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Thanks, Deb!
2008-03-04 08:50:00
A few thoughts from Deb Hirsch from the CMA Organic Movements Conference. 7 Obstacles to Engaging in Mission:1. Distorted view of Jesus: I fear that a lot of Christians are not seeing Him clearly. We see Him in our own image. We try to tame Him or domesticate Him. But when we follow a sanitized, cleaned up Jesus, then we become like that: tame and sanitized.2. Distorted views of self: The foundational identity that we need to live out is that we are disciples. Churches are full of Christians, but there are not a lot of disciples. Christians believe, but disciples follow.3. Distorted views of others: We need a paradigm shift from focusing on people?s negative behavior. The primary truth is that people are created in the image of God. When we look at other people, we recognize that this person, no matter who it is, in some way reflects my God.4. Distorted views of love: Romantic notions of love do not cut it in the mission field. It?s ?fun? to get out there and have a romantic notion ...

Waiting
2008-03-02 23:38:00
My husband is almost finished with his MA. Completing a six-month internship is the final requirement for the program. It looks like we may be going to Seoul, South Korea so that he can intern with ICG (Int'l Crisis Group), an international think tank whose Seoul office works mostly on research and advocacy for North Korean Human Rights. We are also considering volunteering (as ESL teachers) with a Christian ministry that works directly with North Korean refugees to try and give them skills to help them adjust to life in South Korea. Luckily, (or luck has nothing to do with it), our friends at Mission Bellingham connected us with the YWAM base in Seoul. We were able to apply for family housing with the Seoul base since we both did a DTS (Discipleship Training School) back in 1997. Apparently, once a YWAMer, always a YWAMer. If our application is accepted, they will provide us with low-cost housing for the length of our stay. Nothing is finalized, we are waiting for confirmation bot...
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Blog Plagiarism
2008-02-27 22:59:00
Well, I guess it's not plagiarism if I tell you this post is from Next Reformation. And actually, that he cites his source as well. In any case, it's a great post:?We need to begin to read the Bible differently. Americans have been preoccupied with the end of the Gospel of Matthew, the Great Commission: ?Go and make.? I call them go-and-make missionaries. These are the go-and-fix-it people. The go-and-make people are those who act like it?s all in our power, and all we have to do is ?finish the task.? They love that passage! But when read from the center of power, that passage simply reinforces the illusion that it?s about us, that we are in charge.?I would like to suggest a new favorite passage, the Great Invitation. It?s what we find if we read from the beginning of the Gospels rather than the end. Jesus says, ?Come, follow me. I will make you fishers of men.? Not ?Go and make,? but ?I will make you.? It?s all about Jesus. And do you know the last words of Jesus to Peter, in Joh...
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The Social Justice Formula: Love
2008-02-26 05:45:00
I am just beginning to learn about following Jesus with a holistic approach that takes His directives seriously. Unto that end, I want my everyday financial decisions (earning, giving, consumption) to reflect the social justice values that I find in scripture. As I read the article about the new monastics in the LA Times, this question kept surfacing: How much is 'enough' to live on? Where do we draw that 'simple living' line ? How do we ensure that our resource allotment aligns with obedience to scriptural social justice commands? What things do we forgo so that more is left for others? Which things don't we deem necessary to forgo - ice cream, lattes, what? The group in the article had difficulty coming to a consensus on these issues. And I keep coming back to the "there's no formula" answer. I think that ultimately, we each have to ask God what He wants us to do, and then obey Him. I believe it's that simple.As I get to know Jesus better, I find that what is important to H...
More About: Social , Love , Formula , Justice , Social Justice

Check This Out
2008-02-25 21:22:00
In light of our paradigms for understanding 'church' or 'ecclesia', I thoroughly enjoyed Brant Hansen's post "Ah, the Church of the First Century". I'm also continuing to enjoy Grace's series called Missional Mondays. Here's her latest post on that topic. I want to post something that I've been processing lately regarding social justice, but can't seem to find the time to sit down and type it up...
