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Archives for March 2009

pondering psalm 131

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This morning as I was continuing to read A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society (yes, I am still reading it. I haven’t been reading too much in the last 3 weeks.), by Eugene Peterson, I’ve sat and pondered Psalm 131. Only three verses, but more packed into these three verses than I can even begin to imagine. It is as Charles Spurgeon said, this Psalm “is on of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.” Here is the Psalm from the paraphrase, The Message, that Eugene translated, and the ESV.

ESV

1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.

The Message

God, I’m not trying to rule the roost,
I don’t want to be king of the mountain.
I haven’t meddled where I have no business
or fantasized grandiose plans.
2 I’ve kept my feet on the ground,
I’ve cultivated a quiet heart.
Like a baby content in its mother’s arms,
my soul is a baby content.
3 Wait, Israel, for God. Wait with hope.
Hope now; hope always!

What are your initial responses as you read this Psalm? I’m wondering what happens in the lives of others they (you) read it!

a little more web procrastination

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So I wanted to get a real post up today, but it didn’t happen. Wah, wah… BUT Check out my flickr site, because I put some pics up from a coworkers’/friends’ hockey game from a few weeks ago, and pics from the half marathon today. I love the new camera my parent’s and a friend hooked me up with back in at Christmas. (Thanks again guys!)Enjoy the pics and these two videos, one that is just beautifully creative and the other that is outrageously/very cool creative.


no worries i’m alive, some changes to come…

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Good Morning from Prague. I wanted to post a little something this morning before I headed out to our staff meeting. No worries, I’m indeed still alive. Last week was an awesome week with the Rutgers guys here. I hope to get back in the blog saddle over the next few days, but before I say, “good bye,” this morning, I did want to give you a heads up – Clint (check out other work of his), who originally got my site up and going is hooking me up again, with a few changes on the blog. I’m excited to see what he does. So stay tuned and I hope to get rolling here again. But before I do that you can check out some new pics below, or click here, or follow me on twitter. Thanks for the patience!

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“where have you been zach?”

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That is a good question! Two easy answers:
here,


or here,

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I guess, maybe here too,

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1) In front of my computer planning and prepping for 4 guys from Rutgers here this week doing ministry with us, 2) running around Prague setting up stuff for the week (thanks Erin for your help too!), and 3) at practice. It was a good week, a full week for sure! Pray for me because I was also trying to get caught up on sleep from the lack of sleep at camp last week and also I was trying to shake a cold.

Good News! The Rutgers guys got here this morning! We had a full day, after getting them settled in at Hotel Denisa, then hit lunch, then went into the city for a walking tour. We hit 3 St. Bucks on the way from Wenceslas Square up to the Castle. For the record, I only encouraged stop number one, because I hadn’t had a cup of coffee yet. The rest were totally initiated by the guys! They are a great group and I’m so stoked to have them here! So stoked! Pray that God shows up in some cool ways this week, and His Kingdom is advanced in their hearts and all the football guys will connect with! Thanks! Hey, you being a revolution today? Just wondered…

city on a hill church video – morning encouragement

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From City on a Hill Church in Albuquerque. Stumbled upon it after watching Pastor Dave Bruskas, bring it, about the nations, at the Acts 29 Boot Camp in Seattle. I really loved their promo video. It made me want to go make some vids and also go plant some churches sooner than later! 😉 Patience…. Patience? Wait, some have said I’ve already begun planting? Hmmmm… That’s another blog entry!

hip hop culture, church & the czech rep.?

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This week, in the midst of things, two items, which are very different but oddly similar, peaked my interest. The first was this,


I watched a few back episodes of TheResurgence.com’s vodcast (I guess, I was trying to catch up to a degree) and I watched an interview with Eric Mason, pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia. It was a great interview that challenged me to think about context of the place where I live, Prague, and how I do ministry, but more over way I do ministry. Eric talked about hip hop culture, doing church in the city and much more. I’m totally simplifying it, need less to say you should watch it!

What was interesting was that same morning I read an article about hip hop here in the Czech Republic, Hip Hop Hunger Rises in the East. I’ve posted about hip hop on my blog before, because I’ll be honest day in day out, I see American hip hop’s affects on the youth culture of the Czech Republic. This article really peaked my interest. Combine with Mason’s interview, it’s making me ask questions like:

  1. How does this change the way I do things, especially amongst my young guys?
  2. How do I engage this redemptively in the capacity that I’m in now?
  3. How can the Church engage youth in this area?
  4. And more….

So here are some portions of the article that peaked my interest. I would love to share my thoughts, but I will save that, mostly because I might fall asleep at my computer. Needless to say, this all is making me go “hmmmm” and makes me want to lay some beats down. Ok, not really, but maybe encourage others to lay some amazing beats!

When comparing Czech rap to European hip hop from other countries, Abraham said French or Polish rappers were more socially conscious and “a lot braver.” When Czechs rap, it is “more an occasion to express something funny, or something poetic than some sort of ideas or their own ideology,” he said. Marysko agreed that more politically aware rhymes are missing from the Czech scene, something he’d like to see more of. With an increase of wealth in the Czech Republic – from deep recession in the late 1990s to rapid economic growth now – the subject matter of rap is changing, he said.

As the Czech hip hop community grows beyond an initial tight knit group of devotees, it has also fragmented. “If you read what people say on the Internet, I have so many haters,” said Marysko. His eyes narrowed as he recounted malicious threats to him and his family for putting radio-ready rappers like Mike Jones on BBaRak’s cover and including gossip of feuds, called “beef” in its reports. “Czechs are always jealous. I am not Jesus but I am putting out my magazine and living what we dreamed together. What’s the problem?”

As much as hip hop has arrived in this unlikely hub, it may not attract fans and participants forever. “I don’t think hip hop is going to die,” said Marysko. “I’ve had goose bumps hearing kids cheer at shows. But I just know it’s not going to be the hottest thing forever.”

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