JakeBouma.com is a half decade old
March 18th, 2010 | 
I know, it’s been a while.1
Today is a special day, though, because it has now been a half decade since the day I purchased the JakeBouma.com domain name for the purpose of blogging. This post from the third birthday has a fun little history (for serious JakeBouma.comophiles only).
But seriously, why the lack of posting?
Aside from the gravitational pull of sites like Twitter and Posterous (mostly Twitter), there’s the fact that I’ve been slowly working on a book proposal.2 That means two things: 1) Much of my free time is spent reading, researching, and writing stuff that has to do with the proposal, and 2) A great portion of the stuff I would blog about — especially around topics like youth ministry, theology, social theory, and philosophy — I feel the need to keep “secret” until I know whether or not it will ever actually materialize in book form.3
So although I haven’t been around this here blog much, I have doing blog-worthy things. Which kind of sucks for you, I guess. Sorry. But the good news is that I just renewed JakeBouma.com for two more years. Which is kind of awesome for you, I guess.
Hey, while I’ve got you — you should check out a few things.
In late January I was a guest on Tim Schmoyer’s Live YM Talk, discussing “The need for theological questioning in youth ministry”. It’s runs about 50 minutes, and you can check it out here.
And earlier this week I was a guest on Andy Root’s online radio show talking about his new book The Promise of Despair (which I have said should be a top priority read if you’re invested in the future of the church). This one’s only 15 minutes long, and you can listen here. I’ve been told that I may receive a $10 Olive Garden gift card if my episode has the most listens, so…
Long story short: I miss you, and I’m told (some of) you miss me. Hang in there.
In closing, here’s a picture of Philip Clayton.
- For the record, the “someone I’ve never met” was Mitch McGinnis. Mitch — If you’re reading this, sorry for blocking you on Twitter. ↩
- And, no, the title isn’t The Speed of Light: Intergalactic Space Travel in Youth Ministry. ↩
- This doesn’t mean I haven’t dropped a few juicy hints here and there. ↩
No Caribou October
Hi, my name is Jake and I’m a coffee addict.
Here’s the deal: At least five days a week I spend $1.70 in the morning on a small dark roast coffee at Caribou. It’s enough to get me through the morning, but in the afternoons I’ll often spend $2-5 on a latte or double-shot on ice or some other sort of tasty pick-me-up. I don’t work on Friday or Saturday (usually), and sometimes I don’t buy coffee on those days — but lots of times I do.
So let’s do some math. If we add the average the price of the afternoon coffee ($3.50) with the morning coffee ($1.70), we get $5.20/day spent on coffee. Which, assuming I only buy coffee five days a week, amounts to $26/week, or $104/month, or $1352/year. One thousand, three hundred and fifty-two dollars. Per year. And that’s a conservative estimate.
Simply put, it’s odious.
That’s where No Caribou October comes in. For the entire month of October, I will not spend a penny of my own money at Caribou Coffee. And just so we’re clear, when I say “Caribou Coffee” what I mean is “any coffee shop whatsoever”. I think we can all agree that No Any Coffee Shop Whatsoever October is a bit of a lingual traffic jam.
Instead of buying my coffee from a shop every single day ($1352/year!), I have developed the following personal coffee plan for the month of October:
Before I go to work in the morning, I will use a (1) Bodum Chambord 8-Cup Coffee Press to brew several cups of (2) El Diablo Dark Roast coffee, which I will then transfer to a (3) Thermos Nissan 26-Ounce Travel Companion Stainless-Steel Insulated Bottle for consumption while at work. That’s it. I had to purchase all three items, but those expenses will be more than covered by the money I save this month.
I am both nervous and excited about No Caribou October (and I have certainly come a long way), but it’s pretty hard to argue with saving money.
So what do you say? You in?
Update: Follow along on Twitter via the hashtag #nocaribouoctober. Looks like a few people will be playing along.
Getting on in a post-ELCA Churchwide Assembly world
Unless you’ve been living under a rock this past week, you’re aware that the ELCA voted to “open the ministry of the church to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers living in committed relationships.” It’s been all over the mainstream media (although the MSM is possibly biased and/or misinformed) and there’s still lots of chatter on Twitter about it.
I haven’t ever spoken explicitly on this blog about my views on GLBT issues, but I’ve hinted a couple of times that I am in fact pro-GLBT. And in the interest of full disclosure, had I been at the Churchwide Assembly as a voting member, I would have voted “For” both the social statement and all four recommendations on ministry policies.1
But I’m not writing this post to defend my position or debate those who disagree with me. I’m writing it because my heart breaks at how quickly some of our brothers and sisters in Christ are willing to erect walls and further splinter an already fractured Protestant Christianity.
