that being said there have been times in my life where i have chosen to fast. usually at some point of decision or crisis. not typically as a discipline, more as a desperate search for clarity. it has been in those times, where i have slowed down, skipped a meal or two, that i have thought more clearly and heard more deftly the nudging in my heart and soul. where i sensed god speaking to me. there is something to this sacred discipline of fasting...if not i doubt that jesus would have encouraged it.
in mark 2:18-22 jesus is challenged by the religious leaders as to why his disciples do not fast. he talks about the bridegroom being with them (we will discuss this more on sunday) and he says that when he is gone, his disciples will fast.
so as his disciples, do we fast?
it seems there is a time to feast and a time to fast?
when is your time?
peace to you,
scott

baby dedication

2008-01-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

we will be having our first baby dedication for two sweet little girls...sadie and maddy this sunday. join us as we celebrate and dedicate these precious gifts.
see you sunday @ 4,
peace to you,
scott

this is how we do

2007-12-30T19:45:00.000-08:00

“once again jesus went out beside the lake. a large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. as he walked along, he saw levi son of alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. ‘follow me,’ jesus told him, and levi got up and followed him.
while jesus was having dinner at levi's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. when the teachers of the law who were pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘why does he eat with tax collectors and “sinners”?’
on hearing this, jesus said to them, ‘it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. i have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” mark 2:13-17
this was one of those passages in scripture that motivates what we do at the upper room. this is why we eat together. there is something almost mystical that happens when we share a meal. my prayer for the coming year is that we would find more around our table…those that some might label tax collectors or sinners. the call is still the same…follow me. he ate with tax collectors and sinners…i want to follow him…
so this is how we do
peace to you,

scott

a tale of two healings

2007-12-28T06:35:00.000-08:00

the leper he touched
the paralytic broke through the ceiling
both healed
both for different reasons?
a man cried out on his knees
"if you are willing"
and jesus was filled with compassion
friends carried the other to the lord
and again jesus healed
this time by forgiving sin
who is this man who claims he can forgive sin?
Son of Man and Son of God
we echo the words of the crowd that day
"we have never seen anything like this!"

sunday night at fude...4pm
a tale of two healings

peace to you,
scott

happy christmas eve

2007-12-24T08:11:00.001-08:00

ancient words come to pass

2007-12-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

this is a gentle reminder to celebrate the messiah, not just the merchandise this season. we will be getting together again at fude after the holidays...see you on the 30th at 4pm. bring your leftovers and christmas goodies to share.
peace to you and merry christmas,
scott

christmas at the upper room

2007-12-11T07:23:00.000-08:00

here is how the next few weeks unfold for us at the upper room

saturday, december 15 - the upper room christmas @ derek and heidi's (email scott if you would like directions)
sunday, december 16 - no upper room
monday, december 17 - lending hands to osborne house
tuesday, december 18 - lending hands to osborne house
sunday, december 23 - no upper room...spend the holidays with your other loved ones.
sunday, december 30 - the upper room will gather at fude.

we are looking forward to a season filled with family and friends, of celebrating and remembering. we pray that you have a peaceful, meaningful and memorable christmas this year.

peace to you,
scott

advent

2007-12-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

merry christmas everybody

2007-12-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

advent

2007-12-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

heading for a time of solitude

2007-12-06T08:16:00.000-08:00

the man heads out for a time of solitude. it is not yet dawn. the cool early morning air causes the hair on his arms to rise slightly. he shivers. in the distance there is the sound of a bird venturing out for its morning meal. a twig snaps under his sandal as he continues out beyond the limits of town. just a few hours ago there was an entire village crowded here. calling for mercy, desirous for healing. so he met them. he heard their story. he took care of them. many were healed. but now he is tired. not just because of lack of sleep, but a tiredness that runs much deeper. he has expended himself for others. power has gone out from him.
his labour of love has cost him. he was willing to pay the price, but now not only is his body tired from the previous late night, but there is a slight weariness in his soul. it thirsts for connection. for a time to recharge.
he finds a place of quiet...of solitude. in the words of paul simon...a time when my restlessness is past and i can lie down on my blanket and release my fists at last. a place of quiet
and it is here that the silence is broken with the words that can shake the mountain...
father...i need you.
there are days where i feel weary. not because i was up at 5am before the sun rose. nor is it because i have worked a full day. but a weariness that runs much deeper. naps, (o how i love thee) do not seem to relieve this sluggishness in my soul. perhaps because it is there that the weariness resides...the soul. it is not merely a physical issue, though they are somehow inextricably linked. nagged by the weariness that sleep cannot requite.
in those times i know only one place to turn. just like my master before me...
father...i need you.
it doesn’t take long for the world to cram in on us. appointments and schedules, people clamouring for our time and energy. jesus knew what it was like to feel this...
do you?
and where do you turn?
this week at the upper room we will look at mark 1:35-37...
peace to you,
scott

