Some places to look for more blog posts related to Mars Hill:

• Keep up with The City at: www.OnTheCity.org
• The Mars Hill blog is now at: blog.MarsHillChurch.org
• Theology and more at: www.TheResurgence.com
• Mars Hill Campus sites: www.marshillchurch.org/news_and_events

Here are some other useful resources:

Getting Connected:
We have a page on the main Mars Hill Site set up connecting too and getting resources for Communities at:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/community

Curriculum:
Links on the above page list curriculum as it is released. For the upcoming series in the books of Peter look for the Community Group curriculum to be included in the church-wide study guide book, and attached to the episodes on the main site.

Training Videos:
On-going videos for how we do Community and training will be posted to the Media Library at:
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/community-groups

Apparently, Tyler Durden is the greatest film character of all time, according to a recent poll.

Durden, the enigmatic revolutionary figure played by Brad Pitt in the David Fincher directed Fight Club, beat out the Godfather, Han Solo and even Darth Vader for the top spot. Not bad for a film with mixed reviews and disappointing box office. The cult classic has apparently picked up steam since being released in 1999. The story popped up in several places including the Internet Movie Database]]> Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:55:31 -0800 http://virb.com/marshill/posts/text/964433 http://virb.com/marshill/posts/text/956119

review of BOTTLE ROCKET
by Zach Malm
starring Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson
directed by Wes Anderson
Rated R

Bottle Rocket, the first film from Wes Anderson, of Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums fame, is my favorite film of all-time. I've seen it close to 100 times, but still have a hard time putting my finger on exactly what it is, and exactly why I'm drawn to it so much.

When people ask about my film interests, my joke response is that I generally watch "pretentious" films. I like documentaries, foreign films, slow films. I go out of my way to patronize theatres with only one screen. Also, in that last sentence, I wrote "theatre" instead of "theater". The fact is, although I do try to avoid pretense, I like arty films, and despite the art crowd's love of everything Anderson has made after Bottle Rocket, it's this one, his least "arty", that moves me the most. It is often chalked up as just another indie comedy, and a promising debut from a director who bloomed later on. I disagree.

Bottle Rocket tells a fairly simple story. Three friends in their mid-twenties, Dignan (Owen Wilson), Anthony (Luke Wilson), and Bob (Robert Musgrave), are trying to figure out what they want in life. Anthony is a lonely romantic, Bob a lifelong "little brother" that wants to prove to his brother that he's a man, and Dignan is a born leader and eternal optimist with criminal aspirations.

Because Dignan is such a leader, and has a tangible goal, he enlists Anthony and Bob to rob a strip mall bookstore, in order to prove his mettle to Mr. Henry (James Caan), a local small-time crime boss who fired Dignan from his front operation, a landscaping company called The Lawn Wranglers. Having pulled off their small heist, the gang goes on the lam, and stays in an out-of-the-way motel for a while. In the span of a few days, Anthony falls in love with a Paraguayan housekeeper named Inez (Lumi Cavazos), Dignan gets in a bar fight, and Bob leaves in the middle of the night to take care of a family emergency.

Once the chaos of the first job is sorted out, Mr. Henry tasks Dignan with planning and carrying out a much bigger job, and when the plan becomes a reality, the friends have to decide if they're cut out for a life of crime. Since this is a comedy, wacky antics ensue.

As a Christian in my mid-twenties, I've spent much of the last 5 years deciding what I want in life, trying to discern what God has planned for me, prioritizing things in order to get where I think I should be, and working towards my goals. I get lazy, too, but I relate to what these man-boys are going through, and respect Dignan's drive and ambition. He shows Anthony his 75-year plan in the first 10 minutes of the movie, which includes bullet points for 20 years down the road like "Go legitimate w/Mr. Henry" and "The Robin Hood Principle", so it's obvious that to him, crime is a way to get to a place where he can do good things to help others.

