BorisKolenkhov's Xanga

Friday, December 26, 2008

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:09:13 GMT

christmas in a storm

so this life thing just keeps on rolling, and some times i feel like i'm the steaming pile of tar waiting for the steamroller to flatten me out. and with all the craziness piling up, with all that i have to get done in the next week, it is easy to understanding why i would feel that way.

luckily, i don't feel that way.

now, i'm not saying i'm not stressed or that i wouldn't like to push that magical fast-forward button to skip past the upcoming week here, but i am excited about this next stage of life. and it is exciting to be making this journey with my best friend - and this time, she's just as excited as i am!

it has been wonderful to celebrate our second christmas together, too, even though we are in the midst of such a HUGE change, but what has served as our ballast and keel has been focusing on the "why" of christmas. it's bigger than gift-giving and more important than family ... that little baby, the great mystery of the God of eternity becoming fragile man. that's been the best of the best.

peace - b

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:44:45 GMT

a monster called worry

i'm an anxious guy. not the curl-up-in-a-ball-in-the-corner -of-the-room-type or anything like that, but i do tend to over-think things and can begin to cascade down the precipice of worry if i don't reel in those thoughts. my professional training over the last several years provides some good strategies to make sure that i don't take the plunge, but my practice of faith is even more bolstering.

this morning, i find myself leaning heavily on those beliefs that have become so dear to me.

what i mean is this, and i am working quite hard to avoid anything political here, which is absolutely not my intent - nothing divisive is being orchestrated here. but, simply as background to my state of being, i am very concerned with the election results. it is my belief that many very dangerous and harmful policies and ideologies are espoused by an inexperienced man who was elected as commander in chief of america last night. enough ... nothing else on that.

what i am really saying is this: as a person of faith in Christ, my hope and assurance and confidence and overall sense of "okayness" with the world do not rest in the hands of a democrat or a republican or a libertarian or any other political or social figure in our world yesterday, today, or tomorrow. my faith guides me that there is One who is in charge, One who is able to protect me in the storms of life, One who is able to bring joy out of sorrow and suffering, One who is sovereign when things look swell and when they appear monstrous.

it is an amazing thing, as i have adventured ahead on this journey of faith, to learn to trust my God with all parts of me, my life, and my world. even when the stuff of life would otherwise wildly trigger those anxious thoughts and feelings, i am lead on a grand journey of deeper understanding and wild exploits.

and so, life is good. very good.

loaded for bear (part one)

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:58:34 GMT

mono really limits your extracurricular activities - seriously limits them. simple things, like walking down the stairs to your apartment to go get the mail or take out the trash, wipe you out. with these restrictive limits (read here, "really only able to sit in one spot or sleep"), i am finding myself with a plethora of time to consume the hours with sleeping, reading, and thinking.

while these are things that i find in short supply during the entire course of my non-mono-infected life, two weeks of this sedentary life style is driving me i-n-s-a-n-e. however, i have gotten some reading done that i have wanted to do (though about an hour of even this low-level activity can drain me these days). i've noticed a theme as i've read various tomes covering a variety of themes and subjects is that everyone thinks they've got the silver bullet.

and one of the things that i've really come to believe is that there are no silver bullets.

don't get me wrong: there are lots of werewolves, vampires, and other assorted monsters and creeps in this world that a silver bullet would be just swell to have in the ol' revolver, but it just ain't so. as hard as it is to do, we need to have a varied arsenal at our command, a big toolbox in the shed, or whatever analogy you want to stick in there. maybe i'm spouting common knowledge here, but it seems like we're all looking to find the panacea that will cure all the ails in our own little worlds.

but that cure-all remains ellusive. and that ellusivity? it's permanent. you can't find it, because it's not there. but still we look, we seek, we toil. if only we can find that one way to answer it all ... and so we spend our energies trying to find a way to solve it all with the silver bullet.

now, my faith in a way is that silver bullet ... it provides absolute truth, a keel in the midst of a wildly raging sea, and practical ways of dealing with the insanity of life. but even my faith requires looking for ways of expressing it and living it and taking it to my hurting world in a different way everwhere i look.

and i think that's it ... we need to be willing to diversify our lives and our thinking and our applications and our ways of doing life. no silver bullets, but a quiver full of different arrows that can be used in a myriad of ways. (think i can stick in any more metaphors into this post?)

this is all quite abstract ... perhaps a bit more concrete in my next post. but hey ... i've got mono, so cut me some slack. geez. ;^)

peace - b

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 03:10:43 GMT

hey all ... the time has come, and i'm making the switch. i will try to check in here occasionally, but i think i will be moving my blog site to http://gromis.blogspot.com/ for the foreseeable future. check me out there, and feel free to leave comments. see you all 'round the block.

peace - b

Big News

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:39:42 GMT

I'm changing jobs! Things got ... different at my last job, but a good door for work opened that is comparable in pay to what I was making. I will be doing management with Blockbuster ... quite different from what I've been doing for three years, but it will be a good move as I keep looking for options in full-time ministry. That's the scoop!

