I love me some HARDCORE music. I have been into Hardcore for the last 17 years.  I remember my first Hardcore album. It was Bad Brains “Rock For  Light.”  It changed my life.  I was into the standard fair of Minor Threat, & Black Flag the holy trinity of Hardcore.  Then I discovered 7 Seconds, Jerry’s Kids, & Sick of it All.  I got really into the Straight Edge scene.  Although I was never really “sXe”…I smoked cigarettes on the DL.

Judge, Slapshot,Youth of Today, Judge, Bold, & Gorilla Biscuits.  Earth Crisis, Strife, Excessive Force, 1134, Chain of Strength.  I loved me some Hardcore!  I would go to shows and “dance.”  I still listen to Hardcore when I work out.  I love Hardcore.  Hardcore has formed, destroyed, and reformed my understanding of the world around me.  Thus, it has had a lasting affect upon my understanding of the Divine.  When I was in seminary I began a project about Hardcore music and the folks that live in it, by it, and with it.  The folks of Hardcore music express a theology within their music and I am working on a guide to that theology.

I have been working on this project I have called, “The Theology of Hardcore.” I ran across this. It is a great example of what is out there in the way of evangelical, hardcore christian music. I have not come across much progressive christian voice in the hardcore scene.

Give this one a listen and read the words. Share with me what you think the theology may be that inspired the message offered in this song.

40 years ago the silent voice of a community was heard in a riotous action proclaiming that they would no longer be silent.  40 years ago a few hundred gathered to give voice to the marginalization and systemic oppression forced upon them.  40 years ago a movement was born that we celebrate here today.

The most important thing to remember about movements is that they are comprised of people.  People with hopes, dreams, and vision.  People with love in their hearts looking for a place to store that love.  People with the right to be.  PEOPLE! Movements being and end with the people.  Movements cannot sustain the movement when it is boiled down to an idea.

I stand here today a leader in the Christian church.  I stand here today as a white, straight male. I am a part of this movement.

The Christian faith has been utilized in the disenfranchising action of the GLBTQ community.  We have demanded that you must give up your faith if you insist on keeping your love.  We have demanded that you remain silent in order to nourish your soul.  We have demanded that you have a place in the Kindom of God only if you conform to the narrow standards of dubious origins.  For this I am terribly sorry.

It is my hope that we as a church may offer reconciliation and love to our sisters and brothers for the atrocities perpetrated upon them in the name of God.  It is my hope that the beautiful voice of faith embraced by the GLBTQ Community may enrich the faith on communities across Kentucky.  The faith of a few transforms the faith of us all.  This is a lesson we may draw from the actions of those brave people that would not be silent 40 years ago.

I recently read a lecture from Kentucky’s proud son, Bishop V. Gene Robinson, titled Why Religion Matters in the Quest for Gay Civil Rights. He speaks, “I believe that it will take religious people and religious voices to undo the harm that has been done by religious institutions…It’s time that progressive religious people stop being ashamed of their faith and fearful that they will be identified with the Religious Right, and start preaching the Good News of the liberating Christ, which includes ALL God’s Children.”

It seems that the harm, the damage that is being done is by us, the religious community, by us being in the shadows.  It is time for us to step out of the shadows.  I offer that as this movement progresses and the fires of the Spirit burn in the hearts of the many that we the religious community owe the Gay community love for the silence we offer and the isolation that we perpetrate upon you.  We the religious community owe you that scared space to be fearfully & wonderfully made.  We the religious community owe it to you to emerge from the silence and join our voice with yours and demand that WE shall not be denied the justice imbued within our hearts and souls because we celebrate the diversity of Gods creation.

40 years ago a rebellion began that we are honored to celebrate tonight and participate in today.  40 years ago people came together and would not be silent.  Tonight let us commit ourselves to not remaining silent.  Let us join our voice as we demand that Liberty & justice truly be for ALL.

Beloved God,

If I had a drum set I would use it to pray this prayer using “Micky.”

I pray for the strength to laugh at myself, even when I feel I am not very funny.

I pray for the ability to smile with tears in my eyes.

I pray for the courage to love those that I burn with jealousy for.

I pray that peace belong to those I “hate” [cause hate is too strong of a word, but love it not what I want to offer] 

I pray that this human shell shed its human tendencies. I am not too sure this is what I want I mostly want to get a bit of that peace I asked for those I “hate.”