advent

2007-12-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

sabbath shenanigans

2007-11-28T08:12:00.000-08:00

"it is not lawful to heal on the sabbath, right?"
"well...yes, it is not lawful to work a healing unless it is a situation of life and death."
"so what is with this jesus?"
"what do you mean, my son?"
"well, this morning at synogogue, he cast out a demon thereby healing a man. and immediately after synagogue i followed him to peter's house and peter's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever...and he healed her."
"you mean he took a knife wholly made of iron and a piece of thornbush and a braid of hair..."
"no i mean he just spoke, and helped her up...and the fever was gone...no reading of exodus 3...no knife, no nothing."
"he helped her up? So was it life and death? Was it work for him to help her up?"
"well...umm...i'm not sure, but he healed her...and then at sundown a bunch of people showed up with their sick so that he could heal them too."
"who did you say this man was?"
"his name is jesus...i wonder if he could be the messiah?"
"take me to him..."

imagine this conversation on sabbath evening after witnessing at least two miracles of healing on the sabbath by the one called yeshua. (with many more happening immediately after sundown.)

was he breaking sabbath law to heal? did he even care?

healing, rule breaking, sabbath keeping and plenty of other "ings"...this sunday at the upper room.

we will be at fude at 4 o'clock.

peace to you,
scott

possession is nine tenths of the law

2007-11-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

possession.
the blue bomber offense has possesion.
an unclean spirit has possession.
we will be looking at both of these next sunday at our place.
the upper room will not meet at fude this week.
we will meet in our home. (email me for the address if you don't know where we live.)
bring snacks to watch the bomber game.
bring thoughts on a different kind of possession found in Mark 1:21-28.
this should be interesting.
4-6 - the upper room
6-whenever - grey cup party

peace to you,

scott

the kingdom is near

2007-11-14T21:51:00.001-08:00

the worship industry

2007-11-14T21:45:00.000-08:00

four fisherman follow forthwith

2007-11-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

lo! and behold!
the now infamous four fisherman
their tale once again told

tending their nets
one bright, crisp, early morn
business as usual
in a boat since near the day they were born.

but change hung thick in the air
this is the calling of the first pair

the son of man came to call
“i will make you fishers of men
if you will leave this all.”

at once they dropped their nets
and followed this rabbi true
two brothers were they
named simon and andrew

the first pair to become
disciples of the chosen one

a little further on
they came to the second pair
james and his brother john

preparing their nets
when the son of man came
they left all with their father
and became disciples the same

some say this calling--be dream, be myth
but ne’retheless, those four fishermen followed forthwith

this week we are looking at the calling of the first disciples...mark 1:16-20

how does their calling match our own? how is it different? what does it look like to follow jesus today? what does it mean to be a disciple?

all these questions...and i'm sure many more,

sunday at 4:00 in the upper room,

peace to you,

scott

jesus' first words

2007-11-05T13:27:00.001-08:00

the first words of jesus recorded in the book of mark are "the time has come. the kingdom of god is near. repent and believe the good news!"

all that humankind had been looking forward to for generations was about to come to pass. the kingdom of god established in our midst.

what does this kingdom look like?
where is this kingdom now?
what is our response to the kingdom?

all these questions will be asked (and some of them possibly answered) on sunday

until then,

peace to you,

scott

your own personal jesus

2007-10-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

who is jesus to you?
i mean honestly.
who do you say that he is?
to say that he is lord means
more than you might care to admit
savior of the world
or judge on the throne does he sit?
master?
teacher?
rabbi one and the same?
tell me by the way you live
just what means to you that name.

we are currently meandering through the gospel of mark (one of the four books of the new testament that record the life of jesus). we are asking the question…what does it mean to follow jesus? what does it really mean to be a disciple of his? what does he mean to us?

so far he is…
mark 1:1 – the son of god…the good news
mark 1:2-8 – the one john pointed to (and we do too)…the one we are not worthy to untie the sandals of…
mark 1:9-11 – the baptized, set apart one…empowered by the spirit…beloved of god

next week…the tempted one.

ah yes…he knows what it is like to be in my shoes…

until then,

peace to you,

scott

the upper room in the osborne village

2007-10-11T09:05:00.000-07:00

the time has come...

our first upper room in the osborne village...

sunday, october 14th @ 4:00pm...

fude restaurant...303-99 osborne st

in the upper room...

pray for us.

peace to you,

scott

down to the skin

2007-08-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

jesus tells this parable to the religious leaders of the day when they ask him why his disciples don’t follow the rules.

