Because I know how much you all love Christian Hip Hop Videos set to the tune of Baby Got Back.

I like dramatic titles.

There were no agenda's, no manipulation, and very little B.S…. the odds were against us.

When Howard and I first agreed to meet I couldn't help but wonder what we would talk about. I had thought the only reason we were meeting was because we each called the others bluff. It was like a game of chicken, which one would back out first?

I boldly announced on my blog that I was willing to meet with any pastor from CBC who would be willing to talk. He quickly fired back an "I'll meet if you'll meet" comment.

I responded saying "Anytime anyplace" to which he countered "I'm available on Tuesday". He had me cornered; fine 2:00pm on Tuesday.  The date was set.

I've never been to the CCLI campus before, it's quite lovely. I arrived 20 minutes early, and slowly drove around back searching for the gallows I was sure they were building. When I couldn't find any, I was convinced they were going to bury me in the walls of their newly remodeled office… never to blog again.

I walked in, acting confident as usual, made small talk with the receptionist and waited to see my fate. How many pastors would they send to battle  me? 8? 10? All of them? My heart raced anxiously.

Suddenly, I got the call. "Howard will see you now"  

Great, Howard and his army of businessmen. "Why did I come alone?" I thought.

Dropping to my knees I began to panic, "Catalyst!!!" I screamed. The receptionist just smirked.  

Hmmmnnn, I thought, not quite the reaction I was hoping for…. "Adrian!!!!"  I cried.

Still nothing.

Apparently this was not a laughing matter. Rising to my feet I dusted myself off, looked her dead in the eye and said "Lead me to my destiny" (I'm making all this up).

Slowly, the door to Howard's office opened. With one quick prayer, I took a deep breath and walked right in…

Our good cyber-friend Pam Hogeweide recently wrote an article for The Oregonian's Living section. The article is all about pastors with tattoos. I don't know much about Body Art, I've never been into needles, but I think it's an interesting discussion.

Are tattoos bad? Sinful? Displeasing to God?

My son Aiden loves getting temporary tattoos. Roses with snakes wrapped around them, butterflies, swords, monster trucks, whatever. It never really bothered me, but I don't think that Aiden's grandparents really like the idea. Is it just generational?

Here's a quote from the article:

 "When it comes to tattooed pastors, Blakeman says, "I don't have a tattoo, but I have no problem with a pastor having one. It's not about tattoos; it's about culture. I love the idea that Christ so thoroughly identified with humanity that he put on the tattoo of flesh."

You can read the whole thing here: Ethics & values/Pastors get into tattoos

You can also check out these Christian Tattoo sites: http://www.religioustattoos.net/, and  http://www.xtat.org/ which is the Christian Tattoo Association's website (who'd of thought?).

There is an article in the Washington Post detailing a fight between a local church and a gay bar.

Evidently, there is a gay bar called Be Bar opening near a Church in a poor area of DC. The Bishop of the church, (Bishop Long) opposes the bar primarly becuase the owners are gay. He quotes the Book of Romans as a supporting argument. In addition while the neighborhood is extremely poor, the Bishop drives a Rolls Royce to church and parks it out front for the world to see.

What I want to share took place in an online chat about this topic. The comments came from both sides. Some argued the church was being homophobic, while others argued the church has the right to oppose a gay bar. But one comment in particular stood out. And I thought I'd share it:

Wheaton, Md.: I don't know what Bishop Long is up to … I am a Christian, a fairly conservative one at that, and grew up going to church and youth group and church camp and all that. What would happen if a place like Be Bar wanted to open across a city block from my home church? Our church would have supported the business as a sign of development and economic growth in our area (more people in the area means more opportunities for ministry) and then attempted to befriend the folks who own and frequent the bar.

While the churches I have attended all my life agree with the same passage in Romans I that Bishop Long quotes, we also feel you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. As Christians, we are always wanting to bring others to Christ, and creating hoopla over someone's sexual persuasion and butting heads with the owners and local politians over their liquor license would not be the way to win these guys and their patrons to Christ. Jesus hated sin, but he loved sinners; he hung out with tax collectors and prostitutes and other dregs of society — not that these guys are scum, but the fact is the Bible does consider homosexuality a sin. But as Christians, we can chose to spread God's love by loving our neighbor or acting like Bishop Long. All I know is my current minister would love to sit down with these guys, in their bar, over a pint and discuss all maters of theology, ethics, business, sports, whatever with them. And my minister would not be there in a fancy suit with some gang of staff members and driving his snazzy Rolls Royce. A humble servant of God, Bishop Long is not.

