Today, I was reading an article from the BBC about the recent letter from Burning Man CEO Marian Goodell. There is nothing new in this BBC article (except the letter from Marian), and in fact, the information is a number of years old. We were already talking about this stuff at my first Burning Man … More Burning Man, Growth Struggles, Cultural Course Correction…
Premier Christianity Magazine in the UK, and the Church Mission Society have posted a couple things from me in the last few days. The Church Mission Society posted an interview about Halloween, Burning Man, Witches, and festival work. I was a speaker at their conference about “Mission among People who are Spiritual but not Religious”, … More Halloween Blog Post and Interview in the UK
Phil and Priscilla arrived in Dayton, TX at the home of Paul and Joy Burwell at the end of February. The plan was to stay a month in Texas. First stop was north of Houston with the Burwells. The second stop would be Austin, and the final stop would be Brownwood with the Browns, but … More Adventures with Priscilla in Texas
The English word “weird” comes down to us from an Anglo-Saxon and Germanic etymology. The Anglo-Saxon word “wyrd” was defined as destiny, and in the 15th century the English word “weird” was still defined as “destiny”, or “having the power to control fate.”[1] Today the word “wyrd” is used among the Nordic heathenry. They consider … More I am Looking for Wyrdos
I am catching up on things I did not have time to do this October, even as I close up the last little loose ends of a busy, busy month. The things that happen in October embody some of the dreams I have for the rest of the world. A growing group of my friends and … More A Jew and a Gentile walk into a Cigar Shop…
I have been in Salem, MA pastoring The Gathering since June 1999. Over the years, we have been at the center of creating events, and helping Christian ministers to act like regular people when they come to the city of Salem in October, and now the monthlong outreach has expanded to over a dozen events, … More Announcing the Big Transition: from Salem to the World
Burning Man is happening in just a few days. Apparently, those in charge cannot imagine the event without me. I have passed on my tickets, but they keep sending me verification that my ticket will be waiting for me a Will Call when I get there. Oh my, don’t tempt me Burning Man peeps! In … More Burning Man is Just Days (and 2,945 miles) Away
“Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.” – the Crazy Apostle Paul As a pastor, who is also a “Burner” (someone who goes to Burning Man and believes in following the 10 principles of Burning Man), I have … More The Impracticality of God: safety third
For those of you, who are worried about people falling into temptation and acting like a bunch of hedonists at Burning Man. Well yes, that does happen to some of the Christians who go to these crazy places. They end up getting stoned, or drinking too much. Typically they rebound, and keep their lives together. … More Christians at Burning Man? Isn’t that dangerous?
My wonderful friend Ian Lynch from Darkwood Brew captured me thinking about nothing. This is good timing to relive this moment. Today there was a conference call about Wild Goose Festival planning. Simultaneously, I am planning for going back to Wales this coming May-June, and the philosophy festival I mention in this short interview is … More I Think About Nothing, and God
My friend Russ Jennings, who I know from the Wild Goose Festival has this wonderful podcast called Love in Dangerous Time. I would just wanna be part of it for the name alone, but Russ being the captain at the helm makes it even better. So, seeing that I am all about Love in Dangerous … More Interview with Love in Dangerous Time
Today I stopped at the Howling Wolf, which is good place for Mexican food, which is a miracle, because I am from Escondido, CA and I now live in Salem, MA. Decent Mexican food in New England was a miracle when I first moved here in 1999. The area has since upped its culinary game … More An Adventure Waiting to Happen
BurRelCover (1) Click the above link and get rocked by the tragic beauty of this cover. Kevissimo Rolly – thanks for you awesome photography at Burning Man. Jeff Menasco – thanks for your skills and patience with the layout of the cover. Shawn Fitzgerald – thank you for that amazing picture of me, which is … More This Cover Rocks: Thanks Kevmo, Jeffman, and ShawnFitz
Yes! You too can host a Burning Religion Party! I am launching “Burning Religion: navigating the impossible space between religion and secular society” in October. It is the culmination of three years of study and writing, and 30 years of pastoring, and missional activity in the places most Americans would rather not visit. I currently … More Burning Religion Parties!
This book project, which is the beginning of a series of theoretical works, is now in the pre-sale, fundraising stage. 24 hours ago, the Kickstarter project went live. Already over 25 books (both hard copy and ebook) have been sold and the minimum for this funding project is 43% completed. I had a publisher interested … More Burning Religion is live!
