Owner: Seeking URL:http://joshuajamesolsen.blogspot.com Join Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 14:34:52 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Joshua Olsen is the Lead Pastor at Tapestry, an emerging church in Seattle, Washington. Site statistics:Click here
For the Record 2007-03-03 00:03:00 Recently, I’ve spent a lot of time talking with people and answering e-mail about the war in Iraq. I’m not sure why the interest on this matter seems to have peeked in the last couple of weeks, but I’m finding it increasingly difficult to remain neutral. Although I will not express my political views on the matter, I would like to say a couple things for the record.1. I love, support, and will stand for our troops, until the day I die. I believe our troops need our support on every front, especially when on soil. We need to stop the Bull Sh%t the demoralizes our troops!!! Our troops have a job to do, and we need to empower them to do their job, and stay alive.2. Our enemy’s agenda is deeply rooted in religious conviction, convictions that will not be bombed out of them. They are not afraid to die for their faith, and the West represents everything they hate. We can, and probably will win this war from a military perspective, but it’s impossible to silence the conviction of a Read more:Record
Don't F&@k With the Art! 2007-02-25 21:26:00 Yesterday I spent the better part of the afternoon walking, and people watching at Seattle Art Museums new Olympic Structure Park. The park sits at the Northwest corner of Belltown right on the water. The backdrop is the natural beauty of the snow capped Olympic mountains, and the magnificent Puget Sound. The park is filled with modern works of art within the context of several distinct Eco-systems. The gravel paths wind there way through little groves of trees, beautifully manicured lawns, and man made cement structures. The angles in the park make it feel as though it wants to take flight. Sharp corners, and distinct lines create a strange sense of stationary motion. The entire space is truly impressive.As I walked along the path, I couldn't help but notice that every where I looked there was a security camera, or security guard. The cameras are hidden enough not to be obtrusive, but obtrusive enough to be noticed. Every so often as I passed a security guard I could hear th
Our Apology 2007-02-16 23:18:00 To be Run in Seattle's local papers from Tapestry Belltown. What do you think? (The grammer will be corrected)Our Apology
We believe we owe the world an apology. It may seem strange, and some will assume we have an agenda, but we say with pure motives, we’re sorry. We’re sorry for all of the things that have been done in the name of Christianity. The wars, the genocide, and the domination of nations, and peoples. We’re sorry that we have spoken a message of of peace and love, but we have not lived the words we have preached. Our hypocrisy is inexcusable. We’re sorry for attempting to use fear as a means to convert, and making false promises to recruit. We’re sorry for the hate speech, and the in tolerance that we have inflicted on the world. Our words are the result of our fear, and it’s wrong. We’re sorry for superimposing our moral standard on the world, and assuming that we have all the answers. We apologize for our judgmental and elitist behavior, which has lead us to
For the last time.... 2007-02-10 00:50:00 For those of you who keep e-mailing me on this issue……..People are continually asking me this question, “Joshua, how can you say you have turned your back on Christianity?” The answer is simple, because I have. Folks, let me make it completely clear, I AM NOT A CHRISTIAN!!! I have very little association with Christianity these days.Here is my official statement on this issues; Christianity is the greatest enemy of the movement of Jesus Christ in today’s culture. Period. It’s not that hard to understand. If it’s a problem for you, deal with it. If you need to unsubscribe from my blog, go for it. If you nee to write a letter, feel free. You can e-mail me until you are blue in the face, and I won’t “see the light”, so can we please move on!!!!!
An interesting couple of weeks 2007-01-30 16:06:00 Greetings All,Okay, a bunch of you have e-mailed me about my silence the past couple
of weeks, and I apologize. Here's the story.My parents came into town two weeks ago and I ended up spending a lot of time with them because I don't get to see them very often. While they were here I started to feel pretty sick. That feeling soon turned into strep throat. Soon after I developed a sinus infection on top of the Strep. Just as I was beginning to recover from the whole mess, I had a couple of speaking engagements, right in a row which required a lot of study time. Sunday morning I woke up and my throat was hurting again even after a week of antibiotics. I returned to the Doctor to find that I now have bronchitis!!! I"M A MESS!Anyway, being the intelligent man that I am, I attempted to continue working through all of my issues. Needless to say, this was a bad idea! Now....I'm even sicker.Long story short, I'll get back to blogging A.S.A.P.
