the way i listen to music has changed. to be honest, with the addition of Spotify (and now Spotify Premium) to my listening habits, as well as SiriusXM and even internet radio, my music consumption has changed.
i don't think i purchased as much music this year - at least not from iTunes - although i did purchase some via Amazon.com, much of what i listened to this year was via Spotify. I'd routinely use the Shazaam app on my iPhone to 'tag' certain songs that i liked and heard on SiriusXM, then i'd build playlists of said songs in Spotify or on iTunes.
On SiriusXM, most of my listening consisted of channels 33, 34, 35 & 36. (33 is New Wave; 34 is Lithium - grundge from the 90's; while 35 is XMU - indie rock and 36 is Alt nation). XMU fulfilled the majority of my music time this year (or at least since April, when we got 6 months free of SiriusXM)
So i listened to a lot of new music this year - but out of that, i'd say that i listened to more singles than albums. But none-the-less, here is a list of my favorite albums of 2012 - in no particular order.
Of Monsters and Men - My Head is an Animal
Metric - Synthetica
Bear in Heaven - I Love You, It's Cool
Grizzly Bear - Shields
Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
The XX - Coexist
Mumford & Sons - Babel
The Lumineers - s/t
DIIV - Oshin
Tame Impala - Lonerism
Loscil - Sketches from New Brighton
Sola-Mi - Nexus
Josh Garrels - Love & War: B-Sides & Rarities
Dum Dum Girls - End of Daze
Beach House - Bloom
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
Here are some great singles from 2012:
Purity Ring – Fineshrine
Silversun Pickups – The Pit
Passion Pit – Take A Walk
Of Monsters And Men – Mountain Sound
Mumford & Sons – Lover of the Light
Grimes – Oblivion
alt-J – Fitzpleasure
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti – Only In My Dreams
Atoms For Peace – Default
Beach Fossils – Shallow
Beach House – Wild
Django Django – Default
Dan Croll – From Nowhere
Dum Dum Girls – Lord Knows
First Aid Kit – Emmylou
Royal Teeth – Wild
Japandroids – Adrenaline Nightshift
Muse – Survival
Grizzly Bear – Yet Again
Santigold – Disparate Youth
Imagine Dragons – It's Time
Lord Huron – Time To Run
The Chevin – Champion
Blondfire – Where The Kids Are
White Rabbits – Heavy Metal
Wild Nothing – Shadow
Pinback – Proceed to Memory
Youngblood Hawke – We Come Running
Metz – Sad Pricks
Metric – Youth Without Youth
Bear In Heaven – The Reflection Of You
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Consider the Lilies
(originally published in Release Magazine ©1991 by Rich Mullins)
Did I forget to tell you that He loved lilies? It is well-known and much overlooked fact of His life--as known and overlooked as the lilies He loved. And it's a puzzling fact, too. Why lilies? Why especially lilies?
Maybe He loved lilies for being white, the way many people love roses for being red. Maybe it was because of the brilliant green of their long, slender stalks or the glorious, darker green of their leaves. Maybe He loved them because their blooms looked like trumpets and their leaves resembled swords. It could have been their simplicity, it might have been their commonness. It may have been because of all of that and it just as easily could have been because of none of that at all. But it seems like He loved them.
In the Sermon on the Mount--a sermon that predated the birth of Christianity, a sermon so profound and timeless that it would endure throughout the history of Christianity and would (in fact) shape and distinguish the character of everything Christian--Jesus pointed to lilies as examples of a splendor superior to that of Solomon's. He considered them to be better dressed than kings--lilies, that is (and a lily is one of the most naked flowers known to us). He did not apparently blush or stutter when He commanded His flowers to consider them. He gave that command with the same authority that He gave the command to "let your light so shine" and the command to "turn the other cheek." It is an astonishing command maybe because lilies are astonishing flowers or maybe given because Jesus was an astonishing man.
After all, He had a certain fondness for sparrows and did not consider their care and feeding beneath the dignity of God--though God's care and dignity (Jesus would assert) is beyond the comprehension of men. It was God's Spirits that led Him into the wilderness where He fasted and spent forty days (Mark tells us) "with the wild animals." It is easy, considering this attitude about lilies and sparrows, to imagine (and yes, this is imagination and certainly not revelation) that He spent that time romping with those creatures, not cowering from them and thus in His person, partially fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy about a "peaceable Kingdom of the Branch."
If this was the whole picture of Christ, we could easily write Him off as the nature lover with a heavy Hebrew orientation. But this is where the love of lilies throws us a curve--He loved men. It was to the end that they might be saved that He came. This man who looked at flowers and loved them, also looked at an arrogant young human and loved him. He who romped forty days with the wild animals, spent and worked three years with yet a more savage and brutal species--man. He who rejoiced in God's providence for sparrows miraculously fed a crowd of 5,000 people on one occasion and 3,000 on another. His attention and affection was not won by the attractive and the beautiful--His glance and His love made things and people attractive and beautiful. The touch of His hand would give sight to the blind and from the hem of His garment flowed healing.
And even if someone would (and why should they) doubt the accounts of His miracles, I can testify myself I had never seen a lily until He showed me one. I had never heard a sparrow until His voice unplugged my ears. I had never known love until met Him...and He is love.