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No Formula
2008-02-22 06:03:00
Well, this is what I've come to on the subject of 'ecclesia.' There's no formula. You can't say: If we do A, B, and C, then Christ will be formed in us and mission will be accomplished through us. I think that holds true for any expression (institutional, house church, new monastics, whatever-else-is-out-there). It's a matter of our heart. If we have it all figured out, and we've got our little formula of 'this is how God does it', then we won't ask questions. And if we don't ask questions, we don't have room to hear His answers. While I do think methodology matters, I think that heart attitude matters more. If we recognize our need to hear from Him, to be formed and informed by Him, then we have positioned ourselves in humility. All we can do is ask Him: "What would You desire me to understand, to know, to live, to obey? How do you want me to follow you? Teach me to follow You and teach me Your ways." So I guess that leaves me with a lot of questions (for Him) and few a...
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Diversity or Dogmatism (and Reformation)
2008-02-21 06:14:00
Andi raised some important (21st century reformational) questions on this topic at his blog. It's short enough to repost here, but I recommend going to his site for some links in his original post (if anyone wants further info). Andi writes:"U TEACH WHAT U RCan you be a reformator and still pastor an old-system church? I for certain could not, but some of our Connect friends feel called so. (God help them!..!) I remember challenging them in Prague to "think structure": * What pattern are you actually setting with your behaviour? * What behaviour are you reinforcing by the infrastructure of your building or the way the chairs are positioned? * To what percentage are you (or "leaders") talking and to what extent do the participants actually do something else than listen, sing'n pray? * Who is actually doing what - and why - when you meet? And what are the people expecting to happen? * How can you break free from established patterns of interaction and experiment with ...
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Diversity or Dogmatism Part 2
2008-02-20 23:13:00
I saw this video on Pilgrimguide and thought it a beautiful example of a missional institutional church where God is clearly at work.At the LA Times online, I read this article about a group of new monastics in Billings, Montana. God is clearly at work there too.Well, the baby will be waking soon, and I've got housework ministry to do. :)
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Vocabulary Review
2008-02-20 20:39:00
I'm an English teacher, so vocabulary and clear communication is important to me. I discovered this post on Brother Maynard's blog Subversive Influence. I found it to be an interesting review of vocabulary commonly used (at least in my experience) to understand discipleship and social relationships in the Body in general.
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Diversity or Dogmatism? Or is that a loaded question?
2008-02-18 05:15:00
I have gone back and forth on this one and I'm interested in your opinion. If you read this, but don't usually comment, please take the time to comment now. Here's my question:Regarding our expression of ecclessia - is there a "right" way? (Or even certain confines within which there's room for some variation, but as long as it stays within the confines of the acceptable boundaries of practice)?Or, is there a variety and diversity of possible expressions of ecclesia that God works within and uses? (Even if it is totally out of the box and informal, maybe even somewhat fluid, flexible or spontaneous)?If I look through church history, the congregational model has gone pretty unchallenged until recently (with the mass exodus of committed believers from congregational structures, and the refocus on church as relationships and mission as opposed to meetings). So I believe this is a really valid question. What I am cautious of is the dogmatism that I see on both sides of the congregat...
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Incarnational?
2008-02-17 22:17:00
I found this little visual on Journeys In Between. I found it both helpful and insightful in my online study of "incarnational" Christianity. Matt writes:"[Jesus calls us to be in the world but not of the world]. But often that's not what we find. Often what happens instead is we find Christians either isolating themselves from host cultures (the imperialist-fundamentalist approach) or capitulating to host cultures (the syncretist-liberal approach). Both ways lead to blunted witness. Sadly an even worse option is even more common, that of being "of the world but not in the world," whereby Christian compromise with culture and gloss it over with layers of churchianity that effectively cuts of further cultural engagement."If I understand Matt's post, Red represents the fundamentalist approach which isolates itself completely from the culture and removes new believers from the culture, isolating them as well and conforming them to the fundamentalist church culture. Yellow seems to re...

