I have had a couple great conversations this week with some new friends of The Living Room. Here are some of the highlights from my first conversation this week:

• Last night I went out with a friend of The Living Room to visit this organization called Covenant House Georgia. It's mission is to reach out to homeless and at risk youth (ages 16-21) in Atlanta. They have an outreach van that goes out each night to hit the streets of the ATL and talk to kids. Now, I consider myself to be somewhat knowledgeable about social injustice, especially in my own hometown. However, what I realized last night is that I may know a thing or two, but that I need a refresher and a SERIOUS geography lesson. Ever heard of Adamsville? I hadn't until last night. It's near Six Flags - once suburbia and now the new hood. l went and visited three of the ten projects that will be torn down THIS YEAR (displacing close to 10,000 poor people in Atlanta). In fact, one of them is scheduled to be closed at the end of THIS MONTH. I had so-called "head knowledge" about this issue but I hadn't been to some of the actual locations until last night. And ohh, ya, we went AT NIGHT. I don't consider myself a "scaredy cat" and I feel a certain comfort in being with the poor; that said, parts of last night were a totally different game. Consider the following things that were said last night: "Maybe we should keep going, he has a face mask on... right over there someone was murdered recently... on a warm night this street is packed with prostitutes... You get the point. I've gone to college, seminary and have a doctorate, but what they taught me last night is how ignorant I really am about a whole lot of things. I felt like a sponge last night - soaking the whole thing up.
  
  I want you to know that I have begun to volunteer weekly at Covenant House and hope to become a volunteer chaplain for them (something they say they want). I've made a personal promise to myself that this would not and will not be a one shot deal.

I invite you to read a great article in this weeks Creative Loafing about sex traffiking. I'm thankful that this issue is starting to get on the radar of our fair city.

The next conversation was more theoretical. It is based on the insights from someone who recently came and visited The Living Room on a Sunday night. We talked about:

• Our Vision... which I shared is to be an eclectic gathering of God's people, united not by what we believe but how we live according to the Way of Jesus Christ. We welcome all people: liberals, conservatives, evangelical, gay, straight, black, white... I (we) abhor what divides people and value diversity of thought and perspective.
  
• About the Bible... I shared how I feel that we are a community that respects a diversity of thought about a text that is both historical and divine. When you come to one of our worship gatherings on Sunday night you'll see how we dedicated the vast majority of our time together to reading and reflecting upon one of the books in the Bible. Yet how we read and interpret it may be challenging to some, for we encourage people to not check their minds at the door - rather we value a thoughtful and humble faith, one that respects and welcomes the tough questions but does not assume that we (or I) possess the answer. Only God...
  

There are a couple more insights from the conversations/experiences I've had this week. But I'm getting sleepy. Tell me what you're thinking!

Killing the cult of personality one minister at a time...

I met this morning with James Wright, the owner of Tilt Coffee Shop (where we meet on Sunday nights). He asked me to write down the story of The Living Room. What I have come to realized is how my story is intertwined with the "birth narrative" of our emerging community of faith.


Central to my current pursuit in ministry is to kill the cult of personality that surrounds preachers and "professional Christians". I used to be a religious "player" - served at the largest Presbyterian church in the USA and was climbing the ladder to the top of some big steeple; that was until I was thrown off (thank you Jesus!). Now I'm back on the solid ground of mediocrity - and I love it!

Friends of The Living Room are aware of my story: how my then wife asked me for a divorce shorty after my severance ran out after being "resigned" from my job as the Associate Pastor at a large church in Florida (two years ago). I've been more than open about "my funk" with you - sometimes I worry too much so... who wants to worry about their "pastor"? don't we pay them to worry about us! That's part of the reason why I've chosen to do this ministry "part-time" - for me, the less financially dependent I am upon my church the better (though I've also realized that "time is money" and I deserve fair compensation for my time as your pastor).

Recently I had an amazing conversation while eating dinner at my new neighborhood bar/deli called Elliot Street. I sat down and struck up a conversation about faith and politics (two no-nos). I was a little afraid of what their response would be when I told them I was a minster. So much baggage related to my profession! But sometimes (in fact, more often than not) it opens doors for people to share important "stuff". Such was the occasion that night at Elliot Street. The questions flew... so, you're telling me you are a Democrat that voted for Obama, you're pro-choice and cool with gays AND... you're Christian (even paid for being one)!! It flew in the face of all they had assumed that it meant to be "Christian" - and to be honest it made me terribly sad. Why? Because they (and well, a lot more like them) assume that ALL Christians are conservative republican homophobs. That said - I want to be clear that the last thing I want is for people who come to The Living Room to believe the same way that I am personally committed. That would fly in the face of my commitment to kill the whole cult of personality around ministers. Catch my drift?

I am so thankful to be the pastor of this diverse, overly-educated, hodge podge followers of the Way. You've given me the freedom to be myself - "worts" and all (as Richard is fond of saying). Help me tell the story of The Living Room by posting a story about your experience(s) of The Living Room.