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Tue, 06 May 2008 17:36:53 GMT

life remains as complicated and confusing as ever. oh, how i wish and pine for answers and clarity, but such is not my lot, at least at this point. i suppose this is a time of testing faith and learning dependence and realizing my weakness, but it sure isn’t pleasant to be in it, even with the hope of what it could become.
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i am going to a counselor tomorrow, the second time i’ve done this in my life. the first was after a very difficult breakup in my second year of college, a very dismal time in my past. this time, the need is different, and i am a bit apprehensive about what it will all look like. say a prayer of peace and healing for me, if you think of it.
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my wife and i celebrate our first anniversary this coming weekend … i am so very grateful beyond words for her love, her support, her friendship. she makes me so very much better than i could ever be on my own. during these past dark days and weeks, she has been a ballast who points me to the true keel again and again, my Savior and Lord. my wife is one amazing woman.
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i am part of a theology discussion group that recently formed, and our first discussion on an article by j. hammett in reference to the emergent church movement, a trendy idea in present christian circles. i’ve included my informal review of some of his thoughts below.
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and so goes life … the unpleasant and the wonderful, mixed together on a single canvas, as a writer noted in his work on finding happiness, it takes both the light and the dark, color and as well as shadow, to produce a work of art when painted – so do our lives require the contrast of pain with joy in order to provide real perspective in the world in which we live. i am being painted.

peace – b

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Thoughts on J. Hammett's Article - An Ecclesiological Assessment of the Emerging Church Movement

A first thought is, after reading an entire article on assessing the emerging church movement (ECM), what is the emerging church? It is at the same time apparently very broadly defined, as well as quite indefinable. The very culture of the movement lends toward a desire not to be defined, almost a rebellion against the traditional way of thinking and doing life in itself. That being said – and clearly evident throughout this article – is the inseparable, co-morbid condition of postmodernity, which is itself intentionally and willfully indefinable, always being in flux and re-imagining itself.

Several points were noteworthy from Hammett's article and warrant further exposition:

The ECM has no clear-cut, definable leadership or ideological consensus as a movement (page 2).

This makes is extremely difficult to look at the ECM in any type of “macro” sense. This indefinable nature is one of the characteristic traits inherent to other movements as well, such as various cults, terror groups, or other political movements that benefit from the ability to operate without clear public scrutiny and the mystery that enshrouds secrecy. This is not to equate the ECM with these other groups, but it is interesting that there is a shared trait here. Why does the movement so vehemently resist definition? While avoidance-of-definition appears a strong cultural value among those which the ECM targets, it is rather important to discuss where this value comes from, what drives its necessity among its holders, and whether or not the value has, for lack of a better term, any real value in the end.

There is basically no discussion of the ECM without immediate discussion of postmodernity (page 2).

This point basically becomes the thesis-of-inquiry for the rest of the article. It is noteworthy that this article, which sets out to assess the ECM, can go no farther than its sixth paragraph without delving into the ideas and discussion of postmodernism (PM), which then dominates the discussion through the conclusion of the article. In essence, discussion of the ECM has become a discussion of PM. Where possible, it may be important to create more realistic and essential distinctions. For instance, is it possible to be an emerging church without actively discussing or intentionally targeting PM as such?

Hammett makes an interesting and correlating summary of Carson's take on the ECM, stating that the movement is characterized by a protest against modernity (page 3). This seems to be an accurate characteristic assessment of those embracing the ECM – at least from this author's experience with those who have self-identified with movement. It is always a concerning position to hold, that which is built on the platform of being against something, rather than on the foundation of firm conviction for something.

