the drum|rob fairbanks

Fasting from Words

I don’t know if you can remember your dreams or not.  I usually cannot.  However, lately I’ve been both dreaming and remembering them in stark detail.  If you are a dream interpreter, get ahold of me.  I would like to know what is lurking around inside my bald dome.  Ok, maybe not!  Anyway, I have had two in the last week that were both elongated and stunning in detail.  They were not the kind where you are being chased by a bear down a beach naked.  I hate those!  These were different: One was about playing basketball with President Obama (quite a happy dream of me teaching Barack how to talk trash in Spanish - I even showed him a sweet In and out move) and another about Fasting from words.  Here is the second one.

In the dream I was blogging and the title of the blog was “Fasting from Words.”  The blog came off vivdly like this:

Fasting from Words

I have decided to fast from “insider” words from my discipline.  I choose not to use words like “missional” and “contextual" and “embedding” and “exegesis” and “incarnational.”

Also, since I am deeply involved in leadership of a non-profit I will also fast from the following words: “Sweet spot” and “wheelhouse” “hierarchical” and “point of the spear.”

And since my wife is now a counselor I will fast from using “insider” words related to her profession like: “enmeshed” and “differentiated” and "projection" and "empathic" and “attachment.”

Now, for the rest of the blog…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you!

Seriously, that was my dream!  Once I dimissed all the pet words, I had no language at all.  I must admit that I woke up smiling at my subconscious sense of humor. 

Now, for the interpretation!?!?!  Got any ideas?

HuffPost Greatest Person Of The Day: Kohl Crecelius Crochets For Communities

Along with his two best friends, Kohl Crecelius is expanding the boundaries of digital connection, philanthropy and retail with a business rooted in a very personal experience -- and a talent for crocheting.

via www.huffingtonpost.com

My boys are blowing up. Three guys from New Community in Spokane changing the world.  Here's their web-site - Krochet Kids International.  The pic is what they looked like the first time I met them.  Hilarious!

This is more their look today, but last time I saw Kohl (on the left) he was rock'in a seriously dirty stache. :)

What is the Gospel? (HT: Out of Ur)

There has been much discussion about the meaning of the Gospel.  What is the Gospel?  Entrance into to heaven?  A list or propositions?  In this video, Dallas Willard talks about what the Gospel is and how we live in it.

 What do you think about Willard's perspective?  Do you think he captures the essence of what the NT calls the Good News?

Ron Paul on Nation Building (HT - Eric Blauer)

I don't usually put a lot of political stuff on here, but I do post stuff that relates to peace and how to live lives of shalom.  Here is a quote at the first Republican debate from the "crazy" Ron Paul about the war in Afghanistan.

"[Bin Laden] wasn't caught in Afghanistan. Nation-building in Afghanistan and telling those people how to live and getting involved in running their country hardly had anything to do with finding the information where he was being held in a country that we give billions of dollars of foreign aid to, at the same time we are bombing that country."

"So it's the policy that is at fault. Not having the troops in Afghanistan wouldn't have hurt. We went to Afghanistan to get him, and he hasn't been there. Now that he's killed, boy, it is a wonderful time for this country now to reassess it, get the troops out of Afghanistan and end that war that hasn't helped us and hasn't helped anybody in the Middle East."

If you ask me, we need more "crazy" like this.

What do you think?  Do you think a protracted U.S. effort in Afghanistan has helped or hindered peace.  Now that Bin Laden is dead, is there warrant for the U.S. to stay?  Do you agree with Paul in his assertions that the U.S. is too preoccupied with "Nation Building?"

Matthew 5:9 (The Message) "You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

Church Planting Among the Catalan - my time in Barcelona

A month ago I got the amazing privilege to wander around Barcelona with one of Christian Associates missionary families, Justin and Jenn Powell.  I was deeply impressed with how they lived and how they intentionally connected with so many people.  While we walked, it was remarkable how many people Justin knew by name.  This came about as a result of them taking the time to, what we in our church planting lingo call, “embed” in their context.  That simply means for us the first step for every missional church planter is not to plan or start a worship service, but to actually make friends…I know that is an amazing concept, but you’d be surprised if you knew however many people just don’t get the habit of listening and learning the culture they seek to bring the Gospel to.  We use the phrase “listen for the joys and laments of a particular context.”  Jenn and Justin do get it and it shows.

Here’s a video of their project in Barcelona.  You can catch right away that Justin has become a keen student of his city and as a result has fallen in love the Catalan people. 

BARCELONA from Christian Associates on Vimeo.

 

 I would be interested in what you think of their work.  Maybe doing something like this is in your future.  If it is, click the CA Join the Movement link.  Thanks!  That will get you started.

Peace!

Why I Don't Cheer Bin Laden's Death

  Please hear me on this. I do not think it was wrong for the American government through the CIA and Navy Seals to kill bin Laden. I seriously doubt that killing bin Laden makes the world a safer place, but that's a debate for another day. I too am grateful for the courageous military servicemen who serve America and the world.

via stepupliving.blogspot.com

An important note about the death of Bin Laden from a friend of mine, Brian Newman.

What are your thoughts?