He has come...

Christmas day! We celebrate His coming, that's the meaning of "advent" - coming. The sun rises everyday, but there is something special about the coming of the sun on Christmas morning. As the light peeked over the mountain tops this morning I was quickly reminded of the humble coming in the manger, but also the rightful splendor of the second coming. So today we celebrate Christ's coming, the already and the not yet. Advent as a church calendar season comes to a close, but our life of advent continues as we watch for the light of Christ coming again into the world, The King of kings!

Merry Christmas!

into the wilderness...

There is a crazy thing about nature that can put you in your place and open your eyes to a much deeper reality. This past weekend, Keith Jagger and I set out to camp in the Smokey Mountains National Park. There were cold nights and windy days and nights, but that only added to the adventure. As we were hiking on Sunday we both came to realize how easily and quickly we forget that these majestic places even exist. Out of sight out of mind I guess, but for 365 days a year in all kinds of weather the wilderness around our busy, day to day driven lives exists...it stays right where we last left it, if we've found it at all, waiting for us to find it. In finding it, we can be reminded of our place in the created order and left in awe. I hope these pictures might speak more than what I've attempted to write down here... Have a look.

Album One:











Album Two:

think inside the box...

Through this season we're partnering with our local IFC Community Kitchen to help provide food for the people in our town who need it most. Check it out:



This video is free for the taking...send it out to everyone you know and come subscribe at www.youtube.com/lovechapelhill If you would like more information check out www.lovechapelhill.com and www.ifcweb.org

oh yeah and check out Matt's blog - something about free hot chocolate at UNC?

Give some LOVE this Christmas Season!

a dose of humility...

I like surprises! Jeanine, not so much. This is one case in which I think the tables were turned. Jeanine's parents were here for Thanksgiving. Unexpected to both of us they came toting a late birthday/early Christmas present for Jeanine from her mom, dad, and brothers Tony and Dustin. It was a Nintendo Wii... Crazy unexpected gift, SO AWESOME, and Jeanine has been dreaming of one for weeks (ain't no way we could buy one - Thank you to Anne, Steve, Tony and Dustin!) The one game she wanted for it was the Wii Fit.

Of course, right then and there it had to come out of the box and we had to try it out (little kids and their toys, ya know). I some how got nominated and voted to go first...little did I know what was about to come. You have to hop up on this little platform (as seen in the picture), it senses your motion and allows for truly cool interactive games...but! Before you get to play the games you have to go through the setup of your charcter. That same cool motion sensing platform reads your center of balance, your BMI, your posture and your weight...That's right, all right in front of the in-law audience.

I'm guessing I needed to be humbled, but did it really have to say "ouch" when I stepped on, and flash the word "obese" when it measured my BMI... Oh yeah and my ideal weight = 157 = my 6th grade weight. Hate to think what it might say after a big 'ol Thanksgiving FEAST. I've been humbled, now the fit is in for fight! Let's go Wii :)

Direction of Hope

On this All Saints Day I can't help but consider the hope that has pierced the hearts of men and women through the ages. The hope is that which has changed lives by bringing freedom to captives, a voice to voiceless people, sight to blind eyes, and second chances to death bound wanderers. The hearts of men and women filled with this hope have been given over to something much greater, much higher than themselves.

The past few weeks I've attended political rallies, heard endorsement speeches, enjoyed a politically motivated concert, and talked politics with people, one on one...through each of these things I've found the word "hope" to be associated with a particular campaign and a particular agenda (if you don't know which one I'm referring to, please stay under your rock for a few more days :). Obviously, people put their hope in many different things, but over the past few months, for some people, the sight or hearing of the word "hope" immediately brings to mind a presidential candidate and the coming election. While I could have a field day here discussing the genius of branding and marketing, I fear that "hope" as a word has lost a bit of its power.

While hope for political change is not at all a bad thing, seeing it as an ultimate goal is significantly missing the mark of where hope best impacts and changes lives. Hope, when it is found in the enemy-loving, self-giving, self-sacrificing, person of Jesus, can not only impact a life for eternity, it can bring about real life-altering change, today. It is that hope that is the hope of the Saints which we celebrate today...the Saints who have decided to give their lives to the good news of Jesus. In the coming week I hope we will consider where we put our hope. Is hope changing lives...literally? ...mine? ...yours?