I was reading David Dark’s The Sacredness of Questioning Everything yesterday, and this passage seemed to me particularly prescient with respect to the Churchwide Assembly and the reactions it has generated:
[The] refusal to question, to listen, and to think past a certain point has tragic consequences, easily discerned in the morning headlines. Self-described people of God are wreaking havoc in our world. They revere their own faith, but their irreverence for the faith of others is the loudest voice in the room… Instead, we’re called to wrestle with a God more complex and more deeply affectionate toward all of life than whatever God we have in mind. Due reverence toward other people, in this sense, is a work that is never complete, a work that is ever before us. Anything less is bad worship, bad theology, and a plain old bad idea. As that very famous prayer involving debts and trespasses reminds us, the peace we make (or don’t make) with others — those who vote differently or believe differently or who happen to have been born in a different country — is the same peace we have (or don’t have) with our Maker. Peace with God and peace with others are never separate issues. When we say we love God while hating others, we lie and the truth is not in us.2
That’s it. I know for a fact that Matt Cleaver — someone whom I deeply respect — and I disagree on these issues. But the fact is, we’re called not only to love one another despite our disparate viewpoints but also to assist one another in the advancement of the kingdom of God, i.e., being the church. Wouldn’t it be a massive waste of kingdom-time to spend all my energy defining myself or my church as pro-GLBT? Or, worse yet, anti-anti-GLBT?
As I watched the tweets and blog posts roll in last week during the Assembly, it took a concerted effort on my part to not be reactionary. It wasn’t easy, because our sinful tendency is to vilify those with whom we disagree. But as Dark reminds us, “we’re called to wrestle with a God more complex and more deeply affectionate toward all of life than whatever God we have in mind.” In actually listening to those whose views differ from mine, I am able to see a broader picture of God’s kingdom than my narrow vision normally allows. And for better or for worse, I believe that’s a good thing.
So here’s the deal: Because of its nature, the mainstream media is all over this issue. It’s no exaggeration to say that the world is watching. What if we took the opportunity and ran with it? What if we showed the world how we have a rich and ancient knowledge of what it truly means to be bi-partisan,3 for we are one body in Christ?
In her sermon this week, Nadia Bolz-Weber concluded with these words:
So let’s again look to Christ and not ourselves because in the end there are no winners and losers, there is just what there has always been: the good news of Jesus Christ the Holy One of God. To whom else shall we go? He has the words of eternal life and offers all the inexplicable gift of his own self — body, blood, and word. And bids all come and eat.
Amen.
- Please be reminded that my About page says, “The views and opinions expressed on this blog are strictly mine and have not been reviewed or endorsed by St. Mark [the church where I work]“ ↩
- Dark, David. The Sacredness of Questioning Everything. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009. 23-24. ↩
- Or poly-partisan, for that matter ↩
The Monday brief: “Where the heck have I been?” edition
Highlight of the week: A friend and I recently secured the lease to an apartment (which is really the 1,800 sq. ft. first floor of a house), and this past weekend I an entire afternoon inside a furniture store picking out some things for the place, including (but not limited to): a mattress, a faux-leather recliner, and a couch. Unfortunately I have to wait until August 1 to actually use any of them, but exciting nonetheless.
Book(s) I’m reading: Since the last Monday brief, I’ve read the following books: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States by Bill Bryson, Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, and Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality by Manjit Kumar.
I’m currently trudging my way through David Foster Wallace’s monumental and maddening-yet-seductive Infinite Jest with a bunch of other souls via Infinite Summer. Clueless? Read Dave Eggers’ foreward to IJ’s 10th anniversary edition.
Music I’m digging: Wilco’s Wilco (The Album).
Something(s) that blew my mind: This optical illusion made me feel like I’m malfunctioning.
Ministry update: We (myself, the intern, and adult leaders) are working on the final preparations for the National Youth Gathering that happens in two weeks. Meanwhile, this Wednesday and Thursday a group of high school and young adult guys from church is going to Chicago for both a Cubs and a White Sox game. The first of an annual tradition? Let’s hope so.
Seminary/ordination update: Nihil.
Looking forward to: The aforementioned baseball trip. Go Cubs!
Photo of the week:
Squirrel watching, uploaded by jakebouma on flickr.
That’s it for the Monday brief. Feel free to leave a comment, and if you’re feeling extra frisky, check out the Monday brief archives.
