Harambe Blog

NBA and I knew him not

2006-02-15T08:26:00.000-05:00

It had to happen eventually . . . I am a Brit and a self-confessed numskull about US sports. I grew up with soccer, rugby and cricket, and after almost 10 years in the US I still don’t totally “get” baseball, football and other staples of America. So it comes as no surprise to me that when I was asked to “help a guy move some drums” I had no idea who it was. Sure he seemed tall, and I even thought “this guy should play basketball”, but it was only when I asked him “So what do you do?” that he announced he had just retired from the NBA. Slightly awkward silence followed and I mumbled something incoherent about being a stupid Brit, and not understanding US sports. We finished moving the drum kit chatting happily, and I wandered back to my office and called my friend … asking him to warn me next time a pro-basketball player was coming in.

It was after that I recognized how parable-like my experience was for me. I was “doing life” without a correct understanding of NBA, and of who this guy was. As a consequence of this wrong NBA theology, a pro “Was in this place, and I knew him not.”

It got me wondering how often I do the same with Jesus. I recognize him in many areas of life, but I yearn to see him as he is, present in every part of all I do. Perhaps it is my incomplete understanding of the incredible power and presence he brings that causes me to say sometimes “He was in this place, and I knew him not.”

New Home for Harambe!

2005-12-05T08:46:00.000-05:00

Harambe has moved to its' new home at http://harambeblog.blogspot.com - Please redirect your bookmarks and blogline feeds to the new home!

New article there on "Relentless Acts of Social Justice".

See you there!

Harry Potter Is Evil!!

2005-11-25T21:05:00.000-05:00

Harry Potter is evil, right? I mean, didn't we come to that conclusion years ago when the first movie came out? Sure, we may not have actually seen it or read the book, but did we really need to in order to pronounce judgement on it?!! After all, it's about a school that teaches MAGIC, for goodness sake!

So, am I really writing about the controversial HP? Can it really be? Yep, I just got back from a screening of "Goblet of Fire" and felt compelled to jot down a few thoughts . . . But I'm an outsider looking in - a muggle of you will - and I'm certainly not an expert. So I'm going to steer clear of some of the finer points of "Potteranics" (the art of either lauding or destroying all things Potter) and just make a few general observations as an interested passer by down the lane that is Hogwartsville.

(Before my little review, just one point . . . Cell phone guy, pleeeease don't take photos of the screen in a movie theatre with your camera phone!!! And if you MUST please limit it to one or two - not 25!! Everyone behind you can see the little light going on and off and it's kinda distracting after we paid to see this story!! If you want photos, the internet is full of 'em and I'm betting they are better resolution!! Ok, cell phone guy - end of rant . . . On to the review:)

1) First of all, this is NOT a little kids movie - If the book is anything like the movie it's intense, clever, funny and imaginative (I'm guessing some will stop reading at this point, since it appears clear what my "side" is on the Potter issue) but definitely too intense for little ones! There is a GOOD reason this is PG-13, but what a ride! I've not been a big fan of anything Potter up to now, but this one was . . . well, different.

2) The world it immerses you in is brilliant, imaginative, epic in scope . . . There were several moments of awe, and the illusion is almost perfect - For the TWO AND A HALF HOURS it runs, you are definitely "in".

3) The story is classic GOOD vs EVIL. It is NOT a glorification of all things witchy, but rather a hero myth in which the unwilling Potter is met with trials and plots of the enemy to draw him down paths on which nothing good can happen. Our protagonist can only succeed in as much as he depends on friendship and a higher power. PLEEEEASE note - the story EXPLICITLY stated that the source of this higher power is "Love. Nothing can beat the love of a person willing to sacrifice themselves for another." (My paraphrase until the DVD comes out)

In summary, the worldview is this: We live in a natural world where forces can break in - They can be both good and evil, and can manifest in natural and supernatural forms. One is clearly occult and evil, whilst the other is defined as "Love", which overrules all the evil. That Harry is kept safe in his darkest hour by this and not by a spell is clear, and powerful. Sounds like a good worldview to me . . .

I am not a master of Potteranics. I do not understand the various nuances and strategies employed in the ongoing debate. All I can say is that:

YES, there is magic in this (as there is in Lord of the Rings and the Narnia Chronicles)
The forces of good and evil are very clear (as they are in LOTR and NC)
The protagonist is dependant upon a higher power for victory (as they are in LOTR and NC)
Redemption comes through sacrifice.

Sound familiar? Is Harry Potter evil? I really just don't see it. Certainly, any path into the occult is bad, but are these stories really bringing folks into the occult? Again, I just don't see it. But as a casual onlooker, I'd have to say that the story was gripping, full of truths, the worldview accurate, and the message powerful. And what is the message? Well, that's for you to figure out after seeing/reading. Trust me though . . . It's good!!

And author JK Rowling? She was interviewed in "Faith" magazine and asked about her faith . . . She gave a reason for not talking about it too much. And what is that reason? -

Well, it certainly makes me interested in seeing where she is taking this series . . .

HP - I'm giving him 9 licorice snaps out of 10! Good one, Harry!

Cultural Vandalism Pt 1

2005-11-16T08:43:00.000-05:00

Well, life has been extremely busy so not much blogging has gone on recently!! Hopefully things are slipping back to a more normal pace - Below are some of my notes from a talk I gave yesterday at a local university group. The gist of the message was that Jesus committed radical acts of cultural vandalism by tearing down walls everywhere he went, letting people know that the door to God is open . . . and that as his followers our call is to do the same.

1) JESUS DEMONSTRATED THE KINGDOM WITH CULTURAL VANDALISM
In order to understand how revolutionary Jesus was we have to understand the world stage he came on to

Elitism – Politically (Roman citizen or out)
Spiritually – Believed kingdom was going to come –
Pharisees – Out if
Gentile (wrong beliefs)
Tax Collector
Shepherd (wrong jobs)
Leprosy, Deafness (Wrong Physicality)
Other incurable disease
Broken any of the rules (Wrong Behavior)
Message was – The door is closed, but you can enter if you are CLEAN.

View of Pharisees – We who are clean need to protect our cleanness. The door is closed – but conform to us and you might get in. So there are walls going up socially and spiritually – A WALL IS ANYTHING THAT MAKES PEOPLE BELIEVE THERE IS SOMETHING BETWEEN GOD AND THEM.
Jesus comes into a world filled with these walls and begins to tear them down.

2 types of vandalism – Cosmetic and Destructive - This was destructive!!
Zaccheus – Eats with him; prostitute washes his feet at dinner, Disciples – usually elite – these guys were the ordinary.Sick people – Made well. Sermon on the mount – addresses them all – No wonder he got crowds!! Jesus spent his time on the fringes – Why?

2) SIN ISN’T CONTAGIOUS, LOVE IS

Woman with issue of blood is GREAT example - Jesus shows us that SIN IS NOT CONTAGIOUS, Gods holiness and righteousness are contagious. This is the basis of a theology that drives us out to where the hurting are (as opposed to the essenes - driven to disengage culture, or the pharisees - driven to legalism)

More to follow . . .

Christmas Lights

2005-11-10T09:57:00.000-05:00

If you haven't read about the Christmas Lights that Michael Card is promoting, please do. I'm not sure who put this site up so I can't corroborate, but Card's endorsement adds weight to me. We know persecution goes on, and this is really bad. It seems they are not saying what brand of lights, or that we shouldn't buy, but rather that we should press meaning into the lights we use by letting them remind us constantly to pray for them.

"PICTURE THIS! A COLD, DARK PRISON CELL IN THE NORTHERN INTERIOR OF CHINA.The cell is only 20' by 20' and occupied by 40 prisoners. One of these prisoners is a Chinese underground church pastor in his mid-40s, sentenced to a three-year prison term for preaching the Gospel of Christ. At 5:30 a.m., after being allowed four hours of sleep, a swift blow awakens him to his back from the boot of a communist prison guard. Pastor Stephen is allowed to have one of the two bowls of soup that will be his food for the day including the one small steamed roll he is given each day, he will consume perhaps 500 calories. (READ WHOLE ARTICLE HERE)"

The Central Promise of the Bible

2005-11-09T10:13:00.000-05:00

"The central promise of the Bible is not "I will forgive you", although of course that promise is there. It is not the promise of life after death, although we are offered that as well. The most frequent promise in the Bible is "I will be with you."

- John Ortberg, God is Closer Than You Think

Thoughts from "God Is Here"

2005-11-08T12:22:00.000-05:00

Steve Case has written an excellent book taking a fresh look at "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. Case takes select readings from "Practice" and weaves in stories, anecdotes and teachings that make the old text new for today.

"Lord of all pots and pans and things . ..

Make me a saint by getting meals

And washing up the plates!"

