Holy Spirit Loop

Update: HELP! Does anyone out there have the necessary software to conver this WMV file to a MPEG or MOV? If so could you do so and send it to me (or upload it to your site and give me a link)? The folks that want to use it this weekend are all Macophiles and the file won’t work. Thanks!

For Pentecost I made this loop of images and Holy Spirit referencing scriptures, per the request of the venerable Sandie Brock. Its specificaly for our Pentecost Meeting on Saturday, but it works for any pneumanological thing.

Here it is if anyone would like to have a look or use for their own Pentecost meditation, worship gathering, house church fling, or whathaveyou:

Holy Spirit Loop (wmv 21 min. 15 MB)

I used primarily these three folks’ photos:
Alan Creech
Peter White
Lane Byrum (who I don’t know but apparently he lives in Cincy and I liked how he captured the urbanness and gravity of our fair city)
oh, and this photo – Fire @ Barneys – which I particularly like (which I used at the beginning and the thumbnail above).

Slowed down long enough for a picture

Slowed down long enough for a picture
Originally uploaded by aaronklinefelter.

The leg up in the air thing…. totally her Mother’s daughter. Click for some other fun Cloey pics.

Queen City Mission: House Church in the 'Nati

I blogged over at Queen City Mission. Here’s a copy n paste:

Per Michael’s pondeirng…

Does Cincinnati deserve this rep [of a lot of well established house churches in the city]? And if so, why are there so many house churches? Is there something about the cultural DNA of Cincinnati that has produced such a widespread phenomena? Or is Cincinnati but a snap shot of worldwide growth in house churches?

Its hard to tell if Cincy deserves this rep. I don’t have much to compare it to, I know we have lots of emerging-ish churches of the house-ish variety. Of course I don’t assume that emerging church = house church, far from it, but it does seem that the those emerging communities of faith in Cincinnati tend toward some variation of house church. I suspect it has something to do with seeds that were planted 10+ years ago by folks in the Big Vineyard in the small group “movement” and with folks who start little, no frills house churches back in the day. These folks tilled the soil, as it were, and now folks (like us) can come along and plant things that grow (hopefully).

Is there something about the DNA of the ‘Nati? Not sure, maybe. Cincinnati somehow has a urban-feel and small-town-feel at the same time. The distinctive neighborhoods probably helps.

I think there probably is something of a snapshot of a larger house church movement, too.

However, the cynic in me also wants to note that while there are several house church networks in Cincinnati they are mostly contained within the white middle-class culture, be that urban or suburban. In fact I would even be so irritating to point out that even those urban (think “inner city mission”) house churches are made up of non-native white folks who have, for good Godly reasons, taken a vow of poverty and presence to forego typical American consumerism. These urban house churches do not (Vineyard Central’s included) find themselves populated by ethnic diversity or lower socio-economic classes (note the propensity of bloggers, Macs, iPods, and the like). This is not a dis, rather a simple reality (as I see it, at least). I don’t think Cincinnati will really experience anything in the way of a “movement” (which I’m obliged to be suspicious of all things labeled “movements” in the current context) of house churches until or unless small ecclesial expressions start popping up in the true margins of our society – the poor, the disenfranchised minorities, the un-privileged.

God Play

LizBowater’s Xanga Site – God Play:

Maybe faith comes most alive when we can be brilliantly engaged in play with our God. Maybe it’s okay if our life of faith is let loose to get messy, wild, and scary. Maybe it’s okay if we walk away with scratches, sunburn, and bug-bites because when we walk away, we will be walking into the safety of the Church. It’s the Church community that helps us to set basic rules and parameters that maintain our safety–and our freedom.

Beautiful! Liz is really cool. I look forward to getting to know her better.

If I had a million dollars

I’d go to this.

Nicodemus and Butterfly

We’ve decided that its time to find a new home for our cats, Nicodemus and Butterfly. We want them to go to a good home… a place where they can go outside if they want and get lots of good lovin’. Their great pets, we just aren’t in a place where we can give much time and attention to them and they deserve more of that. Pluse we have several allergic friends who we’d like to have over for dinner! If you (or someone you know) is interested, please let me know – aaron at vineyardcentral dot com.

Podcast :: Galatians

Today as part of the review for their final, one of my Bible 10 classes recorded the entire letter of Galatians! They did a great job and did it in one take. There are a few kliches and tripped up words, but its 98% good to go. We did this one differently than the Revelation recording. No music, I liked hearing the ambient noise of the rest of the class in the background (they were supposedly studying for other finals). Its a straight through reading with 5 students taking part. Way to Go!

Galatians (NLT, 10 MB, 23 min.)

Sweet Darkness

This is how I feel today….

Sweet Darkness at inward /outward:

By David Whyte

You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn

anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive

is too small for you.

Source: The House of Belonging”

The Phobia List

The Phobia List: “Zemmiphobia- Fear of the great mole rat.”

Vineyard Central | Saving Saint Elizabeth

Vineyard Central | Saving Saint Elizabeth
From Eric Hansen:

May 22, 2006

Now I’ve done it. I’ve spoken this out as well at Sunday’s service

There were several people who expressed enthusiasm for the project, so there is initial support. (An aside:
For Elaine and me, one of the wonderful things about Vineyard Central is that ideas are supported and encouraged. It really helps us stay enthusiastic)

Okay. As to where we are now:

What we now need is commitment to participate so that we can schedule a project kick-off meeting. I think we need a team of at least 3, but not limited to 3. Anyone who is willing to participate should at least come to the initial kick-off meeting, because that?s when we?ll start looking at how much work is needed and what kind of time commitment will be required, as well as the kinds of activities that could be included under the heading Saving Saint Elizabeth (although Restoring Saint Elizabeth is probablay more accurate). This may actually take a couple of meetings, becuase I typically don’t like meetings that go over two hours, and so will try to limit these initial meetings to that amount of time.

My hope is that we can find ways for many, many people to participate in ways large and small, but we will need that core team that is willing to do some unglamorous, time-consuming, perhaps to some boring, routine work. Right now, I sort of think of this as a team of executive producers/producers.

At least some of the tasks take place during the kick-off sessions will be team building, brainstorming, identifying roles, identifying next steps, and accepting assignments and responsibility for one or more of those next steps.

If you are interested in attending the kick-off, email your contact information to me or post it here.

Eric Hansen
ehansen@one.net