Tim Keel's Blog

My life just got a whole lot cooler

Is there any question? Mac rules...uh huh, say it again.

I had a great day yesterday, and one of the things that made my day so enjoyable yesterday was the downloading of new soft-ware from the Apple web-site, namely the new Safari browser (1.0) and the fabulous iChatAV. This new iChat is incredible. If you purchase a $150 iSight camera, iChat becomes a way to video-conference with high-resolution real-time picture. But if not, there is the added feature of voice messaging, that is, using your computer as a telephone. I can now instantly connect with anyone who has the new iChat and talk to them through my computer over the network. No limits. In the last day I have talked twice to my friend Jason Clark in London and there are no long-distance charges or minutes that are accrued. It is truly amazing.

Join the revolution, ahem...

Urbs, sub-urbs, mobility and proximity

It's been a couple weeks since I finished the series on a rule of life, a way of living out our faith "in common." I've had a lot of good conversations with people about the ideas we interacted with and it sounds like a lot of our house churches did, too.

I am fascinated by the idea that geography influences spirituality. I've been reading the book Walking the Bible, by Bruce Feiler, for about as long as I've been keeping this blog and have made entries that have been stimulated by his thoughts on the Holy Land and how the Hebrew scriptures tie the Jews to the land. This is very counter-intuitive to us, I think.

At the same time I've had some stimulating conversations with Jon Bowles, an old friend and the pastor of a church plant in Overland Park called "Beggar's Table." As we've discussed post-modern spiritual realities and the values of the emerging church we've asked the question of whether or not these kind of concerns can be embodied in a suburban context. Mind you, we're just asking, not pontificating or pronouncing.

So enter into the mix the new issue of Christianity Today with an article called Suburban Spirituality, by David Goetz. The sub-title is "The Land of SUVs and soccer leagues tends to weather the soul in peculiar ways, but it doesn't have to." This is a great article. It hits on a ton of great stuff, a lot of stuff/ideas that we took on in our series, specifically issues of proximity and stablity.

Finally, take the opportunity to read a short and compelling article from Re:generation Quarterly on the power of cities, Concrete Steps, by Jim Martin.

Hiatus...

Okay, returning to the blog world...aka, the blogosphere...

It's been awhile since I have sat down and written anything. But in that time I did vacation with my family, as well as a bunch of other stuff. I always expect to be busy and have a full schedule in December, around the Christmas holiday. I am always caught off guard by how May is exactly the same way. I noticed that a lot of bloggers slowed down in May.

My friend Rudy took a month long sabbatical from his blog, Urban Onramps, because he found the blog becoming somewhat of a distraction that kept him from being able to focus too long on any one thing. So, he took a break. I can see where he is coming from. I'm not quite there, but the Internet can be such a whily way to get lost for a bit of time...and the more you're in it, the more you're in it. Instantaneity!

Does anyone ever take Internet or blog fasts?