Missio Dei Breviary now available on Amazon.com

You can now buy the Missio Dei Breviary on Amazon.com for $13.95.

Please consider purchasing the breviary. Profits go to the work of Missio Dei, my community. I’ll be honest. It is a simple book with simple prayers. I continue to find typos. But it is has helped me grow spiritually. It has anchored my community in the Gospels. It drives us deeper into our neighborhood. That is what it is designed to do…to spark a Christ-centered missionality rooted in prayer.

If you’ve already bought a copy, or have been using one of the free online versions, please review it. It would mean a lot to me personally.

I’d also appreciate it if you would help spread the word about it. Blog about it. Share the link on Facebook. Twitter about it. Whatever you can do to help would be greatly appreciated.

Read more about our community here and our breviary here.

New JM Feature: Video Comments

You can now leave video comments on JM (via Seesmic). It’s easy to use…you can even register without having to leave the site. All you need is a camera and mic on your computer. You can see it in action in the comments below.

Deadline Extended for Pentecost Writing Contest

We’ve gotten some great entries for the writing contest. So far, about 20 articles have been submitted…not quite as much as we were hoping for, but not bad.  Unfortunately, the submissions have been “lopsided.” Most of the submissions have been for the doxis, praxis, and culture sections. That means we’re short for satire and aesthetics.

So, we’re extending the deadline. By 10 days. So, if you were working on an article (or intending to work on an article) but ran out of time, you’ve been given 10 more days to put something together.

If, by some chance, you’d like to submit something either a work of satire or poetry (or creative fiction) or a work of art, we’ll cut the entry fee to $3 (just change the amount in the submission form).

So, help us get the word out about the extension.  I know that many folks that were intending to write something haven’t submitted yet…so now is your chance.

You can submit your article here.

Contest Clarification

I just got an email from someone with the following observation:

I saw your blog post on the writing competition.  I actually was thinking about writing something. But I’ll share with you an observation I had as I read your intro explaining it…It didn’t seem clear.  I don’t really have a clear understanding of what you are asking for.  Maybe it’s just me…

I think this astute reader may be right. Maybe it wasn’t clear because the only experiences I’ve had with writing competitions were with obscure theological journals. It may be worth me clarifying a bit. Maybe I should have kept it simple like this:

Explore the message of Pentecost in our contemporary world. You can do that in any way that you’d like…but keep it to less than 1000 words. We’ll give awards for each of the Jesus Manifesto categories (except interviews and book reviews).

Writing Contest Deadline is Sunday

Our Pentecost Writing Contest closes on Sunday (May 11). I’m starting to get a bit nervous. We have WAY fewer submissions than anticipated. Ponder the following:

• If you are scared off by the $7 entry fee, I’d be willing to waive it for those that are low on funds. The idea for a fee was to help make the award money bigger. JM doesn’t have a budget, so I’ll you ponder just where the award money comes from.
• Your chances of winning at this point are very good. Fewer submissions means a higher chance of winning.
• Don’t be intimidated by our judges. We’re all nice people. Take a risk.
• Feel free to paint outside of the lines. The Pentecost theme is meant as a creative starting point. Take it wherever you’d like.

Get the word out…tell your friends. Tell your enemies.

Armed Settlers Invade Palestinian Village

Read more

Jesus Radicals Conference: August 15-16

From the Jesus Radicals website:

As election fever rises throughout the United States and the contest for the White House becomes more fierce, the masses will clamor for a new Commander in Chief to assume the seat of American power. This year, it seems as if the game has changed as a female candidate appears to fulfill feminist dreams and a viable Black candidate raises hopes for Black freedom and signals the weakening of racism. But is this really the case? For those who follow the One who confronted the powers and embrace the One who came as a Suffering Servant, these changes are not enough to leave this political system unchallenged. For those who envision an egalitarian world in which order and organization do not rely on the ever-present threat of state violence, bowing before the ballot box will not be an option.

Join us for this year’s Anarchism and Christianity conference as we explore alternatives to mainstream approaches to key issues raised in the current election, dream beyond the political options of our present system and imagine the other world we want to create. Get detailed session and housing info, and register to attend.

Yours truly (Mark Van Steenwyk) will be one of the presenters. I’m going to be leading a session on the relationship between the church and nation-state from a “Christarchist” perpective. The conference will be in Columbus, Ohio.

RSS Awareness Day…Subscribe to JM Today!

Today is RSS awareness day. RSS is an amazing way of reading all of the sites you typically visit in one place, thus saving you time…and keeping you connected. You can subscribe to Jesus Manifesto via RSS by clicking the subscribe link at the top right of the site. Or you can subscribe to each specific category by clicking the RSS link next to each category title.

I use Google Reader as my RSS reader. It allows me to quickly check on my favorite news sites, blogs, forums, etc quickly without having to visit the site. If you are an RSS-er, add our feed. If you aren’t, then check out the video below, get Google Reader or one of these readers, add us to your feed, and go wild!

JM now friendlier to your mobile

Jesusmanifesto.com is now easier to read in your mobile device. Check it out!

Submergent Update

Jesus Manifesto is just one of the projects aimed at fostering Jesus-like subversiveness of which I am a part. I also have been helping get a network of Anabaptist leaders, called Submergent, up and running. The goal of Submergent isn’t so much to try to get something new started, so much as to network existing Anabaptist voices and groups so that we can all better be a part of what God is already doing in the world. Once we’re better connected, THAT is when folks can begin to scheme and dream of new things.

Currently, the goal is to have a gathering in late 2008. In the meantime, a handful of us are connecting with folks all around the world to discern what is already stirring…so that we can carefully move forward with this rag-tag network called Submergent.

Recently, I redeveloped the website due to some technical difficulties. To make Submergent.org useful, I encourage you to visit the site and check it out. If you have a blog or organization or church that you think fits with the Submergent vibe, use the contact form on the site and share your info.

We’ve also added a discussion board at Submergent.org. This will help people add info and content on the fly. It is a great way to decentralize the sharing of upcoming events or service opportunities, as well as a way of fostering conversation around issues. For example, the first conversation to start up is over the origin of the name “Submergent.”

You can find the discussion board here.

You can subscribe to the discussion board feed here.

And you can subscribe to the regular site feed here.

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