The Monday brief
Highlight of the week: The First Annual St. Mark Sale Barn & Silent Auction was an amazing success. In addition to raising 20% more than our goal, the event was unbelievably fun — at one point I was laughing so hard I was in tears. Oh, and it’s wonderful to have the Cubs playing regular season baseball.
Book(s) I’m reading: I finished The Invention of Air by Steven Johnson which was interesting but not incredible, and I’m now reading The Chemistry of Joy: A Three-Step Program for Overcoming Depression Through Western Science and Eastern Wisdom by Henry Emmons. I wrestled with depression in college, and never took the time to actually understand the disease. I’m only 60 or 70 pages in, and it’s already eye-opening. I also picked up Bill Bryson’s A Walk In the Woods for my bedtime reading.
Music I’m digging: Three Flights from Alto Nido (link opens in iTunes) by Greg Laswell. If you like indie rock, you’ll like this album.
Something(s) that blew my mind: This video of a guy beatboxing while playing a kalimba.
Ministry update: As I said earlier, the auction was a total success. And since we just served our annual Easter breakfast, all of our fundraising for the summer trip to New Orleans is finished. Phwew!
Seminary/ordination update: Nothing new to report.
Looking forward to: I am extremely excited for the silent retreat at the end of this week. I’ll post more on it later.
Photo of the week:
Opening day (34/365), uploaded by jakebouma on flickr.
That’s it for the Monday brief. Feel free to leave a comment, and if you’re feeling extra frisky, check out the Monday brief archives.
The Monday brief
Highlight of the week: Is it pathetic to say that the highlight of my week may have been receiving two boxes of Caramel deLite Girl Scout cookies? Yeah, they’re that good. Also, late last week I shaved my facial hair into a Fu Manchu (Dad, if you’re reading this, try not to fall out of your seat when you realize that’s not a portrait of you).
Book(s) I’m reading: Still working on The Invention of Air by Steven Johnson. It’s totally fascinating thus far.
Music I’m digging: No new music this week, but I did re-enjoy The Damnwells’ One Last Century which you can still get for free.
Something(s) that blew my mind: John Stewart’s interview of Jim Cramer was really, really good. As Andrew Sullivan said, “you almost had to look away.”
Ministry update: I’m focusing this week on doing tons of prep work for the First Annual St. Mark Sale Barn & Silent Auction. T-minus 19 days!
Seminary/ordination update: Nothing new to report.
Looking forward to: Brandon Barker and his wife may be joining our budding tradition of Wednesday night bowling — if so, it will undoubtedly be hilarious. I’m super pumped about the NCAA tournament, which starts on Thursday, and I’m making a trip to Omaha on Friday night to see the masterful William Fitzsimmons. Again. Add the gorgeous weather forecast for this week on top of all that, and it could shape up to be an incredible week.
Photo of the week:
We can talk about the street lights, uploaded by jakebouma on flickr.
That’s it for the Monday brief. Feel free to leave a comment, and if you’re feeling extra frisky, check out the Monday brief archives.
The Monday brief
Highlight of the week: Last weekend Kelly and I drove to St. Paul to see Green River Ordinance play a show, which was totally bizarre because a) the bouncer let us in for free (it was a $10 show) and b) there were less than 25 people there. Even so, they put on a great show. If only I had received my new camera by then.
Book(s) I’m reading: I finished You Shall Know our Velocity! by Dave Eggers and at this point I think I am okay saying that it’s my least favorite work by Eggers. You see, I usually love anything he writes, but I feel like there was something missing from this novel. Anyway, I’ve moved on to The Invention of Air by Steven Johnson.
Music I’m digging: For the past couple of weeks, I have almost exclusively been listening to Out of My Hands by Green River Ordinance, which is a phenomenal pop/rock album, and A Sucker’s Dream by The Alternate Routes.
Something(s) that blew my mind: I just want to be a fly on the wall in this room and soak up every ounce of songwriting goodness.
Ministry update: We’re super busy getting ready for the First Annual St. Mark Sale Barn and Silent Auction, which is less than a month away. Lots of things need to come together for it to be a success; and while I’m really nervous about it, I have faith that it will turn out to be a fantastic fundraising event.
Myself and most of the staff at St. Mark are going to the Congregations Together In Mission mini-conference this Saturday. I’m indifferent about it.
Also, Brandon and I are busy putting together the next several videos for Lenten small groups. Here’s Chapter 3:
Seminary/ordination update: Nothing new to report.
Looking forward to: I’m looking forward to a normal week. I don’t have any extra meetings or anything, so I’m hopeful that I can be really productive.
Photo of the week:
Nook (5/365), uploaded by jakebouma on flickr.
That’s it for the Monday brief. Feel free to leave a comment, and if you’re feeling extra frisky, check out the Monday brief archives.