"no one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. if he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. and no one pours new wine into old wineskins. if he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. no, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. and no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, 'the old is better.'" luke 5:36-39

i have puzzled over that last line. no one, after drinking the new wine wants it. they want the old. the old is better.

i have often focused on the wine in this passage. thinking that the wine represents the new life that jesus had come to bring. this life abundant. the pharisees had turned faith into a list of rules. i was all about keeping in check, and jesus comes along and breaks that with a revelation of relationship. i thought that was the point. that jesus was saying that the pharisees just didn’t get it.

but i now wonder if the point was not the wine, but rather the wineskin. it all came down to the skin. an old wineskin, had the tendency to become rigid, and when filled with new wine, would not have room for the fermenting wine to expand as it gave off gas. it would then crack and the wine would be spilt. both wine and wineskin would be ruined. it all came down to the skin.

the question becomes the flexibility and stretch capacity of the skin. is it able to expand beyond its current state? can it be stretched?

maybe that is what jesus was getting at. if we are rigid and unable to be stretched, we just might miss out on the new wine jesus talks about. we won’t want it. we will be satisfied with the same old same old.

what does it look like to hang on to the old and grab hold of the new? because jesus did not replace the old, he fulfilled it with the new.

what old wine is worth keeping and what could be dumped down the sink? what new wine needs a little time to mature and what is ready for us to share with friends over dinner?

when you think of your faith, your background, your history, what is worth holding tight? what can you stand on? and what things might be making your skin rigid and tough to stretch that might be worth dumping down the drain?

it all comes down to the skin.

peace to you,

scott

how do we be “the” church?

2007-04-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

it has been an interesting few weeks. running into old friends, attempting to explain where we are at in our lives right now. i kept using the phrase “we are in the process of planting a church” and people would immediately say “wow that’s cool”. within a matter of moments, the question invariably came…how many people have you got?

looking back at my response to the question i realized that i had set them up for this. i used the phrase “planting (a) church”. i’m not so sure that is the most accurate description of what god is doing in us right now.

you see i do not want to plant a church. i don’t want to add yet another variety to the buffet of options for believers to choose from. i want to be a part of a community that takes being the church to a new level. i am not sure what that is all going to look like just yet, but I am sure that i do not want to be a church. i want to be “the’ church.

and lest that be mis-interpreted as “the” church…as in the church that everyone wants to go to…i want to be the bride. i want to be the church universal. to tap into the incredibly rich heritage that is christendom. to look back at what it truly means to be the hands and feet; the body of jesus.

so if we are the body of christ…and he only has one body…what does it look like to be the church?

peace to you,

scott

experience the truth (an excerpt from how not to speak of god by peter rollins)

