Sacred Digital: Chuckk Gerwig

The Official Elevation Launch last Sunday was a blessing and a blast. Omar and the band rocked so hard it knocked the porcelain off the potties in the adjacent bathrooms! Worship happened, people were engaged in the teaching time and there were lots of good vibes, smiles and nods. 167 people turned out for the evening. 26 people came out afterwards for AfterHours to spend some post service time together.

Andrea and her environment team made the tattoo parlor inspired big red environment wonderful. They even went so far as to spray green-soap in the air to give the room the smell of a tattoo parlor as people arrived.

You can hear the message Tattoo: Marked for Life - Marked By Jesus at the Elevation website (we'll have every week's teaching online there and at iTunes). You can get to our site at www.elevationSC.org - look under Media. Also check out the skimboard photo art of Kerry Carpenter in our Media tab.

BUMMER, this week some alien robots from Pluto ( which is evidently not a planet anymore) introduced distortion into our sacred recording devices, it's still listenable but parts are distorted a bit. We will kill all alien robots this Sunday.

This week's message: Jesus, Marked by us...

On the iPod:

"Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" (Foo Fighters)

hehehe. Trunk Monkey makes me laugh out loud.

Oh yeah...Please pray for Elevation as we prepare to officially launch into weekly services in 11 days! - Sunday Jan. 27th.

On the iPod: "Transatlanticism" (Death Cab for Cutie)

Originally uploaded by harleystrat

This Christmas I got to be Santa, S Cruz style. We had Christmas caroling on the cliffs overlooking the bay at the lighthouse at Steamers Lane. We invited our town to come sing, have hot chocolate and candy canes and take pictures with Santa.

The waves were crashing, people were singing and little kids were excited to see Santa. I want to do this every year now! Merry Christmas

-Santa Chuckk

Those of you who attended TestDrive #1 (and who know me) know I really care about visuals, so here's an article that I resonated with and want to pass on for your reading pleasure. See, I'm not the only one who is projection obsessed :).

Better yet check this guy's design gallery out!

BTW: Testdrive #2 = next Sunday 6:30-8pm!

ht: Cynthia Ware

on the iPod: "Charles Mingus Finest Hour" (Charles Mingus)

Higher quality YouTube is on the way, be thinking how you / we might utilize this new higher quality distribution system for ministry / art. What could we do with greater video quality that would have been useless and artless on OldLow FiYouTube?

On The iPod:

"Sawdust" (The Killers)

COUNTDOWN!!! - 10 days till our first elevation TestDrive worship service
Sunday Nov. 11th 6:30pm -8:00pm @ SCBC.
If you're local bring everyone you know.

Dave Mats and his band Kokua will lead worship, all the new video screens will be installed for a fresh new shock n awe retina massage, the too loud iTunes pre-party playlist includes: Mute Math, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Matchbox 20. I'll be sharing the how and why to get a deep earful from God's Word when you open the Bible on your own.

Plan to stay for elevation AfterHours - - - 7 screen U2 concert video, homemade cookie-tasting, caffeine pollution and board-games tables are in effect after the service for community building and calorie collection.

U R loved. -chuckk

If you are planning to upgrade to Mac osX Leopard HERE is a great article you might want to read to git er done correktlee with little drama.

Keep your eyes open for a major announcement from Steve Jobs and Apple Inc.: looks like another new operating system Mac osXX Meerkat will be coming soon...

Dan Kimball's father passed away last week, keep Dan and his family in your prayers! Josh and Dan asked me to fill in preaching at Vintage Faith Church yesterday as Dan tended to his father's funeral. It was a blessing and a privilege.

God is doing great things at VFC. My buddy the anointed and wildly good looking Josh Fox led worship - it was really passionate and exciting. The room was packed to overflowing with people in their 20's and early 30's and God's presence and pleasure was obvious. It is always encouraging to preach into the lives of really receptive young people. I can't wait to get going with Elevation gatherings, it really energized me to to be at VFC.

Keep November 11th open for our Elevation TestDrive 6:30-8pm in the Santa Cruz Bible Church Student Center -we're getting a bunch of the long overdue very very cool lighting fixes done, we're putting in 3 more video projectors and FINALLY turning the Student Center into a non distracting and well designed space for people to meet with God. Charge!

On the iPod: "Pink Floyd - Pulse" (David Mallet)

Official Disclaimer: I'm not a big Willow Creek "seeker sensitive" program guy (but God has certainly used them in great ways).

Check these videos out though, Willow is evaluating their effectiveness, look what they have found. Maybe we can all benefit from evaluating the program-centric mindset.

On the iPod: "Mute Math" (Mute Math)

Mix a little religious legalism and a little 21st century technology and you will find new problems... Legalism is not a problem facing only Christians, our human nature is to make rules and laws that encumber the pure knowledge of God with the philosophies and traditions of this world. With legalism comes bondage and complexity whether you are a follower of Jesus, Muhammad or the Easter Bunny.

