I am a friend of God, loved perfectly and loving imperfectly, refracted Light in the prism of life. I am an aspiring/failing/trying again contemplative, activist, husband, father and friend. I live life together with my sisters and brothers in an intentional house church community in Raleigh, North Carolina. I live here with my wife, Jasmin and baby girl, Jubilee Grace.
Vocationally, I’m a journalist and publishing consultant. This stems out of my love for reading–everything from nonfiction spirituality and history and current events, magic realist novels, science fiction, and comic books. Especially comic books. As well as my love for writing, in many of the same genres and mediums. On odd days and leap years I’m an editor with TheOoze.com, emerging churches coordinator with the contemporary abolitionist Not For Sale Campaign, and librarian for what is arguably the web’s most extensive (at 6,000 links and counting!) alt.Christian web directory, zoecarnate.com
A fun and significant new contour in my life: I began a Masters in Strategic Foresight degree under futurist Jay Gary in late 2007, made possible by the generosity of the school as well as Presence, an eschatologically adventurous think tank and activist cell living visions of a new reality.
Thank you for reading. For more see this. Drop me a line and say hello.
Welcome to the blogosphere and congrats on the new baby. It’s interesting that you live in an intentional community. My wife and I are in the very midst of forming an intentional, missional community in Brooklyn, New York. You can check out our “bootleg” Web site at http://www.radicalnyc.com. Sounds like you are doing some interesting work. I look forward to reading more posts.
Peace & Grace!
Jason
http://www.morefire.wordpress.com
Hi, Mike!
I was following links to my site and found one you had almost certainly made by accident… it’s in a script tag in the HEAD section of your page. Check line 15 in your source code… pretty sure you don’t want that there!
Anyway, peace and blessings to you!
Mike, I found you because of my interest in N.T. Wright. Heard him at a conference a few years ago. Seems a bit incongruous that the good Bishop of a fairly well- established outfit would associate with “alternative church” types, except that he seems to “get” what we’re supposed to be about. Hey, if he’s in, Soularize me.
Peace,
Mike
i just realized i suck and never emailed you back at my gmail accounts. then i stumbled across your new blog.
so it’s my rss. hopefully i won’t be as big of a rude stranger now.
if you ever need to email me. use josh at redcowboydesigns.com
i never check email at gmail. and worse yet . . . i’m just not good at doing it anyway.
Hey Mike, I just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know that the link to your “intentional house church community” isn’t working. I was really hoping to check it out! Much love…
Hello Mike -
I hapened across your post about Pagan Christianity and was caught by te fact that you straddle both the house church and Emergent worlds. I don’t know that I’ve found anyone else yet who’s in that place, though I’m sure they’re out there. For myself, I feel like an eccentric in three spheres: HC, Emergent and denominational (ELCA Lutheran). I’d have one foot in each camp if I only had three feet. So on the one hand I feel like I don’t “fit” anywhere, but on the other I’m very excited by what I see as a “sweet spot” at the intersection of these worlds.
Anyway, just wanted to say hello to another hybrid believer.
Blessings!
Tim
great!!!! well…happy halloween!
thanks for writers and reader of your kind!! impatienty……
Thanks for stopping by my site!
Hey Mike,
Are you a super hero comic man? DC or Marvel? Do you like comic book movies and figures. I am kind of an obsessive compulsive about collecting super hero figures.
Any way, hope I can find my way back here to find out!
what is an opti-mystic friend of Jesus?
It’s a Christian…maybe. Or maybe have that monicker worn too deeply into our mental categories so that it’s shorthand for something meaningless to faithful and infidel alike, eh?
So etymologically:
opti-mystic
The first being optimistic as opposed to pessimistic; the glass of God’s grace is overflowing. Rooted in fulfilled eschatological hope.
mystic being (for my purposes) one who lives by the life of Another; animated by Holy Spirit and a God within, around, and permeating all existence.
friend listener, loyal, confidant. Willing to throw ones lot in with. Not a servant, but not someone who disregards service.
of Jesus What is there to say about this man, this anointed one? Palestinian revolutionary peasant. Harbinger of God’s Renewed Order. Emmanuel–God with us, the government resting upon his shoulders. State-sponsored torture victim. Second person of the Trinity. Bearer of Father’s true disposition for humanity and the cosmos.
You dig?
Oh, and Michael–I like DC and Marvel, as well as many independents, like Flaming Carrot. Comics rule! (I say through my pocket protector)
Hi
I find your site interesting and openminded to the issue of Christianity and I wonder if you would be interested in the work I am doing with Jesus.
I am offering a Christ of understanding to all those who read my book A Pathway Through Jesus and it brings an alternative way for all who read it. The book is a compilation of his channelled writings from 2007, relating to life in the 21st century.
Have a look at http://www.godworldwide.com and see what you think. I am already taking his word forward in seminars. I find people need simple explanations about God, their soul, living spiritually. The church often fails to answer that so Jesus is answering in this way. I believe in putting spirituality into action and not just talking about it. What do you think.
Love and blessings
Frances Munro
O’ Brother!
Frances,
People need Christ-centered preaching and to experience Jesus in elements such as bread, wine and water. This is known as Word and Sacrament.
S2C
Thanks so much for your thoughts and writings on some tough subjects…
I’ve been looking into more of the ‘emergent church’ stuff and have found it to be really interesting. I am currently reading ‘why we’re not emergent’ and it has completely fascinated me.
Again, thanks for your thoughts and I look forward to reading more of your stuff and welcoming any recommendations that you may have as far as good books/articles go….
Being Washed In His Grace,
-Olivia