So, all those things He did that we call "miracles" became believable to us because Christ, who performed them, operated out of love--and love (His love at least) has a height and depth and breadth and length that reach beyond the dimensions of mere reason. And while reasons my be found within His love, no reason would be able to contain His love. It is possible that He loved lilies because He is love and that He feeds sparrows for the same reason. It is possibly that the evidence of His divinity lies in that love--that in light of love, miracles seem sort of unremarkable. If God can love me, the rest will follow. And Jesus Christ is, for me, the evidence of God's unreasonable and unsolicited attentiveness, His unearned favor, His incomprehensible love.
Did I forget to mention that He loved lilies?
Did I forget to tell you that He loved lilies? It is well-known and much overlooked fact of His life--as known and overlooked as the lilies He loved. And it's a puzzling fact, too. Why lilies? Why especially lilies?
Maybe He loved lilies for being white, the way many people love roses for being red. Maybe it was because of the brilliant green of their long, slender stalks or the glorious, darker green of their leaves. Maybe He loved them because their blooms looked like trumpets and their leaves resembled swords. It could have been their simplicity, it might have been their commonness. It may have been because of all of that and it just as easily could have been because of none of that at all. But it seems like He loved them.
In the Sermon on the Mount--a sermon that predated the birth of Christianity, a sermon so profound and timeless that it would endure throughout the history of Christianity and would (in fact) shape and distinguish the character of everything Christian--Jesus pointed to lilies as examples of a splendor superior to that of Solomon's. He considered them to be better dressed than kings--lilies, that is (and a lily is one of the most naked flowers known to us). He did not apparently blush or stutter when He commanded His flowers to consider them. He gave that command with the same authority that He gave the command to "let your light so shine" and the command to "turn the other cheek." It is an astonishing command maybe because lilies are astonishing flowers or maybe given because Jesus was an astonishing man.
After all, He had a certain fondness for sparrows and did not consider their care and feeding beneath the dignity of God--though God's care and dignity (Jesus would assert) is beyond the comprehension of men. It was God's Spirits that led Him into the wilderness where He fasted and spent forty days (Mark tells us) "with the wild animals." It is easy, considering this attitude about lilies and sparrows, to imagine (and yes, this is imagination and certainly not revelation) that He spent that time romping with those creatures, not cowering from them and thus in His person, partially fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy about a "peaceable Kingdom of the Branch."
If this was the whole picture of Christ, we could easily write Him off as the nature lover with a heavy Hebrew orientation. But this is where the love of lilies throws us a curve--He loved men. It was to the end that they might be saved that He came. This man who looked at flowers and loved them, also looked at an arrogant young human and loved him. He who romped forty days with the wild animals, spent and worked three years with yet a more savage and brutal species--man. He who rejoiced in God's providence for sparrows miraculously fed a crowd of 5,000 people on one occasion and 3,000 on another. His attention and affection was not won by the attractive and the beautiful--His glance and His love made things and people attractive and beautiful. The touch of His hand would give sight to the blind and from the hem of His garment flowed healing.
And even if someone would (and why should they) doubt the accounts of His miracles, I can testify myself I had never seen a lily until He showed me one. I had never heard a sparrow until His voice unplugged my ears. I had never known love until met Him...and He is love.
So, all those things He did that we call "miracles" became believable to us because Christ, who performed them, operated out of love--and love (His love at least) has a height and depth and breadth and length that reach beyond the dimensions of mere reason. And while reasons my be found within His love, no reason would be able to contain His love. It is possible that He loved lilies because He is love and that He feeds sparrows for the same reason. It is possibly that the evidence of His divinity lies in that love--that in light of love, miracles seem sort of unremarkable. If God can love me, the rest will follow. And Jesus Christ is, for me, the evidence of God's unreasonable and unsolicited attentiveness, His unearned favor, His incomprehensible love.
Did I forget to mention that He loved lilies?
Monday, October 22, 2012
on the brink: the cuban missile crisis remembered
“Our goal is not the victory of might, but the vindication of right — not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom, here in this hemisphere, and, we hope, around the world.” – President John F. Kennedy in his speech to the nation on Oct. 22, 196250 years ago, our nation and our world were on the brink of something catastrophic. The Cuban Missile Crisis spanned 13 nervous days in October 1962, in which Nuclear War with Russia (and WWIII) seemed eminent. Then President John F. Kennedy gracefully and cautiously navigated us through it, and disaster was avoided.
Back from the Brink - article
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Wednesday, October 03, 2012
next steps
as part of my new role as director of discipleship at wadsworth united methodist church i've create a discipleship blog, titled NEXT STEPS. it is my goal to share short, simple inspiring and empowering words, videos, images and quotes to help disciples of Christ navigate their faith journey throughout the week. check it out: http://disciplesteps.tumblr.com
i hope to keep blogging here at fantastic distraction - it's something i've been doing for 8 years now. i took a bit of a hiatus this past summer - but i'll hopeful and confident i will get back at it.
i have to be honest, i'm still striving to find my rhythm here in the midst of new surroundings. it's taken perhaps longer than expected. i've not blogged as much, read as much, ran as much... but it's been busy (not that that is anything to brag about.) so i aim to establish new rhythms here in the near future. God is revealing things to me and my family, this i know... but in the midst of all things new, i'm slowing navigating my own new journey of faith, and slowly discovering new forms of expression.
a challenge, no doubt, but a welcomed one at that. God has given us all purpose and vision. i know a destination is in front of me - at this point, the journey is the destination.
next steps. one foot in front of the other...
i hope to keep blogging here at fantastic distraction - it's something i've been doing for 8 years now. i took a bit of a hiatus this past summer - but i'll hopeful and confident i will get back at it.
i have to be honest, i'm still striving to find my rhythm here in the midst of new surroundings. it's taken perhaps longer than expected. i've not blogged as much, read as much, ran as much... but it's been busy (not that that is anything to brag about.) so i aim to establish new rhythms here in the near future. God is revealing things to me and my family, this i know... but in the midst of all things new, i'm slowing navigating my own new journey of faith, and slowly discovering new forms of expression.
a challenge, no doubt, but a welcomed one at that. God has given us all purpose and vision. i know a destination is in front of me - at this point, the journey is the destination.
next steps. one foot in front of the other...