Hammett lists four major concerns with the notion that all churches must respond to PM in like fashion to the ECM, in its broadest sense (pages 4-7):

The shift to PM has not happened everywhere. While this is clearly true (eg – has anyone visited about 95% of non-urban Virginia lately?), it is the same argument as someone saying, "Well, sure, I've only got one egg left and I'm gonna make it for breakfast tomorrow, but why should I go to the store and buy more now ... I'm not out yet!" Anyone who has spent five minutes outside the walls of a monastery has come in contact with the culture of and the impact of PM, even if it has not fully integrated itself into a particular locality. PM (and the resultant further cultural spin-offs and ideologies) will reach even the remotest regions of our present culture. Are there exceptions to this? Sure there are. Chances are that PM will not have a huge impact anytime soon on a ministry to the Appalachian people group. But the norm is this: the effects of PM are real and impact the vast majority of North American ministry modalities. To think otherwise seems to be looking at life with blinders on, and it appears that most of the places where modernism is still predominate is manifested by the presence of a strong Christian entity, such as an historically strong church or Christian institution.

There are churches effectively reaching the PM generation without being part of the ECM. This may be a result of the effect these churches have had to create an appealingly nostalgic or seemingly novel (in the light of a generally PM culture) environment, as noted in the last point. However, the exception is not the rule, generally speaking, so the existence of these churches would most likely be best viewed as an aberration of a greater cultural norm, not significant evidence against the overall situation of the need to address PM peoples in light of their culture and worldview.

There is a strong, continuing influence of parents on individual spirituality. How many would have admitted this when entering the post high school / college years? This is almost counter-cultural to PM in and of itself, that one's views and personal beliefs could be so strongly affected by those of "dated" parents. But in the end, this just underscores two major ideas: one, that a huge emphasis must be placed on the role of parenting in spiritual development, rather than abdicating this responsibility to the church, the school, or society in general; and two, ministry cannot be focused on one age group or generation or "culture" – the Bible is clear on the need for holistic, inclusive ministry of the church and the need for life-span focus in the joining together of God's people. To have a PM-only church would miss those of another generation and culture that will be impacting the spirituality of their children and grandchildren.

There is discussion that PM culture is already waning. Insomuch as PM is elusive in the way of clear definition, it seems a rather tenuous position to hold that that which-cannot-be-defined can be said to be waning. Might it not rather be said to be further refining itself? Inventing itself? Expanding itself? It seems an avoidant tactic to dismiss the need for focusing on PM culture for such a reason. Rather than dismiss out-of-hand, why not rather look at culture in a given location at a given time in a given context in light of itself, allowing the culture and its peculiarities to stand on its own rather than fit into a neatly defined box while at the same time recognizing its similarities and relatedness to other cultural motifs and expressions?

Hammett notes (again in summary of Carson) that the ECM banks most of its zeal and philosophy in reference to PM and yet has not carefully critiqued PM (page 9).

It is unclear how accurate this assessment is, as those within the ECM write about and discuss freely all things PM. If Hammett's supposition is that ECM thinkers / adherents may have romanticized or idealized PM (or perhaps even been subverted by PM), this is possible, as this may have resulted in a less-than-unbiased assessment of the culture-at-large. However, it is interesting that discussion of the ECM even in this effort is nearly indistinguishable from the discussion of PM. Can anyone really look at her own culture without being affected by that very culture. If someone is wearing blue-tinted glasses and looks into a mirror for the expressed purpose of examining the color of his lenses, can his assessment be accurate? Will he not always see the lenses as bluer than what they really are, try though he may be to not allow the tint of the lenses to distort his perception of the world? This is a difficult balance to hold, as it would be absurd to say that only those outside of a particular cultural modality are fit to examine that modality even as it is clearly biased to stand only on the examination of someone within that culture.

In quoting Flores' research, many of the ~200 emergent churches surveyed were emergent because it was fashionable to do so (page 10).

Not that this is an argument against the movement in general, since it is always beneficial to remember that any movement will be comprised of ardent, loyal, legitimate followers as well as opportunistic, shallow-rooted, trendy participants as well. The Apostle Paul himself said in his letter to the Philippians that there would be those who "preach Christ out of self ambition" rather than pure motives / convictions – if we are to expect this for the faith in general, it seems reasonable to assume that the same will happen in the various movements within the whole as well. In any examination of the ECM, we should be careful not to make the example of any one church / proponent speak for the whole, especially with a movement that has very little (if any) centralized leadership or spokespeople.

Hammett ends his article with the notion that it is the duty of the Church to engage her culture with zeal and eagerness in order to communicate effectively while guided by Biblical fidelity (page 11).