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. - Colossians 2:8 - (from New International Version)

A meditation: What are the freedom robbing, life complicating extraBiblical rules, traditions and encumbrances that I bow to?

Further Directions:
1. Place extraBiblical legalistic laws in escape hatch
2. Push button marked " Jettison"

My current fav Mac Dashboard Widget is the YouTube Widget.

If you download the ut widget you just hit f-12 and your Dashboard appears and whoooosh you can view the latest YouTube vids without even loading your web browser. YouTube is a culture barometer and world class info source, it's worth keeping track of ...and it's filled with fun stupidity too.

Another nice widget with more eternal value is the Logos Bible Widget.

Today is my last day as a"professional" youth pastor. The last 24 years have been consumed with high school students and their world, it's been really fun!

This weekend I officiated at a wedding for one of my old students from 15 years ago. Much of that core group of old "kids" were there ( they are now all around their 30's), we reminisced for hours about the wonderful life and ministry we shared together years ago. Many of them are key volunteer ministers and a few are vocational ministers now, what a blessing. God provides just the right conclusions to life chapters. Thank you Jesus - life if GOOD!

Tomorrow starts a new chapter, Elevation. I'm on stoked.

Christianity as a religion continues to become less and less respected by the average person on the street. This article at the Barna Research Site confirms what many of us experience in our interactions with not yet Christians. Worth a read.

NOTE: the previously linked article was incorrect. My thanks to the amazingly vigilant Dan Kimball for catching the error! The article link is now correct. TKX Dan.

ht: Thud

Video-games are impacting our culture in huge ways... but are often outside the knowledge of many ministry leaders. Many church leaders go out of their way to keep up with current books and films but often are vaporous in the v-game knowledge department. The narratives of games like Halo and World of Warcraft are the frame of reference for many humans (and orcs and elves) in the emerging generation. Guess what, these players aren't just teenagers anymore.

In the midst of many of these games are stories of good vs evil, redemption, sacrifice and greed... sermon-food. For example...

More reason to buy a faster computer or console system as ministry research tools!

How do you "like to think of Jesus"?  It's vital that we see Him as He is and not as we wish He is- here's a great video clip for a sermon and some personal reflection.

I'm off to Lake Tahoe for our annual SCBC staff retreat tomorrow - fellowship Jetskis and fun.  It will be fun to get away with Andrea for a few days; we'll ride the Harley up and back which will make for a nice long ride together.  I love my wife and going riding together is a special time

I was in a couple of airports last week.  Airports are strange; if you travel alone, even though you are surrounded  by throngs of people there is a  certain loneliness.

Loneliness in a crowd is a sad thing. 

For many folks coming to church services or visiting a church is a "lonely in a crowd" experience, they come in sit alone, are un-recognized, un-embraced, alone  -in a crowd.  There is usually a cold empty seat or two between them and the other people in the room - the 14" gap of sadness.  

A friend of mine mentioned that she recently visited a new church and felt "like she had been invited to someone's home for a meal and was then completely ignored". 

Promotion minus hospitality = loneliness in the pews.

How could this be different?   ...begins with One

I got back from Alabama in one piece, nice place, nice people and great chicken wings! 

Tomorrow will be fun.  After church I will be jumping on my Harley and heading for San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for the 40th anniversary celebration of the Summer of Love . 

A special treat will be that my friend Omar Spence will be lead singing for the resurrection / reunion of the SF band Moby Grape.  Omar's dad (who is deceased) was the legendary and tragic Skip Spence of Moby Grape.  Skip Spence was the American incarnation of Syd Barrett. Omar will be taking his dad's place in the band, it will be really special. 

There will be a great line up of old hippie bands, now balding and grey making the groovy scene in the old cosmic park.  I imagine I'll witness at least one old codger taking off his oxygen mask to hit a joint as his bald spot burns under the hot afternoon sun.  Find out about the concert here. 

Peace baby.

Jesus loves the poor.  In fact, Jesus was poor.

Ever hear a message that just sucked you in and made you ask yourself "how do I need to change - right NOW?" 

Tim Keller's stellar sermon "Doing Justice" is one of those messages you HAVE to hear, it's simply that good and that important.  Compassion and action are words that are vital to Elevation thinking.  It's vital that we continue to learn from the Word of God and evaluate our actions and thoughts from the Eternal Standard.

Listen to this message, it can be downloaded to your mp3 player or listened to directly on your computer.

Caution: if you listen to this before bed as I did your mind may be very awake for a while! 

Peter tells us in his first epistle " always be ready to give reason for the hope that is within you". 

Question , how many people have asked you about this lately? 

Maybe we need to develop deeper relationships so that people can see the hope and joy inside our lives and want to know where the well of such things is located... 

Ed Stetzer has some ideas on how to get started in these postmodern times.  Great thoughts on starting "spiritual discussions" - worth a read : HERE. 