Monday, October 01, 2012
my window
as i look out my window of my newly inhabited office (for about two months now) i see an empty parking lot, with pristine white lines marking spaces for cars to park. i see trees that are changing hues as i type. from green to red and orange and various shades in between. the road beyond is slightly sloped with patches of tar, a repaired reminder of the cracks now covered up. and to the left, a basketball hoop with a busted rim, angling towards the asphalt below. and a frayed net taboot.
to the houses across the street, what do they see when they look out their bay windows? what are we? how are we perceived? are we mere bricks and mortar? a parking lot and a building? an eyesore in the midst of a residential area? a business that becomes an inconvenience on the weekend? with the cars and the traffic that appear? a church that is concerned about its own, yet can't fix the basketball hoop so that neighborhood kids can play?
on this afternoon of inactivity i can't help but wonder what we are. where we stand. how we are seen - if even at all.
a mail truck now appears on the street. the mail man delivers mail to each residence, proof of their existence, even though we don't know them. he knows their names. we do not.
this is our picture. we are the church. we have good intentions. we love Jesus. but we are not capitalizing on the opportunity that may very well be right outside our windows. Lord, give us eyes to see, not mere projects, but people. people who need you and who want to encounter you, even if they've yet to realize it... perhaps even in the littlest of things.. may we go and be Jesus, not to the world, but first to our street. through fixed basketball hoops and outstretched hands of generosity and hospitality.
to the houses across the street, what do they see when they look out their bay windows? what are we? how are we perceived? are we mere bricks and mortar? a parking lot and a building? an eyesore in the midst of a residential area? a business that becomes an inconvenience on the weekend? with the cars and the traffic that appear? a church that is concerned about its own, yet can't fix the basketball hoop so that neighborhood kids can play?
on this afternoon of inactivity i can't help but wonder what we are. where we stand. how we are seen - if even at all.
a mail truck now appears on the street. the mail man delivers mail to each residence, proof of their existence, even though we don't know them. he knows their names. we do not.
this is our picture. we are the church. we have good intentions. we love Jesus. but we are not capitalizing on the opportunity that may very well be right outside our windows. Lord, give us eyes to see, not mere projects, but people. people who need you and who want to encounter you, even if they've yet to realize it... perhaps even in the littlest of things.. may we go and be Jesus, not to the world, but first to our street. through fixed basketball hoops and outstretched hands of generosity and hospitality.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Not of this World
13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth." ~John 17:13-19
What an amazing scripture. What an amazing prayer. Jesus is in the garden... it’s the night before his eventual death and demise... and he’s recounting to God the Father all that he has said and done and taught the faithful disciples.
“I have told them many things so they may be filled with joy."
“I have given them your word.”
“Protect them from the evil one.”
“Make them holy.”
I love it when Jesus says “They (the disciples) do not belong to the world any more than I do.”
Jesus, in essence, calls the disciples, the faithful ones, aliens. Foreigners. Outsiders. Something was different about them now. But Jesus didn’t ask them to be taken away from this world - to be taken away from the challenges that come to those who follow. Jesus knew their potential. He knew what had to happen next. He’d go to the cross - sacrifice Himself - so the faithful few could be made holy. Sanctified. Set apart. By doing so, He set in motion a path for transformation and the world would never be the same.
What an amazing prayer, a prayer for any follower of Jesus - a hopeful inspiration to us all. What’s the least we could do for the One who gave his all for us to live? What if we all truly claimed that prayer and accepted being ‘made holy’ and set apart? What if we lived as aliens, foreigners and outsiders? Maybe the world would take notice. Maybe others would say ‘there’s something different about you. I want what you’ve got.’
Accept the words of the Father. They have been given to us by His son, Jesus. Accept God’s truth. Change the world, just as the disciples did. Jesus believed in their ability. He believes in your ability, also.
Monday, June 04, 2012
the 3 Muscles of Visual Life
In this Intel Visual Life short documentary, Michael Wolff, co-founder of Wolff Olins Agency and considered one of the preeminent visionaries and perhaps the father of 20th century brand expression and identity, talks about his approach to looking at the world, including the muscles of curiosity, appreciation, and imagination.
i value this mini- documentary (thank you to my wife for finding it) because of its fresh perspective on life... what we see... how others see us... how do we bring about inspiration? how are we branded?
While watching i thought of many parallels to faith and the church. There are so many elements of value found in this short 6 minute film. I'd like to focus on a few.
How Am I Known?
as Christians - we may think we know how we see ourselves - but we certainly don't know how others perceive us. the same could be said for the church. (but that's for another blog post)
"I don't know what I look like to other people therefore I must package myself in a way that reveals who I am."
What Do We See?
From a faith standpoint, do we, the church (or we, as Christians), have a holistic view of our design?
Michael Wolff talks about the 3 Muscles:
Curiosity (being willing to ask why?) + Appreciation (noticing) = Imagination.