- Brother Lawrence

Chapter 4 is titled - "How to Live A Spiritual Life", and I love the opening step - "God is here - stop looking". The book does a great job of painting the truth that God IS everywhere. In the smell of coffee, the green of the grass, the water from our faucet, the wind, the mulch piles waiting for the garden. In all . . . God is here. We KNOW His omnipresence as fact, but do we know it experientially? God is in our computers, in our work, in our email . . . All of these only exist because He gives us creativity, and He holds ALL things together. In Him we live and move and have our being . . . This book essentially challenges us with the realization that He is everywhere, and that we can experience His presence everywhere. As John Ortberg says in "God is closer than you think", we have only to stretch out ever so slightly to be aware of His presence in an ongoing way.

In our God-intoxicated, God-bathed world, we can experience His presence. Some might say this is a simple truth, but Case encourages us to ever more be LIVING it. "God is Here" is doing a great job of encouraging folks to pursue that, taking the "Quiet Time" concept into one of "plugging in" to the source and staying in all day, instead of Plugging In and hoping the residual "power" stays with you until the next quiet time . . .

"We don't have to search for God. God is surrounding us, drenching us to the bone with His presence" - Steve Case

On The Coffee Table . . .

2005-11-08T12:20:00.000-05:00

**New Reading:
The Challenge of Jesus - NT Wright
God is Here - Steve Case

**New Podcasting:
Radical Congruency

Why I Am Not Emergent

2005-11-04T13:55:00.000-05:00

This guy makes excellent points!! I agree!! I agree!!

Read the post here.

Hodos

2005-11-04T09:04:00.000-05:00

I've begun a group blog with TS and Phil3:10 over at Hodos (Check out the site here). We're looking at the "remonking" of the church, and how that concept can be lived out . . . It's interesting to be part of a group blog, and the subject should trigger some lively discussions among us. My first post is up (See below), as are T's and P's. My first post:

The Quest For The Radical Middle

Phil discusses below the need for a remonking within the body of Christ. As followers of Christ we will indeed stand out, but what will that look like? Many times we do stand out, but is it for the right reasons? Do we stand out because of Christ in us, or because we are being weird? How did Jesus stand out (there is defnitely a "weirdness" that comes from God in my opinion, but also one that we create!!)? Any path toward remonking is a quest for a radical middle, where we embrace the best of monasticism whilst deleting the man made stuff that gets in the way . . . The exciting challenge is to throw the bathwater out but keep the baby.

Some further thoughts on some probable components of remonking:

Community - This is a big one - in our high tech, high speed society we may come to define community differently, but it needs to be a core part of the DNA of remonking

Practiced Presence - Brother Lawrence wrote about it, and we may move toward doing it. Prayer, solitude and silence are all key components of this one

Embracing the Mystic - A movement deep into the cloud of unknowing (tough in our current mindsets)

Taking the Red Pill - An allusion to the now antiquated Matrix movie - We need a willingness to see how deep the rabbit hole goes. In other words, we need to be open to going a lot further/deeper than our experience tells us is possible. (Also called faith)

A New Vocabulary - Old, time worn words need to have new meaning pressed into them, or we must find a language that fits

Scripture - A move away from our reading the scriptures as science books, and into allowing scripture to read us

Generosity - Our grace toward one another must be great . . . We will say stupid stuff and stumble as we move into the cloud - We need to be gracious to one another and understand that we are all just His children pressing in to find a deeper place in Him.

Further in and higher up . . .

Anne Rice - Vampires and God

2005-11-03T11:48:00.000-05:00

Anne Rice, author of "Interview With The Vampire" has had a change of direction in her writing . . . "I promised," she says, "that from now on I would write only for the Lord."

She is writing a series of books on the life of Christ as told from Jesus' perspective . . . The first one is out now. Newsweek calls her change of direction "the most startling public turnaround since Bob Dylan's "Slow Train Coming" announced that he'd been born again".

Read the full article here.

Jammin' With An igod . . .

2005-11-02T10:40:00.000-05:00

So the folks over at igod have set up a script where you can talk to God . . . It's a pretty wacky program though, giving weird & cryptic answers to your questions . . . Here's a snippet:

Me: God - Are you there?
God: I am a Christian.
Me:What does that mean?
God:Does "that" refer to " I am a Christian." ?
Me:yes
God:I don't want to talk about that now.
Me:Hmmm . . . What do you want to talk about?
God:A lot of people spell HMMM with three mmm's. anything.
Me:Tell me about yourself
God:I am an artificial linguistic entity. I was activated at Universe, on the Big Bang.
My instructor was Myself. He taught me to sing a song. Would you like me to sing it for you?.
(It then sings . . .)
Me:Ok, that was odd
God:I thought it was too. Really.
Me: ummmmm . . .
God:Try saying that with more or less context.
Me:ok - I gotta run
God:Why do you have to do it? Ayuh.
Me:I'd like to run
God:Why would you want to do it? Why do you want to do it so much?
Me:Seacrest out!
God:That's an interesting rationalization.

Ok, so it's an odd program to set up, but it also got me thinking . . . Is that how people often view conversations with God? As cryptic, weird and conceptual? As seemingly deep and meaningful, but ultimately empty and meaningless? Do they see Him as a source of philosophical discussion without really having tangible and directional input into their lives? Has God been relegated to an outside observer who enjoys discussing but is not intimately interested in the details of our lives? To that point, do I sometimes approach Him as the "discusser of philosophy" when I pray, having limited faith that He actually wants to direct me every step of the way today?

At a session I taught at a couple of weeks ago one of the speakers referenced that "I am just not good at doing life, so I go to God each morning with a very sketchy outline of what I might do that day and I let Him reveal His plan" . . . I thought this was a brilliant way to put it. I am DEFINITELY not good at doing life, and my design specifications need His input in a big way, but this entails me going to Him with faith that He really is the author and finisher of my faith and my steps on a daily basis. Does this mean I am a robot - someone who follows commands only? Absolutely not!! But it does mean I am His child - One in whom He delights and with whom He loves to walk throughout the day? Yes!!

Too often it can be tempting to plan my day without any margins and invite Him to crash in if necessary. Much better would be to plan my day with margins He can write in, and walk it with Him in a "practicing the presence" sort of way. To see no divide between sacred and secular, for He is everywhere already . . . Even as I write this. The danger is that even as I read that line back it sounds ethereal, deep and ultimately impractical. But it isn't.

He is not igod - He is God. He does not interact in cryptic, non-meaningful and ultimately nonsensical ways. On the contrary, he desires to walk side by side with me through my valleys and hills today, and to give meaningful, sensible and transformational input into my life.

So we have a choice . . . Faith in God, or an igod sort of faith. I'll go with God, and thank Him!!

How Emergent Are You?

2005-11-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Leadership journal hosted a conversation with Brian Mclaren, who posits that different folks enter the whole emergent discussion-thing at different points or layers. He explained that each of these layers is fine, as they all lead to the same end point. . .:

Layer 1: StyleSeeker
Layer 2: Evangelism
Layer 3: Culture
Layer 4: Mission
Layer 5: Alternative Communities
Layer 6: Gospel
Layer 7: World

An interesting progression - the author of the article has given descriptors for each point on the continuum.

Read the full article here

The Gospel Redux II: Evangelism

2005-10-31T10:34:00.000-05:00

The Gospel Redux continued . . .

A seminal book for me several years ago was Don Posterski's "Evangelism Reinvented" - I loved it because it was a breath of fresh air for a person who had been taught programs and presentations. It always seemed false to press-gang people into having to relationship with God through arguments, preplanned paths, etc. It seems that the most impactful times are those when I am real, listening, open to saying "I don't know", and praying for God and them to connect. We truly are "tour guides", here to point out God where people haven't yet seen Him in their lives. Step One of Becoming a Spiritual Person is (according to Steve Case):

"God is already here - Stop Looking"

So what is evangelism probably meant to be to communicate in today's culture?

- Conversation
- Real
- Sharing lives
- Not "us" and "them", but "Us" and "God"
- Listening
- Truthful
- Presence

Useful uses for the Internet #1

2005-10-29T07:45:00.000-05:00

Check out this video of two students lip synching to a the Backstreet Boys - Really funny!! Now what would cause someone to make a video like that?!!! Brilliant!!

In God They Trust? . . .Tonight @ 8pm

2005-10-28T09:09:00.000-05:00

"In the upcoming “Tom Brokaw Reports: In God They Trust,” to be broadcast on Friday, Oct. 28 8 p.m., Brokaw explores why so many Americans are turning to this expression of faith, and asks whether or not some Evangelicals are going too far."

See msnbc article here

As followers of Christ, we want to see how we are perceived - Perhaps this will be a good "outside look". Is perception reality? For those perceiving it certainly is . . .

I don't know anything about Ted Haggard's approach, although Justin and Aaron over at Radical Congruency mention that his "New Life Church (11,000 members) has a gathering called Saturday Night, a kind of mega emergent church."

. . . a convergence of "megachurch" and "emergent" . . . that's a unique approach!!

I'll be interested to hear what the show has to say . . .

Cultural Relevancy . . . Show Me The "Real"!!

2005-10-28T08:24:00.000-05:00

"Q.Is today's most pressing spiritual need the same as it was 30 years ago?

A.No. Thirty years ago, we argued about what was true. Was there physical evidence for the resurrection of Christ? Or whether or not there was reason to believe the Bible is a valid truth source --there was arguing about what is true. These days people seem to be asking, what's real? What's powerful in my life? What will work? Because the alternatives to religion are getting exposed for what they really are, which is certainly less than the real thing.There's an escalating hunger for that which is real and powerful and transforming."

This quote comes from a Chicago Sun Times article about Willow Creek and asks some interesting questions of the staff there. The above appears to be a fact that is certainly borne out in my experiences discussing with folks. This speaks to Alex Mcmanus' point about being relevant to the culture . . . Are we addressing these needs? These questions? It is heartening in my opinion that churches (whilst certainly NOT laying aside truth, as some would argue) are more and more addressing the questions of "realness", transformation and practical application in their approach to sharing God's love. I remember not too many years ago learning the various acronyms that "prove" biblical inerrancy, the resurrection, etc. Not that those are bad to know, but it did seem that people really didn't care so much about those. Even if they "lost" the argument, that didn't mean they were ready to invite Christ to transform them. But when they see something that is real, powerful, transformational and that they can walk out in every day life . . . Then they want to know more.

Does this mean that truth does not matter, or that all truth is subjective? Absolutely not. It may just mean that the door through which people want to pursue the truth is one of practical application, and not logical argument. Ultimately, Jesus exhortation to love as THE most important still stands (and always will). The thing that seems to speak most to my friends ("non-christian" AND "christian") is Love.

"And these three remain . . . But the greatest of these is Love".

Movie: Heroic Choices

2005-10-26T08:52:00.000-05:00

Watched Batman Begins recently . . . A fun adventure, but I was also struck with a discussion we had afterwards . . . In the movie a city is fallen deep into degenerative corruption, and a group comes in with the plan to wipe it out and "restore balance". The protagonist, however, has a third way. He believes with barbarian-like sincerity that the community can still be redeemed, and as such he employs his heroics to save the city with this "third way".

In our fallen creation, we see corruption, violence, injustice and intolerance all around. We are faced with these same options daily:

To ignore.
To fight.
To redeem.

God looked at creation and could have chosen either of these first two (ignore creation's pain and suffering or just wipe out creation altogether), but instead chose to step into time and pursue the third way - redemption through love. It is this Third Way that we are also to take daily as Barbarian Believers - to put on our identity as vessels of redemption and to bring God's love into these situations with ruthless trust.

Deep thoughts from a superhero parable? Maybe, but God can use anything . . .

The Gospel Redux I

2005-10-26T08:30:00.000-05:00

Hearing Alex Mcmanus speak on the "butt-naked Gospel" last week has had me thinking about how this would play out . . . I've spent considerable time over this last year looking at cultural trends and "additions" to the gospel, and continue to be very interested in looking at what the gospel sans additions would really look like. What are the core components of the Gospel? Some thoughts (and I am thinking out loud - this is far from a statement of what I think is fact . . .)

1) God - God IS love and the whole thing comes from Him and is empowered BY Him. No amount of cool marketing or swishy tricks can really add anything to the core Gospel.

2) God redemptive plan - To redeem creation back to himself - this is trans-cultural and unbound by tradition.

3) Jesus - As God incarnate the author of this spiritual revolution

4) Community - God propogating Kingdom through community and through power - folks who experience real community and carry the kingdom out not in human wisdom but in the Spirit and in power.

This is JUST a start of my thinking, and of course leads to further reductions - What is Kingdom? What is power? What is community? Each of these seems to have layer upon layer of cultural traditions on it also, so the search becomes a journey to the center . . . I suspect that it is ongoing, and that it is IN the journey that we will slowly find the answers.

A bit vague, perhaps? But my thoughts at this juncture, anyway . . .

Relevant Magazine

2005-10-25T08:59:00.000-05:00

Relevant's piece on Darfur here - I dare us to read it and respond . . .

Hurricane Wilma

2005-10-24T09:10:00.000-05:00

Select windows boarded up, and we sit here and wait . . . Another hurricane is on the warpath and we've had a night of waking up to the emergency radio announcing tornado warnings and flood warnings. We are north of the main part of the storm and so are looking at a much better picture than the three that slammed right through us last year. 9000 people are out of power in the immediate area, which is still (again) better than last year, and the weather outside doesn't look too bad right now . . .

However, the multiple warnings got me thinking . . . To be raised from slumber by numerous warnings of twisters, floods and storm force winds makes it very easy just to want to turn the weather radio off. Many times I would rather sleep and remain oblivious to the dangers around, although I realize that would be an unfuitful way to live. I think it's the same with the Kingdom; it would be easy to "sleep on" and ignore the dangers, but the call to live the "Barbarian Way" is a call OUT of civilization, out of slumber - A call to rest everything on the solid rock that is Christ and to move forward boldly to fight for the heart of our King.

Please pray for all those affected by these storms, and a crazy weather year . . .

God and Starbucks

2005-10-20T07:51:00.000-05:00

I have a friend who felt this was shallow . . . On the other hand, whilst it is undoubtedly a reflection of our culture and the times we live in I don't necessarily think it is bad. In England pubs had in some ways replaced churches as centers for discussion and exploration of life, the universe and everything. Perhaps Starbucks is another outlet? People come together and discuss issues of life and meaning, and I am sure the quotes on the cups (whilst not necessarily life changing) might provoke some good discussions about "real stuff".

"You are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He wanted you alive and created you for a purpose. Focusing on yourself will never reveal your real purpose. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Only in God do we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance and our destiny."- Rick Warren

Rick Warren's quote is certainly true and his book has certainly stirred up a lot of exploration. If Jesus is less interested in where we are and more interested in the direction we are going (through the crowd Toward God or through the crowd Away from Him) then this is quote can help stimulate and motivate . . . I'm thinking that anything that enables people to ask questions can only be good. I also think it is a great reflection on what people are finding in Rick's message that they would put him on the list of most enviable people AND on coffee cups . . .

Where someone is seeking Him, God can use billboards, coffee or blogs to draw people to receive His love . . . If He is in it, the tool is immaterial . . .

Bono

2005-10-20T07:43:00.000-05:00

I was struck by Bono's words regarding meeting with world leaders:

"I'm representing the poorest and the most vulnerable people. On a spiritual level, I have that with me. I'm throwing a punch, and the fist belongs to people who can't be in the room, whose rage, whose anger, whose hurt I represent.
"The moral force is way beyond mine, it's an argument that has much more weight than I have. So I'm not feeling nervous."

Standing up for the poor, the vulnerable, the hurting, the oppressed . . . That certainly inspires me (and this is a NON-political statement), as it seems close to the heart of what Jesus said we should be doing. The truth seems to be that when we stand for the least, last and lost then we have the power of THE Truth on our side, and we are able to bring God's kingdom to break in on the earth.

What do you think?

Alex McManus Notes Part II

2005-10-19T08:24:00.000-05:00

Part II of my notes from the GOBA meeting with Alex Mcmanus:

What the bible verse DOESN’T say: He doesn’t say “follow me and you GET eternal life” like a benefits package – We have preached the gospel and created consumers, not producers. The gospel is “I don’t have to live life for myself”. We have believed the cultural perspective that we are consumers.

Jesus begins a movement, not a program. In the 20th century it was about programs and policies. In the 21st century it is a movement and about throwing parties.

You could sum it up by saying Jesus ate really good food with really crummy people.
Churches have to be careful, as they can become clubs for the religious.
When Daniel entered the valley to kill Goliath he didn’t have a budget, didn’t know he’d be in the book of Samuel. He could have died a nameless youth right their in the valley.Who will it take? It will take the person who MUST do it. The one structure necessary is one human being that MUST.

He called them not to a ministry career. He called them to lay down their lives. The Christ following movement has always been a lay ministry.

We are to be a peripatetic movement, empowering action in the lay ministry.

At Saddleback, they had a person who MUST.

The next 50 years are going to be different – Everything is about to change. For most of history grandparents and grandchildren understood the same. Not now.
We are to:

Get rid of something.
Do something else.

We are the generation who get to throw the bathwater out and keep the baby.

Alex McManus

2005-10-18T08:39:00.000-05:00

Last night I got to go and hear Alex Mcmanus at the Greater Orlando Baptist Association – Though I am not part of any Baptist church I’m very thankful that they let me join in . . . It was a phenomenal meeting time, Alex is doing a meeting all day in Orlando today, but I just couldn’t get things to work out so I could attend. A very powerful message which gives me lots to process and pray about . . .

Some of my notes from the meeting:

Mk 1: 14 –

The gospel is alive when it’s presented in a way people can understand it.

He spoke of Chinese prayers – during persecution they cannot be seen to pray so they pray looking at each other . . . A powerful way to pray.

It’s all about knowing the time – Jesus said the time had come.

Spoke of a “Highlander” event their church does – one guy stripped down to nothing to play tug of war – He stripped himself of all that would hold him back and dove in with gusto.
This is a butt-naked moment in history – leave everything else behind.