How do we define 'ministry'?
2008-02-15 20:59:00
Kingdom Grace has posted a short series of questions regarding how we define ministry. It's been a very interesting read with a variety of perspectives and approaches to the question. It has helped me to see some of my own preconceived notions about what constitutes "ministry". My understanding is limited, but I did experience a bit of a lightbulb moment. As Peter preached in Acts 2, he recited David's prophecy. Verse 28: "You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence."A great amount of attention in the discussion was given to dualistic thinking (these "spiritual" activities are ministry, these "mundane" activities are not). I am on a journey out of Greek thinking (of which dualism is just one part) as it forms the basis for Western civilization but is pretty unhelpful for the Christian who is seeking to understand the ways of God. I am on a journey that is reflected metaphorically in Zec. 9:13 (Greek mindset vs. Hebrew mindset). ...
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Words of Wisdom
2008-02-15 04:57:00
I just read this post written by Alan at the Assembling of the Church (linked in my sidebar). I almost missed this one in my reader. I'm glad I caught it. It's a beautiful picture of the grace and freedom we enjoy as we awkwardly and inexpertly follow Jesus.
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Pondering Religion
2008-02-14 19:23:00
I like how Graham Cooke says it, "We're all recovering Pharisees." I think that's true of everyone, Christian or non. Religion isn't owned by the church, but for the sake of this post, that's the context I want to talk about. These are just some things I've been pondering lately. What follows is a discussion of some elements of religion (not an exhaustive list), and how following Christ is radically opposed to those elements. I refer a lot to Galations since it addresses many of the elements of religion.Religion:1) Law above grace - Disapproval: a standard must be met before love and acceptance is given. - Performance: love is earned through perfect execution of the standard (which may vary depending on the context). - Control: belief that good performance ensures God's blessing and protection. Bad things only happen to bad people. What I do controls what God does in my life (or what happens in my life). This point leads us into the next...2) Man above God- Fear of man: other...

Kumar's Story
2008-02-12 05:16:00
In The Cublicle Next Door is one of the best blog posts I've read this year. I hope you enjoy it too.
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New Covenant Parenting
2008-02-11 05:15:00
I've been thinking and praying a lot lately about how to parent my daughter. I've been evaluating some of the cultural belief systems about children that we hold. Allan Hugh Cole writes, "Cast as corrupt bearers of original sin, as those whose wills require breaking and reshaping, or as less than fully human entities on their way to personhood, children have been depicted and treated in ways that fall short of ancient Jewish and Jesus? own norms and practices." I can agree with that assessment of children's traditional place in our culture. Children are not on their way to personhood, but instead, are of equal importance to adults. They have the same claim to dignity and respect (and an age-appropriate level of autonomy) as adults. Some believe that children are inherently bad and try to get away with as much as possible, and therefore the parents' job is to teach them to be good. I'm not so sure. I want to parent in a way that teaches my daughter how to live in the New covenan...
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Too Idealistic?
2008-02-05 06:56:00
Quoting another blogger, Alan posts:"Have I been blinded by idealism when it comes to my views about the bride? Some seem to think so, and I do not doubt the accuracy of the charge. Paper perfect churches can be just as disastrous as churches wearing the grey of compromise. But I cannot escape the portrait of the church that I find on the pages of the New Testament. Can you? The glowing description in Acts 2:41-47, for example, is not meant to be a picture of the "ideal" church -- lovely to contemplate but impossible to realize. The believers in Jerusalem were not being super-saints; they were enjoying normal spiritual health. Why should we consider every-member ministry and a non-professionalized and non-clericalized ministry as something unusual, occasional, and irregular?"Alan writes, "There is one line in particular that needs to be repeated (re-repeated, I guess): "The believers in Jerusalem were not being super-saints; they were enjoying normal spiritual health." Normal spirit...