I pray for confidence that I am called to something and that institution is not the place I am to receive love.

I pray for relationships that are uplifting when I am sinking and that sinking when I am too uplifted.

I pray for assurance that popularity and applause are not markers of call and that the grass is not greener on the other side.

I pray that I can enjoy today for its beauty, joy, and promise of the great mystery to which you belong. 

In the name of peace that whispers God…Amen

The other day [I think it was Tuesday night] Mere, “Shelby” [a good friend] & I went to Lynn’s Paradise Cafe for dinner.  ”Shelby” is visiting us from Texas.  We wanted to show “Shelby” the funk that Louisville has to offer.  Neither Mere or I had been to Lynn’s in the year we have lived here.

So away we go…

We were meet with all sort of funky stuff in the parking lot and a toy store which greets us all with hats, glasses, and assorted Chinese ketch.  We we sat with great ease and then our drinks offered.

We began a conversation about progressive Christianity and where the “church” can exclude, hurt, and damage folks with doctrine and teachings that are counter to the all encompassing love of God.

“Shelby” and I are recovering fundamentalists.  ”She

lby” of the SBC variety and I from the non-denominational, pentecostal, evangelical brand.  We shared how the past religious indoctrination still hunts us and batters our faith today.  We shared the beauty and grace we found in mainline faith traditions that had room in there for different and questioning faith seekers.

When “Shelby” smiles as table after table of white old men in polo shirts and chinos being escorted by their blond haired made up wives followed by the younger polo clad young men were being sat.  We were soon in a sea of SBC goodness.  We sort of smiled and kept talking.

I tried to listen in to a conversation or two with no success.  Just a bunch of folks eating something fried with mac’n cheese washed down with sweet tea.  The occasional mobile phone to the ear and wipe of the mouth ensued.  I was sort of disappointed the this SBC beast did not have the expected wings or multiple heads.

We left and had a bit of fun in the gift shop and toured the city with stops at both seminaries and Bellarmine University.

The above is a message in the men’s restroom at Lynn’s.  I think it says, “Dog tits rule!”  Someone needs to watch “The Truth About Cats & Dogs.”  ”You can love your pets but do not looove your pets.”  This is another example of the perversion that will follow if Gay Marriage is allowed to happen.

I address the unaddressable in an attempt to embrace peace that eludes me. 

Can a sigh be a prayer?  If it can then, “sigh.”

I would like to believe that this means that or that means this.  If confusion is a prayer then I am Jesus the Christ.

I would like to make sense of it all and have all of it make sense.  I wonder if expectations lead to anything productive.  Yet, I worry that if I have no expectations that I have no faith.

I would like to understand the purpose of my life and have my purpose be understood.  If there was a secret then I either missed it or I was not paying attention.  I wonder if you could whisper the secret to me again.  This time I will pay attention.

When I was younger I tried real hard to “be” big.  Now that I am big I fight the urge to be younger.  When I was playing make believe with the little playhouse and the fake wife I never really knew what the responsibility means.  When I am living in the house with my beautiful wife I fear that I will never live up to the responsibilities.

I try not to think about my prayer life at times cause it scares me.  When dealing with the source of life, the Creator of all that is, can I really encounter you?  Is it even possible to breath in your breath?  How dare I attempt to utter you name or even gesture towards the glory you are.

When I sleep at night I tremble at the thought of losing all that I know.  Yet, I am sort of excited to see what else is out there.  I wonder if I wonder too much.

I open my heart, my mind to you [as if I need to do anything to be in your presence] as I try to do the right things to evoke a magic trick and be blessed with peace.  I wonder if I even understand what I am asking for or if I am ever ready to receive the blessing to which I ask.

Beloved God I “sigh” you accept these rambles as my hope for this day.

I have been working on a few books for the last 4-5 years. I always get lost in my busy and do not finish them.  On of the books has sort of changed.  It has become a spiritual journey tale called “WTFWJD?”  I am offering you a look at a bit of the introduction from the book.  I hope to have the book finished by the end of the year. D.V.

WTFWJD? Intro.