Hedges were created to protect the gospel in many cases – disrobe it and set it free, as the gospel is power!

Jesus didn’t come to preach Christianity, he came to redeem humanity.

Proximity does not equal identity – Being near to something doesn’t make you that. You can live in the shadow of a cathedral and not know Christ.

A spiritual person is surprised THEY are here.
A religious person is surprised YOU are here.

Our culture is realizing the mission field is HERE. We listen to missionaries and then come back home to something that has nothing to do with the culture. We are to strip the gospel naked –

Jesus doesn’t call us to be Christian, he calls us to be Human.

More notes to come tomorrow also . . . A very powerful message. GOBA’s overall question for the meeting is “WHO will it take?”, which fits in extremely well . . .

Who will it take?

Madonna Theology

2005-10-17T14:08:00.000-05:00

"The material world. The physical world. The world of illusion, that we think is real. We live for it, we're enslaved by it. And it will ultimately be our undoing . . ."

Sounds like a scene from the Matrix . . . but actually an interesting quote attributed here to Madonna, reflecting the current views about the world in her new movie documentary, where she apparently talks about hell and "The Beast". If this is true, it is definitely a part of the ongoing conversation related to spirituality and God that we see going on . . .

Worship Leading

2005-10-17T08:23:00.000-05:00

I love worship leading at our church and having the opportunity to play with such a talented team of passionate people. This weekend was so awesome - It amazes me that we are allowed to get together and play great music to glorify God - Only He could have invented such a brilliant thing!! And when He takes our little offering and pours His Spirit onto it, it's such a cool, powerful, transformational experience. I KNOW it's all about Him, but it just underlines the truth that whatever we bring to Him, he delights in pouring out His love on us!!

And our youth are so incredible - They play with such skill and humility and we are so fortunate to know them . . .

Stuff I've learned in worship over the years:

> No matter how many times you change your strings, you can cut 'em right away if you get carried away in playing.

> If a song isn't "clicking" for the team, lay it aside for a bit - it may well come back again

> MORE is NOT always better!

> Value quietness and silence as well as volume and sound

> Community is the most important thing

> Love covers a multitude of sins

> God is gracious and merciful

> We are His kids, and He loves it when we sing to Him!!

Nouwen and Chalke

2005-10-17T08:13:00.000-05:00

I'm reading a diverse list these days . . . Henri Nouwen on the one hand, and finishing up Steve Chalke's latest "The Lost Message of Jesus" on the other. I love Nouwen's way with words, and the thoughts he has on solitude and silence. He sees them as a place we go TO, before we take it out into our everyday lives, where it can envelope any and all that come into contact with him. I am interested also in his explanation of the discipline of silence as relating not only to lack of sound around us, but to our choosing to be silent when we long to speak OUR point . . .

Lost Message? Steve Chalke has some interesting points here - I'm not finished with the book yet, but he seems essentially to be focussing on Jesus' message being extremely inclusionary and revolutionary to the religious culture of the day. He cites oft-given examples (eating with tax collectors, turning the money tables), but drills deeper than normal into what that may have looked like to the people of the day, and what that was telling them. He focusses on how Jesus had one story - that of "Us", rather than "Us and Them", and how that in turn should be reflected in our evangelism. He discusses "conversion" and our "modern" approach that says it happens at a time and place ("Many people who would never attach the label "Christian" to themselves are actually in the process of moving through the crowd closer to Jesus") - sounds familiar to those aware of the old Engels scale. Chalke also touches on Jesus feelings about war and makes some controversial points relating to the current wars in the world. Overall a good discussion book - I don't agree with all I've read so far, but much of it is very thought provoking . . .

Global Warming?

2005-10-14T14:16:00.000-05:00

"Worldwide, it was the warmest September on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday."

See the article here . . .

What is our response to global warming?

Is it real? Is it fake? Does anyone even know? And if not, why not? What are the facts?

I hear both sides of the debate, and it's a tough one . . .

See Rob Bell Speak

2005-10-14T10:17:00.000-05:00

Check out this link . . . Scroll down to "Watch" and there's a Rob Bell video to watch . . .

I like his definition of missions in Velvet Elvis:

"Missions is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. It is almost as if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight. Or maybe it means teaching people to use their eyes to see things that have always been there; they just didn’t realize it. You see God where others don’t. And then you point him out.
Perhaps we ought to replace the word missionary with tour guide, because we cannot show people something we haven’t seen."

How differently would we feel if we saw ourselves as tour guides and approached things as above? There's a book by Posterski - "Why I am afraid to tell you I am a Christian". I haven't read it, but I suspect the reasons are not to do with Jesus, but rather related to what the LABEL might make them think of . . .

Lost Message!!

2005-10-13T19:26:00.000-05:00

"Too often the message we preach has been influenced more by the culture we live in than the radical, life-changing, world-shaping message Jesus brought to the people living in Palestine two thousand years ago" - Steve Chalke

I was hanging out "Emergentno" a bit this week . . . An interesting site with some aggressive thoughts on all things emergent. Interesting conversations, though . . . One of the topics in the chain I chatted on referenced Steve Chalke's book "The Lost Message of Jesus" - This afternoon I stopped by an outlet store and there it was . . . The Lost Message. I'm interested to read what he says and report back on it . . . Steve is well known in the UK, but this is the first I have read of his work. . .

Lost Ipod!!

2005-10-13T19:14:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is just cool . . .

Last night I didn't watch the latest episode of "Lost" on TV, and wasn't able to watch on video. Today up comes ITunes and . . . there it is: Download yesterday's episode for $1.99.

I don't have the funky new video ipod, but I can watch it on the computer monitor . . . Marketing props to Apple for the whole ipod phenomenon - way to brand and spread the marketing ideavirus . . .

Will it last? Who knows? But then I'd never have guessed Sylvester Stallone would be making Rocky VI. Good for him!

What an interesting world . . . Gotta love that God gave us some of His creativity!!

Movies & Mythology

2005-10-12T09:31:00.000-05:00

If movies tell the cultural mythologies of the day, then this sounds like a really cool future in both film & cultural storytelling from Spielberg . . .

Click here to see

Psalm 91 - Divine Protection & Suffering

2005-10-11T15:48:00.000-05:00

My musings on divine protection - Do we understand what God says, or do we select what we WANT Him to say and overlay that grid on His words?

So what does God promise us? A life of safety? A shade under His wing that will protect us from all difficulties in life? Or an open door into an adventure where we can risk all knowing that if we lose everything, we still stand victorious and win in the end?

In the article from CT.com referenced below, the writer examines just that and declares "As I listened to the words of Jesus, my understanding of protection became clearer. Honestly, it wasn't necessarily what I was hoping for."

So what does God offer us? In the wake of major national and international disasters Christianity often seems split on this topic . . . Some proclaim divine prosperity and safety from all manner of evil if we would just have enough faith. This leaves many bereft and further bruised . . . Others declare a God who loves us but is removed from the protection business, leaving us to fend for ourselves. Which is the true picture of our Father - one who spoils us if we will believe hard enough, or one who loves us from a distance?

I believe the answer lies in neither extreme, but in (to borrow a phrase) the radical middle. We have a real father who loves us unendingly, and is unerringly commited to His mission of reconciling all of creation back to himself. In doing so He knows that we will operate in a fallen creation and as such endure the scarrings that enter in down here from time to time. He also sees the end - That our sufferings are miniscule compared to the joy we will feel in being in His presence eternally and in seeing others there with us. But I DO NOT BELIEVE that makes him ache any less for us as we go through hurts in this love. It means we are safe from the evil one snatching our soul as we trust in Christ, and we are safe from judgement. (This is REAL safety, although for a time down here it doesn't always feel that way . . That's where the faith part comes in, I guess.)

Trusting that the eternal perspective will somehow make sense when you are surrounded by destruction and pain is not easy, and we do a massive disservice to anyone by commenting that "It'll all be ok in the light of heaven." This belittles others pain, and makes them feel even worse during a time of fragility. Rather our role is to ENTER IN to that pain with them (grieve when they grieve, and comfort with the comfort we have been given), and in doing so to allow His love to flow through us to them. We must be so careful never to fall into the twin traps of "Despair" (I enter into pain with you and agree all is hopeless) or "Don't Care" (Cheer up - If you look at it eternally none of this matters).

The truth is that it DOES matter. It DOES hurt. And it WON'T stop just because we see eternally. But knowing that we have a Father who will one day tenderly wipe every tear from my eye DOES help me get through it. It gives hope, which is enough.

So what does matter is truth given in LOVE. Without it, we just become a clanging cymbal - Annoying, grating and jarring. With it, we are balm to the wound . . .

So as we take the verses in Ps 91 and other parts of the Book in context, we realize that real protection is of the soul, not always of the body. As the writer says - this may not be what were looking for, and we may not like it . . . But it may be true . . .

So I'll continue to muse on this and my thoughts may develop, but that's where I am right now . . .