Part of appreciation is brand identity. What is the purpose, the vision? what does it do? what does it bring? we need a brand that makes it so people can take it, receive it, value it, treasure it & choose it.
This is the whole process of branding.
This is a message for the church. This is a message of discipleship.
We (the church/the body of Christ) need to brand our process of discipleship... we need to present to others an identity that compels others to take it, receive it, value it, treasure it & choose it.
Think of the impact we might have, for the glory of God, to brand our identity in Christ in a way that would entice others to follow Jesus. In a real, honest and humble way. That's Kingdom work. That's the Gospel in action. People are drawn to authenticity. How might we brand that, so to speak?
This is something that each church needs to investigate and digest.
Curiosity matters.
Appreciation matters.
Imagination matters.
Utilizing our imagination is an outward expression of who we are in Christ - created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) - to do great and mighty things (John 14:12). Our process of discipleship can naturally derive from that. Nothing more, nothing less. In the simplicity of curiosity and appreciation - there God can be found, because God is in vastness that our imagination.
Open Your Eyes.
"If you walk around with a head full of preoccupation you're not going to notice anything."
We need open eyes. We need to see new things. May God gives us the vision to see the new thing in front of us (Isaiah 43:19). May our preoccupations wane so that Christ may abound (Phil. 1:9).
Just think what God might do through us...
How will you now visualize life?
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Sunday, May 27, 2012
getting off the couch (winds of change)
Friends,
Last Sunday morning in worship four of our youth carried in a couch and placed in the center of the Sanctuary stage to symbolize the tendency to stay 'comfortable' and play it safe rather than taking the appropriate risks God may be calling us to take.
I can remember thirteen plus years ago, a time when I was fulfilling a life long dream of working in the television industry, when God began to plant seeds of change within my heart. Through conversations and nudging from a close friend and pastor, I began to see and understand God's true calling in my life. I prayed and discerned and eventually a door was opened. I decided to take a risk as I stepped aside from a career in broadcast media so that I could answer the call to student ministry and begin my tenure as a youth pastor.
Thirteen years. It's been an amazing journey.
416 Sunday night Youth Focus meetings (give or take)
240 Thursday Bible Studies (give or take)
190 Girl Talk Bible Studies (give or take)
117 Leadership Team gatherings
90 'Sup discipleship meals
70 Football parkings
60 Breakfast Clubs
29 Winter Jam retreats (Junior High, Senior High, Post High)
14 weekend youth retreats (to Atwood, Punderson & Wanake)
12 CYF camps.
12 Mission Trips.
8 Sunrise services.
5 Ichthus or Alive Music Festivals
5 5th Quarter Parties
3 Maundy-Thursday services
Plus countless Pizza parties, Guys Nites of Awesome Manliness, Concerts, Gatherings, Revolutions, Overnighters, Swim parties, Video shoots, Game nights etc.
Lots of great memories. Lots of great God moments. Lots of great students. I sincerely cherish and love every student who has ever sat on a couch in the youth lounge, shared a meal at our table, traveled the back roads to our fall retreat location, journeyed together to serve God in mission or has been a part of the Christ UMC Youth group in any other way, great or small. I have so many fond memories. I've spent the better part of my life hanging with teenagers, doing my best to be an example of Jesus to them all. We've shared in our successes and failures - and I am so thankful that I answered that calling and took that risk.
I have no regrets.
About five years ago, my father passed away unexpectedly. As much as I was mad at God for taking him away, I knew that God was with me. As Psalm 30:5 says "weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Through that I began to sense that God had something else in store for me but I didn't know what. I went through a period of deep soul searching and self discovery. That lead to some great years of ministry for the CUMC youth, I believe. As a leader I felt fresh and renewed, despite my wondering of what was to come, but through it all God was again planting seeds of change within my heart.
I've never been one to want to play it safe and have always thrived on newness and change, despite the nervousness and anxiety that comes with it. After a strong period of renewal, I began to sense that God had another plan for me. It was tough to even allow myself to be open and willing to discover that plan. I know that God is in control and has plans for us all, but answering a new calling can be scary for anyone.
Over the past few months, I believe I began to understand what it was that God was leading me to. The seeds of change were beginning to spout. It was time for me to seek out my next step. Even though I'm fully confident that God could use me to bring about his greater good as a youth pastor at Christ UMC, I realized that He had another plan.
This brings me to one of the most bittersweet moments in my life. It's with sadness that I tell you that I will be leaving the Christ United Methodist Church community in July of this year but am nervously excited to be transitioning to a new position at the Wadsworth United Methodist Church, in Wadsworth, Ohio as their Director of Discipleship. This a big risk for me. It means uprooting my family from the community of Louisville, a community that I love and have called home for all but 11 years of my life. It means stepping away from my passion for youth ministry and from the wonderful students that I humbly serve. It means saying goodbye to a church family that has been a monumental part of my life and faith. But I need to be faithful to God's calling. I need to take this risk for Him because He has called me to do it.
This new opportunity is in front of me and with it I aim to help people navigate the discipleship process so that they may know and understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus; to help them discover their spiritual gifts, abilities and calling through practices and teachings that will help develop their spiritual formation and to compel them to go and be the hands and feet of Christ, through genuine service to the poor, the needy or anyone they may encounter in life. I will also be given a chance to use my creative gifts and media background to help strengthen this new discipleship process for the people of Wadsworth.
I hope for the best for the 'Alien Uth' of CUMC. I will do my best to help make for a smooth transition to whomever else may lead the youth group. I wholeheartedly believe that God has someone else in mind to take the group to the next level.