JP and I have decided to hold a Meet Your Local Blogger Happy Hour in May. Although I actually live in Washington DC, I am flying back to Portland next month and thought it might be fun if some of us got together to meet, talk religion and generally share our experiences. 

I truly am grateful to everyone who reads this blog, and I would love to meet you and thank you in person. The blog gets boring and childish at times, I know. But I like to think in the end, this blog stands for something special. (And I'm hoping when we all get together you can tell me exactly what we stand for that's so special). I also know quite a few City Bible Members who secretly read this blog, and I want to welcome them as well… …however…

In order to keep out the ultra religious riffraff and those City Bible pastors who signed a sheet of paper saying they would not go into a bar, we're holding the event at Kells. (Also, there's nothing I love more than Happy Hour at an Irish Pub) Here are the details: (And please, anyone is welcome to attend)

1st Annual Meet Your Local Blogger Happy Hour

Thursday, May 25

6 PM - 9 PM

Kell's Irish Pub

112 SW Second Avenue, Portland OR

This post was forwarded to me by my old college roomate. I thought I would share it here, just to get your reaction. To be honest, I don't really agree with a lot of what Ben (Beuller, Beuller) Stein says, but I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS
Sunday Morning Commentary, Sunday, 12/18/05.

Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important?

I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife.

Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are.

If this is what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad.

Next confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution, and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?

I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to."

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different:
This is not intended to be a joke, it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this Happen?" (regarding Katrina).

Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.

And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

In light of recent events…terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."

There is a great discussion taking place in the comment section of our post The Readers Write. Here are two quotes that kind of summarize the discussion:

Jason asks: (referring to our blog)

You seem to point out what everyone else is doing wrong, but never talk about what you are doing right (or what anyone is doing right). You talk about how being a Christ follower is about helping the poor and destitute, but never talk about how you are doing that. Anyone who has stumbled across this blog certainly knows what you are against, but what are you for? And what are YOU doing about it?

John 444 responds:

There’s my 70 year old next door neighbor who lost his only daughter about 20 years ago to a drunk driver. He’s an alcoholic now and his conversation is peppered with profanity. I help him with projects he can’t do anymore, and just sit and listen to him sometimes. His wife had knee replacement surgery last winter, and we cooked and took several meals to them. Their church did nothing, but send them notice that they were falling behind on their giving committment.

There’s the 92 year old lady across the street, who tells me the same story every time I see her. I stand there and listen. Every time it snows, I clear her drive and walks with my snow-blower. When she fell on the ice/snow last winter and broker her shoulder, I was there to pick her up and set her in a chair and called 9-1-1 to come get her.

There’s my 30 year old neighbor who has 2 children, who’s husband doesn’t have a clue. We’ve sat and listened to her several times about her marriage, counseled and prayed with her, without ever repeating what she has told us in confidence, nor judging her or her husband.

One of the things that helped me a lot Jason, was someone’s simple observation, that I was (in a sense) the ‘pastor’ of my neighborhood. I have no building in which I hold services, don’t sing special music or take up a collection … I just walk and talk with them from time to time as they travel the path, and listen, and feed back to them. And take their concerns to the Father in prayer. Nothing institutional / religious about it. Just real relationship, and being the son of God that the Father has made me, that they might see Him and know He loves them too.

There have been two recent comments asking this blog to stop being negative and start advocating for something positive. 

In response, I am challenging all of you to share Christ's love with everyone you meet.

Thank you.

Check out this fascinating blog that maps out religion in America. (Hat Tip: Andrew Sullivan)

City Business Church will not be holding its regular Sunday Celebration Service this week due to Easter. We feel that this time will be better spent allowing families to come together. As you may know, it takes many people to run a church of this size and our volunteer's deserve a break.  Please enjoy this holiday weekend and be sure to join us on April 23^rd when we resume our Sunday Celebrations.

And don't forget to mail or drop off your tithe checks to:

City Business Church

c/o Frank Damazio

9200 NE Fremont

Portland, OR 97220