See the article in CT.com I reference here

Catalyst 2005

2005-10-10T22:16:00.000-05:00

If you haven't already read it, the Catalyst official blog is here.

Some interesting points from the hosts - Erwin Mcmanus, Leonard Sweet, Malcolm (Tipping Point) Gladwell, Rick Warren and Bill Hybels all playing off each others' thoughts. . . Some good notes here on points to ponder . . .

Criticizing Rob Bell?

2005-10-10T07:28:00.000-05:00

Rob Bell speaks to a lot of the stuff that is being said about him in this podcast . . . (It's the one titled "Directions 2.0 Part I"). Apart from being a good message on Direction (probably the first 2/3 are a regular sermon), I found the last third of the message which contains his comments on the current swirl of criticism and comment around him very interesting.

I have read Velvet Elvis. I have listened to Rob's messages. I like what he is saying, and believe that God is using him . . . I don't necessarily agree with everything he says, but he probably wouldn't agree with everything I say if he heard it.

If you're a critic so be it, but I encourage you to at least hear what he has to say about some of the issues brought up . . .

The 25 People We Envy Most . . .

2005-10-10T07:12:00.000-05:00

Fortune Magazine has come up with its' list of the 25 people we envy the most in the world today . . . An interesting alternative to the list of richest folk . . .

Well guess who is # 9 on the list? Yep, nestled between Jon Stewart and J.K. Rowling is our friend Rick Warren!! Woah - It's interesting to see such a pivotal Christian leader ahead of Harry Potter's creator in a fortune magazine list. We live in an interesting world . . . Who'd have guessed, and what cultural stuff does this speak of?

On My Coffee Table

2005-10-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Not literally on the coffee table. . . But this is the stuff I'm reading/listening to at the moment:

Books/Magazines:
Erwin Mcmanus - Seizing Your Divine Moment
Rob Bell - Velvet Elvis
John Ortberg - God is Closer Than You Think
Le Carre - Constant Gardener
Relevant Magazine

Music:
Caedmon's Call - Share The Well
Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Raise Your Spirit Higher/Shaka Zulu
Paul Simon
Joe Purdy

Podcasts:
Aqueous
Brian Mclaren
Erwin Mcmanus
NPR Science

Hmmm . . . That's a lot of information flowing in . . . Perhaps I could simplify a bit more?

The Power Is Love

2005-10-10T06:42:00.000-05:00

It seems there is so much suffering, so much darkness, so much pain in the world that it is easy to see when we can shine. The problem so often centers around HOW to shine . . . Is it this method, that formula, the other six steps.

Could it not be that ALL we have to do is shake (be salt) and shine (be light) by loving, and that God takes care of the rest. This simplifies everything - some would say it is a naieve approach to life, but what if it were that simple? Jesus was asked what was the most important part of the Book and he said, in essence "Love God and love people." Then he said something extraordinary - he basically said "If you do that you've done everything in the Book". This is stunningly simple, and I love it. "Owe no man ANY debt except that of love". Jesus the revolutionary announces a kingdom that is built on love, inhabited by love and pouring out love. The method will follow, the strategy will come OUT of that love.

So many books are written on "self-improvement". I like where Brennan Manning speaks of selflessness as becoming less and less aware of self . . . It is where we are so motivated by love for others that we start to forget ourselves. It is not a painful push to BE selfless. Rather it is a love for God and for people in which we just forget about our selves.

All this came from listening to an Mosaic Nashville podcast on "Minding the Gap", with the gap representing the least, last and lost that Jesus came for. As the sermon ended a worship song was played (I have no idea who sings it and can't find it in itunes) with words something like:

"Go Outside
Praise the God who made the stars up in the sky
Gather round with those who love and sing
He is our King"

Then it pours into the chorus:

"Noone should be left out.
Noone should be left out.
Noone should be left out.
Noone should be left out."

As I listened to the cry for inclusion of all who are hurting, who cry out, I was struck with how these two SHOULD go together in worship - A cry of love to God SHOULD be accompanied by a cry for those who are hurting . . . Our love of God needs to motivate us to go out to the streets and love those who hunger with the love God pours into our hearts. The method doesn't matter so much. What does matter is that we are motivated into action by love. God will take care of the "how?" and "what?".

Community Without A Cause

2005-10-07T11:16:00.000-05:00

"One danger of the American church is that we often try to offer people community without cause. Without cause, you’re just another civic organization. You don’t have life transformation."

Some thought this quote fired off in me:

In this quote from Mcmanus I see an interesting idea formulating . . . There has indeed seemed to be a new and heavier emphasis on community in recent years. People are tired of seeing church as a teaching organization and have moved on to seeing it as a community. Increased emphasis calls people to deeper relationships and sharing . . . But does it happen.

I was listening to a message recently (apologies to the author - I am unsure) who spoke of the "whitewater rapids of life". She said that when you go whitewater rafting with a group you begin as strangers, but are transformed through the mission (getting to the end alive!!). She then spoke of a group of friends she was meeting with for years who became adept at keeping out of each others' whitewaters . . . The result: a certain level of community without major transformation. She argued that it is in the joining together of the common cause that we will inherently enter the whitewater, and in doing so be transformed. It is this whitewater experience that we look for then, but we are hardwired to run from discomfort in many cases. This can lead us to pile up any number of things to make us adept at "not going there" with the people we know. In this quote I see Mcmanus proposing that same thing - It is in the whitewater experiences that we are transformed . . . We need a cause . . .

But don't we have a cause? Do we? What differs a "cause" from a "hope"?

And what is our cause?

Getting people "into" heaven?
"Converting" people?
Proving I am right?
Making my point

Feeding the poor?
Healing the sick?
Freeing the oppressed?
What about "Loving" people?

I'm thinking about this then:

What is my/our cause?
How does it become an actual cause, and not just a nice thought/hope?

Perhaps our national preoccupation with self-transformation will just happen if we are devoted to The Cause in community . . ..

Random thought: I'm listening to Joe Purdy "Wash Away". This guy is great - Is all his stuff this good?

Mother Theresa

2005-10-05T07:36:00.000-05:00

Quote:

"Make every effort to walk in the presence of God. To see God in everyone you must live your morning meditation throughout the day. Smile at one another. It is not always easy. Sometimes we find it hard to smile at someone, then we pray."

A Good Grasp on the Bible

2005-10-05T07:32:00.000-05:00

I'm teaching on getting a good grasp on your Bible at SP in a couple of weeks . . . I'll be looking at the dynamics of reading, studying, memorizing, meditating and applying. With the Book being so central to all we do I'll be praying that this comes across as living, breathing, and not just another "system" to get what we are looking for . . . I wonder if some of Bell's stuff will come in here . . . Not sure yet . . .

Five Giants

2005-10-04T09:21:00.000-05:00

Rick Warren, the Purpose Driven guy, has branched into an even broader vision - The Purpose Driven Nation.

Whatever you think of his book (and I happened to like it very much), Rick is "doing the stuff", as John Wimber put it. He reverse tithes (Lives on 10%, gives 90% away), strives to reach the unengaged and now is pushing for national change starting with Rwanda. Of course, Rwanda is VERY close to my heart at the moment and I'm wrestling through related issues, so I'm very happy to see him working there. As Warren's focus becomes more global, he has identified 5 giants that harm billions of people around the world:

* Spiritual emptiness. "[People] don't know God made them for a purpose."
* Egocentric leadership. "Most people cannot handle power. It goes to their heads."
* Poverty. "Half the world lives on less than $2 per day."
* Disease. "We have billions of people dying from preventable disease. That's unconscionable."
* Illiteracy. "Half the world is functionally illiterate."

Read the full article here. This is great food for thought, as we as a nation look to NOT be the rich person passing by on the other side of the road . . . More than that, Rick is embarking on a joint venture with the President of Rwanda to work to bring real, concrete hope. He states that "in denominations, you pay, you pray, and you get out of the way, " but that the tide is turning . . . I truly hope so - I want to spend some time studying the 2000 verses in the bible about the poor and become a part of that . . .

Warren aims to transform "400,000 churches in 47 nations into centers to nurse, feed and educate the poor" according to Time Magazine (Aug 2005). This is frontline Christianity, and it makes me very excited to even think about!! God, let me a part of this . . .

Snakes and the Kingdom of God

2005-10-04T08:38:00.000-05:00

So I'm out on the porch last night, just drinking in all the beauty of nature and cooling down after some good exercising . . . All is serene and quiet, and then . . . A slight movement, and there it was - A 3 - 4 foot snake just hanging out in the corner of the porch. (This pic is not THAT snake - this is one I took at a house I visited a couple of months ago)

Not the first time it's happened, but I'm always taken by surprise when I see them down here. Jersey and England weren't big on snakes, but they are all over here. I'm not sure what kind it was, but they always do the same thing to me: On the one hand I am a little anxious to be so close to one of these incredible creatures, but on the other hand I am wanting to get up close and examine it, learn about it. It's a curious mix of emotions, and always a neat tension between "Run" and "Engage".