Enter photography
2/365, uploaded by jakebouma on flickr.
In my life, the days of being simultaneously passionate about photography and not owning a decent camera are a thing of the past. Using this year’s tax return, I recently purchased a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi.
In reality, I know next to nothing about photography, but I am willing to be patient and slowly learn the ins and outs. To help facilitate the process of learning, I’m participating in Project 365 on Flickr, which means I will take and post at least one photo every day for 365 consecutive days.
No doubt I’ll occasionally post some photos here on the blog, so I hope you don’t mind. In fact, I hope you will leave comments with constructive criticism.
Photographers, I have two questions for you (I’m looking at you, Jim): 1. What’s the #1 piece of advice you’d give to a newbie photographer? and 2. What is the best photoblog you read? Please leave a comment and let me know!
Coax mixmaster, uploaded by jakebouma on flickr.
The Monday brief
Highlight of the week: Even though I’m less than excited to be 25, I had a great birthday weekend. It was so great, in fact, that I fell out of a booth. Thank you to all my friends and family who made it awesome.
Book(s) I’m reading: Well, now I’m in the middle of five books. The two that I added in addition to last week’s are You Shall Know Our Velocity! which I picked up because it was the only Dave Eggers book I didn’t own and hadn’t read (I’m halfway through it), and Theological Reflection: The Creation of Spiritual Power in the Information Age by Edward O. de Bary.
Music I’m digging: Still digging The Fray.
Something(s) that blew my mind: It didn’t necessarily blow my mind, but this picture has been stuck in my head for a couple of days now… I’m not sure why, but I really love it.
Ministry update: Our junior high and high school ministries will be doing the H2O Project during Lent. Although I’m not looking forward to two weeks sans coffee, I am looking forward to seeing how it plays out. I think it could be really sweet.
And, for your viewing pleasure, here are the first couple of videos that Brandon and I made for St. Mark’s Lenten small groups.
Seminary/ordination update: Nothing new to report.
Looking forward to: The Cubs’ first spring training game is on Wednesday (go Cubs!), and I’m going to see Green River Ordinance in Minneapolis on Friday night.
That’s it for the Monday brief. Feel free to leave a comment, and if you’re feeling extra frisky, check out the Monday brief archives.
The Monday brief
Highlight of the week: The highlight was definitely not when the database that holds all of JakeBouma.com’s content mysteriously disappeared. The support people were able to confirm that a) they didn’t delete it and b) I didn’t delete it, by accident or otherwise, and I had pretty much resigned to starting over agian; I even put up a splash page during the downtime. Anyway, I got an email from support saying “the issue has been resolved,” with no further explanation… so apparently the found the misplaced server. Whatever. At least it wasn’t my fault like this time or this time.
The real highlight of my week was probably listening to Brandon Mick repeatedly butcher the introduction to the St. Mark podcast (link opens in iTunes). Luckily for you, a recording of the whole escapade is available; just click the play button below.
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Book(s) I’m reading: I’m currently in the middle of three books: How to Think Theologically by Howard Stone and James Duke, which is a bit of “research material” for a project I’m working on; The Future of Christology by Roger Haight, for the Tranforming Theology Theo-Blogger Consortium; and The Fidelity of Betrayal by Peter Rollins, which I’ve been reading in bed the past few nights.
Music I’m digging: The Fray’s new self-titled album is incredible… I can’t get enough of it (You might remember that back in 2005 I said, “They are totally on the verge of becoming huge.”). Also, I’m really digging One Last Century by The Damnwells, which you can download for free here.
Something(s) that blew my mind: How about the fact that last week it was 60+ degrees midweek and it snowed 7 inches on Friday? Welcome to Iowa.
Ministry update: The last couple of weeks have been pretty crazy for me. I’ve had the biggest “pastoral care” issues with parents/students that I’ve dealt with up to this point in my (admittedly short) youth ministry career, and it’s been scary, humbling, draining, while at the same time, beautiful, life-giving, and affirming. And through it all, God has been speaking to me in profound ways (which is something I have said with any confidence very few times).
In other ministry news, one of my students who is in college called me tonight and told me he’s feeling called to youth ministry. We had a really long and productive conversation about it… it was awesome.
Seminary/ordination update: A strategic phone call has been made.
Looking forward to: I am both excited and not excited about turning 25 this Sunday. Excited because birthdays are generally a good time and not excited because 25 is halfway between 20 and 30. Ugh.
That’s it for the Monday brief. Feel free to leave a comment, and if you’re feeling extra frisky, check out the Monday brief archives.
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