bachanon

is it me or does the cowboy in the back look like john tesh? it's frustrating that the gay community prolongs the "we are victims" mentality by having "events" such as this. assimilate people. "events" are not required.

http://www.myarchitectfilm.com/ i was moved by this film and wondered if anyone else has seen it. thoughts? as flawed as kahn appears to have been, he connected with people. wright was an ass and look what he created. i'm wondering if genius and socially inept go hand in hand. the documentary on kahn was profound for me. i like the guy and didn't meet him, despite his philandering ways.

it's also WHITE. that may work for some homes but not many that i like. in my neighborhood, all of the houses are brown, green, tan: earth tones. plastic white fences would look really plastic....and white.

correction..............the museum site is planned for the northwest corner of six pines and the waterway next to the parking garage.

classically out of touch. lmao.

i know i haven't written about many other restaurants lately. i'm still infatuated with sirenuse. i met some coworkers yesterday and had another good experience. i tried foie gras for the first… Click here to view the full review at Yelp.com

guess it was pointless to avoid the bible thumpers and anti christian gang with the thread topic. i'm copying comments on a book that helps define the kind of people i'm thinking of. please do not respond unless you have something to add to the topic. thanks. From Publishers Weekly Viola (Pagan Christianity), a leader in the house church movement, believes the church as we know it today is nothing like what God intended it to be. According to Viola, the first-century church, which should be our pattern, met in homes without any official pastor. All members of the church were involved in worship, spontaneously breaking out with teaching or song as they were moved. Decisions were not made until everyone reached consensus. There were no official leaders or elders, but there were men who served and taught and helped others, thus leading by example. Viola believes that to bring the church back on track, both clergy and denominations must be completely abolished. Churches should not have buildings nor should they worry about doctrinal statements. Such radical ideas will best be received by Emergent and postmodern readers. Skeptics will cringe at Viola's strident tone and all-or-nothing approach. More concrete examples of what Viola has seen work well in his 20 years of house church work would have greatly strengthened the book. (Aug.) Review 10 years ago I began reimagining everything. Fresh out of high school, I encountered a New York-trained chef working as a short order cook in an out-of-the-way country buffet restaurant, all to be part of an experimental community of Christians who had no paid ministers, no top-down structure and who practiced their own priesthood with open, participatory gatherings. This guy gently coaxed me out of denominational Christianity into the wild and wooly world of house churching. I had tons of questions. Reading was as crucial in this period of questioning as the flesh-and-blood connections I was making between bodies and church; paper guides could carefully lay out where the nascent North American house church movement was going. Two newly-self-published tomes by a Florida house church planter named Frank Viola were crucial reads: Rethinking the Wineskin and Who Is Your Covering?. In them Frank carefully laid out why authentic church might have more to do with bodies than buildings, and mutuality than mortar. As the Quakers say I was "convinced," and began a journey into shared life with other friends and followers of Jesus in intentional community. A decade later I'm still involved in house churching but my questions persist. (I'd have it no other way.) My questions have changed, too - they probe deeper than the "what" of church and move into the "why." Thankfully, Frank's writing has matured along with my questions, and "Reimagining Church" is the result. Rewritten and, well, reimagined for the 21st century, Frank remains a champion of church in the 1st century. But at its best, his is not a wooden literalism verging on fundamentalism, but an evocative appreciation for the peculiar genius of Jesus and his earliest followers for the ways Way-farers can arrange ourselves to most beautifully reflect God's in-breaking kingdom. Let's face it: Viola's earlier 2008 release Pagan Christianity was a rampaging bull in an ecclesiastical china shop. Called simplistic and mean-spirited by detractors and a prophetic call for renewal by its champions, all readers had this in common - we wanted more. Okay, Mr. Deconstructor, we said. We see how you can tear down someone else's sand castle with gusto - now let's see how you'd build your own. And build he does. Has anyone read The Shack? If this 2 million-plus selling spiritual adventure novel shows us anything, it's that the Trinity is hot. No, I'm not talking about Carrie-Anne Moss (but her too...my wife agrees). I mean the divine interplay between Father, Son, and Spirit. In an era captivated by the possibility of discovering The Secret and fascinated by A New Earth, G-D can still hold G-D's own, especially when conveyed in the mystery of a loving God-as-community that's the heart of Trinitarian spirituality. So the super-cool thing about "Reimagining Church" is that it doesn't open up with a dry discourse on why the New Testament church is better than First Baptist on the corner - instead it opens with a depiction of the Godhead in fellowship. Taking a cue from Stanley Grenz, Miroslav Volf and others, Frank puts flesh on conceptual bones by showing how it's within the DNA of the church to reflect the mutually-indwelling nature of the Trinity. How can we harness this innate spiritual energy? How does this look in everyday, practical example? This is what the first part of "Reimagining Church" fleshes out. Part two is a comprehensive re-visioning of what leadership, authority and accountability in a Trinity-rooted, organic church. If you've always had an inkling that you don't need denominational "covering" or hierarchical authority fencing you in to be right with God (as an individual or church body), "Reimagining" will fund your biblical imagination with an alternative reading of Scripture that points to the dignity of each person in the church, encouraging relational and shared authority responsive to the leading of Christ alone. Sometimes I feel like an amphibian, breathing the air and water of two worlds - the house church movement and the emerging church conversation. Sometimes my friends in each misunderstand the Other - that is, when they're not amphibians like me. Being kind of a book guy, I keep an eye out for books that occupy liminal space - that are bilingual, that breathe air and water. "Reimagining Church" is one such book - it has something to offer both conversations, and maybe even move us all forward. You might not agree with all the author's conclusions, but your creative capacity to return afresh to Christian faith's sources will be enlarged as a result of reading. Here's what some others are saying about the book too. "In Reimagining Church, Frank Viola is at the top of his game, showing a serene, soaring mastery of the theology of church as organism rather than organization." - Leonard Sweet, author of Soul Tsunami, Soul Salsa, and 11 "Dissent is a gift to the Church. It is the imagination of the prophets that continually call us back to our identity as the peculiar people of God. May Viola's words challenge us to become the change that we want to see in the Church ... and not to settle for anything less than God's dream for Her." - Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistable Revolution, activist, and recovering sinner "True to form, this book contains a thoroughly consistent critique of prevailing forms of church. However, in Reimagining Church, Frank Viola also presents a positive vision of what the church can become if we truly reembraced more organic, and less institutional, forms of church. This is a no holds barred prophetic vision for the church in the twenty-first Century." - Alan Hirsch, author of The Forgotten Ways and The Shaping of Things To Come "For those who are not threatened by the idea that church must change, Reimagining Church is an absolutely timely and much-needed perspective, delivering a solid biblical vision for the body of Christ. Using the entire scope of New Testament church life, Frank Viola lays out the core values and the essential principles that must form the foundation of life together as the body of Christ. The book delivers an exceptionally hopeful, visionary picture of all that church can and should be. - Grace, blogging at kingdomgrace "The body of Christ has been stifled by human traditions for far too long. Reimagining Church charts a fresh course for the church that recovers the simplicity of Christ and listens seriously to what the voice of the Great Shepherd is saying to His people." - Jon Zens, editor, Searching Together and author of A Church Building Every