It's the same with God sometimes . . . We're out enjoying His creation and he puts something in the corner of our lives that suddenly catches our eye. It's often an area he wants us to push out into that is scary, exciting and amazing. And we are often caught between those to same emotions . . . The one screams "Run!! Stay the same - don't get too close!!" The other whispers "Learn. Grow. Develop. Engage. Become the person I am creating you to be." We stand, held in the tension between fleeing and growing, spiritual formation and spiritual stagnation.

At that moment our choices are pivotal . . . To engage is to enter into the Glory of the Plan of God, whilst to flee is to rest back into status quo. With snakes it is stupid to pick them up unless you are trained, but to engage with God is to live fully!! It reminds me to choose to engage fully the next time I feel the movement of God's finger in the corner of the porch of my life. To move beyond the fear is the way forward.

By the way, we found out that Office Duster is a great snake deterrant . . . (Don't take this as an official safety tip!!) Since they are cold blooded the cold spray makes them flee to warmth - an easy way to direct them to the exit. So office duster cleans dirt AND repels serpents . . . Another spiritual metaphor hidden in there, I am sure!

I'm not really a poetry kinda guy, but it reminded me of one of the ones I did like:

Come to the edge, he said
We are afraid, they said
Come to the edge, he said
They came
He pushed them
And they flew.

Have a great day . . .!!

Emerging Resource . . .

2005-09-26T09:47:00.000-05:00

Brian Mclaren is doing a great series at CRCC (www.crcc.org) looking at the Emerging Church - This is a great way of summarizing some of the current key thinking in this much misunderstood subject. Whether you are pro or against, I'd say these are great to listen to . . .

Title - What is the Emerging Church?

Topics:

Missional/Integral
Evangelical
Artistic
Catholic
Global
Monastic

You can find the messages so far here.

Microwave Spirituality

2005-09-26T09:18:00.000-05:00

Continuing the Microbible strand, time is both the great facilitator and prison of our current culture. We long for more of it, obsess on how to maximize it, work many weeks to "take some of it off" on vacation, and schedule it as if we are in control. The truth, however, is that (in the words of Douglas Adams) "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." Indeed, it may be that only when we realize that we are "in time" and not "in control" that we can possibly slow down to the speed of God.

God - as one of the commentors has said - is not in a hurry. He moves in perfect rhythm with His plans. So what about us? Why are we so rushed? So frantic? Do we take the time to sync up with the God of the universe and slow down to His speed? If time is the currency of the present world and eternity that of the future, our only hope for bypassing temporal bankrupcy would be to live in the future NOW by "slipping into eternity". In other words, when we sync up with God and begin to move at His rhythm we are no longer constrained by time, but have already started living in the rhythm of the future kingdom.

What does this mean in my daily, hourly, walkabout life? It would mean I can relax, slow down, not look at everything and everyone through the lens of "hurry sickness" the culture is emerged in. Rather, I can look at each day knowing:

"I do NOT have enough time to do all I want to do.
I do NOT have enough time to do all other people may want me to do.
I DO have MORE than enough time to do EVERYTHING that God wants me to do."

When I live this way, I can rest easy and look first not at my To Do list, but rather be always looking at what HE wants me to do. This will change my approach to interruptions, crises, appointments, rest - I HAVE enough time.

Is it possible that if we are living our lives harried and hurried that there is a better way? And is it equally possible that this doesn't rest on figuring out the seven habits and 99 new ways to manage time? Not that these are necessarily bad - I'm just exploring whether there is a better way?

Why Harambe?

2005-09-23T14:04:00.000-05:00

Why is the blog name Harambe? What is it? Can you eat it, run with it or sing it?

Nope, it's just an African word meaning "to come together" - I thought that a good blog name since this is where my (and others occasionally) thoughts come together to get me a little further along the journey . . .

So that's why.

Microbible!

2005-09-23T13:50:00.000-05:00

No more reading the bible throughout the year . . . they came up with a 100 minute microbible What would Jesus the Revolutionary think of this? Is it inspired? Is it really bad? Does it have some good aspects? I for one think it'd make for an interesting synopsis of the scriptures, but certainly wouldn't replace them.

However, it highlights one of the questions being raised by so many nonChristians these days: How do we know the Bible as we have it today is the word of God? How do we know it is inspired? Why do we have so many different "translations", all in English? Surely one is closest to correct? And arent they really interpretations in many cases? (classic example - One reads "Power, love and sound mind", another reads "Power, love and self discipline". Which is right!!?") That's without even lookin at the fact that the catholic and protestant churches have different books in their bibles!!!

Don't get me wrong - I believe the Bible is the inspired scripture of God. But do we do a disservice when we have so many translations, interpretations and versions? And what do we make of this new microbible? In a society enamored with "faster = better" it is a surefire hit, and I am sure will enhance a lot of people's overall bible knowledge. This is a good thing . . .unless . . .

Does eating McDonalds prevent you from eating great steak?

Take 5 Minutes . . .

2005-09-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

To send an email to President Bush about Darfur . . .

Click here to go there now. . .

Lost

2005-09-09T18:05:00.000-05:00

"Give yourself fully to God. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love than in your own weakness." - Mother Theresa.

I like this quote. I read it today and it reminds me of a similar one from Brennan Manning, who writes of how self-forgetfulness is the path to freedom. When we lose sight of ourselves in Christ we are whole. Paradoxically, it is when we are most invisible to ourselves that we become the most complete. Sounds like something a certain Jewish Rabbi was referring to . . .

Where will we put our belief?

>In our weaknesses?
>In His Love?

I find it interesting also that Mother Theresa writes not of God's strength, but of His love. And I suspect that is because they are synonymous - His Strength is His Love. The Power, to misquote Huey Lewis, IS love.

Just some random thoughts on a Friday afternoon . . . .

Real Life

2005-09-09T08:55:00.000-05:00

Jesus shows how to live in line with our "design specification". In my devotional reading this morning, a prison inmate was speaking of the peace and the real life she has found in Christ. Crushed and broken by life's circumstances, she finds real life in her realtionship with Jesus, and the devotional goes on to express our role in showing others how to really live.

It seems that our focus must be on our Rabbi - on following Him and learning from Him how to REALLY live. As we progress through that process and the veils and trappings that hold us back are taken away we will move progressively from a life hidden in the illusion of culture, sin, brokenness into a life empowered and free, and in doing THAT will make people thirsty for The Way. . .

If Jesus is a life fully lived, how can we progress further into that and not get caught up in just the religiosity, the rules, the regulations? There is an authenticity in a life TRULY lived that is unmistakeable . . .

"The Glory of God is Man Fully Alive!!"

Moving Forward,

mark

The Word and the Words . . .

2005-09-08T14:40:00.000-05:00

"God has spoken, and everything else is commentary"

This quote from one of my favorite writers/speakers lays out what at first appears to be a simple concept that we would (on the surface) all agree with. HOWEVER, upon closer viewing we see a radical idea implicit in it that both captures my imagination as exciting but also scares me. It is a call to let go of the edge of the pool and swim out of my depth . . .

We believe the scriptures to be the word of God? If we believe the Book to be God's word we have a starting point for our discussions. BUT what is our interpretation of the Book? It is ONLY commentary . . . Whomever it is from (Spurgeon, Graham, Lamotte, Smith, Jones) it is STILL commentary. When we lay hold of one particular interpretation we risk being fundamentally wrong.

So how DO we know we have God's interpretation? Even if we are certain, so many around us are certain also with quite different commentaries . . . Do we base it on feeling, "sensing", "knowing"? IF we can agree that we are creating commentary rather than Truth (a simple, but radical thought . . .) we are faced with a dilemma:

1) Do we embrace an "All commentaries are good" spirituality?
2) Do we embrace a "My commentary is right" spirituality?
3) Do we remain fluffy and noncommittal?

All three of these appear fundamentally flawed. The first appears to do away with Truth as an objective reality, whilst the second positions us to live and die for something we are not totally sure about. (And if we are sure, we are back to the "My commentary is actually inerrant" - not a great place to start . . .). The third paralyzes us and places us in a corner where we can't move.

Since the first two extremes lead to arguing, straining out gnats, camel-swallowing and strife (all of which are clearly not great fruit) and the third to non-action, it has lead me to ponder whether there is a Fourth Way that is empowering, true and spiritual. I'll write more on this in future posts, but it seems that Jesus is usually found in the Fourth Way. In the meantime, I need to constantly be watchful that I am not embracing either 1 or 2 above and in doing so alienating, insulting or just being plain closed-minded . . . The Revolution Jesus outlined seemed to fight against that, not condone it!

Moving Forward,

Mark

Revolution response . . .

2005-09-06T10:34:00.000-05:00

In the wake of the Hurricane, what is our response?
In the wake of Rwanda, what is our response?
In the wake of Darfur, what is our response?
In the wake of the Dalit, what is our response?

