Saturday, April 19, 2003

Good night at the Prayer Labyrinth
Thanks to those who prepared the Labyrinth, and to those who came to walk and pray. We got some great feedback. Levi and I had a great time of bonding and praying through the Labyrinth together. If you are able, please come spend some time with us tomorrow. The Labyrinth will be open from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. It's an interactive experience full of sights, sounds, smells, and "feels" that you don't want to miss.

You can also do an online version of the Prayer Labyrinth. Click the picture to go there.

Thursday, April 17, 2003

Great Night at XStream
Thanks to those of you who shared your God-stories last night. It is always encouraging to hear what God is doing in your lives. I will continue to ask the questions: "Where is the Lord? Where is God moving? What is God doing?" Be ready to answer, and be encouraged. God is moving. Your stories of faith and love are just what we need to hear. You guys are the best!

XStream announcements for April 16
Do you ever wonder: “Why am I here? Why was I born?” We’d like to help you wrestle through those kinds of questions. Next week: Welcome to the Planet!

April 19—No Middle School Sunday School

April 25—10th-12th grade overnight outreach

April 26—6th-9th grade guys cookout. See Mike Gess or Mark Horn for details.

April 27—MSSS visits Unity Church of Jesus Christ, on Gill Street.

"Axis of Evil"
by John Cleese (formely of Monty Python)


Bitter after being snubbed for membership in the"Axis of Evil", Libya, China and Syria today announced that they had formed the "Axis of Just as Evil", which they said would be more evil than that stupid Iran-Iraq-North Korea axis President Bush warned of in his State of the Union address.

Axis of Evil members, however, immediately dismissed the new Axis as having, for starters, a really dumb name. "Right. They are just as evil .. . in their dreams!" declared North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. "Everybody knows we're the best evils . . . best at being evil . . . we're the best."

Diplomats from Syria denied they were jealous over being excluded, although they conceded they did ask if they could join the Axis of Evil. They told us it was full," said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"An axis can't have more than three countries", explained Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. "This is not my rule, it's tradition. In World War II you had Germany, Italy, and Japan in the evil Axis. So, you can only have three, and a secret handshake. Ours is wicked cool."

International reaction to Bush's Axis of Evil declaration was swift, as within minutes, France surrendered. Elsewhere, peer-conscious nations rushed to gain triumvirate status in what has become a game of geopolitical chairs. Cuba, Sudan and Serbia announced that they had formed the "Axis of Somewhat Evil", forcing Somalia to join with Uganda and Myanmar in the "Axis of Occasionally Evil", while Bulgaria, Indonesia and Russia established the "Axis of Not So Much Evil Really as Just Generally Disagreeable".

With the criteria suddenly expanded and all the desirable clubs filling up, Sierra Leone, El Salvador, and Rwanda applied to be called the "Axis of Countries That Aren't the Worst But Certainly Won't Be Asked to Host the Olympics".

Canada, Mexico and Australia formed the "Axis of Nations That Are Actually Quite Nice But Secretly Have Some Nasty Thoughts About America", while Scotland, New Zealand and Spain established the "Axis of Countries That Want Sheep to Wear Lipstick". "That's not a threat, really, just something we like to do", said Scottish Executive First Minister Jack McConnell.

While wondering if the other nations of the world weren't perhaps making fun of him, a cautious Bush granted approval for most axis, although he rejected the establishment of the "Axis of Countries Whose Names End in 'Guay", accusing one of its members of filing a false application. Officials from Paraguay, Uruguay, and Chadguay denied the charges.

Israel, meanwhile, insisted it didn't want to join any Axis, but privately world leaders said that's only because no one asked them.

Friday, April 11, 2003

A few thoughts as we approach Easter

What thoughts come to mind when you hear the name Judas? Betrayer of Christ, greedy man, cheater, turncoat...Judas has been maligned by the church for centuries. Does he truly deserve the treatment he gets from most of us? For an interesting article on this, click here.to read Kevin Eckstrom's take on beliefnet.com:
Some scholars speculate that Judas was motivated by love, not greed, and that his suicide was a sign of his loyalty to Jesus.


