intersections

The new Fire Station 82 breaks ground

A photo essay

This morning I walked across the street to join the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fire Station 82. For the past 8 years the LAFD have been trying to locate and build this station. They finally settled on the lot across Van Ness from our church a year or so ago. There has been a lot of debate in the neighborhood about it, which I won't get into here. Suffice it to say, I'm happy that it's finally moving forward and there won't be an empty lot across from our church for very much longer.

Moby: Pale Horses

One of my favorite artists releases a new music video! Enjoy!
Pale Horses, by Moby

apocalypse: the revealing of GOD

Join us this Summer for a journey into popular culture as we search for glimpses of God's kingdom. Click here for more info. Download poster here.

Beyond Evandalism DVDs available now

We had some delays in producing the DVDs from Beyond Evandalism with Peter Rollins, but they are now shipping. As proof of that see photos here and below.

Here’s how to order:

This set of 5 DVDs costs $45 + $5 shipping.
Please make checks out to: “Hollywood SDA Church” and mail to:

Hollywood Adventist Church
1711 N Van Ness Ave
Hollywood, CA  90028

The set includes 3 DVDs of Peter Rollins’ main sessions, plus 2 DVDs containing the 4 responses.

Please help us spread the word!

My take on The Good News

My friend, JR Woodward, who is the pastor of Kairos Los Angeles and lives just down the road from me in Hollywood, has an incredible blog called Dream Awakener, which if you haven't seen it, you really need to check out. During the season of Easter he's asked 50 different writer to contribute a 300-500 word piece about the "good news" written for their local newspaper.

Here's how I start my piece off. You can see the list of all the contributors here (some pretty prestigious people) with links to their pieces.

My friends John and Aileen serve breakfast to about 150 hungry people on a relatively quiet sidewalk in Hollywood. They do this every weekday. They naturally have help from friends in the neighborhood. The only way you can distinguish the volunteers from those being “helped” is by the rubber gloves worn by the volunteers. I, too, look like I’ve just rolled out of bed. Some of those in line look more prepared for a job interview than I do. That’s probably where a couple of them are headed next after they finished their turkey sandwich, fresh strawberries and yogurt.

To me, John and Aileen embody the good news.

Read the whole thing here.

In defense of my Kindle

I received my replacement Kindle yesterday. All the inconveniences with this new bit of technologies have reduced my unbridled enthusiasm. First, it ran out of batteries while I was waiting for my return flight home last week, which meant I couldn't finish the novel I was reading (frustrating!). Then, almost as soon as I got home, the screen malfunctioned and I had to get a replacement, which took nearly a week. Okay, so the thing is not perfect.

In the meantime, a few friends have asked why I like it, the uses I have for it and the extent to which it rules over my life. But the final blow came when my friend C. Wess Daniels Tweeted a link to a scathing social critique of the Kindle which ended with the irenic sentence, "The Kindle is the devil." Now, I love Adbusters and it pains me to have any disagreement with their author's analysis, privately harboring feelings that these folks are Ludites. So, after calming down, I think I can hazzard an explanation for my continuing, though tempered, affection for my Kindle.

First, you should read the Adbusters critique entitled, Melt Your Kindle. It's brief. But, in case you won't read it, for whatever reason, allow me to excerpt the main points: