Author Archive

Posted on October 5, 2009 - by Patrick

I need to update this more.

I have so many thoughts – why don’t I use this?

Posted on August 9, 2009 - by Patrick

Design nerds and mac cultists everywhere, prepare to be geeked.

Reposted with permission from author and photographer, Peter Belanger.

“After working on the latest cover for Macworld Magazine I wanted to show what is involved in making a cover. I focused on the three main areas: the photography, photoshop and design. I chose a time lapse format to convey lots of information in a small amount of time. The only drawback of time lapse is that since half a day goes by in 30 seconds, the whole process seam so easy! Lots of details were left out of the design process (like the cover meetings and rounds of layout options). I began to photograph the design process after the layouts had already been narrowed down to just three cover designs.

On the technical side, for the time lapse video, I used the Canon 5D Mark II with a 24mm-70mm zoom. I chose the 5D because of its great image quality with high ISO’s. Canon’s sRAW1 gave me the flexibility of a RAW file with the file size of a jpeg. The actual Macworld cover was taken with a Phase One P65+ digital back attached to a 4×5 Sinar X camera with a 65mm lens.

Many thanks to Rob Schultz for allowing me to invade his office and literally shoot over his shoulder.

The music was used with permission by The Brokenmusicbox.”

Cover creation from Peter Belanger on Vimeo.

Posted on August 9, 2009 - by Patrick

Bruised foreheads and lluminated feet…

Here I am, in this moment of uncertainty; brushing the sweat and dirt from my eyes I press on. Taking on step forward down the deep caverns of life, hoping that I am stepping in the right direction. Using the gospel as the lamp unto my feet is harder than the Sunday pastor makes it sound. The brusises from the walls throb on my forhead as I walk into another wall and then another – almost numb to the impact of making the wrong choice, taking the wrong turn, trusting the wrong person(s).

My greatest fear isn’t spiders or drowning, it isn’t rejection or being alone. My personal hell, is a place where I am in a position of not contributing, not making an impact, not investing. My calling pulls on my back like an overstuffed backpack full of lead weights. Always there, always reminding my of is presence by the blisters and the sore muscles.

How can my greatest gift from the Giver can be my greatest struggle?

I feel like i’ve been tested, abused, beaten down by the church – but for some reason like a co-depended abused wife, I just keep coming back for more. Hoping that one day, i’ll step into a situation where I could be the catalyst for growth and expansion of the Kingdom of God.

I believe in the Church, I believe in the Church as Paul believed in the Church. I’m willing to look past her adulterous and abusive tendencies and willing in step in and love Her, as many men and women have done in the past.

So I am here, embracing the throbbing cuts and the sore bruises. I will endure, press on and keep walking into walls of rock while the faint glow of the the One I follow illuminates my feet like a cellphone in the dark. I don’t know what the future looks like – I have given up on trying to map out the course – I just hope that I can see daylight soon, I feel like I’ve been chasing it for years and I don’t know if my eyes can take much more darkness.

Posted on August 8, 2009 - by Patrick

The IvisiblePeople.tv Tour

On any given night, over one million people sleep without a home to call their own. In the past year, homelessness in America has snowballed into a full-fledged crisis. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 80 percent of individuals and 90 percent of families are homeless due to economic reasons. Community-based homeless service organizations from California to Massachusetts are reporting sharp increases in demand. In many communities, there are not enough shelter beds to meet the need, contributing to the growth of tent cities and the transformation of motels into temporary homeless shelters.

The experience of being displaced and without a home is devastating. The experience of living in a shelter, on the streets, or in a tent city is humbling. And the experience of sharing one’s story is powerful. For those less impacted by the economic downturn, the experience of coming face-to-face with people who are often shunned by society is both eye-opening and deeply moving.

InvisiblePeople.tv Road Trip U.S.A.
This summer, InvisiblePeople.tv is traveling across America to capture the stories of people without a home. By visiting tent cities, motels, and other modern-day accommodations for people without a home, this tour will unearth the modern-day realities of homelessness while providing a venue for “invisible” people to tell their story, raw and unedited.