Sometimes you need a...

...playground. Yes, a playground. Every now and then you just have to get out and play. I have to say, in the mix of my multiple jobs and responsibilities it's been easy to lose sight of the need to play. On this gorgeous fall Sabbath my beautiful wife reminded me and showed me the fun of an afternoon on the playground.








If you're tied up with work of the day to day, might I suggest finding your local park or playground?!?

_________ for Dole

You for Dole, me for Dole, women for Dole, men, farmers, veterans, democrats, republicans, fill in the blank and you name it. Elizabeth Dole is the lady for North Carolina! Until now the office in Raleigh was solely a behind the scenes working office and not so public. Just this week the front door has been opened to meet Raleigh with all the signs and stickers to help keep Elizabeth Dole in the U.S. Senate. Here are some pictures of the place since it's gone public. If you're in the Raleigh area please stop by. If you're interested in volunteering in the campaign visit teamdole.org. And, if you can vote in NC...well any where really...Get to the poles on Nov. 4!

A weekend packed full...

Last weekend the City on a Hill Team had a great opportunity to visit Indianapolis, IN and share the vision for this new church plant. If you're wondering "why Indianapolis" - Matt & Sarah used to live there where Matt was a youth pastor. They still have a lot of dear friends in that town and we are about building bridges into places across the country where people might share the vision for the church and have a desire to partner with us to impact the Kingdom of God.
It was a special time Friday night when about 40 people piled into the intimate space of a living room to hear what we had to say. Mark and Sandy Goff were amazing hosts with a great team of supporters providing an evening meal (and dessert) for everyone there. We got to stay the night at the Shunem House which exists to be a place of retreat for Missionaries when they are back in the area. Much thanks is in order for that great hospitality of that place!! Sunday morning Matt and I got to share in the service at Trinity Wesleyan Church (where Matt was youth pastor) for about 10 minutes.

So many people gathered around us and brought such joy and encouragement to us through out the weekend. Probably the most impactful time for me was Sunday morning when we got to visit KidZone at Trinity. In the children's worship service we were invited up front to meet the kids and share a bit of what we're doing. We were introduced as SuperHeros...kinda cool...and, while you and I know that's not true...what a great image for these kids to associate with people who do the work of the Lord (which should be all of us, shouldn't it??). All that said...it wasn't the super hero part that impacted me. It was when we bowed down up front and every single child in the place encircled us for prayer. Peter, their children's pastor invited the kids to pray aloud, and one bold little guy did...I'm not even sure what he prayed for, but the pure hearted words of a child before the Lord just grabbed my heart and moved me... The power of children in earnest, selfless prayer has never been such a reality to me before. My gratitude to Peter for teaching such a powerful thing to a wonderful group of young people and to God for calling us all to be children in faith!

The trip was altogether amazing! If you might be interested in hosting or having a house party in your area please email me - justin@lovechapelhill.com

i have gone i...

It's pretty late and I've got to work tomorrow, but I just wanted to share with you a change in my life today. i have gone i...3g that is. No more regular cell coverage...fully functioning, world at your fingertips service. I feel like I have joined some kind of revolution! I'm excited about the new iphone...how awesome it is...and what a great tool it will be. I just got it today and I'm learning a lot about it. More later! Thanks for stopping in!

J

a glimpse of true olympic spirit...

What is the point of the Olympics anyway? I've been wondering if there is anyone other than Michael Phelps on the US Team (though he is doing extremely well and I'm not knocking his ridiculous ability to become a fish in chlorinated water). With China's questionable practices of selecting "performers" over true singers and athletes, and Russia's leader watching a volley ball match while his troops are going to war, I've just struggled to get in this world stage of athletic competition. Today, I found an appreciation for this summer's games in Beijing. If you know me you know my love of whitewater. I've been pulling for this everyday guy Scott Parsons competing in the rarely televised event of whitewater kayaking. His everydayness is "something to smile about". Scott was out after his second run yesterday pushing him from 3rd to 20th...Here's where the olympic spirit come in...that third place position was taken by a man and a country that has never won an Olympic medal before.

See it here - http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0812_SD_MUL_AU_CE492 .


