Nathan Davis’ Neighborhood

I just realized that I'm three months away from turning 30, and I'm a little freaked out by it.

Now, before you point out that 30 is not old, I know that.

I think what it is is that 30 is when you are officially viewed as a grownup.  (Whether or not you act like it, you're expected to have it together by the time you're 30.)

I do not feel like I have it together.

I mean, yes, I'm a grownup.  I live by myself, I have a job, I don't get drunk all the time, I am polite and kind more often than I am not, and I don't eat ice cream for breakfast*.

But I don't feel like a grownup.  I feel like a complete mess.  A procrastinating mess with an unbalanced checkbook and an unfortunate book- and movie-buying habit.

Oh, blergh.  :(

* = most of the time.

Or more of a poll, really.

So I'm doing this thing where I'm donating money for reading, watching movies and TV.  I'm going to do a little bit of a post for the books and movies (partly so I can keep track and partly so that maybe next year, I can do a big list of movies, too), but I'm not sure what to do for TV shows.

I'd be easier to just list what I watch, because I can't imagine anyone cares what I think about the new episodes of Desperate Housewives (tonight!). 

So here's the question--should I list or do you actually care what I think about the TV shows I watch? :)

Beetlejuice is #88 on AFI's 100 Years, 100 Laughs list.

I don't know that I'd say this is one of the 100 funniest films ever, but it's definitely funny (if you like your movies dark and twisted).

This movie makes me miss Winona Ryder, who I absolutely loved when I was little.  (And she's in one of my most favorite movies--Heathers.)

(It also makes me sad, because it makes me remember when Tim Burton did really good movies.)

Beetlejuice (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

I hate that song. Yes, Imagine by John Lennon is absolutely one of the worst songs ever written. Not just from a theological perspective, but from a musical one as well. It was the worst things about the Beatles wrapped up in one smarmy, smug little anthem sung through the nostrils of that Liverpool moron.

And my post has nothing to do with that, I just had to clear that up from the get go.

I have been tweeting of late about a church that I am starting to imagine. I've gotten some support for what I've been thinking and even a little push back. But what has been crushing me lately is the idea that a church, in a city, is as Pastor Mark says, a city within a city. So I thought I would expound my thoughts into more than one hundred and forty characters at a time. I will begin with the points I have made thus far.

Imagine a church where every member is a trained missionary, sent into their own city to seek out the lost and the broken.

This is my seminal point and one that has really been ringing my bell lately. I realize some people aren't comfortable with this idea, but I believe the essence of being on Jesus' mission is to seek out people who don't know and tell them. We are not gospel salesmen but rather we are commissioned much like Peter on the day of Pentecost. We must tell the world. And I believe the church as a whole has gotten way too invitational and not very conversational. We don't want to tell the good news, we want someone else to do that for us. We pay pastors for that, right?

Ohsnap

But the fact of the matter is, a truly converted heart cannot keep a secret about the work of Jesus. I see a church where the members - hear me on that - the members are walking through life and touching every lost person they meet with the message that Jesus saves. And that flows into my next point.

Imagine a church where the people invite others to Jesus, not back to the church.

The church should always, under every circumstance, point back to Jesus. And too often we find ourselves thinking about the church as some mystical place where the Holy Spirit abides and outside its walls, only the dude abides. This is a horrific idea and flat out wrong. Christ is where, when and why we live, the church is a place to rally.

If we are doing our jobs as Christians, people should know we are Christians without having to ask us. To be honest, and this is preaching so much to myself, they should be able to know without me telling them that I am. It should be in the way I work, the way I speak, the way I live. The Way was once how we were known and it can be again.

Imagine a church that so accurately reflects the people and culture of the city that it can be used as a sample of the entire city.

