Mark Scandrette

My friend Spencer Burke, founder of the ooze.com, could be described as the Kalle Lasn (founder of Adbusters) of the emerging church. Spencer is famous for throwing audacious learning parties. I helped create art experiences for several of his SOULARIZE parties (in Seattle & Minneapolis). Above all else Spencer is a dreamer and an optimist. “What if we do an intimate learning party with, say, N.T. Wright, Richard Rohr, Rita Brock and Brennan Manning– in the Bahamas AND swim with sharks.” Spencer thinks these things and then goes to work to make them happen– most often at his own expense and through the sacrifices of his friends. Spencer is not afraid to ruffle feathers and does so with a big smile and generous spirit.
I remember the first SOULARIZE I went to in Seattle and how it changed my life. I had never been around so many creative dedicated people in such a real world setting– and I left inspired to live a life of faith more fully submerged in the context of society and culture. SOULARIZE is not so much an event as it is an unpredictable adventure that is sure to spark new friendships and imagination.

Last fall I took a roadtrip with Spencer from Santa Fe to L.A. with greasy spoon stops along the old route 66– and he invited me into the planning for this event. You should consider going to this unconventional gathering in an exotic locale. Be prepared for the chaos of chance encounters on this adventure. Register ASAP to take advantage of discounts and cheap flights.

On Monday our flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco was delayed so we stayed overnight with our friends Doug and Shelley Pagitt and went with them to see the independent film, Once– a delightful small film with an intimate and convincing portrayal of unrequieted but tender love.

When the family was away
The cat gave birth
And in the loneliness of the empty house
Ate her babies
Leaving their severed limbs and skulls
Scattered across the floor

When we arrived the next day
to change the litter box
and fill the trays with water and food
We found the chewed heads
and tiny paws
strewn about the house

With a sour look on her face
and wearing rubber gloves
I watched My mother collect the kitten pieces
Placing them in an old milk carton
She would throw into the garbage
as the cat looked on inquisitively.

The family also had an iguana
Kept in a cage under a heat lamp
and we fed it dandelions
gathered from the field across the road

I went outside, through the tall grass to the rusty swing set
And swayed back and forth
With pictures of dead baby kittens
dancing in my head

I thought of the time at this same house
When I ran out onto the busy street
to fetch the yellow Frisbee
Cars screeching to avoid hitting me
My older sister telling
My parents yelling with worry
Shaming me with their words
The Frisbee never went where I wanted it to go.

I bring the bunch of dandelions I have picked
Back through the tall scratchy grass up to the house
As the sun sets in the humid august evening
of my fourth year on earth.

The smell of cat fur or a little box
Still reminds me that life is cruel
That parents sometimes eat their young
Or spank them for their innocent childish mistakes
When they are lonely, stressed or anxious.

What kind of world do we live in?
Where mothers eat their young
Or weigh them down with their own insecurities?
I am still wondering
But I have learned to walk through tall grass without being scratched
And the Frisbee usually goes where I want it.

Last night we arrived in Minneapolis where we will spend a week and then head to Lisa’s family reunion. I’m going to be connecting with people at a couple of events in Minneapolis over the next couple of days:

Thursday August 9, 12 P.M.: Twin Cities Emergent Cohort at Arcadia Cafe.

Thursday August 9, 7 P.M. SOUL GRAFFITI reading with Missio Dei at The Home of Mark and Amy Van Steenwyk 3312 31st Ave S. Minneapolis.

Sunday August 12. Speaking at Solomon’s Porch.

If you live in the Twin Cities, it would be fun to connect with you at one of these happenings.

I recently finished reading my friend Alan Hirsch’s excellent book, The Forgotten Ways. Hirsch offers a missiological reading of many of the major themes in the emerging church conversation (including the kingdom of God, Jesus as Rabbi, experience and action-based spirituality, etc). This book is especially helpful for those who may feel uneasy about emerging theological explorations yet passionate about the opportunity to rethink mission in the 21st century. This well annotated and illustrative work explores the dynamic interactions between the essential message of Jesus, the historical church and emerging culture.I will be recommending it to people as a helpful introduction to the missiological motivations of many contemporary experimental practitioners.

We had the most amazing concert experience yesterday at the stern grove festival featuring Anoushka Shankar & Karsh Kale. Most people know that I love traditional hindi and punjabi music combined with techno rhythms. This concert was a real treat. Sitar player Anoushka Shankar is the half sister of Nora Jones and daughter of Ravi Shankar. At the mid afternoon concert as we were bobbing our heads to the complex tabla beats and crazy sitar solos,a friend turned to me and said, “This music takes me to another level. If this is how worship was in a church or synogogue, I would go every week– but maybe this experience is wordless worship– because it makes us aware of transcendent realities.”  This music deserves to be heard by a wider Western audience.