Elevators, read this one.

Missional churches are very different than Seeker churches, the wonderful Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church explains the difference.  Breath mission my friends.

Find Out About The Elevation Dream: keep THIS Tuesday evening August 7th free for Ele-Vision, a vision-cast, Q&A and prayer evening for Elevation. -6:30pm @ the Santa Cruz Bible Coffeehouse.  God is brewing something tasty for Santa Cruz and beyond, come find out if He is calling you to cook along with Him at Elevation.

LOGO UPDATE: A huge thanks to everyone who has been submitting Elevation logos, we have a bunch of nice candidates already!  If you'd like to join the fun and submit a logo for Elevation there's still time - we'll be taking submissions through the end of July!  Logo submissions details are found at THIS entry.  We'll pick one official logo and use the other entries over time for special events and the like.

On The iPod: Joe Walsh - So What  This album along with his amazing "The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get"  are among the most soulful classic rock albums of all time.  They remind me of driving across snow covered West Virginia in my cousin's red Firebird when I was a young kid.  My cousin had both albums on 8 track and they were the soundtrack for the long snowy drive to my grandfather's funeral.

On July 12th I blogged about Scot McKnight and his series of articles on Missional Jesus.  Small world... this morning I found out that Scot is here in Denmark at this very conference, I just spoke with him a moment ago after he finished his session challenging the Danes to missional living.  It was strange to have met him here after just writing about him.  Also, the first night we were here the Glen Kaiser Band played, remember the Res Band? - great blues and boogie!  Also I didn't know I'd run into some of those Bog Bodies I had read about - but Tuesday we were out in town and saw some dead guys at a museum...spooky crusty old dudes...  The picture below is of a bog man, Glen Kaiser is aged but is better preserved.

On The iPod - Stone Temple Pilots - Purple

Yesterday I spend a couple of hot hours digging in the dirt.  The whole camp of over 2000 adults left the conference grounds, dispersed into the surrounding area and served the town of Odder at 600 different ministry sites.  It was great seeing cars filled with people leaving the conference to serve the local people with the love of Jesus.  It was fun jumping into cars with strangers to go to Danish people's homes not knowing if the driver or the people you were headed out to meet would speak English. My job was to go with a group of people to a woman's home to clear brush, dig out her garden from a mass of overgrowth, trim trees and get her yard in back in order.  She is an older single lady who really needed the help and appreciated it very much, she said it was all to much for her to upkeep - we preached the gospel of sweat, kindness and love with our hands.

While we were working I met a great young man named Martin, he is studying theology in Copenhagen.  As we worked we talked a bit about the need for churches globally to engage the culture of this new time.  Young leaders everywhere are feeling the need for the church to understand the cultures they live in and make the beautiful unchanging Gospel understandable to the people of this generation.

I mentioned some good books to Martin, so Martin, here are the names of those books.

The Shaping of things To Come - Frost and Hirsch

The Emerging Church - Dan Kimball

The second phase of our trip is beginning, we have finally completed the festival set up.  This event is amazing there are huge meeting tents everywhere, and now bands, vendors and campers are arriving.   We will set up our small camping tents today and get ready or th onslaught of 3000 festival-goers.  This is exciting.  As you know there are very few Christ followers in Denmark and we are in the midst of the largest gathering of those people in this country.  Is it wonderful to see the small community of Christ-lovers God is calling together to pursue a fresh reformation here in Denmark --there is a prayer request in this.   It has become clear that our mission here is to encourage and serve the local leaders that God has raised up in this country - this is worth doing, something is afoot in this country!  The local church leaders know little about the Emerging Church but are doing emergent things by nature, they desire to reach this generation with fresh methods and Biblical faithfulness- I wish I could take some of these young leaders with me to start Elevation. 

Tomorrow the festival officially starts, half out team will be running a wild middle-schooler program the other half will be coming with me to lead a prayer ministry for the 15-25 year olds in another area of the festival grounds.  We will be laying hands on and praying for people that respond after the meetings.  They provided a nice how to pray "over people" training time for our sub team, the kids are feeling excited and challenged to be providing shepherding care and prayer for people face to face! 

So into the human fray we go for a week, then next week after the festival is over we will tear down the whole camp...that will probably be the most physically challenging event in the life of almost everyone here - weeeeee!!!

 --Scot McKnight, the author of The Jesus Creed  is a very intelligent man and has written an excellent series of blogs on the missionality of Jesus.  There are 15 "Missional Jesus" posts (so far) in the series. I recommend reading them all in 1 - 15 order.  Here is the page where the most recent post is found and you can navigate backwards to post number one from there. 

If you may be an Elevat-or or Eleva-trix in the future, read through these posts I think they will bless you.  As you read ask you: what was truly important to Jesus?  What was and is the Missio Dei?  How could Elevation  be formed as a mob obsessed with the Mission of Jesus?