How much do you know about the Christian World view?

This video is pretty sweet...
I'd love to hear what people have to say about it!

Radical Marxist, Radical Womanist, Radical Love: What Mother Teresa Taught Me about Social Justice from The Veritas Forum on Vimeo.

10 tools to invigorate the Liturgy of the Hours

The first time someone show me the Liturgy of the Hours my first thought was, "you must be joking." I couldn't understand why anyone would choose to pray in such a complicated way. My Bible had one ribbon, this thing had half a dozen and the person had put bookmarks in it to boot. At that point my response was thanks, but no thanks.

In the next few years I came to realize that I could use more prayer in my life, and I bought my own copy of Christian Prayer and started trying to decipher it's pages. After many attempts and defeats to try to figure it out on my own I borrowed a copy of The Divine Office for Dodos, and was finally able to make it through the prayers. It didn't take long for me to realize that every group of people I met with did the Liturgy of the Hours a little different.

Some would throw in antiphons after every line, others would use them as book ends at the beginning and end of every psalm. Some would pray all the days for saints, others wouldn't even pray through feast days. If times of silence were taken, when they were taken varied frequently. One of the first groups I prayed with was a group of Charismatic Catholic men. This group would break into glossolalia between the intercessions and the Lord's prayer. I began to realize that Liturgy of the Hours, like all prayer is not a static recitation of words but a vibrant expression of the faith of the church, as well as the community or the participants.

If you've gotten over the hump of trying to decipher how the Divine Office works here are ten ways I've found to add vibrancy to your daily prayer...

1. Do the work of liturgy - Liturgy means, "the work of the people." To pray through the liturgy is too engage in the work of God in many ways. One thing I try to do is determine what work is to be done in each prayer, psalm, or antiphon. When we are called to worship God lift up your heart. When we are called to intercede, sometimes it is best to have a person or situation in mind. There are many times when we call creation to worship, at this time realize you are a true priest to this world called to lead all creation in a liturgy of praise. Sometimes we are recalling the things God has done; at this point join with the church throughout the ages in thanking God.
2. Research the saints and feasts - There is a great wealth of church history, wisdom and theology in each of the days set aside in the Divine Office. If a day is set aside for a person or event, take time and learn why. For me this is a great source of encouragement.
3. Learn to chant - Chanting the psalms is a great experience, and there are tons of great ways to do it. I have been learning how using the free workshops at http://ancientfaith.com/podcasts/glorytothee but there are plenty of other resources available. Try it!
4. Pray with others - This perhaps should be the first one. I love praying with others in the liturgy. When I don't have anyone with me I sometimes imagine praying with all the others around the world praying at the same time. When my wife is out of town we will often pray the Divine Office together over the phone.
5. Take time for silence - One thing that is clear in the instructions for the Divine Office is that there needs to be time for prayer. Take this time... I like to take it a few times over the course of each office. Listen for what God is saying. Be present in love to God.
6. Lectio Divina - One thing I really like to do is pray through the scripture reading as an abbreviated Lectio Divina prayer. I will pray through the reading twice then pray out one word or phrase that stands out a few times. Then I wait and listen to hear what God has to say about it in my heart.
7. Hold it with you throughout the day - Take something with you when you leave. I try to keep in mind at least one thing from each prayer time with me at all times between prayers. If I am praying with others I take time after prayer to talk about what God was doing in my heart when we are done. Prayer offers us great riches. I don't leave home without my wallet, and I don't leave home without my prayer.
8. Create sacred space - I have created space both at home and at work for my prayer. It helps me find peace and enter into prayer more quickly and deeply. I don't always have the ability to pray in sacred space. But when I can, I use it.
9. Be creative - There is space for creativity in the Liturgy of the Hours. When there are hymns I sometimes sing original songs. I like to write music to go along with the psalms. I also like to incorporate elements, songs, and expressions of my faith community into the prayers.
10. Pray for what matters to you - I take time during intercessions to lift up my prayers for the day. It helps ground me in my dependence for God, and reminds me of the real needs of those in my life who I am praying for.

I personally use the Divine Office, which is Roman Catholic. But Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, and many others have their own Liturgy of the Hours. I have used most of these at least a couple times and they are all great. Most will be able to implement all ten of these tools as well. I have found such amazing life and depth in praying the Liturgy of the Hours I will keep on praying, and am always looking for people to pray with. If anyone is interested in joining me... give me a call.

life update: My life in Chicago

My wife Joan and I have been adjusting to life here in Chicago since we moved last fall. It has been quite a transition. I have been working towards my MDiv at North Park theological seminary. We are finding our place in Chicago and the community at at North Park. I have found a home at Resurrection Covenant Church which has been a source of joy for me, and has allowed me to continue doing worship ministry from time to time. Joan is expecting our first child in October which is very exciting! We are preparing our hearts and home for the new member of the family, and would appreciate any prayer you can spare.

My classes here at North Park have been wonderful. I have never felt more at home in an academic setting. There is room to learn about God, but also plenty of space to love God. My faith has grown in leaps and bounds since coming here. I have made great friends who have met with me for morning prayer, bible study, times or worship, and theological discussion. There have been times of financial difficulty in some ways, but thanks to the generous support of those who have contributed to the Presidential Scholarship program I have been awarded a full-ride scholarship at the seminary.