It's easy to see that this isn't the best plan out there, and Anthony knows that after the bookstore job. "Your 75-year plan doesn't seem to be working," he despondently tells a jubilant Dignan. "The only thing I've learned so far is that crime does not pay." Dignan, ever the optimist, replies, "Gee man, that's not the greatest attitude in the world to have. I don't think we get anywhere by complaining, guys." We all have goals, but God's plan is bigger, and part of that plan is to change our heart and make us want to serve him more each day. Dignan is a silly reminder that the ends don't justify the means, and we can't cut corners with sin.

Whatever our goals are, we just have to work, and work hard, and you don't have to be an adult to understand that. At the beginning of the movie, Anthony, who's just returned from a mental hospital, tells his young sister Grace that he went there because of exhaustion. "Exhaustion?" she scoffs. "How could you be exhausted? You haven't worked a day in your life." Shell-shocked from the exchange, Anthony tells Dignan, who promptly protects his friend from thinking too much about the words of an eight-year old. "What has she ever accomplished with her life that's so great, man? Nothing. Nothing."

Ultimately, I don't love Bottle Rocket for any deep spiritual themes or moral lessons. In fact, I'd guess that the most relevant Bible verses are probably almost all verses in Proverbs about fools. I love Bottle Rocket because it's a breezy and unpretentious comedy about friendship, growing up, and figuring out what you want out of life. It's shot fairly straightforwardly, and flows effortlessly, as if all the director had to do was press record. Obviously, this is a very difficult feat to accomplish, especially for a first-time director. Aesthetically, it's far more simple than Anderson's other films, which put more and more emphasis on visual style with each successive film, culminating in his heartless diorama The Life Aquatic (his follow-up The Darjeeling Limited reined that in well, and ended up being a very fine film, with a trio of brothers that reminded me a lot of the Bottle Rocket gang).

The performances by all the actors, including Luke and Owen Wilson, all feel natural. Nobody was a star, and with the modest budget and story it's doubtful that anyone figured this was a ticket to stardom. Owen Wilson, who wrote the script with director and roommate Wes Anderson, had never even planned to act in the movie, since he considered himself to be a writer. The fact that he's an A-list actor now is basically an accident. Bottle Rocket, however, is no accident. It's a unique, thoughtful, and funny debut from a brilliant director that deserves just as much acclaim as Anderson's later films, if not more. I for one would love to see Anderson make another film without his usual bag of tricks. For now, I'm content with picking up the long-awaited Criterion special edition and watching it another hundred times.

Last week, Zondervan purchased The City and plans to make it available to churches throughout the world. On Thursday I sent out a letter to the Mars Hill Church congregation (PDF) to announce the news and explain some of the details. In addition, Zondervan distributed a press release that has been published by many news outlets, including MarketWatch and Yahoo! Finance.

At Mars Hill, we're excited that The City now belongs to somebody who will be able to improve this useful resource for the benefit of the greater church.

Visit OnTheCity.org for more information about the vision and purpose of The City.

In hiring staff, Mars Hill Church considers three key areas:

1. Calling. Is the applicant a Christian, called by Jesus to serve God's Kingdom through the mission of Mars Hill Church?
2. Character. Does the applicant model humility, repentance, worship, biblical integrity, spiritual maturity, and the qualifications for church leadership, as defined throughout Scripture (particularly 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1)?
3. Competency. Does the applicant possess the experience and skills necessary to succeed at the level and capacity that the job demands?

In some cases, like the Director of Technology position, the role is very specific and quite demanding. Therefore, though we anticipate interviewing many people from within our church, we want to share this job opportunity with our online audience. Who knows what God might provide...the right applicant could already be a part of our cyberland tribe.

If you're interested, email apply[at]marshillchurch dot org.

Read more about Mars Hill leadership and organization.

Answer: The Old Testament forbids this but the New Testament does not. It is likely a ceremonial aspect of the Old Covenant that is no longer in effect today, though the moral aspect of the Old Covenant is. Therefore, you are allowed to operate with conscience. Some wives don't mind the mess and just put a towel down, saying they feel more pleasure during this time; other wives find it gross or painful since they are sensitive at this time. So, lovingly arrive at a mutual agreement. If you choose not to, you can find other ways to pleasure each other during this time without completely neglecting your spouse.