i'm still fascinated with the "birds nest" stadium built for the olympics. it's way cool that they took a symbol of prosperity for the chinese people and designed a stadium to reflect this ideal. i can't quite get my brain around it. and then there is the "cube". simply amazing. who are you fascinated with lately?

lately, i've found books, "blue like jazz", "velvet elvis", "searching for god knows what", "revolution", that discuss a more active, non-judgmental christianity. these books do not negate mega churches, but they do reinforce a post modern ideology many of us baby busters may be experiencing. i'm finding that my small group from fellowship of the woodlands lacks a certain depth. is anyone involved in the home church movement?

once again gary, good intention is not action. i have an emotional reaction when i see a cross. this is not reality. it is learned behaviour. living the "cross" is being available to neighbors or family members in need. if someone needs a giant cross to get them motivated, they don't get it. sorry, genuine people don't need waste of money motivators. i feel we have the same motives, gary. however, i do not hold dear church culture. i apologize for offending you.

perhaps i should have made it clear that i consider myself "christian". when i denounce wrong behaviour of christians, i'm including myself. what good does it do to build huge ass freakin' crosses? donate to habitat for humanity or aids relief in africa. there are a hundred different ways to do god's work rather than waste money on a symbol. i'm worked up because of ridiculous crap people come up with who call themselves followers of christ. i apologize for name calling. it is simply because i hate to be tied to people who do dumb stuff. i will edit my statement.