One of the strangest things I have become aware of these last few months is that I have become old[er]. It does not seem so long ago that I was in high school trying to grow up.  I longed for the days I am living today.  Today I long for the days I once lived.

There was this song that came out around the time of Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo & Juliet” called “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen).”  I was deeply taken by this song.  Its words penetrated the 20-something heart of mine and brought me to places I had never dreamed I could go.  There was a time when I could listen to the words, “Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked”  without understanding.  I longed for the days that I would understand the beauty & power of my youth that I existed in.  

I hoped and prayed that one day I would understand WTF was going on around me.  Until then I faked it like everyone else.  Now that I am recalling the power of my youth from fading pictures that seem odd and peculiarly near I mourn what may have been as I celebrate what is and what has become.

I remember listening to the words to this song and wanting it all to be true.  Wanting terribly to be wise and have less anxiety/uncertainty about my future.  I teetered between confidence and obscurity all the while hoping for a glimmer of compassion and intimacy.  Taking care to not be reckless with others hearts as I guarded mine from those that might be reckless with mine. I succeeded in some ways and failed miserably at this with others.  I was an emotional, longing mess.

I would watch TBN holed up in my room, reading the Bible.  I would only pause to roll a few cigarettes and maybe eat a bit.  I most definitely drank a few beers.  I hurt like hell!

I took to listening to Jessie Duplantis and Rod Parsley.  I demanded that I be loss in the name of Jesus as I watched Jakes liberate the lives of others.  I hungered for that miracle that Benny offered.  I watched Pat and hoped that he would offer me solace in a religious sort of Romper Room way and call out my name, my affliction, my something…

I longed for connections in those days.  The connections that I had gained as a follower of Christ in the Vineyard movement had faded away with painful break up.  I was going batshit crazy waiting for that anointing that I kept hearing about.

I hung on every word that seemed to have something that I did not.  I desperately wanted off the roller coaster I was on.  I found and lost Jesus so many times that I lost count.  I did manage to be baptized three times and was stopped on the fourth by a wise old pastor that told me, “Son you need to get serious about Jesus! Not baptized again.”  I freebased Trinity Broadcast Network [TBN] in hopes that I would glean some tidbit of peace in my crestfallen world.  I hurt.  I mourn.  I never seemed to have joy.  God forbids that joy pokes it ugly little head, I did not deserve that bit.  This is the turbulent waters to which I discovered faith.

In the beginning all sorts of stuff was created.

I wonder if there is any creativity left.

Just as I wonder aloud I hear the ponderous thoughts of a 6 year old.

God grant me rest so that I may think like a 6 year old.

In the midst of a flood there was hope for tomorrow.

I wonder where hope went when I grew up.

Then I speak to a cancer survivor blessing your name for today.

God grant me hope so that tomorrow does not invade today.

In the garden there was plenty to eat.

I wonder where that garden is now I know plenty of people that could use a bite to eat.

I am not hungry and have food to eat.

God grant me the peace and discomfort to feed the hungry and cloth the naked.

In the temple you grew weary and turned over the tables of thieves.

I wonder what tables you would turn over in my life.

I hide my treasure not want to lose it.

God grant me vision to see the corruption of my ways.

In the night of your betrayal you begged some to remain awake.

I wonder where your companions are now.

I would like to think I would have stayed awake.

God grant me the rest my body needs that my mind will not allow it.

In this moment you are here, you are there…

I wonder why your face eludes my eyes.

I pray that your faces shall meet and I not turn away.

I dare to hope that I may withstand your glory for but a moment.

God grant me peace, compassion, and space to be who you called me to be.

In your glory I seek.

The Gospel is much like the art that Lucas creates.  Lucas seeks to engage and transform the environment around him as he challenges, connects, explores, and comments on what he experiences.

Lucas calls us to view the world from a lens that is honest with what and how we experience security.  The Gospel calls us to do the same.  The Gospel calls us to witness the world around us with different eyes and in different ways.  The Gospel does not physically transform the world at first glance.  The Gospel moves us as it challenges, connects, explores, and comments on what we experience and how we manifest the creativity we are imbued with.

Now imagine a faith community that challenges the way we live.  It demands that we become aware of the choices that we make, seemingly unaware of the connectivity to which we already hold.  This faith community connects us to the reality that is already present.  The faith community nurses us to health by awakening us to that newness that is offered in relationship with the Christ, which connects us to the Creator.

