I just finished reading the book "So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore" by Jake Colsen.

This is from the back cover:

What would you do if you met someone you thought just might be one of
Jesus’ original disciples still living in the 21st Century? That’s Jake’s
dilemma as he meets a man who talks of Jesus as if he had known him, and whose
way of living challenges everything Jake had previously known.

So You Don’t Want to Go To Church Anymore is Jake’s compelling journal that
chronicles thirteen conversations with his newfound friend over a four-year
period and how those exchanges turn Jake’s world upside-down. With his help,
Jake faces his darkest fears, struggles through brutal circumstances and comes
out on the other side in the joy and freedom he always dreamed was
possible.

If you’re tired of just going through the motions of Christianity and want
to mine the depths of what it really means to live deeply in Christ, you’ll find
Jake’s story will give you hope for your own. This book probes the difficult
questions and offers some far-reaching answers. It just might turn your world
upside-down as well!

It is a great and easy read. The nice part is that you can actually read it in PDF form for free. Just go to this link:

http://www.jakecolsen.com/contents.html

Be careful, though, it might just change your thinking and your life. I know it is already having a profound change on my outlook on God and life.

Orthopraxy

Here is a great article from a lecture by Scot McKnight about the four "streams" that form the Emerging Church.

http://foolishsage.com/wp-content/uploads/McKnight%20-%20What%20is%20the%20Emerging%20Church.pdf

I thought it was a really easy and good read. Some of the stuff that he says about praxis really hit home for me. Like this paragraph:

"The central element of this missional praxis is that the emerging movement is not attractional in its model of the church but is instead missional: that is, it does not invite people to church but instead wanders into the world as the church. It asks its community “How can we help you?” instead of knocking on doors to increase membership. In other words, it becomes a community with open windows and open doors and sees Sunday morning as the opportunity to prepare for a week of service to the community, asking not how many are attending the services but what redemptive traits are we seeing in our community. It wants to embody a life that is other-oriented rather than self-oriented, that is community-directed rather than church-oriented."

I'd like to be a part of a church that does that and then has intentional activities and meetings throughout the week to allow those "redemptive traits" found in our community to shine forth and be practiced in a world that needs to see the love of Jesus from Christians (rather than divisiveness and arguments). It always seems to me like my "church family" on Sunday has nothing to do with the rest of my week. It's like I live two separate lives: Sunday Morning and The Rest Of The Week. :-(

Summer School

Well, I am teaching business classes for Summer School at Success in Round Rock ISD. It is an alternative learning center for at-risk students to complete their credits. I'm teaching 2 classes over the course of 12 days. It is nice to get out at 2:00 each day and have Fridays off! That will last throughout the month of June.

In July, we're going lotsa places. Camp for Jonah in Abilene, a Professional Development conference in Dallas, Camp for Caleb in San Marcos, and then possibly coaching school in Fort Worth. Once August starts, I'll be getting ready for the next school year.

As for next year, I have been accepted to Region 13's Alternative Certification program to add 2 more certifications next year. I'm attempting to add Marketing and Media Tech certifications. It will be nice to have, but it will mean a lot more work next year. I'll have a steep learning curve for Media Tech and I'll have to be certified in Final Cut Pro before the end of the year. So, I'll be working on that industry certification at the same time. For the marketing, I am short 6 hours on my transcript for marketing, so I'll also be taking 2 classes at ACC next Fall to make up that difference.

Whew.

I keep telling myself it will be worth it. It will be a large investment in time, work, and money, but it will pay off in the end. Oh well, on with the summer. I hope I at least get a few days to chillax during this season.