Benjamin Boukpeti took the bronze for the country of Togo (a country I admittedly had never even heard of before). Not only was this a first for Togo, it was a first for the sport...Boukpeti was the first black man to medal in kayaking. The true Olympic spirit shining through when someone from somewhere or nowhere can bring their abilities and break on to the world stage (even if it was at 2 in the afternoon when I had to be at work :) May it shine through a few more times over the next few days.

4 years ago this week...

This was the scene in our lives four years ago this week. After an awesome celebration we were off to the Dominican and a week later we found ourselves newly married in Wilmore. It's seriously crazy to think that four years have already gone by and how much our lives have changed in that time. To really see the growth in our own lives and in our marriage some times we have to stop and take a retrospective look. As we've taken this week to celebrate, remember, relax and plan, my love for Jeanine continues to deepen and I look forward to what the future holds. More than that, I cherish today and each day that I get to be married to this wonderful woman, this child of God. This is the scene four years later, with the echoes of the waves, the expanse of the ocean, and The Lord standing, touching, close...we reaffirm our love and committment to each other. It is only from here that we can take our next steps forward.
Celebrate Marriage, Celebrate Today!

debut

It's late, but I'm excited to share this with you, so I'm going to stay up just a few more minutes. It's always exciting to debut a new video that I've been working on...It's so much fun to see a project comes together and to see how things just "fall into place" (but I don't even notice till like the fifth time I've watched it). Anyway, this video debut is especially fun because it was a project for our District Conference of the North Carolina East District of the Wesleyan Church. This was just to share the vision we have for the city on a hill project. It's an honor really to share it with you here.
















Click on the logo to check out the website. If you are interested in partnering with us be sure to click on the "become a partner" link. Thanks.....It's time for bed!

The New Place

Welcome! Check out the video below to get a tour of our new place -


It wouldn't have been possible to get this apartment without the help of our District Administrators, so for that we are extremely grateful! And...and...there is no way we would even been in our apartment now if it weren't for JEFF LARUE and JOSH KEESLING...we would still be unloading the truck if it weren't for these two guys carrying couches and boxes up three flights of steps with us! Thanks guys!!

Anytime you're coming to or through NC stop by and see us. We're just off of I-40.

Peace!

Farewell to Wilmore

We've had an amazing journey through these past four years in Wilmore. Our lives have no doubt been impacted and even changed by the many awesome people we have met along the way. The Lord has called us, as most of you know, to be a part of a church plant team in Chapel Hill, NC. You can find out more about the church at www.lovechapelhill.com . Last Wednesday we loaded up our moving truck with the help of several servant hearted friends and Thursday morning we set out for our new home... To see how much fun we had check out the video below!


Thanks to all who helped load the truck - Debbie and Simon Noakes, Matt and Sarah LeRoy, Dan and Stephanie Bellinger, Tom (the Boost) Boustead, Eric Crip, Keith, Eve, and Claire Jagger, Josh Keesling (who is also now an NC resident), and a cameo appearance by new parents Jeremiah and Lindsay Aja and there precious Annabella Jewel.

We made it to NC and we'll be posting a tour of our new apartment real soon.

Farewell Wilmore.
Love,
Justin & Jeanine

what's old?

Today we visited Stirling Castle on our way from Glasgow to Dunfermline. This castle is near the memorial for William Wallace (Brave Heart) and is in the vicinity of where the real battles actually took place. What I'm noticing as we've been in and out of castles and cathedrals nearly everyday for two weeks is that I'm not sure what is old anymore. At home, in the states, if something dates back to the Civil War or even the American Revolution it is really old...now, we've walked in the place, in structures, that are aged over a millenium. The castle from today is dated dated back to around the year 900, but it is thought to have been used even back in pre-historic times. To walk where royalty and noblity have lived and died is really somewhat disorienting. While most places here date back to the 16th and 17th centuries...it's easy to say, but to comprehend that these things existed before our country is a little crazy. We've seen so many awesome things on this trip. Here are just a few picture of some relatively old places.

Tomorrow, we fly from Edinburgh to Dublin. We'll be back in the states on Wednesday. Thanks for stopping by today.

