Pursuing Dreams - Even If They're Crazy!

One of my all-time favorite movies is "Billy Elliot," about a young boy who has a dream to be a dancer - ballet to be exact. Billy pursues his vision even though he is ridiculed by his father and others. His father thinks Billy has lost his mind - Billy is relentless. Inspiring indeed. Check out this clip from the film.


Billy Elliot clip 1 from Brian Newman on Vimeo.

A Tribute to a Dad

Yesterday my friend Dan posted a beautiful tribute to his father who died a couple of weeks ago. You can read it HERE. I can think of no better way to ring in a new year than to see the example of a father and son's enduring relationship.
       Thank you for sharing this Dan.

Donating to Support Our Ministry

This post is unusual because I am mentioning Susy's and my financial support, i.e. how we are funded to do ministry. First let me say how INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL we are to so many people and churches who give generously toward our ministry. It is humbling and motivating to us.
       Some of you know that I was on staff at Lookout Mountain Community Church for several years until the beginning of 2010. For the past year I have had a part-time role in corporate fundraising with Christian Associates (CA). As of January 1st that position is ending and we are returning to a full support raising position with CA.
       As of the middle of December we had 80% of our support pledged or given for 2011. This is already a significant increase from September, when we were at about 50% of our support.
       If you would like to begin supporting us with CA you can do so by clicking HERE or on the logo below. JustGive is a simple and secure way to give online. In the designation line of the form please write, "Account 41435."
       To everyone who is part of our support team on a monthly, annual, or occasional basis, THANK YOU for your abundant generosity!

$787 billion + $850 billion = ???

A couple of years ago a lot of people screamed loudly about the $787 billion bailout of Wall Street, banks, and a load of other things. It was called the Troubled Asset Relief Program and, if I remember correctly, people were upset.
       Most folks blamed Barack Obama for this mess, although President Bush recently reminded everyone that it was his administration which passed TARP.
       A couple of weeks ago the U.S. Congress and President Obama passed an $850 billion bill which , among other things: extends tax relief to wealthy people (those earning more than $250,000 per year; extends tax relief to middle class folks, extends unemployment benefits, and gives tax breaks to small businesses.
       Here is what is bizarre to me: I have heard very little from people complaining about this $850 billion and what it will do to the national debt, while I heard many, many people screaming bloody murder about the $787 billion.
       So what gives? Are we yet again avoiding the pain of fiscal responsibility so we can line our pockets with loot? Answer: YES.
       OK, let's ADD Up the $787 billion and $850 billion and see what we get. I think it is a whopping $1.637 trillion!

Can you say RED INK?

The West Needs to Wake Up to Zimbabwe

In 1980 Rhodesia became Zimbabwe when it gained independence from the United Kingdom. Robert Mugabe was a hero of the independence movement and has ruled the country with an iron fist ever since. He has arguably destroyed a country which has subsequently suffered enormously.
       Unfortunately the plight of Zimbabwe and the dictatorship of Mugabe has been largely ignored by the United States. The first page of the New York Times today announced, "Fears Growing of Mugabe's Iron Grip Over Zimbabwe." The article noted that Mugabe is organizing his henchmen/political operatives/hacks in the build up to elections next year. The article says,

"In recent months, Mr. Mugabe has been cranking up his party’s election-time machinery of control and repression. He appointed all the provincial governors, who help him dispense patronage and punishment, rather than sharing the picks as promised with Mr. Tsvangirai. And traditional chiefs, longtime recipients of largess from his party, ZANU-PF, have endorsed Mr. Mugabe as president for life." 
       For those of us who are Americans, we need to have a voice in these kind of matters. The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee is one place to start, more specifically the Subcommittee on African Affairs. Here are the Senate members of the subcommittee:

• Cardin, Benjamin L. (Democrat - Maryland)
• Webb, Jim (Democrat - Virginia)
• Shaheen, Jeanne (Democrat - New Hampshire)
• Coons, Christopher A. (Democrat - Delaware)
• DeMint, Jim (Republican - South Carolina)
• Corker, Bob (Republican - Tennessee)
• Inhofe, James M. (Republican - Oklahoma)

The chairman of the committee - Democrat Russ Feingold was defeated in the election in November. The committee will be re-organized in January when the new Senate goes into Session. But you can write to the committee at:

446 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6225
Fax: (202) 228-3612

Boxing Day Was a Hit!

We had a great time with 40 or 50 people in our house and around the firepit for Boxing Day yesterday. A great post-Christmas celebration and time to catch up with many wonderful friends. Special thanks to Susy and Carly who created an awesome spread of food and drink! Have a look:

Boxing Day Party Today!

Today is Boxing Day in the United Kingdom. So we are celebrating here in Denver with an Open House at our place, 3 - 7 pm. We expect about 60 people - should be a blast. If you are in Denver you are very welcome!