A fresh look at the Stations of the Cross
Jonny Baker pointed us to this moving flash animation of the stations of the cross. Some of you may be too familiar with the Stations of the Cross to be moved (familiarity breeds contempt), but for those of us who are new to the Stations, this can be a powerful experience. The church is rediscovering some of its ancient roots, and for that I am glad. God is ancient, and sometimes the reverence and awe that he deserves gets washed out in our contemporary worship. Spend some time slowing down, going back to the ancient, in a fresh, new way.

Online worship experiences...who'd a thunk it?

Thursday, April 10, 2003




The Prayer Labyrinth Cometh
You can click the labyrinth to see what this would be like online. It's a very cool worship and prayer experience.

We will be hosting the labyrinth for you (and other folks looking to connect with God) over the Easter weekend. The labyrinth will be open 5-9 p.m. Good Friday, and 9 a.m.-10 p.m. the following Saturday. The labyrinth is a multi-sensnory prayer/meditation experience that has been part of services around the world. Labyrinth and maze designs were common to many ancient cultures. In the middle ages, artists incorporated labyrinth patterns into church floors to symbolize the spiritual path of the soul in life and journeys undertaken by pilgrims.

This labyrinth fuses ancient Christian tradition with modern , music, art, and interactive media, as a portal for prayer, meditation, and personal spiritual experience.

If you'd like to help set us set up the labyrinth, drop Kim a line.

XStream Announcements for April 8
April 11 6th grade ladies dinner and a movie, this Friday night. See Kim Sublett for details.

April 12 7th & 8th Ladies sleepover at Harvest Fields. Bring your jammies! For more info, drop Amanda Miska a note.

Want to experience God in a new way this Easter? Come visit the Prayer Labyrinth. Good Friday or Saturday, April 18/19.

April 25 10th-12th overnight outreach. For more details, contact Abbey Spurrier.

April 26 6th-9th grade guys cookout. See Mike Gess or Mark Horn for details.



Saturday, April 05, 2003

Kingdomworks
This looks like it could be exciting. High school seniors and college students ought to check this out. It's an opportunity to contribute to the Kingdom of God, to grow as a person, and to get a little Americorps cash for your future schooling.
Kingdomworks is a one year Christian service and discipleship program specifically designed for urban young people, 17-22 years of age.
I would like to send a few XStream young people to this program. It's run by Shabrae Jackson and Bart Campolo.

Just saw West Side Story
WOW! What a talented bunch of students! Great cast, crew, and orchestra. We were blown away. Congrats to all those who worked so hard to put this together. Much love to those who have been part of our lives in one way or another.
Robbie Hackman
Tom Pogue
Christy McKinney
Stephanie Kleinert
Dan Karduck
Alli Griffin
Chris Irvin
Alli Walz
Stephanie Hackman
Kelsey Lope
James Hall
Chad Ebersole

I hope I didn't miss anyone...We are so proud of you all. Thanks for sharing your talents with the community.

Young stars, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Wednesday, April 02, 2003

Prayerwalking was great!
I was totally proud of you guys tonight. You did some serious touching-the-Father's-heart work tonight. I am excited to see where our prayer time leads. Keep praying, and be on the lookout for God to move. When he opens the door, RUN through it! God wants to move in your life, in the lives of your friends. Say yes to him. Good things are just around the corner. I know it.

Tuesday, April 01, 2003

Bring your Prayer-walking shoes!
That's right, we're going for a little walk tomorrow night for Metro. Several of our fellow student ministries are partnering with us tomorrow night to cover the local schools in prayer. We will be praying at State High's North Building. Come ready to pray. We will be back at the church by 8:30.

Big Wednesday will be the same, right up til the time we go prayerwalking.

See you there!