Bible Quiz!
2008-02-04 04:27:00
You know the Bible 100%!  Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic! Ultimate Bible Quiz Create MySpace QuizzesHa! That was a cinch. It definitely doesn't take a Bible scholar to answer those questions, but it was fun! :)HT: Brother Maynard

Page 123
2008-02-03 23:11:00
I've just been tagged (twice!) to post this: 1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)2. Find Page 123.3. Find the first 5 sentences.4. Post the next 3 sentences.5. Tag 5 people.I hope my answer isn't too disappointing. I also recently finished "The Great Gilly Hopkins" by Katherine Paterson. It's a Newberry Award book for kids ages 8-14 (part of the curriculum at the ESL school where I teach part time). It's a great book written from the perspective of a foster child, but it isn't 123 pages. So, here's my answer for #4 from "Leashing the Dogs of War: Conflict Management in a Divided World" (it was nearest!)There is often a huge gulf between the battlefield and the negotiating table. What happens on the ground - which side is winning or losing - may be of little relevance to belligerents in their calculations of whether to continue fighting. Part of the problem is the often irreconcilable war aims discussed earlier.Not to be a party-pooper, but I'm ...

World Vision Fights the Slave Trade
2008-02-03 21:13:00
We've been World Vision participants for quite some time now, and I'm very happy to discover this new branch. This issue is very close to my heart. The CIA estimates that there are currently between 100,000 - 200,000 trafficked persons in the United States alone. I have been learning more about this issue, and recommend the fictional movie "Trade " for people who may want to learn more.
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Keepin' it Real
2008-02-02 20:30:00
Here's Bill Johnson talking about the low places and the deep potential in the low places.
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Developing 'Community'?
2008-01-29 08:56:00
I was googling a friend's name trying to find her blog (which I lost track of somehow). I stumbled across this on a forum and thought it very post-worthy. I think it is insightful and separates the human effort from the fruit of really walking in Christ, being in Him:Every time I hear people 'developing' community... There is so much talk, so much life measuring, so so much stuff that comes into view.I prefer this version personally, which I must give thanks to my friend Heidi Plympton for. She says, "There's no such thing as Christian community. Every time we sit down to work out a list of what it is, we shoot ourselves in the foot with stuff we now seek to conform to and it distracts us terribly. I prefer instead to seeing "community," whatever that word means, to be the same as the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Believe it or not, there are still people out there who write that fruit list down in order to remind themselves of what they need to do, how they need to be and act. Wr...
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How Outrageous is God's Love? (Part 2)
2008-01-28 22:20:00
Listen to this once a day until you feel better. :)
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The Goal
2008-01-28 09:42:00
I just read some great posts about significance vs. success on Jaeson Ma's blog. They're a bit long, but a good read if you have the time. Jaeson shares openly about our perceptions of success, or rather, our misperceptions. And the importance of living lives of significance rather than seeking lives of success (in his case, ministry success). I also recommend reading this excellent post (which touches on the same topic, but from pondering the other side of the coin: failure) written by a new friend, Wayne Park. Like Jaeson, I too was trained that destiny, calling and vision were the goal - to be somebody for God meant doing something important, especially ministry. I became so zealous about the vision and the ministry, that I lost sight of my truer inheritance, my true goal. Him.I am reminded again that Jesus is the bread I hunger for, the drink that quenches my thirst. He is my inheritance. He is the program. He is the vision. He is the goal. Recenlty, I had the pleasure of meet...
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Just How Outrageous is the Love of God?