This seems a quite accurate and lucid charge to the church today. The church must preach, but she must do so in ways that those to whom she is preaching can understand and in a manner that takes the preaching to those who need to hear it – and not just to those who have already heard it! And in the end, the precepts, the tenets, the principals, the truth of the Word of God must be the originator of the preaching, the content of the preaching, and the standard against which the success of the preaching is measured. It is the “both / and” argument rather than a “either / or” one.

Hammett's assessment read more like a critique of the PM culture in light of church ministry, rather than a through-and-through examination of the ECM, but this also seems in line with the broader discussion of the movement. The question still remains: what is the emergent church? It is unclear if there is or if there will be a clear answer to this, at least in the short term. A further question then becomes important: does it matter what the emergent church is? For the sake of examining these churches and their effectiveness / adherence to the truth of Scripture, there is value to this discussion, but it is not paramount in the broader scope of the ministry of the church.

It seems most vital, as Hammett point out, that all churches shoulder the burden of becoming culturally relevant and Biblically grounded in all that they do in their given context. This could include a massive focus on those within the PM culture as well as those still tenaciously clinging to modernity or something else entirely. Maybe a particular region will respond well today to a resurgence of traditional styles and themes? Perhaps an individual church finds the need to discover ways of proclaiming and teaching the Word outside the context of a centralized sermon? Maybe a group of people need to completely change "the look" of the church in order to make the message of the church accessible to those who have never heard it or stand opposed to it at the present? Perhaps an specific church need to change absolutely nothing right now but continue doing exactly what it is doing to take the message of Christ to a lost and broken world?

Whatever it is, the more important question – above that of what is the ECM or what is PM – is what is your culture in your locality given your context? Answering these questions is vital and necessary.

Brad Gromis

06.May.2008

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:46:35 GMT

i wish i knew what i had liberty to share. i wish i knew what i wanted to share. i wish many things these days. but unlike the promises of childhood stories and the psychology of positive cognition, wishes simply don't come true because of the sincerity of one's desire.

i am in a rough spot. I have been for several weeks now. i am wrestling with so very many things, more than i could really sit here and type in a given sitting, even if i had liberty and desire to do so. but what i can say is that my thoughts are assaulting me, barraging me, and i have found little respite from their onslaught. i cannot turn off my brain, my thoughts washing over me in repeating torrents, casting a sheen of anxiety over everything that I do.

last night, my parents took me to dinner. with my thoughts of life and the plentitude of people and the myriad of choices laid before me, i was overwhelmed by simple task of choosing a menu item, to the point where i almost had to step out of the restaurant as I shut my eyes and clenched all of my body against the flood of tears that was welling up within me. i am unable to do even the simplest of things without worry and concern. i feel hobbled and targeted by the most benign and the most sinister things of life all at once.

so my friends ... if you think of it, pray for me. i am pushing myself to rely on my faith that is based in the hope of the life beyond this, that is rooted in a Creator that loves me and can be all the strength that i need. but sometimes the things of life make that difficult. ironically, i also know that those are the exact moments when this faith is most needed. so again I ask, friends, for your prayers.

peace - b

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:50:02 GMT

sometimes, life blows ...

Friday, March 21, 2008

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:24:12 GMT

so here i am, again, in the southern bliss of winchester. liz and i traveled down here for the easter weekend ... in fact, we came down early so that we could go through all of her old stuff that's been stored up at her parents' place. so as we started going through all of these ancient treasures, i quickly learned that my job was to hold the trash bag while she looked through things. i made a brilliant offer of walking away and letting her hang out with her mom holding the trash bags instead, and here i am typing away. brilliant.

so married life rocks. if anyone has yet to try it, you should give it a whirl. best decision i've ever made.

job stuff is ... complicated. funding issues for my present position have come up, so my life is a bit on edge lately. anybody wanna independently fund a research project into how long i can play video games in any one given year?

my grandmother took a spill this past valentine's day, and was the hospital for about a month. she's in rehab at an independant living facility, and she's hoping to move back home asap. here's to hoping she recovers quickly!

i've been able to read through a few books over the last several months, and they've all been good reads - two of terry brooks latest novels, armaggedon's children and the elves of cintra; rainer and geiger's simple church; cloud and townsend's boundaries; sjogren and lewin's community of kindness; and rusaw and swanson's the externally focused church. right now, i am working through gladwell's tipping point. this summer, i was able to work through terry brook's shannara series, about 14 novels worth. so yeah ... that's a lot of reading, lately!

well, liz and her mom just came back in, so i'm gonna roll. holla back, now.

peace -
b

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 00:06:27 GMT

my oh my ... it's been a little while ...