November 16, 2009 in
community, culture, deconstruction, friends, internet with
Relevant Magazine asked a “Question of the Day” and I replied.
Q: If you could have any person, living or dead, friend request you on Facebook, who would it be? And let’s assume that you’re already friends with Jesus so you don’t need a friend request from him.
A: Nice question. It would completely depend on why this person would friend request me. So… can we qualify the question? Here is what I need to know:
- Is this someone just wanting to really be friends and hang out sometime?
- Is s/he just trying to keep the friend stats high?
- Are they wanting me to contribute to a publication or be his/her personal assistant?
- Does s/he want to give something to me or get something from me or operate with reciprocal relationality?
- Rather than me wanting him/her to be my friend, is s/he wanting to be my friend (b/c i’m a big deal; people know me)?
So how about you? If you could have any person, living or dead, friend request you on Facebook, who would it be?
What does it really mean to be someone’s friend on Facebook?
October 15, 2009 in
Church, college, community, Ecclesia, friends, giving, global, humanity, justice, kingdom, love, mvnu, religion with
Do you like music? Do you like orphans? Admittedly, the second question is awkward. Awkward and real. Awkward even in three senses: 1.) Most people reading this blog probably do not like the fact that any child would be orphaned; 2) The term and idea of “orphan” is not the core identity of any child; and 3) Questioning one’s commitment or lack of commitment to acting on behalf of the fatherless may create some discomfort and/or conviction.
Two students at MVNU approached me last year with the idea to do a benefit concert as a social event in order to raise money for resources needed at an orphanage in Brasil. I said “do it.” The short version of the story is that they did do it and they are doing it again. Please visit the Extended Melody Project (EMP) page and become a Fan on Facebook. EMP will be held at Ibiza 33 in Mount Vernon, OH on Friday, October 30. (4) or (5) bands will be playing and all funds from admission and t-shirt / concession sales will be donated to an orphanage in Cambodia.
The church is being the church.
Anyone want to sponsor the event? Any creative ideas?
Informational video to be posted after editing and processing finalized. Updates to our adoption page will be posted soon as well.
June 14, 2009 in
Church, community, Ecclesia, Emergent, family, friends, jesus, justice, kingdom, labels, love, missional, monasticism, orthodoxy, prayer, questions, teaching, worship with
Please select up to two (2) answers that best represent(s) your preferred form of being church. You may elect to choose only one option or you may choose two or none. Please be sure to add a comment to either explain your reasoning or state why you believe the survey is grossly inaccurate, mis-worded, and/or impossible to answer well.
[poll id="1"]
May 18, 2009 in
Church, community, compassion, conforming, consumption, Emergent, friends, image, issues, journey, justice, prayer, worship with
One of my more recent posts entitled, "Teaching Little Kyla… Languages (and about Tattoos) " received over 150 hits in the first hour of its publication. 25 comments have been posted in addition to a barrage of comments in response to my posted Facebook link. Adam Walker-Cleaveland published a similar post on pomomusings.com (a blog worth a daily read).
Are tattoos really that big of a deal? Maybe I’m just surrounded by enough people who don’t think its an issue for discussion or who maintain a place of conforming with society and recognizing trends as legitimizing for any behavior. Maybe the historical and religious context of the levitical writing needs studied and taught.
Are people (including myself) so self-absorbed that we prefer to talk about inking ourselves rather than loving our enemies, living missionally, ministering with the marginalized, practicing discipline, and thwarting our individualism for the sake of community and friendship loyalty? Why is there so little interest in the violence of apathy and the elusiveness of sabbath? Why are we not as concerned with the movement of the Church? Are we distracted? Are we addicted consumers of brain-dead "conversation?" Why is a tattoo so much more of a fascinating topic?
April 28, 2009 in
Church, community, Conference, Ecclesia, Emergent, family, friends, mvnu, Theology, thought, Uncategorized with
Due to my campus life involvements at MVNU and requirements for my current M.A.M.L. course, Community, Context, and Transition , I was unable to attend the Emergent Village gathering in D.C. (EVDC09) this last weekend. I was hoping to stay somewhat informed about the conversations and happenings through updates on Twitter tagged #evdc09 . Emergent Village tweeted, "Search #evdc09 on Twitter for updates from the ‘future of Emergent’ gathering this weekend in D.C. … There will be some but not a lot …" and "@makeesha " said, "tell us what you want emergent village to be – we convene this weekend in DC. email, dm or reply tweet #evdc09"
There were not enough tweets during the gathering to post any responses but I did reply tweet about what Emergent Village should be:
"@traviskeller : oh yeah. hey #evdc09 … EV needs to be defined by… LOVE. i’m sure we don’t know what all that means except that the self must be executed"
I received a couple of direct replies from @makeesha and @soupiset that noted that the self was, indeed, executed. I’ll be looking forward to blog posts about that. Some notable words I’ve heard/read that really stick out on Twitter in response to EVDC09 now that it has ended are artifact, gratitude, clarity, hope, resolve, consensus, energized, drained, stories, beautiful, processing, honesty, inclusivity, and outcome.