I love and appreciate all of you who have taken the time to be a part of the youth ministry of CUMC: past, present and future; the awesome students and dedicated adult volunteers, the prayer warriors and faithful supporters. You all mean the world to me. God has used you to shape my soul as much as I hope he has allowed me to shape yours. Jen and I both have been truly blessed.
I hope and pray that you will come to know and understand the calling God has placed upon your life. I trust and pray that you might continue to follow Jesus and his teachings. I hope you might be compelled to live out your faith and to share your stories with the world - so that God's kingdom might be made greater as you share with others the love of Jesus.
Thanks again. Much love to all of you.
Humbled and thankful,
Tim Beck
Last Sunday morning in worship four of our youth carried in a couch and placed in the center of the Sanctuary stage to symbolize the tendency to stay 'comfortable' and play it safe rather than taking the appropriate risks God may be calling us to take.
I can remember thirteen plus years ago, a time when I was fulfilling a life long dream of working in the television industry, when God began to plant seeds of change within my heart. Through conversations and nudging from a close friend and pastor, I began to see and understand God's true calling in my life. I prayed and discerned and eventually a door was opened. I decided to take a risk as I stepped aside from a career in broadcast media so that I could answer the call to student ministry and begin my tenure as a youth pastor.
Thirteen years. It's been an amazing journey.
416 Sunday night Youth Focus meetings (give or take)
240 Thursday Bible Studies (give or take)
190 Girl Talk Bible Studies (give or take)
117 Leadership Team gatherings
90 'Sup discipleship meals
70 Football parkings
60 Breakfast Clubs
29 Winter Jam retreats (Junior High, Senior High, Post High)
14 weekend youth retreats (to Atwood, Punderson & Wanake)
12 CYF camps.
12 Mission Trips.
8 Sunrise services.
5 Ichthus or Alive Music Festivals
5 5th Quarter Parties
3 Maundy-Thursday services
Plus countless Pizza parties, Guys Nites of Awesome Manliness, Concerts, Gatherings, Revolutions, Overnighters, Swim parties, Video shoots, Game nights etc.
Lots of great memories. Lots of great God moments. Lots of great students. I sincerely cherish and love every student who has ever sat on a couch in the youth lounge, shared a meal at our table, traveled the back roads to our fall retreat location, journeyed together to serve God in mission or has been a part of the Christ UMC Youth group in any other way, great or small. I have so many fond memories. I've spent the better part of my life hanging with teenagers, doing my best to be an example of Jesus to them all. We've shared in our successes and failures - and I am so thankful that I answered that calling and took that risk.
I have no regrets.
About five years ago, my father passed away unexpectedly. As much as I was mad at God for taking him away, I knew that God was with me. As Psalm 30:5 says "weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Through that I began to sense that God had something else in store for me but I didn't know what. I went through a period of deep soul searching and self discovery. That lead to some great years of ministry for the CUMC youth, I believe. As a leader I felt fresh and renewed, despite my wondering of what was to come, but through it all God was again planting seeds of change within my heart.
I've never been one to want to play it safe and have always thrived on newness and change, despite the nervousness and anxiety that comes with it. After a strong period of renewal, I began to sense that God had another plan for me. It was tough to even allow myself to be open and willing to discover that plan. I know that God is in control and has plans for us all, but answering a new calling can be scary for anyone.
Over the past few months, I believe I began to understand what it was that God was leading me to. The seeds of change were beginning to spout. It was time for me to seek out my next step. Even though I'm fully confident that God could use me to bring about his greater good as a youth pastor at Christ UMC, I realized that He had another plan.
This brings me to one of the most bittersweet moments in my life. It's with sadness that I tell you that I will be leaving the Christ United Methodist Church community in July of this year but am nervously excited to be transitioning to a new position at the Wadsworth United Methodist Church, in Wadsworth, Ohio as their Director of Discipleship. This a big risk for me. It means uprooting my family from the community of Louisville, a community that I love and have called home for all but 11 years of my life. It means stepping away from my passion for youth ministry and from the wonderful students that I humbly serve. It means saying goodbye to a church family that has been a monumental part of my life and faith. But I need to be faithful to God's calling. I need to take this risk for Him because He has called me to do it.
This new opportunity is in front of me and with it I aim to help people navigate the discipleship process so that they may know and understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus; to help them discover their spiritual gifts, abilities and calling through practices and teachings that will help develop their spiritual formation and to compel them to go and be the hands and feet of Christ, through genuine service to the poor, the needy or anyone they may encounter in life. I will also be given a chance to use my creative gifts and media background to help strengthen this new discipleship process for the people of Wadsworth.
I hope for the best for the 'Alien Uth' of CUMC. I will do my best to help make for a smooth transition to whomever else may lead the youth group. I wholeheartedly believe that God has someone else in mind to take the group to the next level.
I love and appreciate all of you who have taken the time to be a part of the youth ministry of CUMC: past, present and future; the awesome students and dedicated adult volunteers, the prayer warriors and faithful supporters. You all mean the world to me. God has used you to shape my soul as much as I hope he has allowed me to shape yours. Jen and I both have been truly blessed.
I hope and pray that you will come to know and understand the calling God has placed upon your life. I trust and pray that you might continue to follow Jesus and his teachings. I hope you might be compelled to live out your faith and to share your stories with the world - so that God's kingdom might be made greater as you share with others the love of Jesus.
Thanks again. Much love to all of you.