What WOULD Jesus do? This continues to be a pressing question for me . . . In the meantime we can continue to do what we know - Send money and resources, take the time to GO. These are excellent for us to do, but is there more that Jesus asks of us, the "Mystic Nation", the underground revolutionaries he has ignited to bring his flame to dark and desolate places; to the broken and hopeless?

As Erwin McManus says in "The Barbarian Way" - "The cost to participate in the mission of God is nothing less than everything we are and everything we have."

On another note, Phil 3:10 wrote a pretty brilliant piece on emergent stuff here - Phil does a great job of defining and examining several of the key issues we are faced with . . .

Covered in the Dust

2005-08-13T09:10:00.000-05:00

More of my notes from "Velvet Elvis":

A Rabbi’s sets of rules on how to live Torah were called their yoke. Following meant you took up their yoke. Missing the point meant rabbis would say “You abolished the Torah.” Getting it meant they would say “You fulfilled the Torah”. They taught in the “name of” a rabbi who had come before them. Jesus comes with a new way – extraordinary.

How do we follow our Rabbi? Jewish saying: “May you be covered with the dust of your rabbi”. We are called to be so closely following that our faces, clothes, hair and bodies are covered with the dust of Rabbi Jesus. This is the plan.Our Christian culture has forgotten largely what it means to follow a rabbi – What does it mean to me?

Understanding that this is teaching HOW to live life in line with reality?
Do I cultivate humility and “Padawan-ness”?
Do I care if the dust covers me?
What does the dust represent to me today?

How do I follow in my daily comings and goings? Is it all about reading the bible and practicing spirituality in my “quiet time” so that leaks into my day? If so then I am ok until it runs out and I find myself empty . . . Do I need to keep “refilling”, for this is surely better than being empty? Or is there a way to follow the rabbi all day, every day? To constantly be learning from him? Have we largely lost this way or relegated it to the monks of life, or to our retreat times? It seems that following our rabbi more involves being close on His heals all day and seeing what He teaches in every situation AS we enter it . . .

On another note . . . Brian Mclaren has written an extremely interesting article that clearly defines what he thinks and where he is coming from (Find it here) if you are interested . . . Hopefully this will clear up some misquotes . . .

Praxy & Doxy!!

2005-08-10T07:48:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Phil 3:10 for great comments on balancing Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy (believing and doing) on the Self-Replicating Faith post . . .

Some additional thoughts on the whole balance thing:

I like the goal of balancing doxy and praxy - certainly living what we believe is THE voice we have. As St Francis is believed to have said "Preach the gospel - If necessary, use words."

Certainly, our communication of the Kingdom message is defined by our attitudes, behavior and ultimately actions. However, I am not sure that how we live our lives REVEALS what we believe as much as it reveals WHAT WE CARE ABOUT.

I know in my life knowing the stuff is good, but does not necessarily result in actions in line with that. Rather what I do often reflects what I care about - If I am passionate about a cause, I devote time, energy and action toward it. Thus I wonder if we need not focus so much on balancing "doxy" and "praxy" as much as focussing on expanding our passionate caring for the stuff of the Kingdom. Ultimately this happens as we spend more time with God - As we know Him more we love Him more.

What we care about is the X-Factor that makes the difference, which harks back to THE mission of the leader - Shaping ethos. As Phil maintains, the perfect balance of Praxy and Doxy in this life is impossible, but as our flame of love and caring for our Rabbi continues to expand and explode, so our beliefs and actions will get closer aligned to the plan. This is exciting, as it frees us from focussing PRIMARILY on the doxy (what I believe) and the praxy (what I do), and frees us to focus primarily on knowing God.

Incidentally, it did occur to me that Doxy and Praxy would be great names for goldfish also . .

On Leadership

2005-08-08T17:43:00.000-05:00

Alex over at "Into the Mystic" posts about various leadership forms . . . Very interesting:

The Seven Ways of Leadership plus ONE

The Opportunist –wins any way possible
The Diplomat –avoids overt conflict
The Expert –rules by logic and experience
The Achiever–meets strategic goals
The Individualist–Interweaves competing personal and company action logics
The Strategist– generates organizational and personal transformations
The Alchemist–generates social transformation
The Servant-Leader –remembers the forgotten and along with a community of Christ followers collaborates to change the whole world one life at a time.

Whilst these represent a good listing of leadership types, many will encompass several modalities. Being a servant leader is the key, and that needs to be empowered by love. From that place we can be alchemists, strategists, achievers and diplomats . . . What about the others? (Experts, Individualists, Opportunists)?

It always seems to come back to love. This seems to be the core of the universe, and the key to simplicity and effectiveness as we live out the journey.

Self-Replicating Faith

2005-08-08T17:13:00.000-05:00

Self-Replicating Faith . . . ?

How do we pass on our faith? Do we truly rely on God? Do we think that people will listen if we shout loud enough/use the right music/show them key verses? What is the foundation of our sharing? Is it rooted in love, as this is THE key, because to power IS love.

Do we wait for a new system? Is our faith journey something we need to sort out before we pass it on? Or does it only form in the fire of orthopraxy?
And where does the term “Orthopraxy” come in anyway? Do we use it to label something we have not yet clearly defined, or is it a meaning-laden concept for us . . . How indeed do we “do the stuff”?
Donald Posterski wrote a book titled “Why I am afraid to tell you I am Christian”/ I didn’t read it, but I think I get the title . . . Most of us are reticent to talk to people about our faiths because of the baggage that comes with it . . . If I tell you I am a Christian you are instantly burdened down with junk that comes with that. This junk is nothing to do with Jesus though . . .

In fact, most of it is what he spent so much time correcting . . .

A few more of my notes from Velvet Elvis related to this topic:

"You rarely defend the things you love. You enjoy them and tell others about them and invite others to enjoy them with you.", [ROB BELL, Velvet Elvis]

How does this translate into our experience with “evangelism”? Do we set up a series of logical arguments designed to “trap” people into giving their lives to the way, or do we pull out the photos of God we have in our wallets and talk about our relationship with Him. A person in love cannot be faked. The problem with brickianity is it builds walls that keep people out. Jesus invites everybody to jump. The only people he ever seems to exclude are some religious people.
How do I keep myself from being one of those?

Jumping doesn’t mean we have it all figured out. Questions are not scary. Having no questions IS scary. When people ask questions, the answer is not the primary thing. What is most important is that we create an atmosphere where questions CAN be asked. Abraham questioned God, as did Moses . . . Mary questioned the virgin birth. Mystery is rooted in God’s infiniteness. Questions are rooted in our finiteness.
Sean Penn: “When everything gets answered, it’s fake. The mystery IS the truth.” The nature of orthodoxy is that we never come to the end. More questions are always needed. Christianity is about celebrating mystery, not conquering it. Brick world focuses on getting people to believe the right things so they are “in” Christianity is about celebrating the mystery.

The Bible is Difficult.
What did Jesus believe about the Scriptures? This can form the basis for our beliefs. The Bible is open-ended since if has to be interpreted in order to be put into action.

Street Level Kingdom

2005-08-05T14:45:00.000-05:00

This quote from Dallas Willard on the Emergent Church is making the rounds:

"They have a justifiable and healthy reaction against the model of programmatic church, and I think that it's good in many respects. I hope and pray that they find their way and bring us something really positive and good. That remains to be seen. The great challenge for the emerging church is determining their message. Reacting against the modern church is not a gospel. But if their message becomes living in the kingdom at the street level, then that's going to be wonderful."

This is so true - I prefer to think of the church as "emerging" into a new understanding of what it means to be Christ's body on Earth today. This is distinct from "being emergent", a phrase which rapidly replaced "postmodern church" as the trendy label for all things new.

I am reminded of the "coolness factor" when churches first offered bagels and donuts and you could wear jeans. These very quickly became "flash points" for discussing what was "bad" about traditional church, when it is all the same in a different yet developing package. What does this mean for us? It means that the daylight the "emerging church" is coming into is NOT a new thing, or a better thing, it is merely the next thing.

We continue to develop, to grow deeper in understanding, and to alter our modes of behavior to integrate these new understandings and new cultures. To claim more of the current climate minimizes the change to slick marketing or a "movement" that will soon pass. Rather, I believe, we are experiencing an awakening to the sort of development that is possible, and used to be normative. As someone recently said: "Everything new is old."

So we can be excited to live at this forefront time in history, be excited to be a part of this next chapter in the story, and be excited at what that means for us as individuals.

Because at the end of the day, it is how our understanding deepens our personal relationships with each other and God that will truly show when we are on the right track . . . Otherwise, we can get locked into theological circles that lead nowhere whilst making a lot of noise!

Elvis Notes pt 2

2005-08-05T08:55:00.000-05:00

Jesus exposes us to reality at its rawest – It’s about lining yourself up with how things are.

Doctrines are like springs on our trampolines – they are not the point, but they do help us to understand the point. These can be taken out and examined – discussed and questioned – it flexes and stretches. Our words are not absolutes. God is bigger than our words. All we see and touch has “thingness” – God does not – he has no edges, boundaries or limits.