In the big city

Not a whole lot to report today. We've been in the largest town in Scotland - Glasgow - for two days. This place is quite different from anywhere we've been so far and it is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Isle of Skye where we just came from. One thing that Europe does SO much better than we do is public transportation and providing space for pedestrians. Not to mention they have so many sweet little cars. With the exchange rate and we're paying nearly $10 a gallon for fuel here...public transportation is definitely the way to go! I can't even begin to imagine how many miles we've walked this trip and today was no exception.

Here are just some pictures from our time walking around the city.

a ped walk over the interstate and railroad tracks

a pedestrianized area in downtown

Central Station where all the trains come into the heart of the city

In need of a Shepherd...

We've been out in the middle of nowhere Scotland for the last three days. The Isle of Skye is the name of the location, but really, it's farther out in the middle of nowhere than I've ever been...and that's a far piece for a West Virginia boy. So, out there we've seen majestic mountains, breath taking landscapes, and sheep. Sheep all over the place, literally in every direction at every height.

These free roaming, wool wearing, little guys just inspired a poem like expression. Here goes.

I'm in need of a Shepherd.
The fields are so big,
and I'm prone to walk wayward.

My will the only fence or boundary.
Green grass all around,
from river or stream to the icy sea.

There are others here around.
From top to bottom,
we've scattered searching the ground.

Mountains and valley's reaching as far as they can,
the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
I'm trying to find my way back home again.

I'm in need of a shepherd.

Marks of Celtic Christianity...

There are two key marks to be noted of Celtic Christianity in the 5th and really through 9th century. Those two marks are quite simply hospitality and belonging. These were both integral parts of evangelism for the monastic communities (Celtic churches). Not only were the two connected to evangelism, but they were connected to each other. The communities were open to any and everyone. In fact, teams from the monastic community went into the surrounding tribes (towns) and invited people to come visit. If someone came to visit he or she was welcomed in and given the highest priority. By highest priority I mean, they could have food and lodging free of charge and they were literally welcomed by every person, even the bishop of the community. If the bishop was fasting he would even break his fast to share a meal with the visitor.

The entire community was structured in such a way that every person had multiple roles in daily life. Each person worked according to his or her gifts and abilities. Above that each person had a spiritual guide who was a peer that could share in confession and life’s journey. Each person was also given a specific place that they could spend daily time in solitude and contemplative prayer. Along with that each person was a part of a group that met regularly (at least weekly) to study scripture together. Then, with all of that, the people all came together for regular worship.

The hospitality and belonging extended into the structure of the community. The visitors would be given a spiritual guide, a place for solitude, and an open invitation to the happenings of the community. The basic premise of this evangelism extends beyond the boundaries of time and meets an innate need that each of us has and that’s to be a part of something, a community, to belong. Through belonging the visitors then had the opportunity to come to faith in a community of believers. My good friend Jeremy Summers has written quite well on the subject of belonging before believing.

How does this ancient way of doing church compare to your experience?

Should homosexuals be allowed to marry in the church?

Alright, this may seem to deviate from the flow of Scotland blogging...let me just add real quick that I have a running tab at the bar right now in order to be on the internet...this is a trip! We're back to struggling for wifi. Anyway, the title of this blog is pretty key to the experience of the trip along side the Chuck Hunter book I'm reading. For every leader in the Celtic Christianity Movement like St. Patrick and St. Columba, leaders in the reformation like Luther, not to even mention the apostles, there was a stand to be made. It may have been an unpopular or out of the ordinary stand, but each was firm in his or her convictions...and for many that started a revolution. One man from history that I've become acquainted with here in Scotland is John Knox. He is largely responsible for bringing a solid protestant hold in Scotland during the reformation, and began the Presbyterian Church which later became the Church of Scotland. His stand was against Catholic way of running things and the mix of the church and state politics. He was firm in his convictions and knew what he was fight for, even in his uphill battle.


So, this is where we come back around to the initial question posed, and it's a valid question. Watching the morning BBC news and then the "Today Show" like program called "the Wright Stuff", this question was raised as the Anglican Church in England is currently struggling with it. There are homosexual couples who appreciate the traditional church ceremonies and want to be able to have a traditional wedding. Now, mind you, England already has accepted civil unions for same gender couples, the question being raised now is just, should they be allowed a traditional church wedding. Some of you maybe wanting to weigh in here with your responses and I welcome you to do that (please note that I will moderate comments and pull any that are in appropriate), but the answer may not be so easy as we want it to be. Admittedly and embarrassedly I have not worked out my own response to this question. I think that we as a church have a bigger question to deal with first, and that is - What is marriage? Second, What does it mean to be a member of the church? Solidly working out these two questions (which we so often fail to do) would leave the question already answered for the Anglican church and all of the BBC viewers.

