Xmas Double Feature

had a nice time with the house mates yesterday- it was the last night that we were all around together for the next few weeks, so we plopped down on the couch and hit up a double feature of ‘elf’ and ‘bad santa.’ lots of laughs, in quite different genres.

thought crude, i think billy bob thorton’s performance in bad santa is great. and the characters like bernie mac, john ritter, and tony cox also priceless.

two back to back nights of christmas parties and i should be good to go on christmas ‘spirit.’ now if only it would snow here in dc, instead of rain…

*hasler

New Eyes

when Jesus talks about having eyes to see and ears to hear, i think it’s true- and part of our ‘new life’ in Christ includes getting new vision on situations.

now granted, i tend to find myself in ‘observer mode’ a lot, perhaps more than average person, but aside from my personality- i think it’s a product of the spirit of God. so often i find myself just sitting there, watching people, or a scene, or a room and thinking about life and the lives that are all around. it’s hard to put into words what that means or feels like… i was just kind of reminded last night of how often i have this experience…

*hasler

2 A.M. Theology

it’s really great to see our community house at 334 (we’re still looking for a good name, if anyone has any suggestions) digging in a little deeper these days. like last night… a few of us found ourselves in a late/early theological discussion at 2 a.m. it felt good for us to get there though.

community is hard. i remember when i was at the p.a.p.a. fest with shane claibourne and folks this summer- so many of the breakouts and workshops were about troubleshooting. some of these folks had lived in community for 20 plus years- and they still talked about the struggles of the most simple of things. that was encouraging to me and my house mates as we were beginning this new endeavor. i guess we shouldn’t have been surprised- i mean even the disciples in the presence of Jesus were having petty arguments about logistics and posturing for ‘position.’

a lot of that ‘getting to a deeper level’ with people is due to a few things:
1. intentionality- you have to try and be intentional about your time and priorities.
2. time- sometimes it just takes a few months for people to sink into the situation and begin to feel comfortable about opening up.

either way- 334 is a family- and the ‘laying down your life’ for your brother and sister mentality is already beginning to take root.

*hasler

This Is What Community Looks Like…

want to see what community looks like?
want to see all that it can do, for a neighborhood, city, world?

our community oriented house hosted a small christmas market in our front yard yesterday. we invited the whole block and had hot cider, pie, cookie decorating, make your own christmas card station, and more. we invited the entire block- the point was to celebrate christmas with our neighbors, and create a time and space for people to come together and meet. it’s hard to move to a new neighborhood, especially as a minority in city that still struggles with historic racial tension.

but when you open up your home- and you serve- and you exude love- good things happen, and some of that garbage and evil begins to lose it’s grip on society.

the most beautiful picture that i witnessed during our time yesterday was when a few beat police officers came up for a hot cup of cider and stood next to a few passerby-men that we called up from the sidewalk. any other time that these two parties would have passed one another, there would have been looks of contempt and suspicion from both sides- but here, in this space at this moment, they were able to stand together, with a few barriers broken down.

that! is the hope for the future- that is the gospel incarnate.
i wish i had a picture from that moment, but i wasn’t able to capture it- we did take a bunch of other pics though- here are a few of those beautiful moments and faces:

*hasler

General Butt Naked

The Redemption of General Butt Naked

that title is no joke-
check out this website- the story and then the trailer. i cannot wait until this film comes out. i’m hoping we’ll get to show it at ebz…

aoneeight

i’m really excited about our new missions and social justice website here at ncc.

check out aoneeight.org

this has been a dream of mine, and others, for some time now- to get a site up that gives people the opportunity to find out about different global issues, and also find out what we are doing throughout the world.

included in this site is also our new christmas missions catalogue:
check out the ‘marketplace’ to buy a present to support our trips.

we also have a hard copy of hit- here is the cover:

the site is still under construction, with much more info to be added along the way- but a lot of it is up and active, so i wanted to post it here to give it some props and traffic.

*hasler

Springy December

it’s so unbelievably warm here in dc today… it literally feels like spring here as it’s in the 60′s. crazy. and what’s also crazy is the sort of sensory confusion that you feel- you know, like the smells and feel- i have to keep reminding myself that it’s still december, and winter- especially since i’ll be in chi-town in a few weeks…

*hasler

Human Nature

spent most of my ‘day off’ yesterday running errands with one of the guys we met on the street over four years ago. we have seen him through countless hospital and rehab stints. he is now in an aging facility, and me and others on the in service team pick him up for our wednesday nite small group and church on sunday- but every once in a while he needs to get over to the bank and a few other things- he is a vet in his 70′s, has two knees without cartilage, a heart problem and alcohol induced dimensia from years of abuse.
so as you can imagine a ‘quick run’ to the bank is a half day affair.

it’s amazing to see however, what a half day out, a hot coffee and a few cigarettes will do to someone’s mood. we are doing our best to convince him to stay in the facility, which is actually quite nice for such a place. however, after spending over half a decade plus on the street in a routine, it is difficult to break those comfort desires. seems silly that someone would prefer to be on a bench, than to be in warm place, with a bed and a shower and 3 meals a day… but then again, we are all creatures of habit- and totally underestimate the power of our nature.

anyway- all that to say that it just goes to show that in ministry, and in the life of a believer for that matter, you can never really consider any day a day off- we are called to pray without ceasing (1 thessalonians 5:17)- and to never tire of doing what is good (galatians 6:9) thanks paul!

*hasler

Madness

just got finished with an ethiopia team meeting-
wow, it’s a bit overwhelming. can’t wait be be able to spend 23 days in addis, but it’s going to be nuts facilitating two teams with a total of 45 people.

just getting through a lot of the logistics- and really hoping to see God begin to move in each individual on the team.
once the trip details get more in order, i’m excited to continue to see the macro impact that our dedicated teams are going to make. i’m interested in the stories of the people on the team. this is as much discipleship and spiritual growth as it is a trip and a mission.

just trying to keep a balance of things that vary from passports to life-changing divine encounters…

*hasler

Modern Day Slavery: Sex Trafficking

check out this video clip about an art display raising awareness about sex trafficking. art has such a way of portraying things that bring people a little closer to reality. click play (and ignore the gap advert that pops up on there- do not shop the gap or old navy!!)

more about "Sex Slave Art // Current", posted with vodpod

this sunday at ebenezers from 1-5pm, we will be putting on an open house with art and info on trafficking. here’s the invite:

*hasler