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The Conversation: Part Two 2007-01-21 02:48:00 On small groups:Rachel: “From the time I was 11 or 12 I have been involved with two different branches of what one might consider a “mainstream” church. It follows the common liturgy and has regular small groups, but it also encourages genuine fellowship, both with God and each other. My impression of small groups (and still is) that they are not at all a “church growing” tool, but a more in depth and personal form of fellowship aside from the main congregation. I feel that small groups remind us that we are a family and can be very powerful tools to effectively prepare the church to reach out.”Joshua (Me): I believe in small groups. I too have been in the mainstream church for most of my life (since the sinful age of four). I’m a third generation pastor, and my family (Dad, uncle, brother, grandfather) has always been at the forefront of the mainstream movement in some regard. I’ve led small groups, helped build small group ministries, and attended countless groups, so Read more:Conversation
, Part Two
The Conversation: Part One 2007-01-17 10:19:00 I’ve started a conversation with a new friend on the “Christianity vs. Christian Spirituality” series I posted. I thought some of you might be interested in the dialogue. My new friend has some great insights into the subject and the conversation is thought provoking. Let me know what you think on the subject.On the post-modern problem:My Friend: “I also understand your position of starting a place like Tapestry Belltown, because many are repelled all together from the mainstream church. Sometimes the best way is to start over and lead by example…but I also get frustrated at the post-modern views that the western church has it all wrong. I think both sides have something to bring to the table.” Joshua (Me): Although it may be hard to believe, I mostly agree with you on this issue! I do not advocate separating from the “mainstream church” in every situation, and I’m not a fan of the post-modern movement. In my opinion, the post-modern movement is nothing more than main Read more:Conversation
My Problem 2007-01-13 05:51:00 I seem to have bloggers block!!! What's the deal?
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Beauty and the Geek 2007-01-04 07:31:00 I’m about to admit something I’m not proud of. You ready for this? Okay, here you go; I am officially of a fan of Aston Kutchers show “Beauty
and the Geek
.” There, I said it; I’m out of the closet!!!If you haven’t seen the show, try to catch an episode sometime. It’s a reality show that has focuses on 16 people living in a house. Eight of the people are beautiful women; the other eight are academically inclined men. Okay, honestly they’re the absolute perfect pictures of geeks. These guys are so far gone it’s not even funny! The show forces them into situations in which they have to challenge the boundaries of their comfort zones. The geeks are faced with social issues, and the women with academic. It’s really quite entertaining.I mention the show because the other day they showed a re-run of the final episode from last season. The final two couples where interviewed and given the opportunity to share what they had learned. Every one of them said the same thing in o
Love/Hate 2007-01-01 08:20:00 I have a love/hate relationship with New Years. Every year at this time I enjoy the process of thinking through the things I’d like to change in my life. However, I also find myself thinking through all of the things I failed to achieve the year prior. For some reason my second list is always longer than my first one. In other words, rarely do I actually change anything. This year I’ve been asking myself why this is and I’ve come to a conclusion.A true journey of change isn’t about changing my scenery; it’s about changing the way I see. Anything less is nothing more than the same sh*t in a different place. In other words, changing my external circumstances, without addressing my internal ones is worthless.Just something to think about.I truly pray that your new year will be a time of real change, success, and growth, but more importantly I pray that you will experience a renewed and strengthened relationship with your creator. Have an amazing year!