Ways You Can Help

• Host Mark at a stop on the tour. Bring him to your community’s shelters/tent cities/homeless encampments and see that these stories are heard.
• Put the issue of homelessness on the front page of your local paper. Host a Road Trip event. Invite Mark and other local experts to speak. Invite the press. Write a letter to the editor about the tour. Make people listen.
• Make a donation! Buy a tank of gas for $50, a night at a hotel room for $100, or two weeks of meals for $300.
• Spread the word! Post stories on Facebook and Twitter. Scream as loud as you can.
• Take action locally and get involved. Three sites to help get you started: Idealist.org I VolunteerMatch I 2-1-1 (dial #211 from any phone)
• Don’t let your involvement end with the tour. CLICK HERE for 10 additional actions you can take to fight homelessness every day.

To donate or to read more about what Mark is doing, check out invisiblepeople.tv

Posted on August 7, 2009 - by Patrick

Letters from Leavers

People leave churches for many reasons. Some leave frustrated and hurt. Some leave simply because they have moved out of the area. Some people even leave church because they see church involvement as a hindrance to their faith and spiritual growth. Whatever your reasons, we want to hear from you.

The creators of Letters from Leavers love the church, but we are also aware of its flaws. In fact, the church has disappointed us too (and truth be told, we’ve failed the church and people like you at times). It is our desire to create an open venue for those that have left the church to tell us their story.

Tim Bower and Jason Loftis attend Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. This website was initially launched in February 2007 as part of a research project for Dr. John Drane’s course, Theology & Culture.

http://lettersfromleavers.com/

Posted on August 7, 2009 - by Patrick

The Church of Me.

“My primary assessment would be because American Christians tend to be incredibly self-indulgent so they see the church as a place there for them to meet their needs and to express faith in a way that is meaningful for them,”

[+] Erwin McManus, Futurist and Cultural Architect

Posted on August 7, 2009 - by Patrick

God of the Future

The future.

It lies before us like a track before a runner.

Unknown, unpredictable, unavoidable.

I have been pondering this idea of the future for some time. Thoughts about quantum physics, existentialism fill my mind.

Recent conversations about Calvinism, Fatalism and Universalism rest on my soul and keep me awake at night.

I have questions, many of them. It seems like the more I grow in Christ the more questions about this whole deal I have. How much freedom do we have? Do we have freedom at all? Or are we hostages of God, forced to go to heaven, were we will worship a God that we didn’t choose for all eternity. What about those that God didn’t choose, will they end up in Hell, where they will be separated from God for all eternity, not based upon a choice, but by a decision from the Creator.

Perhaps a better question is this, Do we, as those whom are in God have the potential to engage with God about the future? Can we change the mind of God? What is the connection between prayer and the future?

I think we as Christians are uncomfortable with the future. We are almost not allowed to engage in a conversation about the future. We almost feel as though it is not our place, that because God is sovereign the future is off limits.

But how do we explain men like Hitler, Stalin, Bin Laden, etc. These men not only believed they could create a certain future, they were on some level successful in creating (as evil as it was) a future of destruction and death for thousands, millions of people.

Is the future only accessible to the psychics, the dictators and the terrorists? What if Christians began, through the Holy Spirit began to engage with the future? What would that look like? What would our churches look like? How much more would we impact culture?

We know from scripture that God had conversations with men all the time about the future. We also know that God gave visions and dreams. God even gave dreams to pagan kings. In Jeremiah it says that in the last days, your young men will see visions and your old men will dream, dreams.

Why was this limited to the Old Testament, or even the New Testament? Paul in Corinthians even says that he wishes that we may all may speak in tongues, but above that he wishes that we may PROPHESY in love.

What does that mean? Is that possible for modern day believers?

I have studied Jeremiah 29:11 quite a lot over the past year as I have been trying to pray about my own future. We all know the text. “For I know the plans I have for you declares for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

“Plans” with our western, linear worldviews we see it more like a blueprint; where God has a detailed outline for our lives; however if you study the original Hebrew for “Plans” it more or less translates to thoughts, ideas or even DREAMS.