2008-01-22 20:22:00
I just read an article on the BBC titled "I ate children's hearts, ex-rebel says". Here is a testimony of God physically manifesting Himself in order to save a mass-murdering, atrocity-committing rebel leader in Liberia. Just how outrageous is the love of God? Outrageous enough to save Muslims who build bombs that kill innocent children? Outrageous enough to save world leaders who kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people with the decision to declare war? Just how outrageous is this love? Is there anyone beyond its reach? Is it too late for some people? I say no, never. Can't be. Otherwise, the blood of Jesus was not enough. Outrageous! Scandalous!
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Born Rich 2
2008-01-19 18:30:00
I recently reread Vaclav Havel's 1978 "The Power of the Powerless." Havel was a famous Czech dissident during the communist period, a playwright by trade, and eventually he become the first post-communist President in the Czech Republic. Havel continues to inspire me and it is my view that his observations are relevant to many contexts beyond the particular social/political setting in which he was dissenting.Ideology can be a powerful construct, with religious overtones which demand complete adherence and unquestioning compliance. People get a sense of identity out of ideology. A sense of belonging. A sense of "this is truth" and we must defend it, no, not merely defend it, but promote it. We must evangelize the world and conform them to our ideological image. We are the truth bearers, we know what is right.This is all fine and well until said ideology, or the practical results of it, begin to conflict with the kingdom of God. I think that as Christians, we are truly to be aliens w...
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Born Rich
2008-01-18 08:19:00
I watched an interesting documentary produced by the Johnson&Johnson heir, Jaime Johnson. His great-grandfather founded the company, so his grandfather was the first in his family to be "born rich". Neither his father nor him have ever worked for the company. The film is interesting because it is quite amateur, (Jaime was 21 when he made the film) and a bit raw for a documentary, but that's part of its charm. In the film, Jaime interviews his peers - a number of other billionaire rich kids - about growing up in the top one percent in terms of wealth. The explored themes of class, wealth, and privilege are not what makes this an interesting piece. What is more fascinating is the differences in personality, human psychology, and the variety of reactions and attitudes the kids display towards their families' money and their position having been born into such wealth. My favorite character of the dozen or so "rich kids" was Josiah Hornblower. He is a Vanderbilt descendent. A very sinc...
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Still Alive, just too busy
2008-01-05 00:47:00
Wow. It's been a long time since I posted. We had a busy but great holiday season, and now life continues to be quite busy for us. It's a transition season: job hunts (for me), internship hunts (for hubby) and of course, baby days full of chasing a now walking, well half-running, child around. :) Maybe I'll have more time to blog once some of these things become more settled. Besides, I don't have much to say lately...
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I Love Repentence!
2007-12-21 07:31:00
I know repentence is a lifestyle and all that, but I've really been in a season of repentence lately. It has been fantastic! Really, I'm not being cheeky.I'm not sure why this word makes some people uncomfortable. Perhaps it's all the religious baggage attached to it. To admit that I've been repenting like crazy these past couple of years is to admit that I am nowhere near my goal of Christlikeness. I'm more than happy to admit that (and not in some gross, false-humility, lip-service sort of way. But because this is my honest assessment of myself as of late). I'm not talking about sin issues here. I love God and I obey Him to the best of my limited understanding. I am not even interested in the yuck that sinful choices offer. Please. Give me a break.I'm talking about the truer meaning of repentence: to change the way you think. Jesus keeps telling me, "Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And He keeps showing me where my thinking doesn't align with His. He is utte...
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Enjoying Frosty
2007-12-20 23:08:00
Michael Frost is the Director of the Centre of Evangelism and Global Mission (CEGM) at Morling College, Sydney. He has shared the gospel extensively throughout Australia and overseas. I've been listening to an audio series called "Unless a Seed Falls". I've really been enjoying it and have been encouraged by the testimonies of what God is doing through everyday people who find themselves on the margins (especially those told on part 4). It's good news. And I like good news.God is doing so much! There's a lot to be excited about, the kingdom of heaven is at hand! :) I'm thankful to be alive in this day, and to participate in His mission (even in hiddenness, maybe especially in hiddenness).
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