Charles Bukowski is one of the best known American everyman “gutter” poets of the 20th Century. My friend Brett turned me on to this Bukowski poem that is a quiet confessional:

Bluebird
Charles Bukowski

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say, stay in there, I’m not going
to let anybody see
you.
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I pour whiskey on him and inhale
cigarette smoke
and the whores and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that
he’s
in there.

there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too tough for him,
I say,
stay down, do you want to mess
me up?
you want to screw up the
works?
you want to blow my book sales in
Europe?
there’s a bluebird in my heart that
wants to get out
but I’m too clever, I only let him out
at night sometimes
when everybody’s asleep.
I say, I know that you’re there,
so don’t be
sad.
then I put him back,
but he’s singing a little
in there, I haven’t quite let him
die
and we sleep together like
that
with our
secret pact
and it’s nice enough to
make a man
weep, but I don’t
weep, do
you?

Today I’m going to be interviewed on The Bob Dutko show in Detroit on WMUZ at 1:30 EST. I haven’t quite gotten used to these live radio interviews.

October 2-5 2007 Glorietta, New Mexico

Since ancient times tribes of people have gathered to tabernacle—to rest, celebrate and feast together—with a sense of expectancy and awareness of the Maker’s presence.

What can happen when 200 people converge for three days to relax, feast and talk about the things that matter most to us? Friendships are deepened. Memories are made. Imaginations are awakened. Hope and a sense of solidarity are rediscovered. New projects and collaborations get instigated.

For almost a decade now people have been making pilgrimage to the annual Emergent Gathering in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This is one of the events sponsored by Emergent Village that I believe best embodies our commitment to generative friendship. The Emergent Gathering is a participatory “happening,” where we conspire and collaborate together to create hospitality, conversations and common action. An advanced planning team sets up basic logistics like housing, food, and a daily rhythm. But beyond this, participants are invited to host conversations and activities each day.

Talking is one of the rhythms that helps us discover what it means to seek the kingdom of God in the times and places where we live. We like to say that the Emergent Gathering is a “for-us-by-us” advanced conversation where we learn from one another. We especially welcome voices from vocations that are not primarily “pastoral” or academic to encourage cross-pollination among life disciplines.

What I love most about the Emergent Gathering is the intensive experience of community that is facilitated by sharing life together over 72 hours. The relaxed atmosphere and beautiful surroundings allow us to have integrative encounters: hearing each other’s stories while preparing a meal; hiking or gallery-hopping while talking about issues of faith, ecology or spiritual leadership; discussing theology or the new sciences while sitting in the sun down by a lake; learning and practicing healthful life skills like yoga, meditative prayer, cooking, poetry and song writing, textile design or how to taste the nuances of coffees from around the world.

If you have been around Emergent Village and the emerging church conversation for a while and are looking for a way to become more relationally connected, the Emergent Gathering is a great place to transition from observer to participant. It is also a good space to meet and talk with people face-to-face that you may know through books or blogs. I encourage you to consider joining us this October.

This year the Emergent Gathering is October 2-5 at Glorieta Conference Center near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Gathering will begin on Tuesday afternoon at 3 P.M. and conclude on Friday before noon.

The cost for this event is $75 per adult, which includes all meals and organizing expenses. Children (12 and under) are free. 12-17 year olds are $35. Go here to register.
Participants must make their own housing arrangements with the conference center. Rates are quite reasonable and shared housing is suggested.
To make housing arrangements, please call Glorieta conference center directly 800-797-4222. We have two kinds of housing reserved:
-The Thunderbird Inn ($49 per night for two queen beds).
-The Garden Apartments ($55 per night includes kitchen, two beds and a hide-away couch; large apartments can accommodate 4-6 people, small apartments can accommodate 2-4 people)
-Camping is also available. $17 for RV hook up.

Spaces for this event will fill up fast, so I encourage you to register early.

We are looking for people interested in helping organize and host the event. We have four teams: Conversations, Activities, Food, & Hospitality. If you want to join one of the teams, contact dofarrell AT bridgesonline DOT org

We hope to see you in Santa Fe this October!!!

Mark Scandrette, for the planning team:
Saranell & Tim Hartman
Jen and Damien O’Farrell
Stacy and Mike Stavlund
Holly & Ryan Sharp
Troy and Kelly Bronsink
Wendy Eason
Randy Buist
Doug Pagitt
Michael Toy

In the past several weeks as our team has sought to clarify the goal of our work I have found myself reiterating my personal ambition to discover a way of faith in the emerging culture. I don’t talk this way much anymore– having overdosed on talk of cultural shifts and postmodernism 7 or 8 years ago. But lately we have found it helpful to consider the role one’s host culture takes in setting up questions of faith. In my opinion, the emerging world is way beyond new urbanism or a critique of modernist philosophy or theology. The emerging world is a way of seeing our rapidly changing reality– and this includes global economics, communication and technology. I think it is really exciting to be working out faith and life on the edge of the future– and I believe we are invited to push into our questions and experiments about what it means to be faithful to the Way of Jesus in these changing times.