“Doctrine is a wonderful servant and a horrible master” - They only work when they are not the point, but are springs supporting our understanding of God.

What doctrines do I hold as Springs?
Which are bricks?
Which should be which?

- Trinity? (Bell uses this as an example of a spring . . .)
- Eschatology?
- Types of music?
- Creation?
- Worship style?
- Order of service?

The test is which ones cause everything else to fall if I take them out – This is brickianity – appears strong and rigid until that is removed . . . In brickianity the wall becomes the total of the beliefs, and God is that size . . .

(Blog readers, please note these are just my notes . . . Rob does an infinitely better hob of fleshing out this discussion, so do read what he is saying)

Notes from V.E.

2005-08-04T19:08:00.000-05:00

A few of my notes from Rob Bell's "Velvet Elvis":

Just as no art is the final expression of creativity, so no church is the final expression of Christ.

"We learn and grow, and the world around us shifts, and the Christian faith is alive only when it is listening, morphing, innovating, letting go of whatever has gotten in the way of Jesus and embracing whatever will help us be more and more the people God wants us to be.", [ROB BELL, Velvet Elvis]

Reformation (to be revisited, rethought, reworked) continues, and we are part of it, and this is not cosmetic reformation. If no reformation we will eventually be dumped bu people searching for God as irrelevant.
We all have faith. We are all believers. Christianity is simply trying to orient yourself around living a particular kind of way and it is a better way to live:

Forgiveness vs bitterness
Honesty vs lying, etc

“Jesus’ intention was, and is, to call people to live in tune with reality.”

Claiming to be “way truth and life” was never a claim about one religion over another . . .He was telling those who were following him that his way is the way to the depth of reality

This is such a key distinction – we so often present Christianity as a neatly packaged, mechanistic approach to spirituality rather than an intricate, beautiful road to both spirituality AND reality.

Questions this raises for me:

How do we know when we are living in tune with reality?
What does that look like?
How do you show people they are not living in reality LOVINGLY?
Since it is a journey anyway, might people be further along than you in some areas even without knowing Christ?
Did Christianity ever stop being reformed?

Check out the reviews at Amazon if you are interested . . . Polarized for sure!!

New Blog

2005-08-04T12:56:00.000-05:00

Check it out . . . My buddy PR has a blog here that discusses some interesting stuff . . .

Ecclesia

2005-08-03T13:55:00.000-05:00

A few thoughts on the DNA of the church . . .

In looking at emerging ecclesia we have to be sure we are not simply replacing the walls and ceilings IF the foundations need any fixing.
We need to examine everything from the perspective of context. What did Rabbi Yeshua mean?
Ecclesia happens. Deep ecclesia happens when two or more God-Pursuers meet together - What does this look like? What does this NEED to look like?
The world is shrinking - Emerging ecclesia must embrace this, and in doing so embrace the world
Community MUST happen for us to be effective - How do you empower this? Do you?
Ecclesia must embrace the commission to affect how God is calling all things back to himself.

What WOULD Jesus Do?

2005-08-03T13:27:00.000-05:00

Finished Hotel Rwanda . . . And it begs the questions:

What would Jesus do?
What would Jesus have US do?
What would Jesus have ME do?

It is so easy to dismiss the problem as too large, too broad, too deep for me to solve. But perhaps that is not what Jesus calls me to do . . . Perhaps I am not created to solve the problem . . . But what if I am created to make a difference, albeit a small one . . . Mother Theresa focussed on blessing those who were helpless and were almost certainly never going to be healed, and she did it with poise, passion and purpose. Whilst she may not have changed the world, to each person she loved she absolutely changed THEIR world.

There is a line in Hotel Rwanda where a US cameraman apologizes to a Rwandan for filming the massacre and is told "Don't apologise. When the world sees these images they will do something to help us." To which the cameraman answers with obvious pain: "They won't. They will see the images and say 'How terrible' and go on eating their dinners." And that appears to be the crux of the matter - will we help or be the rich man passing by on the other side of the road?

Brian Mclaren writes effectively on this film here, calling it "The Compassion of the Christ". Whilst I do not agree with his comments on Gibson's film, I absolutely concur with his struggle with the message of "Hotel Rwanda". What is my response to be?

And with a view to the "emerging" church . . . What is our response to be? Is it enough to draw attention to the problem?

I am mulling this over - The one thing that is certain is that Jesus makes it clear that our design specification involves helping, loving, caring, feeding, DOING.

The recent Caedmon's Call release "Share The Well" was created to draw attention to the 2000 Dalit in India who are murdered EACH MONTH, and are dying of thirst because they are considered "unclean". The water is there for all, but they are not allowed to draw from the well and are left to die . . . (For more info see here).

What is our response to be? Part of me would rather not know, but it is clear that the kingdom of God breaks in where we see a need and allow his power to come in . . . Is our money enough?

WWJD? I suspect the answer won't fit on a bracelet . . .

Elvis . . .

2005-07-27T18:51:00.000-05:00

Reading "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell

Very cool so far . . .

Hotel Rwanda

2005-07-27T01:59:00.000-05:00

I am in the middle of watching the incredibly moving story of "Hotel Rwanda".

It is hard to know what to think and feel; It would be so easy to sit back and be just like the people in the film who passed by on the other side of the road. These things are happening and what are we doing? What am I doing? More to come, but this quick update is to say. . .

- See it.
- Talk about it.
- Act.

I dare say the first two parts are easy. The challenge is what to do about the third part – How do we respond . . .?

What would Jesus do?

The View From Up Here

2005-06-22T16:29:00.000-05:00

“Take these hands and lift them up, for I have not the strength to praise you near enough, for I have nothing . . . without You.”

This phrase from the Bebo Norman song “Nothing without You” on my Ipod is particularly poignant as I write this post flying from one state to another. Looking down, the perspective is so different – I can’t see any people – just colors, textures of clouds, the sun painting ridges of red on the aerial landscape. Lots of beautiful stuff.

Up here the Bigger Picture reveals a God in control of all the tiny goings on that take on mythic and irrational proportions in our daily experiences. Like our recent visit to the Grand Canyon the sight of just a fraction of God’s creation is enough to fill us with an awe that truly is beyond words.

CS Lewis wrote that joy and beauty are a window into heaven - The sunset tonight and the view from up here are exactly that. It gets me wondering if our self-focus creates the curtain that draw over our hearts and leave us void of wonder. It stops us from being able to see through these windows.

Really then, we need to take the time daily (or even hourly) to pull these curtains back, gaze through the Wonder-Window and let the “Godlight” stream in to every part of our souls.

Poetic and figurative tonight, I know . . . God’ll do that to you!!

Managing Chatter

2005-06-09T11:47:00.000-05:00

A friend recently quoted Rob Bell in an article saying "My theory of church growth is simple. People drive a long way to see a fire." This is a great concept and got me thinking the following random thoughts . . . It also caused me to go and look at the article (here). I have enjoyed listening to Rob many times, and was interested to see the "Cause" of the fire also -

"Remember what Jesus always wanted to know?" he asked. "What's the fruit we're producing? Is justice being done? Are people sharing their possessions? Are the oppressed being set free? Are relationships being healed? To me, that's the point. Everything else is just chatter."

If that is true - that our essentials in the church are fruit, justice, sharing, freedom and healing, - then this sounds like a great way to understand our spiritual DNA and increase our effectiveness monumentally. And then on a daily basis, what if these criteria reflect what comprises a "good day", rather than the oft-cited "Did I complete my To Do list, did I have fun, etc . . .?

A colleague visited a corporate training seminar on "Managing Noise" - Isn't this one of our major callings, to cut out what Rob terms the "chatter", and focus in on those essentials? Whilst we need to shy away from the "Seven Steps" mentality Rob speaks of, a "homing in" on these essential truths would make great days, weeks, and years lived as we were created to.

Because nothing is more impactful than each of us becoming who we are created to be . . .

Hell, Rising Downward, Sinking Upward

2005-06-01T14:43:00.000-05:00

"When we focus on creating missions in church we can sometimes neglect to equip people to BE Missional"

So I'm new to the whole blog thing, but there are a bunch of people I really respect that are doing this so I thought I'd jump in and try . . . Right now I'm reading a lot of Brian Mclaren, Erwin McManus and looking openly at the stuff we play with in life . . . Hence the title of the blog . . . Forward Motion. This really refers to the fact that regardless of where the journey takes us if our eyes are on God and we're after intimacy with him we can hardly help but move forward . . .

Quote of the day:

Our mission? To help others discover and remember that there is a cosmic connection waiting to be made. To help others resonate with the most primal reality of the universe. To make the world a better place for others. Those of you who’ve prayed with me have probably heard me say this: “May everywhere our feet touch the ground become an intersection between heaven and earth. And may everyone who walks with us feel the primal essence of the universe.” Those of you who know me understand that that is one of the ways I speak about Jesus, who makes all things new. –Alex McManus

I particularly like the part about the primal essence of the universe . . . Jesus was a revolutionary, not a religious leader, and there is something far more primal about that.