Christianity vs. Christian Spirituality: Part Five 2006-12-30 11:03:00 Christianity vs. Christian Spirituality
: Part FiveDICLAIMER: Please understand that these are broad brush strokes and intended to incite conversation, thought and action. This is not intended to include, and or define everyone calling themselves a Christian.Now let’s turn to the matter of Christian freedoms. This is an interesting subject and one that has more room for interpretation than pretty much any other matter in the Christian world. The difference between Christians and those who practice Christian spirituality really boils down to one view of what is acceptable for a believer to take part in and what is not.Basically it’s as simple as this; we believe that the church is not the believer’s moral compass. In other words the church does not, nor should it, define morality. In many ways the church has established a set of moral standards that have become the test of mature Christian behavior. Good Christians don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t hang out in bars, listen to s Read more:Christianity
, Christian
Merry Christmas 2006-12-24 07:06:00 Greetings all,I wanted to take a moment and wish all of you a truly amazing Christmas
. I pray you're all surrounded by those you love and enjoying yourselves very much. Lets focus on Christ this weekend and get back to our blogging next week. I love you guy.Warm WishesJoshua
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, Merry Christmas
Christianity vs. Christian Spirituality: Part Four 2006-12-22 17:06:00 DICLAIMER: Please understand that these are broad brush strokes and intended to incite thought, conversation and action. This is not intended to include and or define everyone calling themselves a Christian
.I’ve received a lot of e-mail regarding these posts and I’d like to thank all of you for your thoughts, even those telling me I’ll “burn in hell.” Statements like that just go to prove that there is some truth to the ideas I’ve been raising in this series. Once again thanks for all your idea and I hope that this series has provoked thought and maybe even some conversation amongst those you worship with.(Continued from Part Three)Having already discussed the matters of the nature of the Church, and salvation/conversion I’d like to bring up the matter of Christian leadership again, as well as, the matter of God given freedoms (if we make it that far).I’ve long said that there is a problem with the leadership of the church. I call it the “Titanic Mentality.” The tit Read more:Christianity
, Spirituality
Christianity vs. Christian Spirituality: Part Three 2006-12-20 23:07:00 DICLAIMER: Please understand that these are broad brush strokes and intended to incite thought, conversation, and action. This is not intended to include, and or define everyone calling themselves a Christian
.So now that I’ve made some very broad brush strokes about Christianity
, and asserted my opinions (undoubtedly flawed), lets take a look at the differences between these to views.Christian Spirituality
, as its name reflects, is birthed out of the Christian faith. We believe in the triune God (Father, Son Spirit), the Holy Scriptures, and most of the standard Christian truths. However, as I stated in part one, most of the differences exist in the practical outworking of those beliefs. Christian Spirituality is not a religion; it’s a belief system that is manifest through a relevant lifestyle. In other words, it’s not something you do, it’s who you are.Christian spirituality is rooted in and upon the revolutionary life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The fundamental differen Read more:Three
Christianity vs. Christian Spirituality: Part Two 2006-12-20 01:18:00 DICLAIMER: Please understand that the statements contained in this blog series are broad brush strokes, and intended to incite thought and action. This is not intended to include everyone calling themselves a Christian
. Jeez...take a deep breath people :)(Continued from yesterdays post below)…...Herein lies the problem, Christians have spent so many years hiding behind the doors of their churches, they have no idea how to effectively function within the modern culture. As a result they have no relevance in society. In my opinion the church is well aware of this fact, but because they are trapped in a corner sort of speak, they have no choice but to lash out. They lash out in self righteous judgment, as if to say, “Maybe if we keep telling them how evil they are, they will stop picking on us.” However, the world will not stop progressing, and the Christian religion shows no sign of progressing, so the rift between culture and religion gets wider, and wider.So here we sit. The inst Read more:Part Two
, Christianity
, Spirituality
Christianity vs. Christian Spirituality: Part One 2006-12-19 00:34:00 Recently I’ve received a lot of questions regarding the difference between Christian
ity.htm">Christianity
, and Christian Spirituality
