More Places to Read My Stuff!

“I think Austin might just be the US city furthest along the missional road.” Alan Hirsch, author of The Forgotten Ways

If my rantings about TV, Church and growing up aren’t enough for you, don’t worry, there’s other places to find me on the web.

I’ve been given the privilege of helping out the guys over at PlantR.  PlantR is an Austin-Area church planting network, made up of great guys risking everything to create new missional communities.  On the blog, you’ll hear about opportunities to live missionally and show Christ’s love to Austin.

Check out the blog at www.plantr.org, or follow on Twitter @austinplantr.  Keep your eyes peeled for the first ever PlantR podcast later this month.

Tags: Austin, church planting, plantr

Can You Help With a New Missional Austin Blog?

Hey Austinites, I could use your help.

I’m considering a second blog, solely focused on Austin, with an eye toward missiology.  Here’s the big idea:

Let’s talk about Austin.  Things we love, like our favorite restaurants, local bands and festivals.  Let’s talk about the people of Austin, what makes them unique and how to reach them.  In the process we’ll discuss what God is doing in our city.

Think Yelp for missionaries.

This is just a tool to learn how to share about Jesus in our unique culture.  Best practices, worst failures, lesson learned, and questions roused.

What would you like to know more about?  What do you have to share?

I don’t plan to do this alone.  I’m looking for leaders and lay people alike to share their two cents.

So, who’s in?

Tags: Austin, Missional

Highballin’

On Monday night I experienced Highball for the first time.  It is really unlike anything else I’ve seen in Austin, yet has the distinct feel that it could only happen in Austin.

The club is located on South Lamar, in a part of town known for cheap chic.  My favorite coffee houses, with their patio seating, exposed ceilings, and rickety tables maintain the bohemian steet cred.  But Highball doesn’t even try.

Instead they go for classy.  Leather paneling and chandeliers, high priced food and drinks make me put on a fedora and pretend that I’m somebody.  Then Highball throws you a monkey wrench, or actually a ten pound ceramic ball.  Bowling lanes and skee ball may seem to evoke “family fun centers” aimed at suburban teenagers., but actually add an element of interaction not found in your average club.  Hidden in the back are private Karaoke rooms.

Then there’s the events, whose sheer level of creativity sets the place on it’s own plane.  Everything from Geeks Who Drink trivia, to 90′s dance parties, to Oscar watching parties, to hip-hop karaoke.

I went by Monday night for Big Band night, which is where my only complaint comes in.  The music selection was over the top, brassy and to slow for most of us Swing Dancers (although, it seemed perfect for the surprisingly high number of gray hairs cutting a rug.)  The most fun we had on the dance floor was actually during the DJed breaks in between sets.

That being said, I’ll definitely give them another chance at the next Big Band night, and bring a few quarters for Skee ball.

Tags: Austin

Verge Reflections, Day 3

The Verge Conference ended with a rally.  Local boy John Burke led off by saying “if the formerly unchurched are not leading the church, the church is dying.” Compared to some of the cutting edge thinkers that show up at these conferences, John’s methods may seem a little bit traditional.  However, the fruit, Gateway Church, fits his description perfectly.  All talk of missional-ness doesn’t really matter if you don’t have the fruit.

Jeff Vanderstelt said what should be obvious: do life the way you do normally, just with gospel intentionality.  It’s not that tough.  Hang out with your friends-including those who don’t know Christ.  Dave Gibbons suggested that we walk through crowds slowly, seeing the blessing of God on each person.

Francis Chan ended the conference by marching through each book of the New Testament, showing how pain and persecution are unavoidable when living a missional life.  Having accidentally stumbled into more than one fox holes, I know this to be very true.  I just hope that the people of Christ represented at Verge are ready for the pain, because the world needs us.

Tags: Alan Hirsch, Austin, Dave Gibbons, Francis Chan, Jeff Vanderstelt, John Burke, Matt Carter, Missional, missional church, Missional Communities, Verge 2010

Variety

If I could pick one thing I love about Austin, it’s probably a sense of variety that I find missing in so many places I’ve been too.  In a day and age when you can go to the same strip mall in Minnesota and Florida, there’s less and less that makes places or moments special.  Not too long ago I sat in a coffee house while a talented singer/songwriter warned me about his army of kittens.  The next week before I saw a 12 piece chamber orchestra of high schoolers playing folk rock.  More recently, I went swing dancing, where the live band included a guy that looked like ZZ Top, a young immigrant playing brushes on the drums, and a girl with a sultry alto singing and playing violin.

In a world that looks all the same, I find myself searching for things that are different, even if they aren’t great.  I’ll take a quirky indie flick without a plot over a tired special effects extravangza, even if the indie movie is going to leave me bored and scratching my head.  Here in Austin, there always seems to be variety, but you don’t have to sacrifice quality to get it.

This is the point where I usually make some cultural or spiritual comment based on my earlier observation.  But all I really want to say is: I love this city.  Now I think I’m going to get out and enjoy it.

Tags: Austin