Can the church reflect a city in racial makeup, social classes, industries, affluence or lack of it? Should someone be able to walk into a church and, solely by looking around, be unable to make a solid determination about what 'kind' of church it is? Should it be so diverse that people from every age, every race, every background are represented? I posit that it should. And it shouldn't just be Christians getting their Sunday high-five to Jesus on. There should be atheists in your church if there are atheists in your city. There should be people of other faiths in your city if there are people of other faith's in your city. Should all of these people be affirmed, confirmed, reaffirmed, firmed or any other -irm? No. But they should be so sought out by the missionaries in your church that they show up even if they hate you and Jesus.

They should be so intrigued by your Jesus that they need to understand Him better.

And they should be rebuked, challenged, loved, chastened, comforted, helped, cared for and looked at precisely the same way Jesus would.

Imagine this church. Imagine a church where Jesus is the lead pastor and everybody knows that. Imagine a church where the Holy Spirit moves the hearts of people to seek out changing their city and the hearts of the unbeliever that can't seem to stop coming there. Imagine a church where the broken pieces fit because there is only one Unbroken Piece. Imagine a church where the biggest challenge isn't raising enough money, raising enough leaders or crafting just the right atmosphere. Rather, imagine a church where the challenge is in having your heart changed to love the unlovable who flood in, trying to see this Chief Shepherd everybody is telling them about. 

My heart breaks to see this imagining become a reality. May it be so within my heart.

     Everyone loves puppies, kittens, and babies. But they grow into dogs, cats, and adults. And as such often they are hard to love. This time of year the events surrounding the baby Jesus is on the minds of many. But the baby Jesus grew up a long time ago.  Jesus became a man, and many found him hard to love. 

     He came to His own people and they rejected Him. In His home town they sought to throw him over a cliff. Religious leaders sought to trap Him in His words; failing that they sought to kill Him. His teachings were considered hard, and many followers left. Some of His teachings that were considered hard are:

• You will die in sins unless you believe that He is God.

• If you reject the Son, you'll be rejected by the Father.

• One must come to the Father through Him.

• To be His disciple, one must take up his cross and follow Him.

• Disciples must love Him more than family.

• To love Him is to keep His commandments.

• One is to believe and be baptized to be saved, or be condemned.

Today Jesus Is Adored and Ignored

Some relish the fact that He came

but ignore reason He came.

Some adore the baby Jesus (Christ-child)

but not the man (Christ-lord).

Some enjoy visions of a baby in a manger,

but not a king in heaven.

Some participate in the activities of Christmas,

but not in the actions of a Christian.

Some clamor for the spirit of Christmas,

but not the spirit of Christ.

Some pay lip service to Him,

but reject His rule, His commandments, His Way.

REPRINTED FROM: Thursday's Thought:  A Mid-Week Inspirational Message -- (c) 2003-2009 Ron Adams.

I really liked this movie.  It's one of those that really catches you off guard, you know?  I expected it to be entertaining enough, but it turned out to be surprisingly good.

Cliff and Cydney are on their honeymoon in Hawaii when they learn that another couple (also newlyweds) have been brutally murdered on another island.

And they think the killers may be their new hiking buddies, Gina and Nick. 

*cue spooky music*

A Perfect Getaway (Theatrical/Unrated Director's Cut)

I've decided that I'm going to donate $1 for every book I read and movie I watch and 25 cents for every TV show I watch to a different charity every month.  In case you're curious, this is what I'm reading/watching and who's benefitting from my pop culture edition. :)

January (for BARCS):

Books:

1)  Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins

Movies:

1)  A Perfect Getaway

2)  Beetlejuice

TV Shows:

1)  Desperate Housewives (Jan. 3)

2)  Brothers & Sisters (Jan. 3)

February (for First Book):

Books:

Movies:

TV Shows:

March (for Coastal Hospice):

Books:

Movies:

TV Shows:

April (for Hoops of Hope):

Books:

Movies:

TV Shows:

May (for Blood:Water):

Books:

Movies:

TV Shows:

June (for Human Rights Campaign):

Books:

Movies:

TV Shows:

July (for Susan G. Komen for the Cure):

Books:

Movies:

TV Shows:

August (for Big Brothers, Big Sisters):

Books:

Movies:

TV Shows:

September (for Liquid Water):

Books:

Movies:

TV Shows:

October (for Autism Speaks):

Books:

Movies:

TV Shows:

November (for International Justice Mission):

Books:

Movies:

TV Shows:

December (for Alzheimer's Association):

Books:

Movies:

TV Shows:

Finished Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins.