. Most of you know that I no longer align myself with what would be considered mainstream Christianity, but have chosen to adopt a more “liberal” stance, often times referred to as Christian Spirituality. When the two are lined up next to one another, almost without fail most Christians will claim to be spiritualist rather than Christians, but the reality is, they are not, nor will they ever be.Brass tacks, bottom line, Christian Spirituality is a worldview, or as I like to call it a “Goodview” that shares some common elements with Christianity, but is also dramatically different in many ways. Please understand that different people hold different positions on this matter so my explanation is subjective at best.In Short, both views hold to the core fundamental beliefs of the early church, for example;· The central character is Christ.· The central metaphor is t
A question worth asking. 2006-12-18 08:48:00 Have you ever stopped to think about the things that you allow to control you? I was thinking about this question today and it’s quite overwhelming. I’m not just talking about the big stuff, you know, nicotine, alcohol, sex, and so on, but the smaller stuff. The stuff that goes unnoticed without careful introspection.I don’t want to make any suggestions, but there are a lot of things that are possibilities. Some of them aren’t malignant in anyway, their just regular parts of life. Others are just as normal, but not so friendly. For example, I once heard this quote, that pointed out how extremely frustrating it would be to eat if God hadn’t made food seem so enjoyable to us. We have to eat, it controls us.The apostle Paul points out in the first epistle to the Corinthian Church that God has granted us a tremendous amount of freedom as believers. He says that we can take part in almost anything that we want to, but that not everything we take part in is edifying, or in other wo Read more:asking
People Ready? 2006-12-17 00:12:00 While browsing the headlines online I came across a Microsoft add that caught my attention. The commercial is advertising network solutions, but the tag line was profound, it reads, “Is Your Business People Ready?” What a great question!Isn’t it funny how business does such a great job of marketing itself in ways that people relate to? The business asks relevant questions and then adapts to meet the needs of the ever changing culture. I wonder why major businesses can adapt so quickly, but the church moves at the speed of sludge in January. I hear talk by emerging leaders about being organic, and holistic, but their churches are nothing more than standard evangelical churches with a postmodern paint job. They’ve painted the walls neutral earth tones and play emo worship, but they aren’t exegeting the culture any better than the Second Baptist Church of South Central No Where.We need to ask ourselves the question Microsoft is posing. Is the church "people ready?" Have we figur
Another One Down... 2006-12-12 08:29:00 Another one down. I don’t know what to say…“In a tearful videotaped message Sunday to his congregation, the senior pastor of a thriving evangelical megachurch in south metro Denver confessed to sexual relations with other men and announced he had voluntarily resigned his pulpit.A month ago, the Rev. Paul Barnes of Grace Chapel in Doug las County preached to his 2,100-member congregation about integrity and grace in the aftermath of the Ted Haggard drugs-and-gay-sexscandal. Now, the 54-year-old Barnes joins Haggard as a fallen evangelical minister who preached that homosexuality was a sin but grappled with a hidden life. http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4817067Careful saints of God. Remember, the next man to take this pulpit will be no closer to perfection than Mr. Barnes. Pray for this family, pray for Paul Barnes, pray for his congrigation, but pray as well for the bride,of Christ, The Church. We're in a desperate state.
Sea-Tac Takes Down Christmas Trees 2006-12-11 08:12:00 This morning it was reported that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has taken down all of it Christmas
trees in response to a formal complaint filed with airport officials. The complaint came from a local Rabbi who wanted to have an 8 foot menorah installed complete with a public lighting ceremony. Sea-Tac’s talking mouth claims they complied with the demands after the Rabbi threatened to sue the Port of Seattle if his demand were not met in two days. Apparently the airport is two busy with holiday traffic and helping to ensure the safe travel of thousands to worry about adding holiday paraphernalia that reflects the diversity of various religions. Go figure.Every year it’s something different and quite frankly I just don’t care. Look folks, what’s the difference? Is our faith affected by whether or not some Wal-Mart chooses to take Christ out of Christmas on their signs (Xmas)? Is the story of Jesus’ birth compromised if Sea-Tac takes down the trees? Is the redemptive wor Read more:Trees