“For I know the dreams I have your you declares for you, dreams to prosper you, not to harm you, dreams to give you hope and a future.”

GOD’S PLANS ALWAYS INVOLVES HOPE

God is not exclusive, but inclusive. It is His desire that ALL might be saved.

In Genesis 18:16 there is an amazing story about Abraham intervening with God’s planned destruction of Sodom. God is ready to wipe these people out, and Abraham through a conversation somehow convinces God to spare the city if he found 10 righteous people.

God’s plan was set, he had made up his mind and Abraham cried out before him, “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are 50 righteous people in the city, will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for 50 righteous people?”

We do not love people more than God does. It is not God’s desire for anyone to perish.

The staple verse of our faith explains it well. “For God so loved the world, he gave his one and only Son…”

It did not say, For God so loved the chosen, or the elect, or the few, he said THE WORLD, and everyone in it.

It is not of God, if you say that God has not chosen an individual for salvation. Jesus did NOT die on a cross so that few may be saved, but all. It is God’s desire that none shall perish, but all shall inherit eternal life. And to say anything else is not a message of Jesus.

When Jesus spoke with the Canaanite women in Mathew 15; from the outside it looks like Jesus is excluding her because of whom she descended. This woman in faith comes to Jesus and asks for her daughter to be released from a demon. Jesus, in seemingly one of his worst moments says to her “I was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel.” If we end the story here, Calvinism and a Fatalistic Christianity would make sense. But the conversation didn’t end. The woman because of her great faith knelt before Jesus and asked again for desperate help. The disciples were pestering Jesus to send her away like a begging dog. Jesus, as almost as if he knew what would happen responded to the women “It is not right to take the children’s bread and feed it to their dogs.” Again in her faith and desperation responded, “Yes Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the masters table.” Jesus commended her faith, and delivered her daughter.

I believe this was a lesson to both the disciples and to us. It does not matter your ethnicity, your background, your education you race, your sexual orientation, God came to earth to save all for those who come to Jesus in faith.

Jesus said there is a narrow gate and a wide gate, and that many will CHOOSE the wide gate that leads to death, and that few will choose the narrow gate and choose life.

We are called in Mathew 28:19 to extend to all areas of the earth and make disciples and baptize. We do this to fulfill the commission that Jesus laid out for us before He ascended into heaven.

Yes, it is true that God chosen you, however it is also true that He has chosen your family, your friends, your coworkers, your town, your country, your world to come to know him. And He has chosen you, to bring the hope and truth to them.

Posted on August 7, 2009 - by Patrick

How do you interperate this scripture? Atonement for all?

So I have been studying 1, 2, 3 John – I came across this statement 1 John 2 that I have been chewing on the past few days.

You guys are smart, most likely smarter than I. How do you interperate the following passage? You all come from vastly streams of Christianity, it will be fascinating to hear your take.

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for[a] the sins of the whole world.” 2 John 1-2

I understand that John is speaking mainly to the church in Ephesus and to the global church at large — that meaning, communities of believers who are united by the Gospel of Jesus.

What troubles me is the issue of atonement of all people [a] and how that fits in with the churches view on the salvation process. (I.e. We must Accept, Believe and Confess that Jesus is Lord)

Here are a few questions:

1. If it is true that the sins of the world (including those outside of the church) have been atoned for how does this affect our message? (i.e. conversion of non-believers)

2. Is everyone in Gehenna (Hell) forgiven, atoned of their sins? If that is true, wouldn’t they be in right standing with God through Jesus?

3. If that is true, why are they in Hell in the first place. The blood of Jesus wiped sin out there by restoring humanity into a right relationship with the Father.

4. How does belief, grace and forgiveness of the sins of all humanity connect in a central gospel of the Christianity?

Have fun.

*note – the preceding questions should not call into question my personal beliefs, they are merely questions and ponderings. Let’s not start rumors.

Posted on August 7, 2009 - by Patrick

Grace in the window, Peace at the door.