Humbled and thankful,
Tim Beck
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Everything Is Meaningless
what do you do when you long for clear answers and clear meaning to it all... how long can hopes and dreams remain internalized? waiting to be given flight i feel as though my wings are clipped... what we all need is a little bit of clarity.
Bowery Electric – Postscript
1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”Ecclesiastes chapter 1
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
3 What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
11 No one remembers the former generations,
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.
Bowery Electric – Postscript
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Finding The Right Font: Exploring 11 Different Typography Types
Finding The Right Font: Exploring 11 Different Typography Types
because underestimating the power of font is like underestimating the warmth of the sun.
because underestimating the power of font is like underestimating the warmth of the sun.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Caine's Arcade
i thought this video was compelling.
oh to be a child again... and to imagine... and to build... and to do what you dream of doing...
Monday, April 09, 2012
the second chance
God continues to reach... again and again. "Just one more time... Just one more time."
God longs for us to unite with him.
when we're united - we're tied to Him.
switch around the letters though... move the 'i' in united and you get... untied.
united. untied.
when i move... the bond is broken... but God's hand is outstretched as if to say "Please, let's try again."
©2012 creative kerygma / tim beck videos
a simple video with a simple message.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
You were born to take the greatest flight
When the night comes,
and you don't know which way to go
Through the shadowlands,
and forgotten paths,
you will find a road
Like an owl you must fly by moonlight with an open eye,
And use your instinct as your guide, to navigate the ways that lays before you,
You were born to take the greatest flight
Like a serpent and a dove, you will have wisdom born of love
and carry visions from above into the places no man dares to follow
Every hollow in the dark of night
Waiting for the light
Take the flame tonight
Indie artist Josh Garrels has a song called "White Owl" from which the lyrics above derive. (My blogger friend Troy has posted about this before). The song and video (below) is about a journey through the night, searching for what one was born to do. I love the lyric "You were born to take the greatest flight."
You were born to take the greatest flight.
I was born to take the greatest flight.
We were born to take the greatest flight.
My heart is stirring. The kind of stirring that tells me that God is up to something. I mean, do I truly believe that lyric above? If I was born to take the greatest flight then what do I have to show for it?
Taking flight means taking risks. and I feel as though I've been playing it safe. a little too comfortable. and you know what happens when you get comfortable... numbness sets in. who wants to look back at life showing atrophied wings?
if we can't take risks with our faith then what's the point? God calls us to take flight... but we wait on the runway with all the others, talking about how great it would be to fly - but we never take off. we seldom do what we were designed to do.
there is a light that never goes out... but you have to risk it all to fully experience its warmth...
and you don't know which way to go
Through the shadowlands,
and forgotten paths,
you will find a road
Like an owl you must fly by moonlight with an open eye,
And use your instinct as your guide, to navigate the ways that lays before you,
You were born to take the greatest flight
Like a serpent and a dove, you will have wisdom born of love
and carry visions from above into the places no man dares to follow
Every hollow in the dark of night
Waiting for the light
Take the flame tonight
Indie artist Josh Garrels has a song called "White Owl" from which the lyrics above derive. (My blogger friend Troy has posted about this before). The song and video (below) is about a journey through the night, searching for what one was born to do. I love the lyric "You were born to take the greatest flight."
You were born to take the greatest flight.
I was born to take the greatest flight.
We were born to take the greatest flight.
My heart is stirring. The kind of stirring that tells me that God is up to something. I mean, do I truly believe that lyric above? If I was born to take the greatest flight then what do I have to show for it?
Taking flight means taking risks. and I feel as though I've been playing it safe. a little too comfortable. and you know what happens when you get comfortable... numbness sets in. who wants to look back at life showing atrophied wings?
if we can't take risks with our faith then what's the point? God calls us to take flight... but we wait on the runway with all the others, talking about how great it would be to fly - but we never take off. we seldom do what we were designed to do.
there is a light that never goes out... but you have to risk it all to fully experience its warmth...
Monday, March 26, 2012
Book Review: The Boombox Project
The Boombox Project: The Machines, the Music, and the Urban Underground by Lyle OwerkoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
an historic icon of my childhood, the boombox was more than a status symbol. it was more than a means to an ends. it was a statement. I didn't grow up in the inner city - the closest city to my hometown was an hour away - but even in my small, rural, farming crossroads of a town, the boom box was a symbol of power - and like every kid, i wanted one.
my first one was a cheap one, a KOSS brand, i think. dual cassette. cheap plastic. but it brought me so much joy. i can vividly remember making my first mix tapes - waiting by the radio - hoping they'd play the songs i'd want to record. later on i'd stay up late on Saturday nights to listen to and record Power 108's commercial free jam of the greatest hip hop of 1988.
As i got older, i'd blare cassette-singles from that boom box, mostly rap and hip hop - the music designed to be played loud. Public Enemy. EPMD. LL Cool J. 3rd Bass. BDP. and of course RUN DMC. played loud and proud.
The Boombox Project by Lyle Owerko brought back all of those memories, and more. It's a little more than a coffee table book, in that it evokes emotions long forgotten. the creativity of the project and the ability of Owerko to find something beautiful and intricate out of something so ordinary and forgotten, i.e. the Boombox. it makes me realize how often we 'miss' things. as someone who aspires to create, my eyes don't 'see' enough... to often i think i allow myself to gloss over the artistic sides of life.
the Boombox was an artistic side of our culture that should be remembered.