2007-03-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

rather than describing the real or reality, the christian idea of 'knowing the truth' can be said to operate in an entirely different realm. for, unlike the former perspectives which refer to the ability to make substantive descriptive claims concerning the real or reality, the judeo-christian view of truth is concerned with having a relationship with the real (god) that results in us transforming reality. the emphasis is thus not on description but on transformation. this perspective completely short-circuits the long-redundant debate as to whether truth is subjective or objective, for here truth is the ungraspable real (objective) that transforms the individual (subjective).
while the christian can make use of these other discourses, the prime notion of truth within christianity is directly connected with liberation and transformation rather than with objective description. for instance, when we read that christ is the truth and that knowing the truth will set us free, we come face to face with truth, not, as the objective affirmation of a proposition (as if that would set anyone free), but rather as that which arises from a life-giving encounter. the truth in christianity is not described but experienced. this is not then the affirmation of some objective description concerning truth but rather describes a relation with the truth. in other words, truth is god and having knowledge of the truth is evidenced, not in a doctrinal system, but in allowing that truth to be incarnated in one's life. hence, this claim of christ is not a way of claiming that some theoretical system will bring new life, but a way of saying that by entering into a relationship with god we will find liberation. to know the truth is thus to be known and transformed by the truth. in the epistle of john we find an extrapolation of this theme when we read that knowledge of god is evidenced in a life of love rather than in the affirmation of a theoretical, dogmatic system:
“dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from god. everyone who loves has been born of god and knows god. whoever does not love does not know god, because god is love ... no-one has ever seen god; but if we love one another, god lives in us and his love is made complete in us ... god is love. whoever lives in love lives in god, and god in him.” 1 john 4:7-16
here john equates the existence of religious knowledge with the act of love. knowledge of god (the truth) as a set of propositions is utterly absent; instead he claims that those who exhibit a genuine love know god, regardless of their religious system, while those who do not love cannot know god, again regardless of their religious system. truth is thus understood as a soteriological event. this word 'soteriolo-gical' is derived from the term soteria, from which we get the word 'salvation'. in precise terms the word refers to a cure, remedy or healing.
while this religious idea of truth as soteriological may initially seem somewhat unrelated to the idea of truth as that which describes, there are times when they can come into conflict with each other. for example, let us imagine that we are hiding some jews in our house in germany during the second world war. early one morning some soldiers come to our door as part of a routine check and ask if we are housing any jews. in response to this question we have three options: (a) we regretfully say 'yes', acknowledging that we are held under a higher moral law which requires that we do not deceive; (b) we say 'no', judging that it is the lesser of two evils, a necessary lie required in order to prevent murder; (c) we say 'no' and feel happy that we told the truth.
in this example most contemporary christians in the west would, i suspect, choose (b) as closest to their own position. however, if we take truth to mean any act which positively transforms reality, rather than describes reality, then there is no problem acknowledging that, while denying there are jews in the house is empirically incorrect, it is true in a religious sense precisely because it protects the innocent (as well as protecting the soldiers from committing a horrific act).
the idea that religious truth transforms reality in such a way that it reflects the kingdom of god renders some bible stories far more intelligible, for throughout the text there are instances in which the people of god seemingly lie (i.e. say something which is empirically false) for the sake of truth. for example, at the beginning of exodus we read of two egyptian midwives who refuse to carry out pharaoh's command that all male infants be put to death. here we read:
the king of egypt said to the hebrew midwives, whose names were shiphrah and puah, 'when you help the hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.' the midwives, however, feared god and did not do what the king of egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. then the king of egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, 'why have you done this? why have you let the boys live?' the midwives answered pharaoh, 'hebrew women are not like egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.' so god was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became more numerous.' exodus 1:15-20
here god does not merely accept the deception of shiphrah and puah but actually blesses it. not only do we find other examples littered throughout the old testament, we even find jesus himself engaged in what would appear to be an act of deception. in john 7 we read that jesus' brothers attempt to persuade him to attend the feast of tabernacles. in response to this request jesus replies:
'the right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. the world cannot hate you, but it hates me because i testify that what it does is evil. you go to the feast. i am not yet going up to this feast, because for me the right time has not yet come.' having said this, he stayed in galilee. however, after his brothers had left for the feast, he went also, not publicly but in secret." john 7:6-10

more discussion on this issue of truth as experience on sunday at the upper room, or feel free to enter the conversation here online.

peace to you,

scott

what would you do if you were prime minister?