This week's Changed by Jesus testimony comes from Jake, who attends the Ballard campus. He shares how Jesus took him from being religious and disconnected to having real community and finding his worth in Christ.

Haiti Jesus -- Changed by Jesus #21

I find it funny how I viewed myself before I met Christ. I thought I was a good person and I tried to live a highly moral life (like being the only person not drinking at the high school party, selecting 9am classes in college, and saying no to NSync Tickets). I thought as long as no one really got to know me they would think I was a pretty cool guy. At the very least I couldn't disappoint them if they found out I wasn't. So, I kept everyone at a distance: friends, classmates, and co-workers. I actually joined a Bible study to get the good "spiritual feeling" but as soon as people wanted to know more about me, I found myself making up ways to be busy so that eventually I could no longer attend. I kept everyone out, including Jesus.

In 2004 I was itching for a spiritual high, so I went on a mission trip to Haiti. It was there that Jesus broke me down and introduced himself to me-personally-through a group of Haitian Christians. They didn't own much and were lucky if they could enjoy a daily meal, but they were genuine, real, and loving. What I saw in them was Jesus, and one night with a group of us around a fire, I invited Jesus in. He showed me how silly I had been to think that people would see me as 'cool' if they didn't know me. He showed me how I had taken the gifts he gave me and buried them. He showed me how I am one part of a larger body, and the joy of being a member in that body.

Since then Jesus has brought many others into my life. I have been blessed with my amazing wife Amy, who would not be in my life had it not been for his grace. I have repaired relationships with my family, I have cultivated friendships with others in my community group, and I have begun to use the gifts God has given me, in part by serving at Mars Hill. I have an exciting journey ahead and am glad that I have Jesus leading the way.

Apparently David Kirkpatrick thinks that "the story" is in serious danger. I think he's glossing over the past and afraid of the future.

A recent New York Times Article reports that M.I.T. is setting up a media lab to "examine whether the old way of telling stories -- particularly those delivered to the millions on screen, with a beginning, a middle and an end -- is in serious trouble."

I don't just disagree with the article because Peter Guber disses Transformers. I disagree with their limited framework for storytelling and their insistence that any of them or their compatriots have new ideas.]]> Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:03:45 -0800 http://virb.com/marshill/posts/text/943435 http://virb.com/marshill/posts/text/940424
This set of posts comes from Pastor Mark Driscoll and his wife Grace. The sermon series The Peasant Princess brought up dozens of questions that they felt they should respond to. The result is this blog series: Christian Sex: Frank Answers to Honest Questions.

Answer: Yes, but you should make sure your spouse is in agreement with this. Pray through your frustration so you are responding with compassion and patience toward her. You should likely be present as she experiments with her body so that you can learn from observing how she touches herself. You should also discover your own body and teach her what you like too. Also, reading through Douglas E. Rosenau's A Celebration of Sex together can be educating and helpful for both of you as you work toward a long-term, satisfying life of intimacy.

Answer: Yes. Providing this act does not replace normal intercourse and does not decrease your oneness, then it may be helpful. Some couples have cited a number of particular reasons why this may be helpful. One husband and his wife do not have intercourse during her menstrual cycle and so she cares for him during that time with a helping hand. Upon occasion, though, she cannot bring him to climax and so he will do so while fondling her breasts so that the two of them are still participating. Some people report that their spouse simply has no idea how to stimulate their genitals and so they stimulate their own genitals in front of their spouse to teach them what they enjoy so that their spouse can then satisfy them. Still other spouses report that during heavy petting and/or deep massage they prefer to stimulate their own genitals while their spouse stimulates other erotic zones and they enjoy the simultaneous sexual stimuli from many places on their body. Refer to Answer #15, then explore freely.