View all my reviews
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Book Review: Building a Youth Ministry that Builds Disciples
Building a Youth Ministry that Builds Disciples: A Small Book by Duffy RobbinsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
In Building a Youth Ministry that Builds Disciples Duffy Robbins clearly guides any youth leader towards a practical approach to youth discipleship. Making disciples is what Jesus called his followers to do - yet it becomes strangely left out of many youth ministries. The emphasis on programs over relationships, large over small, and fun over study is sadly the expectation of most youth leaders. Ou faulty blueprints generally lead us in the wrong direction with unpredictable expectations.
In the book, Duffy provides key elements that need not be neglected and while giving answers to help leaders get students to go from the 'Pool of Humanity' as he states it, through the come and grow states and then towards the disciple, develop and multiplier stages.
I took pages of notes on this book. I know feel excited to start the process of preparing and equipping my adult leaders and developing my students to become disciple makers. I also feel empowered to lead those who want to get something more our of life and faith.
Building a Youth Ministry that Builds Disciples is a good book that any youth leader should read.
View all my reviews
Friday, March 16, 2012
St. Patrick's Breastplate
I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;*
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
when right is wrong (or when wrong is right) [a rant, no less]
let me cut to the chase. i grew up in a Republican household and I've been forever connected to an evangelical church. But I've got to be honest, by and large, I couldn't, at this very moment, feel more disconnected from either group.
Here's why:
Pat Robertson Blames Tornado Victims for Carnage
Those poor people should have just prayed harder.
But at least Robertson doesn't think that God caused these tornadoes as some form of punishment upon the American people. Unlike John Piper. Piper wrote that the recent tornadoes from March 2 & 3, 2012 were God's Fingerprints.
Piper, whom many look to as a leader among all leaders, pulls scriptures from anywhere and everywhere to prove his point. Matthew Paul Turner has eloquently written about this on his blog: John Piper's Twister Theology.
To assume that any natural disaster, in this day and age, is God punishing us for our sins, is an awful big assumption. But you know what they say about people who assume, eh?
But Piper is not the first one to correlate disasters to God's punishment. Heck, a few years ago Piper blamed a tornado that ripped through Minneapolis on the Lutherans where convening and discussing (gasp) homosexuality. Robertson equated the Haiti earthquake to God's punishment upon them because Haiti made deal with the devil.
No wonder Christians are so easily mocked.
Many others (including Robertson) said Hurricane Katrina was also God punishing America. Jerry Fallwell said 9/11 was God's punishment upon us. Is that all God is? the puppet master? pulling all the strings up in heaven? And why is He so overly concerned with America? What about the rest of the world? I suppose he punished Japan last year with an earthquake and tsunami because of their self-absorption with Hello Kitty and Karaoke.
But maybe these tornadoes happened because a warm front and a cold front collided. Isn't that how tornadoes happen? Maybe Hurricane Katrina happened because of whatever it is that causes hurricanes.
On a side note: Rick Warren actually had to defend himself for sharing a meal and building relationships with (gasp) non-Christians! [RICK WARREN ON MUSLIMS, EVANGELISM and MISSIONS] Really? Sounds a lot like how the Pharisees shamed Jesus for making nice with tax collectors and sinners and the like.
Next up: Kirk Cameron. Last Friday (March 2, 2012) on Piers Morgan Tonight he said:
I'm not meaning to suggest that Cameron is a crusader against homosexuality. At least he handles himself with tact. But many are, including some of the current Presidential candidates.
It's one thing to have your morals, your faith-based standards, to live those out for the glory of God and to share why you live that way with anyone who'd listen. It's another thing to impose your set beliefs (no matter how right they might be) on others unwillingly. This is what many evangelical Republicans want to do. I don't see that as being the way of Jesus.
Lastly, Franklin Graham questioned President Obama's profession of Christian faith, calling him a (gasp) Muslim. Graham later backtracked and apologized. My struggle with how Obama is treated by Evangelicals is this: fairness. Shouldn't we, as Christians, above all else, be fair? It doesn't matter what you think of Obama or his policies. You don't have to like him - but you should be fair to him. And I don't see enough of that by evangelicals.
Frankly, that's the issue I have with all of these issues above. Evangelicals speaking for God - as if they are God and as if anyone has an opposing view point he will be labeled and defamed (apparently unworthy to be loved.)
I see this played out in the media and i see so many Christians taking the bait, hook, line and sinker. I'm sick of it. I don't know how so many Christians can support the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity... gentlemen who spew hate-speech... nothing short of hate speech. This should appall any and all evangelical Christians who give them the time of day.
What about the love?
The un-Christ-like behavior has got to stop. People need to put God before politics. Plain and simple. People need to read the Word. Plain and simple. Not just pick and choose the passages that work for them.
Lastly, if people want to see change in the world, they should do it by loving God and neighbor and by discipleship so that God might work through them and compel them to bring about change - not through the government - but through the heart.
POST:SCRIPT
some of the aforementioned talking points and similar stories like them have been the stick in my craw for some time now. writing this out was in many ways a complete waste of time and yet therapeutic. I think maybe i can move beyond this now. i realize that i am not exclusively correct with my perceptions... i may be way off base. you can be the judge. i am open to be wrong or to being proved wrong... but i think at this point i've always realized that it's not always about being right or wrong... it's about listening... i strive to listen more and to act more and to believe more and to imagine more and to live out the life God has given me, striving to honor Him and glorify Him.
POST:SCRIPT II
I aim to post more God-moments, God-reflections, God-interactions... that needs to be my focus.
