Gas Station in Minneapolis on Nov. 11th

Gas Station in Los Angeles on Nov. 15th

So glad the prices in LA are still dropping, but they will never reach as low as Minneapolis!

Connect with a network of practitioners, catalysts, misfits, pastors, theologians, and entrepreneurs who are committed to a high view of the Scriptures who have a high level of urgency for innovative evangelism.

Go to The Origins Project website for more details and to sign up.

I have enjoyed the chance to teach a class this fall at the Southern Califonia campus and speak at an event at the Mill Valley campus of Golden Gate Seminary.  In 2009, I am involved in a couple of opportunities:

MASTERS LEVEL

“Intercultural Communication” one-week intensive course at SoCal campus from January 20-23.

Most of the students will be our Mosaic proteges, and some will be auditing it.

DOCTORAL LEVEL

Doctor of Ministry: Southern California Track

Apply for my cohort by February 1, 2009!

Apparently, 35% of those asked said they would choose a PDA or Blackberry over their spouses.

As someone with my very own “crackberry,” I understand that blackberries are incredibly convenient with constant access to the internet and emails, but choosing a blackberry over your spouse?!? That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!

Now, if you ask me if I would choose my kids over my blackberry, that is a tougher choice.

Would I choose my blackberry over my puppy? Absolutely no doubt about it!

Apparently, President-elect Obama will have to go through blackberry withdrawals. As “President of the United States in January, there are strict email laws and traditions that will all but bar Obama’s favorite gadget from the Oval Office.”

We should all add overcoming blackberry addiction to our prayers for our future President in addition to protection, wisdom about the economy, the war in Iraq, national security, and the other issues we are facing!

Too often Christians do the opposite: set apart in our relationships to hide from the world while living just as the world does behind closed doors.

Rather than hiding or conforming, according to Kary Oberbrunner in his new book The Fine Line: Re-Envisioning the Gap between Christ and Culture, we should become transformists.

From the back cover:

“…the church has been ripped apart and reassembled into two main camps that, at best, casually tolerate each other.

The first camp separates itself from people, society, and culture for the main purpose of remaining unstained by the world. While the second camp conforms itself to the ideals, philosophies, and goals of the world in an attempt to be all things to all people.

So what’s the alternative? A growing number of people believe in a different way and a different world. They are transformists. And they have the power to change the world.

Care to join them?”

To get a free glimpse of what is inside Kary’s book, go here.

The Wide Awake series has been fantastic at Mosaic!

For the first time ever, you can watch the entire gathering including the dances, original music, and sketches.

Two of my favorites were the short film the “Water Artist” and the song following it called “Don’t You Dare,” an homage to the “Flight of the Conchords” during the “Discover” gathering.  It comes after the music and before the message in the first video.

Check out the free podcasts and videocasts at www.mosaic.org/podcast.

Join in on the conversation here.

Some friends of ours (Chris and Karen Crossan) had to evacuate from their apartment at 1am on Saturday morning. So far their apartment hasn’t been harmed, but the apartment complex next door was damaged. The mobile home park across the freeway from them was completely destroyed.

Yesterday afternoon the air was thick with the smell of smoke even from our house in the middle of LA county, miles from the fires to our northwest and southeast. The sky was fire red as the sun set.

Appreciate your prayers for those affected and for the firefighters protecting us.

For more on the devastation, read here.