King of the Retards 2006-12-06 04:13:00 Recently I had a conversation with some one that prompted so much thought I’ve had to begin writing down my thoughts in order to continue thinking on the matter. This particular individual and I are antithetical in almost every way. However, although we disagree on almost everything we deeply appreciate each other and remain truly close friends. The subject of conversation was, as it frequently is, God and faith. My friends position is that faith in a God, particularly my God (the triune God; father, son, and spirit), is nothing more than a crutch for my weak mind. He contends that the idea of God gives mankind hope in a hopeless world, and acts as a placebo allowing people to see the coincidental as miraculous, the positive as blessing, and the negative as divine providence. He believes in moral relativism, and advocates an existential approach to life. Of course out of respect for our friendship he omits me from the weak minded masses J As I’ve been thinking on the matter I Read more:Retards
Darfur Genocide 2006-12-02 07:31:00 On any given afternoon, well dressed women blows into Starbucks dressed to the nines. With a quick sigh of relief and a shake of her umbrella she heads for the counter to order her tall, non-fat, no whip, extra hot, triple shot, vanilla hazelnut latte with room for cream. The counter clerk is sweet as usual, and as she hears her named called she picks-up her coffee and proceeds to a quiet corner where she plugs in her laptop and gently sips her designer coffee in the warmth of this little piece of paradise.At the same time a women not so different from the previous cowers in a corner, covered in a blanket with her young child praying to God she won’t be heard, and subsequently found. As the rebels raid her village for the third time this month she hears the screams of mothers, the cries of fathers, and the weeping of children as crudely fashioned machetes cut through their flesh. Bullets wiz through her home seeking someone to kill and nearly miss her. She fights back the screams of Read more:Darfur
, Genocide
Dan Savage Speaks Truth 2006-11-28 08:48:00 This morning, over my coffee and toast I stopped by “Slog” to read Dan Savage
s blog and stumbled on this little gem.“A lot of letters explaining that Jesus is laying in wait, ready to pounce, and change me from gay to straight came in after I threatened in a recent column to bitch-slap the next fundie douche who sent me a note about Jesus flipping my switch. Jesus is ready to work a miracle in my life, they tell me, even if he can’t be bothered to work on in Haggard’s. (Having seen my boyfriend in Speedo, I’d say Jesus already worked a miracle in my life.) The arrival of these letters can only mean one thing: there are a lot fundies out there who want to be slapped around by fags…” http://www.thestranger.com/blog/2006/11/re_dobson_predicts_f.phpI’m sure many of you would love to be outraged, but the reality is the dude is right. In fact I’m ready to slap the next Christian who makes the same mistake as these boneheads have. I’ve said it a million times and I hope Read more:Truth
Ted Haggard 2006-11-27 01:47:00 I’ve tried to ignore this whole matter, but due to the onslaught of questions concerning it, I’ll respond quickly.The day I heard about Ted Haggard
(The Colorado pastor caught in a homosexual relationship) I felt as though I’d been kicked in the gut. It wasn’t the affair or the homosexual nature of the issue; it was the fact that once again the name of our savior took a slap in the face. The slap didn’t originate from Ted Haggard
s pants, and it wasn’t the leftist haters circling like buzzards, it was the response of the “Christian” community.The moment the news broke, evangelical leaders across the country started disassociating themselves from Haggard as quickly as they could get the coverage. As soon as the word “homosexual” was mentioned Christian leaders nation wide ran for the big red button on the wall to engage the emergency damage control center.Haggard is a man, which means Haggard deals with sin. Sin is a reality of life and each of us is guilty of failing
Good Man 2006-11-26 05:23:00 Is there anything to be said for being a good man? Last night I sat with a couple of people and a conversation about marriage started. My wife went on and on about what a good guy I am, and how lucky she is to be married to me, etc, etc, etc. In that moment I realized that I have officially been domesticated! As my wife spoke I began to flash back, and as the memories flooded my brain I was humbled by the reality of who I am. My wife only knows me a man who has learned how to love; she never experienced the man that I was only a couple of years before our marriage. An angry man, a violent man, a manipulator, arrogant, shallow, self-absorbed, and so on. She never knew me as the man who was paid to intimidate, and physically hurt people. She never knew me as the arrogant young man who went through women like socks. She has never seen the capacity of my rage. My wife knows a man who doesn't speak much anymore and who has learned the value of family, compassion, and a gentle spirit. What Read more:Good Man