As I look at this question being raised here on the soil which I currently stand, I know that the U.S. is just a few years behind and in Chapel Hill and other progressive towns the question may be coming sooner than we think. In many ways the church is already behind on the issue homosexuality. The question requires a response and if we don't prepare ourselves, people will be turned away and led astray. What I know above all is that we as Christians need to work out our position on homosexuality and same sex unions...and we need to do it in the same love and grace we've been given. But even more, we need to be willing to take a stand when we find it. That stand will likely be scrutinized from both angles, but we need to be bold. This is an issue where we as evangelicals so commonly want to throw stones and condemn...let it not be any longer! Let's work this out in fear and trembling before the Lord. I pray too that you, my brothers and sisters in Christ will hold me to this standard.


I don't have any pictures really to go with the content except for this one bold proclamation I saw just yesterday.
I'm not real good with Latin, but I'm pretty sure this grave marker boldly says "I await the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come." Let us be so bold as the church to share and proclaim what it is that we believe.

The bar is closing and I've gotta go pay the tab. Thanks for stopping by today!
Cheers!

Sunday at St. Andrew's

We've seen some amazing things today that I just want to share with you in pictures.

St. Andrew's Cathedral side wall and rear spire.

St Andrew's Cathedral front wall near the high altar with an older tower to the right.

Bases of the support columns of the Cathedral.

View from the top of a thousand year old church tower.

St. Andrew's Castle by the sea

The famous bridge on the Old Course at St. Andrew's.

My brother Josh knocking one out of the bunker.

Covered some ground...

That's what we did today - covered some ground! We went out from Perth into the country side of Scotland. We were blessed to have the touring expertise of a local couple, Alan and Lorraine Thomson. They are part of what I call Dad's Traveling Network, DTN. Somehow, through Fire Fighting, pub conversations, and just plain cunning, my dad has met people and built relationships through out The States and Europe. We had such a good time with Alan and Lorraine, they really made us feel right at home here. There were several things from today I want to pull out. First, it's what our accents must sound like to other people. I really wish I knew. It's so fun to share and learn new phrases even with other english speaking people. We all just have a little different way of putting things. We've been loving the Scotish tones and accents, interestingly, it takes people about 3.5 seconds to figure out that we're not from around here and from our accents, we're probably from the states. I had one lady yesterday, just after saying hello, ask, "you've come a long way haven't you?" It's just neat being in a different place from your own. The other observation is just that we all take for granted the majestic landscapes around us. In the car as we were traveling, all of us foreigners were oohing and aahing at the greenery and mountains and castle structures, but it was all so common place for Alan and Lorraine...it got me thinking about how we do the same thing in West Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina. All over the world, the earth itself is reaching upward with all it's beauty to praise the Lord...even when we forget, the earth cries out in praise.

Just thought of another fun tidbit from the day. We were out to dinner at a place where you wait

in the bar area until your food is ready. I, like most of our group, ordered a water to drink. The older lady behind the bar looked back a me with "for real?" type look and said, "you're old enough to get something else you know?". Feeling heckled I decided to order something that I at least had to pay for. Here comes one of my other observations. The U.S. is not the only one with regional soft drinks. For Example we in Kentucky have this flavorful ginger drink called Ale 8-1, and in the Carolinas we have this great thing called Cheerwine. Well, I ordered the regional drink here called IRN-BRU (Iron Brew is how it's pretty much pronounced). It tastes a lot like Double Bubble bubble gum. It's definitely (like Ale8-1 and Cheerwine) an aquired taste, but hey it kept the locals happy :)

Here's our bed and breakfast and the view from out front...It's really a great place, four floors, and we're at the top. Breakfast is HUGE and tasty! This would be a dream house and occupation for us, I think :)

Tomorrow, we're off to St. Andrews for a round of golf and more sight seeing. The scotish golfers are going to laugh so hard when they see me hit the ball...you would too.