2007-02-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

last night i got together with a couple friends and headed down to the old walker theatre (i still can't call it the b.c.) to catch a lecture from one of canada's foremost champions of environmentalism; dr. david suzuki. after an awe inspiring anthem by raffi (played at least four times) the crowd had grown restless and were ready to hear the words of wisdom from the star of the nature of things.
while not everything that was spoken last night gripped me at my core, there were a couple of loud trumpet calls that rang in my ears. the first was the rampant consumerism that is prevalent in our society today. this has been no secret, but it was interesting to hear it from a different perspective. our ecological footprint is directly affected by the amount we consume...not just the waste we produce, but the stuff that we have. families today are half the size they were 40 years ago and we live in houses twice the size (with a bathroom for every person in the house). families have more than one vehicle (again some people have one for every person in the house). we measure our worth by the stuff that we have. our economics are based on the financial picture alone. we fail to take into account things like the affect our actions are having on our future, how peaceful, patient, grace-filled we are, how happy and loving we are becoming. these sorts of things do not fit in our economy. it is dollars and cents; baby...the other stuff is just window dressing. i am working to change this perspective in my own life. while i may not be prime minister and able to affect policy for the entire nation, i can affect my own family and the people i hold dear to my heart.
the second thing challenged me was to have a vision for the future. there were echoes of king solomon when david suggested that we need to have a picture of what we want our canada to look like. without a vision the people perish. do i want a future where the air is clean enough for my children to breath without fear of what invisible toxins threaten their health? the kind of air you fill your lungs with on the side of a lake in northeastern manitoba, more than50 kilometers from the nearest form of civilization? do i want a canada where you could drink the water from any stream and not wonder what sort of chemicals have been dumped in it or what sort of cancer i may develop from ingesting water that is not bottled and purified? when i think of my own city of winnipeg, i would love to see a greener, cleaner, healthier thriving metropolis.
wo what can i do to bring about this preferred future? what can i do to lighten the weight of my personal ecological footprint? well i have already begun to make some smaller changes in the way i live. i purchased a bicycle and will be using it as a primary mode of transportation to and from work in the spring. cutting down on the waste, of water, of energy, and of food is becoming more of a priority for me. the benefits far outweigh the costs...as a matter of a fact; it seems to be saving me money to be ecofriendly. i have signed up for the nature challenge. the challenge breaks down ten things we could do to lower our ecological footprint and bring us to a place of sustainability in a few short years. doing even three of these this year would make a huge difference.
when i look at our responsibility as stewards of god's creation, i wonder how we are living up to the challenge of tending the garden. creation is groaning...longing for the sons of glory to be revealed. i want to ease her groaning by treading a little more lightly on her soil. i want to take responsibility for my footprint and help ensure a beautiful creation for my children.
what about you?

peace to you,

scott

how not to speak of god...(or hints of the divine)

2007-02-18T22:38:00.000-08:00

"take the example of two people in a room. if one has authority over the other and commands the other to close the door, the other will of course close it, regardless of whether or not he or she likes the authority figure, since if an authority figure gives a command, obedience is the sole requirement. yet, in opposition to this power discourse, the powerless discourse is analogous to one person saying to their equal that they are a little cold. in this way, one speaks in such a way that hints (but does not demand) that they would like the door to be closed. if the other is a caring individual, he or she will be likely to close the door, and if not, he or she will probably ignore what was said. the hint speaks to the heart and will only be heard by those with a sensitive and open ear. this powerless discourse of the hint can be seen at work in jesus' parables, which can only truly be heard by those ‘with ears to hear'. instead of religious discourse being a type of drink designed to satisfy our thirst for answers, jesus made his teaching salty, evoking thirst. instead of offering a scientific explanation that would convince, or publicizing the miracles so as to compel his listeners, jesus engaged in a poetic discourse that spoke to the heart of those who would listen. in a world where people believe they are not hungry, we must not offer food but rather an aroma that helps them desire the food that we cannot provide. we are a people who are born from a response to hints of the divine. not only this, but we must embrace the idea that we are also called to be hints of the divine."

i love that…we are called to be hints of the divine…

but what does that mean?

peace to you,

scott

the upper room in our living room

2007-02-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

well the answers are beginning to come...and with them even more questions. i am very excited about what god is birthing in us. the upper room is a small band of lovers of god who gather together in a living room in st. james to eat together, share life together and talk about what it means to be a lover of god, a follower of the way, a disciple in this current culture. what does it mean to be a "hint of the divine"? what does it mean to be the aroma of christ? what does it mean to be a citizen of this earth and yet a citizen of another kingdom? we have just begun to ask questions like these, and our prayer is that the questions will lead us not to answers, but to action...to the changing of the way we live this life. we desire to leave footprints that will cause others to find the same food and life that we have found.
this blog will (i hope) give you a taste of what we are experiencing as we gather. it will be filled with questions and quotes, thoughts and dreams, ideas and theological ramblings. and we hope that they will point through the mist and mire to the one who calls us to "leave everything and follow..."
if you have stumbled upon this site by chance...then welcome. if you wish to learn more...email the.upper.room.osborne@gmail.com and talk to scott. if you have thoughts that you would like to add to our ongoing conversations...feel free to express yourself.
if you have been guided here by an invitation, then feel free to interact with what you see here. the truth is this is not the best way to experience the upper room...in fact, it is a very poor substitute for the real community. To find out when and where our next gathering is...email the.upper.room.osborne@gmail.com.

peace to you,

scott

the upper room

2006-10-29T15:58:00.000-08:00

what is the upper room?
soon that answer will come. (and with it more questions)
and so we wait...