Here's why:
Pat Robertson Blames Tornado Victims for Carnage
"God didn't send the tornadoes... God set up a world in which certain currents interfere and interact with other currents. If enough people were praying, He would intervene." ~ Pat Robertson
Those poor people should have just prayed harder.
But at least Robertson doesn't think that God caused these tornadoes as some form of punishment upon the American people. Unlike John Piper. Piper wrote that the recent tornadoes from March 2 & 3, 2012 were God's Fingerprints.
"Why would God reach down his hand and drag his fierce fingers across rural America killing at least 38 people with 90 tornadoes in 12 states, and leaving some small towns with scarcely a building standing, including churches?
If God has a quarrel with America, wouldn’t Washington, D.C., or Las Vegas, or Minneapolis, or Hollywood be a more likely place to show his displeasure?" ~ John Piper
Piper, whom many look to as a leader among all leaders, pulls scriptures from anywhere and everywhere to prove his point. Matthew Paul Turner has eloquently written about this on his blog: John Piper's Twister Theology.
To assume that any natural disaster, in this day and age, is God punishing us for our sins, is an awful big assumption. But you know what they say about people who assume, eh?
But Piper is not the first one to correlate disasters to God's punishment. Heck, a few years ago Piper blamed a tornado that ripped through Minneapolis on the Lutherans where convening and discussing (gasp) homosexuality. Robertson equated the Haiti earthquake to God's punishment upon them because Haiti made deal with the devil.
No wonder Christians are so easily mocked.
Many others (including Robertson) said Hurricane Katrina was also God punishing America. Jerry Fallwell said 9/11 was God's punishment upon us. Is that all God is? the puppet master? pulling all the strings up in heaven? And why is He so overly concerned with America? What about the rest of the world? I suppose he punished Japan last year with an earthquake and tsunami because of their self-absorption with Hello Kitty and Karaoke.
But maybe these tornadoes happened because a warm front and a cold front collided. Isn't that how tornadoes happen? Maybe Hurricane Katrina happened because of whatever it is that causes hurricanes.
On a side note: Rick Warren actually had to defend himself for sharing a meal and building relationships with (gasp) non-Christians! [RICK WARREN ON MUSLIMS, EVANGELISM and MISSIONS] Really? Sounds a lot like how the Pharisees shamed Jesus for making nice with tax collectors and sinners and the like.
Next up: Kirk Cameron. Last Friday (March 2, 2012) on Piers Morgan Tonight he said:
"homosexuality is "unnatural," "detrimental," and "ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization..."support him, his views or not, he had a right to say what he did. i'm not attacking that. his honesty has definitely brought support. But I'd say this: many things have been destructive to the foundations of civilization. Why do evangelicals bump homosexuality to the top of that list? What about society's general neglect for the poor, or greed, or pride or parents not being parents or divorce or our fascination with war and weapons and guns or selfishness? Many things have been destructive. Maybe if the anti-homosexuality crusaders put as much effort into seeing to it that the Greatest Commandments are lived out we'd really see change. It seems like evangelicals generally are quick to speak out against things... i guess i'd prefer us to be known more for what we stand for, not stand against. and perhaps these other concerns should be bumped to the top of evangelical talking points.
I'm not meaning to suggest that Cameron is a crusader against homosexuality. At least he handles himself with tact. But many are, including some of the current Presidential candidates.
It's one thing to have your morals, your faith-based standards, to live those out for the glory of God and to share why you live that way with anyone who'd listen. It's another thing to impose your set beliefs (no matter how right they might be) on others unwillingly. This is what many evangelical Republicans want to do. I don't see that as being the way of Jesus.
Lastly, Franklin Graham questioned President Obama's profession of Christian faith, calling him a (gasp) Muslim. Graham later backtracked and apologized. My struggle with how Obama is treated by Evangelicals is this: fairness. Shouldn't we, as Christians, above all else, be fair? It doesn't matter what you think of Obama or his policies. You don't have to like him - but you should be fair to him. And I don't see enough of that by evangelicals.
Frankly, that's the issue I have with all of these issues above. Evangelicals speaking for God - as if they are God and as if anyone has an opposing view point he will be labeled and defamed (apparently unworthy to be loved.)
I see this played out in the media and i see so many Christians taking the bait, hook, line and sinker. I'm sick of it. I don't know how so many Christians can support the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity... gentlemen who spew hate-speech... nothing short of hate speech. This should appall any and all evangelical Christians who give them the time of day.
What about the love?
The un-Christ-like behavior has got to stop. People need to put God before politics. Plain and simple. People need to read the Word. Plain and simple. Not just pick and choose the passages that work for them.
Lastly, if people want to see change in the world, they should do it by loving God and neighbor and by discipleship so that God might work through them and compel them to bring about change - not through the government - but through the heart.
POST:SCRIPT
some of the aforementioned talking points and similar stories like them have been the stick in my craw for some time now. writing this out was in many ways a complete waste of time and yet therapeutic. I think maybe i can move beyond this now. i realize that i am not exclusively correct with my perceptions... i may be way off base. you can be the judge. i am open to be wrong or to being proved wrong... but i think at this point i've always realized that it's not always about being right or wrong... it's about listening... i strive to listen more and to act more and to believe more and to imagine more and to live out the life God has given me, striving to honor Him and glorify Him.
POST:SCRIPT II
I aim to post more God-moments, God-reflections, God-interactions... that needs to be my focus.
Sunday, March 04, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)