This is the faith community to which I desire.  I hunger for that place that unlocks mystery for the pleasure of being in the mystery.  I want to be part of a faith community that connects me to those deep, meaningful moments that happen to us.  I want to be part of a faith community that explores the beauty of creation that surrounds us.  I want to be a part of a faith community that comments upon the injustice in action to secure justice for ALL.  In this I want to be a part of a faith community that transforms as it unlocks the responsibility I hold to you, to ALL as I am awakened to the deeper self, the Other…

I want to be a part of a faith community that places security in the hands of God and demands that I arrive as I am and loves me enough to not let me stay that way.  Insha’Allah

Peace be with you All.

God, grant me the courage to utter your name with authority. So that I may lead your people towards the margins and into justice, peace, intamacy, and hope. 

You provide your beloved creation with a better way, conceal our hearts from each other that we may move towards the blinding light of your love this day…the eight day…for the sheer ecstasy of being near you in each other. 

Take the little we offer and weave it into your awesome ways so that we may humble ourselves and glorify your name.

Let us believe in you if but for a moment that we may carry on the good work of your beloved, the Christ. Let us labor in your fields absent of the talents gained by others, but focused upon the work at hand with joy in out hearts and smiles on our faces.

In your peace, with your grace, and through the Spirit of the Holy of Holies, your beloved Holy One, the Christ Jesus…Amen

People that claim “I’m Christian” as if it is a shield against any moral irregularity. As to say “I’m Christian” means they can do no wrong.  I know plenty of Christians that do wicked shit.

Does anyone truly fit the bill of a Christian?  To me being Christian is to be “Christ-like” to be “Christ-like” implies that you are like Christ.  Christ was divine & human.  Christ performed miracles and healed the sick.  Christ restored the broken to wholeness.  Christ was selfless and humble.  Christ was able to command the elements.  Christ challenged the status quo and offered another way to liberation.  Christ died and rose again.  Christ was badass.

So to be a Christian I need to exhibit some “Christ-like” qualities.  I am not humble.  I am not deeply compassionate [I have compassion but would quickly trade it for an iPhone or the Dodgers winning the World Series].  I have never healed anyone.  I have nothing near the completion of a miracle [Maybe the fact Mere married me is a miracle].  I am not divine.  I am barely human.  I have never restored anyone’s brokenness [I would like to think I had a hand in tending to ones brokenness].  I cannot control the elements [I do have air conditioning in my office].  I succumb to the status quo in mind numbing fashion.  I have no idea where the path of liberation begins or ends, let alone can I guide anyone to it.  I will surely die and I am not returning in three days.  I am a badass.

I got one quality…maybe half of another [I am barley human] quality of Christ.  So I will try to tread lightly here.  I reserve the right to live in to my finite understanding and xpress it as the tragic creation I find myself to be.  I am not a Christian.

I try really hard to be “good.”  I try even harder to be right with God.  I do my best to serve God and answer the will of God in my life.  Most of the time I have no clue as to what God is saying to me or what the hell God wants me to do.

One my best day I am the Splenda of Christ-likeness in a world that seems to be full of real cane sugar Christians.  I do not match up and measure short of the glory of God.  I am bothered by others that claim to have mastered the way to be Christ-like and offer this formula to the masses with a smile and a piece of fruit.

I am not a Christian because of what I do at all.  I am Christian because God first did.  God did not to me, but to ALL.  God continues to do whatever God did in the beginning.  I grow weary of supreme moral ideals that are a product of finite understanding.

Take this fella that killed Dr. Tiller, he was a Christian and he murdered someone.  Is the murder committed in the name of God not wrong?  The KKK believes in God does this preclude them from wrongdoing?  There are fundamentalist factions in most religions that would “protect” Godly virtue in the name of their God. Does this brand their actions as moral?  There are progressive factions in most religions that would guard their understanding as the high moral order of the day.  I shamelessly claim the latter and detest the former. 

I wonder when all is said and done if any of us shall come out on top.  I bet the song we sing in heaven is nothing like a Christian version of “I’m a Pepper.”  Rather the heavenly chorus proclaims, “Glory. Glory. Glory.”  When faced with the glory of God does anyone dare claim a place among all that glory?