With the comforting Southern California sun on our backs, My new friends Joby and Jr. and I walk down the streets of downtown Los Angeles, cameras in hand, enjoying some good coffee and great conversation.

I love moments such as these because for so many, the City of LA is just a city. But to walk down streets that for most will only drive by on the way to an seemingly more important destination, we make our way down the littered reddened streets, it’s hard not to noticed the accidental beauty in it all. What was left on the ground, tagged on the side of a building or stacked by a warehouse is now a perfect subject for our Nikon cameras. It’s almost as if what was meant for garbage, vandalism and junk is now, through the right lens is a work of beauty.

I want to share a story of a six year old girl from Tampa, Florida.

Danielle is a living, walking example of the grace of God breathed into one little girl and her adaptive parents.

Danielle was born into a broken, messed up family in Tampa Florida. Her father was out of the picture, it was her and her mother living in a run down one bedroom, cockroach and vermin infested “house” in a rough part of Tampa. Her mom, struggling with her own brokenness and sin, neglected Danielle from birth. She was never held, talked to or fed properly.

She lived seven years before anyone discovered of her or her neglectful mother. When authorities found her, she was cowered in the corner in the cigarette butt and dead bug littered floor. She weighed 46 pounds. She was malnourished and anemic. In the pediatric intensive care unit they tried to feed the girl, but she couldn’t chew or swallow solid food. So they put her on an IV and let her drink from a bottle.

She wouldn’t make eye contact. She didn’t react to heat or cold — or pain. The insertion of an IV needle elicited no reaction. She never cried. With a nurse holding her hands, she could stand and walk sideways on her toes, like a crab. She couldn’t talk, didn’t know how to nod yes or no. Once in a while she grunted.

She couldn’t tell anyone what had happened, what was wrong, what hurt.

“In the first five years of life, 85 percent of the brain is developed,” said Dr. Armstrong, the psychologist who examined Danielle. “Those early relationships, more than anything else, help wire the brain and provide children with the experience to trust, to develop language, to communicate. They need that system to relate to the world.”

Meet Bernie and Diane Lierow.

Bernie, 48, remodels houses. Diane, 45, cleans homes. They have four grown sons from previous marriages and one together. Diane couldn’t have any more children, and Bernie had always wanted a daughter. So last year, when William, their youngest was 9, they decided to adopt.

Danielle’s caseworker was working very hard to find her a permanent home. A year after her dramatic rescue, living in a special needs foster situation, she was placed in the Heart Gallery. The Heart Gallery — a set of portraits depicting children available for adoption. The Children’s Board displays the pictures in malls and on the Internet in hopes that people will fall in love with the children and take them home.

Around Thanksgiving of 2005, the Lierow’s attended the Heart Gallery Gathering held in Tampa. Diane stepped out of the chaos of the crowds, into an alcove beneath the stairs. That was when she saw it. A little girl’s face on a flier, pale with sunken cheeks and dark hair chopped too short. Her brown eyes seemed to be searching for something.

Diane called Bernie over. He saw the same thing she did. “She just looked like she needed us.”

When they met Danielle at her school, she was drooling. Her tongue hung from her mouth. Her head, which seemed too big for her thin neck, lolled side to side.

She looked at them for an instant, then loped away across the special ed classroom. She rolled onto her back, rocked for a while, then batted at her toes.

Diane walked over and spoke to her softly. Danielle didn’t seem to notice. But when Bernie bent down, Danielle turned toward him and her eyes seemed to focus.

Everyone told them not to do it, neighbors, co-workers, friends. Everyone said they didn’t know what they were getting into.

They brought her home on Easter weekend 2007.

Let’s take a step back shall we.

Let’s go all the way back to the Garden of Eden.

In the beginning God created everything in the world whole, complete, right.

The Garden of Eden represented balance, glory, majesty. A physical representation of the creator.

When God brought Man into picture this completed the painting. God, man walking in perfect relationship, harmony in paradise on earth.

In the Garden of Eden there was peace. Everything was right with the world.
The Hebrews call this special peace “Shalom” (שָׁלוֹם).

