charlieDEAN’S Blog

I started this blog on December 15, 2004. At the time, I was on staff at a large church and my goal in starting the blog was to shorten the distance between myself and the people that I served in my ministry — to allow them to see the “real” me as I struggled, laughed, learned, and figured life out, step by step. I thought, at the time, that blogging would be a great tool for helping you, the reader, to see that pastors — at least this one — struggle with normal stuff — and aren’t really that different from anyone else.

But over the last couple months, I haven’t felt the same. The blog has become something I write, not because I’m excited to post something but because I feel like I have to get something new up. More importantly, there has been a growing list of topics that I want to write about, but don’t feel like this is the best format.

God is really leading me on an exciting journey of emergence in my life — of leading me into new understandings of leadership, church, theology, culture & spirituality. And it’s all good, and so much of it is exciting and deserves hours of conversation. And yet, in the midst of emergence, things are sometimes a little sloppy — sometimes a little scary & undefined. I’m okay with the tensions, but at this time, feel like I’d just be sticking my face out to get my nose cut off.

So, this is my final post. On the way home from Kansas City on Saturday, I bounced this idea of some of my most trusted friends, and then on Sunday night, I trusted my small group to give some guidance. And we all think, that this is the best thing for Charlie for now.

I’ll probably start a new blog, just for family to share pictures and stories. And I’m going to do more writing for myself, and see where it leads.

Thank you for journeying with me. Thank you for all your comments. Thank you for all your encouragements.

Session Title: Entering Narrative - Embracing the Power of Story

My biggest takeaway: Our modern understanding of what it means to be a pastor domesticates the imagination — it instead values control and safety and “doing ministry” instead of wild pursuit of God in one’s context that allows for unique expressions of what it means to be “God’s people.

The application to Imago Dei is HUGE!  It’s funny as we start out, how people want to define us and figure out which church model we’re copying.  Truth is…we’re not trying to copy anyone!  We’re trying to unleash our imaginations and in the process become something unique to Peoria, IL - and that does not mean simply copying something someone else is doing somewhere else.

Here’s a link to a .pdf of my notes. Intuitive Leadership Conference Session Two

I’m sitting once again in the prayer room at IHOP during the night watch — with three great friends.  It’s been just over a year since I came here the first time.  (Here’s the first of a series of posts from my first visit.  By the way… check out the timestamp of that first post and then look at the time I wrote the title for this post.  Weird))

My experience tonight, walking into the room was that it is a place a rest for me.  A place where I don’t have a real agenda… a place I can just sit here and be the “Beloved.”  I’ve been feling a little ragged the last couple of weeks…so this is good.

My reflection tonight is centered around Psalm 61

(What am I doing in Kansas City anyway?  Stay tuned over the next couple of days and I’ll tell you more.)

This morning, I got an early start on Earth Day observances by heading out to Jubilee State Park and chaperoning a field trip.

The Brimfield 1st & 3rd graders planted almost 800 trees and numerous prarie grasses.  Here’s two pictures: one of my posse in the woods planting Burr Oaks and the other of all the parents and students:

Adam, our worship music leader at Imago Dei has been working on me…

I often refer to it as “worship music” or “worship leader,” but he always reminds me that everything we do is supposed to be an act of worship…

so, the singing we do on Sunday as a community is a part of our worship, but it is definitely not THE worship.  so, we’re calling it “singing” or “music” as a reminder that worship is a lot bigger than singing.

(it’s hard to teach yourself a new way of speaking…i keep messing up.)

My wife doesn’t get me.  I have a lot of Dave Matthews Band music.  What she doesn’t get is that in my collection, there are songs that I have 4-5 different live versions of.

This really speaks to the issue of the value of a “live” album.  Years ago, music fans hated live albums because the recordings were terrible.  However, I think that today live albums are just as well mastered as studio albums.  Personally, I prefer live albums over studio albums…you get more of a “feel” for the song that isn’t as over-processed.

All of this to say: I recently got the album “The I Heart Revolution” by Hillsong United.  If you’re a big United fan, there isn’t much new here…a lot of songs that are on other albums, except on this album they are live.  It’s good.

If you like United…you’ll love hearing your favorite songs done a little differently…

If you don’t have any United albums, but like some of their songs, this is a great collection of worship music.

I started Alan Hirschs’s book The Forgotten Ways: reactivating the missional church this morning.  In the introduction he raises this question that I thought would be fun to kick around a little bit here.  Based on the research of Rodney Stark in his book The Rise of Christianity, Hirsch creates this excercise

A.D. 100 — there were as few as 25,000 Christians spread across the Roman Empire

A.D. 310 — there were up to 20,000,000 Christians

How?

Consider the following in your answer:

• it was an illegal religion until 310
• no church buildings
• scripture as we know it didn’t exist
• no institutions or formal leadership structures
• no “contemporary” bands, seeker-services, seminaries, or commentaries
• they made it hard to join with significant initiation periods

So, how do you think they did it?

The way I see it, if you’re a popular band creating a new album, you have a choice to make: go for a totally new sound, following your creative impluses — seeking new ideas, and risk alienating your fans, OR, you churn out the same old stuff in different packaging making your fans happy at the risk of your own creative evolution.

I think Lifehouse chooses the first option in their new album “Who We Are.” It’s very predictable-sounding. In fact, as I listened the first time, I kept thinking, “I think I’ve heard this song before.”

Having said that, if you like previous Lifehouse CD’s and don’t like to be suprised…get this CD.

as an aside: the song Storm is a beautiful picture of the life of faith.

Well, this series of posts has obviously hit a cord with quite a few of you.  I just want to say a couple things — general responses that I don’t want to get buried in the comments!

• First — a special shout out to the Mars Hill folks who have tried to help us understand.  I have no idea how you found our discussion here, but you’ve enriched the discussion with first-hand experiences of what God is doing in your midst!

• First, I’m probably not going to comment anymore.  I have this growing weariness in my soul about playing arm-chair quarterback with other churches (I’m often as guilty as anyone else).  Sadly, it seems that there are more critics of this movement and that movement who really aren’t doing much for the kingdom…and meanwhile people continue to walk down that path that leads to destruction and people go thirsty & hungry today and people today will die all over the world due to completely preventable diseases while we debate whether you pass the offering plates or put them in the back.  I mean, WHO CARES!  It’s just a preference.

• Can we all assume that each other has the best intentions?  I believe that Rob Bell & Mars Hill is seriously seeking after God for how to be the most faithful Mars Hill that they know how to be in Grand Rapids.  I believe that Rick Warren is seriously seeking after God for how to be the most faithful Saddleback that they know how to be in southern Orange County, CA.  I know that our leadership team is seeking after God wrestling with what it means for us to be faithful to where God is leading us in Peoria, IL.  I may not agree with this church or that church and how they do this or that, but that’s irrelevant (ref. John 21:20-22)

• And finally.  Mars Hill is A way to do church, not THE way.  Willow Creek is A way to do church, not THE way.  Reformed, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic, charismatic, contemplative, (fill in your own tradition or preference here) are all ways to do church, none of them are THE way!

Sigh…I feel better now.

grace & peace!