Here are some pictures from the Scotish country side:

Album 1 Album 2

The view at breakfast - now in Perth

Well we've moved on to the town of Perth about an hour to the north of Edinburgh. We're at a nice bed and breakfast. So...I thought I'd just share with you the view at breakfast. These people know how to eat and you're not hungry again till two in the afternoon. For those of you who are wondering, they do serve haggis with breakfast...and no I haven't tried it (sorry Jeremy). If you don't know what haggis is check out one of Jeanine's previous blog posts as "So here I am in Scotland". We're getting ready to head out into the country side so we're sure to bring back some good pictures. Have a great day, and we'll be back soon...We have steady free internet for the couple days :)

Establishment vs. Movement - a whole bunch of churches

Am I allowed to say that cathedrals "litter" the countryside of Scotland (and Ireland)? Whether I'm allowed to say it or not, it's pretty much true. As we've walked the streets of Edinburgh these last few days I've lost count of the number of magnificent structure built to the Glory of God. I remember traveling several years ago in Ireland and there were always two things you could count on seeing in even the smallest town...a church (cathedral) and a pub. We're just now getting ready to move on from Edinburgh, but I imagine it is much the same.

As I've been reading about St. Patrick and his evangelism work with the "barbarians" I've learned that it spread even more so after his death. It is said that through these works of St. Patrick that there were over 6000 churches planted in Ireland alone. From there Christianity in the same way spread to Scotland. One of the reasons for the great number of churches beginning was their distinctive approach to doing church. It was quite different from the Roman church of the time that built great structures and employed ordained clergy. Instead this work of St. Patrick was done in simple, small, structures made of wood and mud and they relied on laity more than clergy to be active leaders in ministry. Which is the establishment and which is the movement? Patrick had started a new kind of church that was both "barbarian and catholic"...some, including Chuck Hunter, called these new church monastic communities.

Not only did he turn the way of doing church upside down, he turned the monastary concept inside out. Instead of being an established force against the world placed out in some remote location with people living in protest to the material things of the world, the monestary was in an open place in the middle of towns or tribes where people could come in and out and experience a new way of life...specifically, one with out violence or aggression and one devoted to God purpose. These communities became models for the world and the penetrated the people of the towns and tribes. The monastic communities provided support and life for one another. They were able to work out their salvation together. People became the focus rather then buildings and church heirarchy. The gifts of each person were embraced for both employment and ministry and they were always preparing to send people out to start and join other new ministries.

So how did all these big church buildings come to be? The movemental dynamics were squelched by leaders in Rome who disagreed with Patrick style and approach. They decided to shift back into establishment mode with a "parish" church in each town. Now don't get me wrong, I think the "established church" has great attributes and resources and a lot of potential for discipling people. The typical monastary was a place for monks to withdrawl and focus on their own souls, but these new monastic communities were places concerned with saving the souls of others. I'm going to go a little JW (John Wesley) here and say I see the need for both, and they should be in a healthy balance. One without the other seems to be a little off track.

I'm no expert on the current state of Christianity in Ireland or Scotland, but my initial observations lead me to believe things are in a pretty steep decline. The buildings are great, but where are the people and are lives being changed? Could these awesome structures be used to reachout into the community and become a refuge, penetrating the world in which they exist? I think they absolutely could and I've seen two old churches here in Edinburgh doing just that. These two are taking the resources they have as an established church and seem to putting things in motion again. The two are St. George's West and St. John's. Both have transformed their space in some way to reach out to the common person. The inside of St. George's is actually now a cafe and St. John's houses are center for justice and peace. I would love to hang around and get to know these a little more. Seek and you shall find...I think that is the case for us as individuals, but also for us as bodies, as churches working together. The establishment doesn't have to be stagnant or stale.

Ok, that's enough for now, I'm amazed if you are still reading at this point. I want to give a quick shout out and hello to our friends Ken and Judy Pyles. They lived here in Edinburgh for a year while Ken was at the Edinburgh University School of Divinity called New College. Ken was preparing to one day be my pastor at the First United Methodist Church of South Charleston (it's been a few years ago). Anyway, we got to stop by and see the School of Divinity and take in the beautiful sites.

Much love to all, and thanks if you made it this far!