sorry, i must disagree. if the christian community wants to cheapen their faith by ridiculous symbols over substance, ridicule and cheap shots should be expected. like begets like. cheesy crosses require ugly responses. if god's work is nothing more than a symbol of "marked territory", no one should be amazed that people of little faith disregard these "symbols". good intentions are not action. building a symbol of christ's death does nothing for the person dying of cancer or losing their career. loving one's neighbor as one loves their own family does more for the soul than a hundred big ass crosses. work where you are. love those near to you. quit building pagan symbols that have nothing to do with real spirituality.

the issue of huge crosses to "mark" houston for jesus cracks me up. in the early eighties i was at oral roberts university. there were tv evangelists sending out crosses as a "point of contact" a "reminder" of who you were. many of these ministries were built by good people with small world views. i'm reminded of a couple songs by daniel amos, a subversive christian band who railed against "symbolism over substance" and the inherent narcissism in most christian ministries through satire. building huge crosses is about advertising how "christian" grace community church is rather than actual ministry. not much has changed (since the eighties) for many of these folks.

i saw a rendering of the waterlight district which mentioned that the nano project would be there.

flipper, what should resurfacing a fiberglass tub & surround cost? i've requested an estimate from miracle method. it looks like they have a guy in humble, near my rental.

i have rental unit built in 1983. i had the tub/shower resurfaced in '02. it is now cracked. where the last tenant had a bath mat, the surface has dissolved and is gummy. i'm looking for someone to resurface. i figure it's cheaper than tearing it out. any opinions are welcome. any contacts in the spring area who would give me an estimate would be great too. thanks in advance.

if there is no national perception of galveston, then the concept of a company moving there from the west coast is less likely than i thought. gambling. when they approve gambling for galveston it will be a free for all. i'm amazed that nationally ike was not a big deal. guess sleeping under the stairs with no electricity with a dog and nephew while trees were cracking and slamming to the ground was too visceral for me. i can't imagine it not being on someone's radar. once again, the world does not revolve around me.

.......waterfront office parks that flooded during ike. we were next door to american national on south shore harbor and moved to the woodlands just in time. galveston to league city is the lesser of two evils. league city has sorry restaurants, horrible rush hour traffic and a mediocre school district. with the national perception of galveston, clouded by the media videos of bolivar pen.....what company from portland would move to galveston? north carolina maybe or austin. not the gulf coast.

that piece of land may be owned by shenandoah. east shore will not suffer too much. the commercial influx continues in town center. as soon as 4 waterway square is complete, other office buildings will break ground (according to harvey construction employees). looking forward to the economic outlook chamber event this month. will find out if the numbers are down for sales, taxes and such.

tiger - mutt who went to pound after he bit me for trying to grab his bowl (i was 5) babbette - mini poodle dad ran over when leaving for a christmas vacation to indiana (7) duffy (flash mcduff) - sheltie who had white lightening flash of white on between his eyes. died of heartworms. (10) maybelle - pet raccoon who became too much to handle. eventually taken to national forest in huntsville to be enjoyed by park rangers. (16) reagan - rescue cat i eventually gave to friends. (24) zane - rescue weimer who became my best pal for awhile. had to put him to sleep due to twisted stomach. (36) blue - current rescue weimer. my sweet pea. more spoiled than any other pet i've owned. i can't imagine life without her. darn, was that TMI?

i think you are confusing my rant over the media with my worry over obama's plans. i'm disgusted with the media, not obama. my concern is that spending is seen as the only option. if it works, great. if a democrat proposed a plan that is fiscally conservative, i'd be all for it. unfortunately, they tend to spend like drunken sailors (as are many republicans these days). it will be interesting to see how any failures are spun with dems in control of the white house, the senate and the house. who will get the blame?

hey, rick perry is in the mix. sorry, jeebus. didn't mean to sidetrack the thread. i don't watch the news stories on mom's murdering their kids.

joy behar katrina vanden heuvel nancy pelosi sheila jackson lee maxine waters barney frank barbara boxer ted kennedy rick perry algore metallica billy ray and miley cyrus

you're implying that i'm not bothered by the bush administration's excesses. bush is not a fiscal conservative. i'm glad he's out of the white house. however, i do feel we may be going from bad to worse with obama. the 2010 house/senate election will be interesting. will obama's plans for recovery strengthen the value of a dollar? i'm not an economist. i simply don't know what the outcome will be. one good thing i've observed is the increase of interest in the political process by the black community. this is good for everyone. unfortunately for many new to the process, the excitement will come to a screeching halt when legislation hits congress. speaking of change and actually implementing it through the US government are very different things.