Once Again 2007-04-03 21:49:00 My life has a tendency to be cyclical in nature. In other words, I always seem to come around to the same places. The most frustrating thing about this never ending cycle is that each time I arrive at the same place I’ve already been I realize that the lessons I thought I learned the previous time around, I in fact hadn’t learned at all. Tapestry (the church I’m planting in Belltown) is doing great. We’ve set everything up correctly and done a ton of work to ensure that we have the foundation necessary to be a long-term ministry and not another flash in the pan. We’ve successfully completed the first phase of our plan on time and we’re now merging into phase two. However phase two is were churches either take off, or die. I’ve been here before. I tremble at the thought of phase two, because phase two requires FAITH!!! Once again I find myself in the position of realizing that up to this point everything that has been done for this project, has been direct Read more:Again
, Once Again
Emerging Question: Part Two 2007-04-06 05:11:00 As I’ve conversed with my emergent peers around the country I’ve realized something. Those who stand for the truth of scripture have ministries that have exceeded their wildest imaginations, and those who have not seem to have struggling ministries. It’s amazing to me how much smack I hear voiced by “emerging” pastors about “emerging” pastors. In fact I’m slung some smack myself.Seattle is home to several men who have developed national or even international voices on matters pertaining to the Christian Faith. Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church (www.marshillchurch.org) and Ken Hutcheson of Antioch Bible Church (www.abchurch.org) are two men whom you may have heard of. Both of these men are pastors of what we call in the emerging movement “mega-churches.” The idea of a mega-church to an emerging leader is something that needs to be publicly condemned, but is privately desired. The term “mega-church” is second only to the f-word on the swear scale in the emergent c Read more:Question
, Part Two
Emerging Question 2007-04-05 01:55:00 This morning, I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of pastors from several different “emerging” churches here in the Seattle area. A couple of the guys have national voices, and or, have been published so it was interesting to hear a bit about their views on God, church and culture. What I’m about to say has nothing to do with today’s meeting. The men present at this meeting were all brilliant, amazing men of God who I respect tremendously. However, in the presence of these men I couldn’t help but feel a little disconnected from this movement we call “emerging churches.” First off, although Tapestry (our church in downtown Seattle) would be by definition an emerging ministry, I don’t really understand what the hell the term means. I get the idea behind it all, and I understand the definition, but I don’t see what all the hype is about. I’ve read the books, lots of them, I’ve sat in the conferences, and I’ve even spoken on the issue to a small extent, but I Read more:Question
Seminar of Strange Truths 2007-04-14 07:02:00 This morning I sat through a management seminar that would normally have bored me to the point of nausea. We were presented with the typical psycho-babble one might expect from this sort of thing, you know, the whole higher-self, find your inner animal, dance naked around a fire sort of stuff. To keep it exciting we were asked to do the whole arrow in the neck exercise.For those of you lucky enough to have avoided these sorts of get togethers, the arrow in the neck exercise is actually pretty cool. The instructor makes you sign a release form to build the drama (and just incase your neck is punctured and you bleed out on the linoleum floor), and then tells you that there “really” is a chance of death during this “fun” little example of trust. Once you’ve signed the release you’re handed an arrow, a real arrow mind you, and you’re instructed to place the sharp end of the arrow right in the center of your jugular notch. The instructor then places his hand on the end of the Read more:Seminar
, Strange
Some of Their Names... 2007-04-18 07:00:00 Some of the names of those killed at Virginia Tech. Real people, real families, real dreams, real stories. ( From Michael Savages website http://www.homestead.com/prosites-prs/ )_ Ross Abdallah Alameddine, 20, of Saugus, Mass., according to his mother, Lynnette Alameddine._ Christopher James Bishop, 35, according to Darmstadt University of Technology in Germany, where he helped run an exchange program._ Ryan Clark, 22, of Martinez, Ga., biology and English major, according to Columbia County Coroner Vernon Collins._ Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, a French instructor, according to her husband, Jerzy Nowak, the head of the horticulture department at Virginia Tech._ Daniel Perez Cueva, 21, killed in his French class, according to his mother, Betty Cueva, of Peru._ Kevin Granata, age unknown, engineering science and mechanics professor, according to Ishwar K. Puri, the head of the engineering science and mechanics department._ Caitlin Hammaren, 19, of Westtown, N.Y., a sophomore majoring in inte Read more:Names
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