Billy Graham's Christmas Interview

A man who is finishing so very very well.

Christmas Eve Mass

Carly and I went to a midnight mass tonight, on Christmas Eve. It was a wonderful, reverent time for me. It was at Church of the Risen Christ in Denver, a large Catholic church pastored by Msg. Ken Leone.
       I noticed a few things in the mass that We could learn from and appreciate:
* Symbol is very important, and can draw us closer to God;
* Jesus was THE center of the Mass - not Mary or angels or anything else;
* The Communion table was open to whoever wanted to partake;
* Pastor Ken's homily was entitled, "My Love Letter to My Congregation." It was profound, simple, and 10 minutes long. The service was an hour in all;
* There is a vocabulary/lingo that I am not familiar with. It can certainly become dead ritual, but it did not seem like that to people in attendance tonight.
       All in all this was a worshipful and gracious way to begin Christmas Day. Thank you to my Catholic brothers and sisters!

"I have to believe something extraordinary is possible"

In January (weekends of 8-9th and 15-16th) I am doing a two-week series at Lookout Mountain Church which I am calling, "To Dream the Impossible Dream." The focus is on Isaiah 59 and 60, which are a couple of wild chapters of the Old Testament.

       I am inspired not only by God's relentless love and grace toward "the peoples of earth," but also by artists (musicians, film-makers, poets, writers, etc.) who tell wonderful stories reflecting this crazy love of God.

       One of these films is A Beautiful Mind, the story of John Nash. Remember the scene when Nash's wife pointedly declares to him, "I have to believe something extraordinary is possible."

       Ya, I have to believe that too!

On Tolerance ...

Yesterday I was getting my teeth cleaned and had an enlightening conversation with the hygienist. She is Jewish, gay and grew up attending a Unitarian-Universalist church. She's also a great dental hygienist, by the way.
       She wanted to know what I am up to now, since I am no longer pastoring a church. I told her of my interest in Jews and Muslims (what I call the Isaac-Ishmael Initiative) and how reconciliation can begin to happen. She asked lots of questions, thought this was a wonderful idea and wanted to know how she could get more information.
       Afterward I thought about this brief encounter. It was awkward only because I had dental instruments in my mouth as I tried to talk. But it was not awkward even though we have some pretty different views on things.
       And I wondered why I do not have as positive interactions with some people of faith - Jews, Muslims, and Christians. I find it just a tad humorous to me that the gay Jewish lady who used to hang out at the Unitarian-Universalist church can teach us so much about acceptance and engaging in civil discourse.

Christmas Greetings from Christian Associates Staff

Merry Christmas 2010 from Christian Associates on Vimeo.

Thought for the Day

"I want neither a terrorist spirituality that keeps me in a perpetual state of fright about being in right relationship with my heavenly Father nor a sappy spirituality that portrays God as such a benign teddy bear that there is no aberrant behavior or desire of mine that he will not condone. I want a relationship with the Abba of Jesus, who is infinitely compassionate with my brokenness and at the same time an awesome, incomprehensible, and unwieldy Mystery. "

~ Brennan Manning

A Prayer for Advent

I attended the Liturgy of Peace last Thursday put on by Urban Skye in Denver. It was facilitated so well by Ellen Haroutunian. It had been a truly bizarre day for me, so this prayer that we read made all the more sense in an odd kind of way.

Lord of the watching ones,

Overwhelm our fear,

that we might learn to trust one another.

Lord o the watching ones, the waiting ones,

Overwhelm our insecurities that we might seek the flourishing of all people.

Lord of the watching ones, the waiting ones,

the slow and suffering ones.

Overwhelm our loneliness so we might dare to reach out in love.

"God uses the talent pool available"

"Thinking back over the Christian personalities I’ve known, as well as those featured in both Old and New Testaments, I’ve come up with the following principle: God uses the talent pool available." ~ Philip Yancey, www.philipyancey.com
       One of my favorite authors is Philip Yancey. I think it is for three reasons:
1) His dominant themes are grace and suffering, and he deals with both very honestly and humanly;
2) he is a great story-teller in writing and listening to him speak;
3) he has not given up on God and the Church despite all the messes he has seen. That gives me hope!
       I was reading Philip's blog yesterday and read this principle: "God uses the talent pool available." It felt like a prophetic word for me personally. I am exploring a new focus in missions (still with Christian Associates) which is both exhilarating and is scaring me spitless (not typo there!). People are responding to me with excitement, confusion, skepticism, and hope! And I am having these moments like Moses in Exodus where he sends, "I can't do it! Send someone else!"
       Then I got to thinking about Philip's statement. And perhaps, just perhaps I am the available talent pool at this time in this place. Not sure about the choice of a Jewish kid from Long Island with my history in Europe and currently living in Denver. But, hey, God has done crazier things than that I suppose!