Additionally and more centrally I’ve heard/read statements about being "home." Home. Home. Home. Prior to the gathering tweets mentioned the acts of packing, traveling, and attending. Following the gathering everyone updating seemed relieved and/or excited to be "home." If Emergent Village is really a generative friendship should the gathering have felt more like home? If I am at my physical residence with friends, family or myself, I feel at home. If I am at the house of a friend, I feel at home. When I arrive home from a Sunday morning gathering of Christians I have feelings of tiredness and exhaustion. I didn’t feel like I was at home. Why is that? Am I not connected with the 100-1,500 other people? Is it even possible to connect with that many people? Should Emergent Village cease to seek national and global "friendship" and rather function in the same manner as Twitter and Facebook, as an online tool for resourcing, networking, and collaborating? Or… am I wrong? Do church gatherings feel like home? Did EVDC09 feel like home? Is an online relationship really a relationship at all? What is the value of our networking for our local and proximal communities? Do I have any place to speak a thought into an Emergent gathering?
March 20, 2009 in
adoption, college, community, culture, Ecclesia, Emergent, friends, humanity, jesus, journey, justice, love, mvnu, people, relationship, religion, sociology, worship with
Many MVNU students have been attending the Sunday morning gathering of Christians who call themselves "Journey Church." Here is the sixth (6th) of six (6) reasons why MVN(azarene)U students have been so highly attracted to the non-Nazarene gathering place that is Journey.
That’s right. This is it. It’s been over a week. The moment you all… or at least some of you… have been waiting for (or not): The #1 reason why MVNU students go to the gathering place that calls itself Journey. But first… here is a quick rundown of numbers 1-5.
1. The perception that going to a Sunday morning gathering is still necessary.
2. The 20 minute drive from MVNU in Mount Vernon, OH to Howard, OH.
3. The music.
4. The teacher who is present in the lives of students.
5. The idea that everyone is doing it.
And finally presenting number…
6. The sexual lure.
Yes, the sexual lure.
Enter the Journey gathering and the lights go down. In the dimly lit room an ever-so-happy dating couple nuzzle and begin to sway together to Salvation is Here . OK… not really… but really. I have seen this beautiful picture of hormonal overload and still remain quite humored and/or disgusted with a more-than-slight inclination toward the latter.
Before I totally lose you (too late) I’ll get into the real idea:
Fascination. Romanticism. Intimacy. Connectedness.
God created humans (and most other mammals) as sexual creatures. Unfortunately, the church has done a rather insufficient to poor job at framing our sexuality in a healthy and fomative manner. The popular media has unveiled many "church leaders" from eccumenically diverse backgrounds who have illustrated the tragic nature of distorted sexuality. Few Christian parents have properly imaged a devoted and giving marriage relationship (the previous two sentences must be developed more in separate, dedicated posts). The church has inadequately taught the full beauty of sexuality and has ungraciously reacted against what it calls sinful sexual behavior. There has emerged a fascination with sexuality from students who have been impacted by the church’s improper communication about sexuality. Experimentation and cultural adaption consequently ensue. Timmy B and I are both quite comfortable journeying with students and others through the fascination and questions about sexuality.
There is a certain romanticism that accompanies the Journey gathering. One parallel that I may draw is with the idea of adoption. International adoption may sound more heroic when compared with domestic adoption. There is a type of romanticism that comes with rescuing a child from another country compared to a child who is abused by his/her parents who are your neighbors. Though I don’t buy into that idea of romanticsm (all forms of justice are equally justice) there is a certain romanticism with the Journey gathering. It is not Nazarene. It is not a huge organization. It most reflects the grassroots movements of church that may be trendy but are not associated with a larger institution. The current generation of 20-somethings are attraced to anti-institutional movements. We are romanticized by them.
A sexual relationship with one’s spouse is the most intimate and connected that two people may become so long as that practice of sex is within the context of a whole and loving marriage. Humans long for that intimacy and connection. The journey gathering is packaged with an intimate feel and the relationships external from the gathering itself are quite intimate. At the core of western human existence is the desire to fight against the individualism that defines our culture and seek to be connected with each other. Journey is just one more place to seek such connection within an intimate feel that fosters romanticism for minds fascinated with sex.
If you are finding yourself at all confused you may include your thoughts in a comment. I also may include a post that would further explain this idea. It would be an excert from a teaching and a piece of writing that I did about the Holy Kiss used in the liturgy.
Posts in response to comments during this series are ahead.
March 3, 2009 in
Church, college, community, compassion, direction, Ecclesia, Education, friends with
Many MVNU students have been attending the Sunday morning gathering of Christians who call themselves "Journey Church." Here is the fourth (4th) of six (6) reasons why MVN(azarene)U students have been so highly attracted to the non-Nazarene gathering place that is Journey.
