barbers, pastors, and artists...

I took my parents to Elmwood Ave in Buffalo yesterday to walk around and see the variety of artistic expressions (Elmwood Ave. and Allentown are the areas where most of the artists hang and have their stores in Buffalo). I'm still a rookie at that part of town because I didn't realize that artists, like barbers and pastors, take Mondays off...silly me. We had a good time, anyway...I got to show them around Buffalo, with the variety in culture in a very small city.

Today is back in the office. My head feels a little foggy, trying to get back into the swing of things after a week of "vacation" - I use the "" because we didn't take off anywhere, we just stayed in Hamburg and did things around the house. It was sort of strange to "vacation" at home...I guess that's what happens when you have a toddler and one more about 3-4 weeks away from birth...

Heidi feels pretty terrible these days - pregnancy isn't fun for her. She's got an incredible spirit, though. God is strong in her, shaping her perspective in a pretty powerful way. I am humbled to be her life-mate.

One of the things I've been stirring on in a pretty big way is the relevance of the church in our changing culture. What it means to connect with spiritual seekers is changing...or are they?

Several of the books I've been reading talk about these issues and propose a shift in the way we view "church." I smile as I read them because many of the things they are suggesting are the foundational dynamics of a church I planted in Ipswich, MA (New England Christian Community). It's a church that is still growing as a worshipping community in a little town north of Boston, MA. But the basis was that we would BE the church in such a way that God is honored and that skeptics and seekers would be able to investigate the claims of Jesus without the "trappings" of the modern church. I'm too late to write my book but the books might have been helpfur 7 years ago! Anyway...

Peace,

Matt