I have been helping to earn money to pay for our other expenses by working at a local coffee shop called ipsento, and have been able to develop some great friendships. The coffee shop is owned by a local christian roaster who sees coffee an an opportunity to share the love of Christ with the world. We work directly with farmers to make sure we are giving a fair wage to those involved. We have also worked with the farms to help them develop more sustainable ways to grow, and produce crops that will earn a better return in the market. I am SO excited to be a part of this organization.

This summer Joan and I will be spending a month in Alaska working in the bush at a Bible Camp for many of the youth in Alaska. Alaskan youth are in great need of love. They suffer from some of the highest rates of abuse, and depression. There have been some great strides taken by the Covenant Church there and this camp is one of the ways that love is shown to kids who are in great need of more love. We are so excited to be a part of what is going on there!

Our time here has been a challenge in many ways, but God has continued to provide for our needs. We would cherish any prayers, cards, calls, or e-mails of support.

Grace and Peace be with you,

and Glory to God in all things!

-Billy Kangas

McLarenism - TULIP, DAISY, LAUREL

Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christianity has been stirring up the evangelical world. In it McLaren offers some bold perspectives on how faith is to be shaped. One reader recently commented somewhat ironicly that "Some day our great-grandkids will lament the way their generation falls away from classical emergentism. O where is a MacLaren for today, they'll cry..."

The great faith traditions of Evangelicalism have developed flowers to help people understand what they belive (often at the cost of what their founders actually belived.)

Calvinists have TULIP

Total Depravity (also known as Total Inability and Original Sin)
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement (also known as Particular Atonement)
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints (also known as Once Saved Always Saved)

Arminianists have DAISY

Deliberate sin
All-encompassing call
Infinite love
Spontaneous faith
Yieldedness of the saints

Now the future McLarenists will have their own flower... the LAUREL. It's not as soteriological, but emergent types aren't too concerned with all of that. This is my gift to the future...

Lose your meta-narrative

Authority surpasses the medium used to express it

Ugliness in the world does not equal an ugly world or an ugly God

Rites are to bring us deeper into God's story

Eternity starts now

Love is more complex then gender

Well there you go. A cut a dry way to understand God. It's great that we were able to put God back in the box again isn't it... lets hope he can stay there for a bit longer this time.

Grace and Peace!

and glory to God in all things

A historical glance at clerical sexual abuse...

The following is how one group of Christians in Spain over 1000 years ago dealt with pedophiles.

A cleric or monk who seduces youths or young boys or is found kissing or in any other impure situations is to be publicly flogged and lose his tonsure. When his hair has been shorn, his face is to be foully besmeared with spit and he is to be bound in iron chains. For six months he will languish in prison-like confinement and on three days of each week shall fast on barley bread in the evening. After this he will spend another six months under the custodial care of a spiritual elder, remaining in a segregated cell, giving himself to manual work and prayer, subject to vigils and prayers. He may go for walks but always under the custodial care of two spiritual brethren, and he shall never again associate with youths in private conversation nor in counseling them.
from C.W. Barlow, Rule for the Monastery of Compludo, in FATHERS OF THE CHURCH, 169 (1969).

Pretty intense stuff... How do you think that compares with how people deal with this issue today?

Can this quiz tell you what religion you should be?

I have taken the Belif-o-matic test several times... It's actually helps me track where my thinking has changed on certain things as My results have changed... One thing has remained though... I am always told I am 100% a Orthodox Quaker but when I look at what that means it becomes quite clear to me I am NOT an Orthodox Quaker... ALSO Seventh day adventists get high marks... but again that is NOT me.

The rest of the results make sense to me. (to see all my results scroll to the bottom)

• I am theologically very close to the Orthodox Church, but not in all things.
• I am married to a Catholic and I find a great deal of spiritual compatibility with her and myself.
• I was raised in a mainline church, and am deeply affected by lutheran liturgy, theology, and polity.
• Hinduism is something that has impacted me somewhat philosophically.
• Liberal quakers.... who even knows...
• In regards to Orthodox Judaism although we disagree on what is most central in my faith (JESUS!) I have been deeply impacted by the traditions of Judaism and the writings of the Talmud and Early Jewish commentaries on the Hebrew Scriptures.
• Sikhism - always thought it was kind of cool to watch Gatka

The rest of them are all below the 60% threshold so I won't go into how each of them has impacted me....

Take the test and tell me what you got! - http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Quizzes/BeliefOMatic.aspx

Then go watch some Gatka

MY RESULTS:

1.	Orthodox Quaker (100%)
2.	Seventh Day Adventist (95%)
3.	Eastern Orthodox (91%)
4.	Roman Catholic (91%)
5.	Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (88%)
6.	Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (87%)
7.	Hinduism (79%)
8.	Liberal Quakers (68%)
9.	Orthodox Judaism (63%)
10.	Sikhism (62%)
11.	Baha'i Faith (60%)
12.	Unitarian Universalism (55%)
13.	Jainism (52%)
14.	Islam (51%)
15.	Theravada Buddhism (48%)
16.	Mahayana Buddhism (47%)
17.	Reform Judaism (47%)
18.	Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (46%)
19.	Jehovah's Witness (39%)
20.	Neo-Pagan (32%)
21.	New Age (29%)
22.	Taoism (29%)
23.	Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (23%)
24.	Scientology (21%)
25.	New Thought (19%)
26.	Secular Humanism (18%)
27.	Nontheist (11%)