From post #2 of 6
[Les is not the only person who leads the church in worship. Students gravitate toward
]
4. The teacher who is present in the lives of students.
Tim Barensc heer is a graduate of MVNU (03) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Th.). He left southern California and returned to the middle of a not-as-luxurious central, rural Ohio to serve with the Journey community. Tim has focussed much of his ministry toward college students. He and his wife Brittany frequently have students into their home for conversations about faith and life [if the two are distinct and separable (I would suggest that they are not)]. They join students in the cafeteria as well in coffee shops and at other campus events.
I find it interesting that I have heard comments that Tim and "Journey Church" are "stealing students from the Nazarene churches" and/or "recruiting" student to attend. I can very confidently attest to the fact that there is no such "recruiting" occurring. Tim simply cares. He is present for the sake of being present. I cannot think of many people who do not appreciate another’s genuine love toward them – love that extends beyond teaching a biblical idea – love that desires to engage life enough to suffer through the pain and brokenness of others.
There is also…
TO BE CONTINUED.
February 18, 2009 in
adoption, art, coffee, community, compassion, creation, friends, good, life with
I present to you, "Nouns and Verbs that are Good."
11. Confession.
10. Coffee Beans.
9. Sunlight.
8. Life.
7. Drinking tea through a black straw next to the sea.
6. Compassion.
5. Instrumental strings with deep, mellow clarinets.
4. Adoption.
3. Friends.
2. Creating art.
1. My wife and child.
Am I right or wrong? Is anything above not good? What is left out? Please comment with your list of 10 Nouns and Verbs that are Good.
February 16, 2009 in
arrogance, art, college, culture, dialogue, friends, good, humility, labels, language, music, people, perspective with
A conversation had in the lobby of Oakwood Hall at MVNU . Some alterations may or may not exist toward the end of the conversation for the purposes of communicability:
Ryan Walker : Do you like the Decemberists?
Travis Keller : I don’t know. Are they post-rock instrumental?
Ryan (hereinafter called "Toast") : Have you ever listened to them?
Travis : Yes, I think so. But I have listened to many musical things so sometimes I cannot specifically recall who sings what and if it is good. Are they good?
Toast : Yeah. They’re good.
Travis : How do you know?
Toast : It’s an opinion.
Travis : So they really might not be good?
Toast : To some people.
Travis : So it’s just your perception and musical taste or flav’a that defines what is good? Then how can one know if anything is ever really good? What does it mean to be good anyway? For example. I loathe country music.
Toast : Yeah.
Travis : Country music is not good. Or is it? Who am I to think that I can authoritatively say what is good and what is not good? Maybe country music is good. Maybe all forms of music are good and I’m just too arrogant or self-absorbed to value the person(s) creating a certain type of music. What if all music is good and I simply don’t appreciate it?
What does it mean for something to be good?
What is goodness?
Please comment.
December 31, 2008 in
community, entertainment, friends, lyrics, music, people with
While I was in the process of downloading some music I encountererd a number of errors from iTunes. My account was deducted the cost of the songs/albums but I did not actually receive my purchases. After reading some online forums and attempting some "fixes" that didn’t work I logged in to my iTunes account and clicked "purchase history." I was then able to "Report a Problem" and iTunes resent the files as "Available Downloads." I hope no one else runs into the problem I did but if so, hopefully that information may help.
I have received a number of music recommendations via blog comments and/or text. I extend thanks to my wife Sarah, unique music connoisseurs Ryan Walker and David Ballenger , friend and mentor John Ballenger, friends and neighbors Beau Carlson, Mary Long, and James Smith , my sister Nancy Keller, friend and peacemaker Matt Frye , czars of czarcasm Lee Yowell and Justin Nowicki , baby sitter Amanda Doran, thoughtful Mike Rodden and Cody Snouffer , Emergent Dan Rex, Columbus Emergent Cohort leader Greg Lyons, and 2 Amish Women.
I am building my iTunes library on the musical tastes of those within my community. I use the word community loosely here as it includes family, neighbors, old friends, current friends, college students, and online connections. Nonetheless I am seeking to value the thoughtfulness and input of others in my life. All the above mentioned people have included their music recommendations. Are there any comments, negations, affirmations, or other unique ideas based on the following list of artists?
Bon Iver // City and Color // Broken Social Scene // Amos Lee
Hannah Montana // The Glorious Unseen // Greg Laswell // Over the Rhine
Ingrid Michaelson // Iron and Wine // David Gray / David Cook
Sleeping at Last // Justin Nozuka // Matt Nathanson // NeedToBreathe
Missy Higgins // Warren Barfield // Coldplay // Sandi Patty
Gaither Vocal Band // Ray Boltz // John Tesh // Deathcab for Cutie
Sigur Ros // Stephen Speaks // Eric Peters // Framing Hannely
Barry Manilow // Jason Mraz // Copeland // Fleet Foxes
John Coltrain // Cat Stephens // Anathallo // Augustanas