When Adam and Eve partook in the forbidden fruit from the tree; something happened. The peace, the Shalom was broken. Man, God separated.

Disconnected. Un-whole. Un-right.

What allows sin to abound on earth is an absence of Shalom, an absence of wholeness.
Why Danielle’s story is so amazing, is because her story, her life is a beautiful, messy work of art painted with the grace and mercy of God.

When Bernie and Diane Lierow decided to adapt Danielle, they became active in bringing about the kingdom of God through restoring wholeness, bringing back the Shalom that was lost by our distant relatives Adam and Eve.

Most see Danielle as a disabled Seven year old who can’t speak, who drools, who has the mentality of an infant.

The Lierow’s just see their daughter. And they love her.

This is grace.

This is restoring shalom in a chaotic and broken world.

What I love about Jesus, is that he can’t help but see great art in ordinary people.

Where lives have been broken, messed up and abused — he repairs, creates and inspires.

Those who have been counted out, dismissed are the very lives Jesus almost calls out to greatness.

Paul’s life is a great example.

Paul (Saul) was a persecutor of the very ones that followed Jesus. He beat them, arrested them and even killed them.

Where most saw Saul as someone to hate, to fear — Jesus saw a canvas with potential.

It’s amazing to me then that when Paul begins to instruct the church, he uses the same two words for every salutation, “Grace and Peace”.

Grace always brings benefits and one of these benefits is reflected in the word “peace” which the Apostle always associates with God’s grace. In fact, the order is significant. First grace and then peace. Perhaps, until we know and appropriate grace, we can’t experience peace.
This is what Paul speaks over and into the church. He speaks wholeness over the church that he once dedicated his career to destroying, he speaks grace over people whom he committed his life to killing.

Grace, pulls us out of the darkness and pushes us into relationship.

Shalom, calls us to wholeness and to bring wholeness to the world.

Restoring Shalom to it’s rightful place in our world is our mission.

Restoring Shalom is sharing hope with the lost.

Restoring Shalom is always voting on the side of peace.

Restoring Shalom is bringing beauty into a ugly world.

Restoring Shalom is opening the eyes of the world to what true art is.

Grace
and
Peace.
Restore.
Whole.
Complete.

Posted on August 7, 2009 - by Patrick

25 random facts about me…

1. I am not a sports fan. I think it’s boring and I’d rather watch reruns of Charles In Charge.

2. I once shot and killed a pregnant rabbit through the eye with a b.b. gun.

3. I have never been to Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, New Orleans, Oregon, Washington, North Dakota, South Dakota.

4. I once consumed baking soda when I was a kid. I pooped out fizz for a month.

5. My first computer when I was 3. It was a PC Junior. That was in 1985.

6. I get cold very easily – seriously I’m like a 105 pound girl.

7. I sometimes change clothes 3-4 times before I find something that feels right.

8. When I get nervous, excited or extremely tired — I stutter.

9. If you take my first initial and combine it with my middle name it’s “Pian”.

10. I live 15-minutes from Disneyland and have never been there.

11. I recently made the switch from boxer to boxer-brief.

12. When I was 13, I stole my moms car and crashed it into a tree.

13. I’ve been a journalist, camp counselor, photographer, security guard, life guard, graphic designer, professional mover, painter, teachers-aid, tutor, barista, cologne salesman, outdoor education instructor

14. I read ‘Catcher In The Rye’ in 5th grade against my teachers wishes.

15. Voted republican in my first election. (Shutter)

16. Pink is my favorite color shirt.

17. I once threw up Spagettioes all over my dentist.

18. My dream job is working from home designing, writing books and being a dad.

19. I am a closet Pentecostal (shhhh, don’t tell anyone)

20. I once had a date with a girl I met off of Craigsjist.

21. I have appeared on TBN – Not proud of this fact.

22. I have shaken Obama’s hand twice.

23. I’ve preformed CPR twice in my life.

24. At my heaviest, I was 280lbs. (When I was 20) I now weigh 195(ish).

25. I spend more money at Starbucks in one year then most people do on real estate in a lifetime.