Really fun book (very hard not to read in one sitting) about a demon who possesses (sort of) someone after he decides to see what life is like as a human.

He notices a teenage boy is about to die after being hit by a car, so he pops in and prevents the boy (Shaun) from stepping off the curb.  Voila--Shaun's gone and the demon's in control.

You may think that the demon (or Fallen, as he prefers to be called) would be wreaking all sorts of havoc, but really, not so much.  He wants to make a difference and sets out a plan for how to do that.

Fun, oddly sweet book. 

Repossessed

A. M. Jenkins

So here's my list of the best books I read in 2009.  I'm not going to do the best movies I watched or songs I heard or TV shows I like, because I really didn't do enough of those to be able to have a good list.  And really, do you need to be TOLD that 30 Rock is awesome?  (If you do, you shouldn't.  You REALLY shouldn't.  Just start watching; you'll be sad you waited until now to start.)

But before we get started, here are some meaningless stats:

Books Read:  261

Best Month for Reading:  October (37)

Worst Month for Reading:  May (12)

Fiction:  227

Nonfiction:  34

Mysteries:  17

YA:  124

New-to-me Authors:  154

Books I Read That I Should Have Read Years Ago:  6 (Little Women, The Westing Game, Lolita, The Secret Garden A Christmas Carol and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)

And the lists:

Best New-to-Me Fiction:

1)  The Help by Kathryn Stockett 

2)  The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

3)  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

4)  A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein

5)  March by Geraldine Brooks

6)  Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb

7)  Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay

8)  Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

9)  The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

10)  The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (yes, everyone HAS already read this.  But I still loved it.)

Best Fiction by Authors I Already Love:

1)  Life Sentences by Laura Lippman

2)  Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

3)  The Amateurs by Marcus Sakey

4)  Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

5)  Under the Dome by Stephen King

6)  Hardball by Sara Paretsky 

7)  U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton

8)  Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

9)  Say When by Elizabeth Berg

10)  The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Best YA (non-series):

1)  Unwind by Neal Shusterman

2)  Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

3)  Hate List by Jennifer Brown

4)  The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

5)  Pure by Terra Elan McVoy

6)  Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande

7)  When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

8)  The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

9)  If I Stay by Gayle Forman

10)  How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford

Best YA (series):

1)  The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2)  Graceling & Fire by Kristin Cashore

3)  The Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong

4)  The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen

5)  The City of... series by Cassandra Clare

6)  The Ever series by Alyson Noel

7)  Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (reportedly the first in a series)

8)  Life as We Know it by Susan Beth Pfeffer

9)  The Gone series by Michael Grant

10)  The Blue Bloods series by Melissa de la Cruz

Best Nonfiction:

1)  Shelf Discovery by Lizzie Skurnick  

2)  The Guinea Pig Diaries by AJ Jacobs

3)  Good Book by Dave Plotz

4)  Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

5)  Cherries in Winter by Suzan Colon

6)  PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death & God

7)  Happens Every Day by Isabel Gillies

8)  Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

9)  Izzy & Lenore by Jon Katz

10)  The Dreaded Feast

Best Christian books (fiction and non):

1)  Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

2)  Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner

3)  Though Waters Roar by Lynn Austin

4)  Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell 

5)  Plain Promise by Beth Wiseman

6)  Jesus in the Margins by Rick McKinley

7)  Do Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris

8)  The Silent Gift by Michael Landon, Jr. 

9)  Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren F. Winner

10)  The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans