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Award for Best Church Name
2007-12-18 23:33:00
And the award goes to..."The Church of Christ's Spit" in Brazil. Second runner up is "The Mountain of Fire and Miracles" in Nigeria. :D
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Consumer culture vs. kingdom culture
2007-12-18 19:42:00
I probably should've taken more time preparing this post. But I don't have that kind of time. So all my posts are written on the fly. Here's just some random thoughts I've been pondering about some of the differences between consumer culture and kingdom culture:Consumer culture:1. Identity and understanding of self is up for sale - can be chosen and constructed through the purchases and lifestyle choices of products (Starbucks or Tim Hortons, the Gap or Urban Outfitters), housing (communal or individual, flat or house), modes of transportation (Hummer, Prius, bus or train), modes of communication (cell phones or, blackberries, Macs or PCs).Kingdom culture:1. Identity and understanding of who you are is found in belonging. Belonging to your Father, united to the Lord, in Christ, accepted in the beloved. Citizen of heaven.Consumer culture:2. Discontent and depression. Marketing inundates people with discontent, convincing them that they lack. Then they get depressed since the prom...
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Sunday morning video
2007-12-16 19:47:00
After sleeping in until 10:30 (last night we had lots of fun at the Abbotsford Judo Club's annual Christmas party, very multi-generational and multi-ethnic. Our one-year-old had a great time running back and forth on the mats while we visited with everyone.) So, I got up and found this video in my reader. Nice. Have a great Sunday !HT: Bill Kinnon
More About: Video , Morning , Sunday morning

Kingdom Grace takes on church culture
2007-12-16 07:54:00
I like reading Kingdom Grace , since Grace is articulate and thoughtful in her writing. She exhibits a wisdom that can only come from experience in the trenches. I like gleaning from her experience. I usually find her to be gentle, yet matter-of-fact in delivery. So this post was a little unique compared with the usual fare. I enjoyed the discussion as she answers some statements that are very much a part of mainstream church culture. Here's a quote from a different article she wrote, but insightful nonetheless: "Change in its very nature is a rejection of the way things have been. We can be careful to not be inflammatory or polarizing, but the desire for change will always be a challenge to those who do not share that desire."
More About: Church , Culture

I love TedTalks!
2007-12-14 08:30:00
Energy guru Amory Lovins lays out his plan for weaning the US off oil and revitalizing the economy in the process. It's the subject of his book Winning the Oil Endgame, and he makes it sound fairly simple: On one hand, the deadly risks of continued dependency, and on the other, some win-win solutions. (The video is just under 20 minutes long).You can watch other interesting and informative presentations at TedTalks.
More About: Love

Jesus is my answer
2007-12-13 20:35:00
I found this gem, written by Bill Johnson. I had to read it about five times to really get it all. "The Old Testament is filled with questions that the cross has answered. Who did Jesus not heal when they came to Him for healing? When did He ever say that the Father had given them a sickness so they would become more holy or humble? Never. A question cannot cancel a revelation, which means that any question I may have has no power to cancel what God has shown me. Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father. As such, Jesus Christ is perfect theology.People ask, "What about Job?" I tell them, "I'm not a disciple of Job; I'm a disciple of Jesus." Job was the question; Jesus is the answer. If I read Job and it doesn't lead me to Jesus, then I never understood the question. All the law and the prophets were to create an awareness of need. That awareness prepared Israel for a savior. To return to the standards of the law and the prophets at the expense of ignoring the perfect revelat...
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Random thoughts of a German Christ-follower
2007-12-12 22:53:00
"Three things we know about Jesus:He hid the truth. He told stories, parables and mysteries that people didn?t understand.He was a world champion eater - eating with people was very important to him.He showed supernatural signs of the kingdom."I found what appears to be a dictation from a speaking engagement in an Australian church given by the radical Mr. Simson. The post is aptly named Dangerous Stories. It's a great read!
More About: German , Random Thoughts , Random , Thoughts , Christ

The Humanistic Gospel vs. the Offensive Gospel
2007-12-11 23:31:00
This post has the potential for causing great misunderstanding. I'm just trying to figure out what it means to be a real Christian. I don't yet have that figured out. So bear with me while I try to process... And the references to pain and suffering are not about prescriptions for anyone else - I'm definitely not trying to tell someone else how to deal with their own issues. Honestly. Not until I get this sorted out, at least. Maybe when I come out on the other side of this wilderness, I will feel confident enough to tell someone else - but right now, I'm just not qualified.Some time ago, I was challenged by Andi and his thoughts on 'the humanistic gospel.'So here's the humanistic gospel that I've been taught: the gospel is good news for man because it's all about what God has done and can do for man, especially salvation. Since God has been kind enough to meet all of man's needs, He is worthy of our praise and loyalty (maybe we would call it 'worship' and 'service' bu...
More About: Gospel

Apostolic Migration - Point Zero
2007-12-11 03:48:00
I've just come home from a wonderful time with a new friend I met in the blogosphere (author of Three Houses in my blogroll). She lives in the Czech Republic, but is visiting family in this area and so we were able to meet face-to-face for the first time. One of the topics that came up in conversation was Wolgang Simpson's article on "Apostolic Migration." I've read Simpson's book called "Houses that Change the World" and was deeply blessed. I identified with so much of what he was writing about, it was extremely encouraging and life-breathing to me! Anyway, I had never seen the 'apostolic migration' concept, so I Googled it. I am at the bottom of that diagram, at point 0... but I can see on the horizon a new land in the (far) distance...I identify with what Simpson is saying, but I think what he is saying goes beyond the "house church" movement. What I see is a "relational church" movement. That the church as living stones, living carriers of "the Spirit without measure" (ano...
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Learning from Sameness? Or Difference?
2007-12-09 20:22:00
I have had such a lack of inspiration lately for blogging. Let's see... I've been busy taking care of my baby girl (now walking and starting to talk a little), and I've been helping my husband with research papers. He's working on one right now that's pretty interesting. It's about how "new media" is changing the political process - Youtube, podcasts, and blogs have all contributed to a democratization of information sharing (we are no longer dependent on whatever the major incorporated networks deem 'the important stories'). At least that's one side of it. On the other hand, a lot of studies have shown that most people only seek out those blogs, podcasts and sites that hold to their ideological view. Therefore, they only seek information which backs up what they already "know". I read somewhere that parents do the same with parenting advice: they seek out the experts who back up their parenting philosophy. This is a funny thing. Where does learning come into this sort of e...
More About: Learning , Difference , Earning , Amen , Diff

Becoming a Learner
2007-12-04 09:18:00
In lieu of not really having any of my own material to blog about, I was inspired by a thought-provoking post about moving from (passive) student to (active) learner. Although the post is about secular contexts, I think the concepts are quite relevant to pulpit-centric church as well. Here's a quote:"After 15+ years as a training professional, I've come to believe that school was the worst thing to ever happen to learning. It taught most of us to wait passively for someone to feed us pre-formatted, pre-filtered information that we could then regurgitate back in some pre-selected form. It made us believe that for learning to take place there must be a teacher, classroom, books, quizzes, papers and worksheets. For many of us, it killed our curiosity and stripped us of our ability to learn on our own. It changed us from the learners we were at birth, into students who must rely on others.This model of learning continues in many professional development settings because 1) many train...

Gen Y Leads the Way
2007-11-30 23:46:00
I've always identified with Gen X. Hated the moniker, but identified with the characteristics as described by the author who coined the term, Douglas Coupland. Thank God I know Jesus, and healing of generational wounds is available. We overcome by the blood of the lamb!After reading a story about Kiva, a lending program for micro-businesses for third world entreprenuers that was founded by some 20-somethings, I am thrilled to see Gen Y coming of age and taking the initiative. I have so much hope for the future! Gen Xers are notorious for hopelessness since their only vision was of a "me generation" that was modelled to them. And I think they have felt shut out from the spheres of influence, and their voice and perspective shut down, since it does not conform to the baby-boomer vision of the world, and how things are "supposed to be done." Perhaps this is why many opt-out of these boomer-run organizations. To quote Roy Williams (got this from Bill Kinnon's blog):"Baby Boomers belie...
More About: Leads

Another Quote I Like
2007-11-28 01:34:00
I think one of the Bella creators said, "People are like elevators. They either take you up, or they take you down." I suppose this thought is kind of related to the quote that everyone is leading, whether well or poorly. Our individual choices have a profound corporate impact in this way. How we live models something to others, for better or for worse.
More About: Quote

Finding the Christ in Christmas
2007-11-27 22:48:00
My extended family and I started a new Christ mas tradition last year. We only bought presents for the children in the family, and instead of buying stuff for each other, the adults pooled our resources to purchase several items out of the World Vision Christmas catalogue. I can't remember everything we got, but I think we bought a goat for one family, some chicks, clothing and medical supplies. It was really fun - it was way better than trying to figure out what to get for everyone and then playing the polite "fake it" game when you opened a dud. You know what I'm talking about...Anyway, I am really enjoying this new tradition, and it's starting to extend to the next generation. My nieces wanted to pool some of their allowance money to participate in the Salvation Army's "Angel Giving Tree" program this year. They picked out a slip of paper with the age, preferred toy, and clothing size of a local child in need. Then we all went to the store, they bought the toy, and my sister a...

Australian PM to apologize to Aborigines
2007-11-26 20:24:00
I was greatly encouraged by this story. I hope that we can follow suit in America as well. Repentance is such an important element to the kingdom of God. Especially repentance toward the reconciliation of relationships. I know that many in the American church have actively sought reconciliation with the remaining Native American tribes and have done so in a spirit of humility and repentance. I'm grateful for that, but I would like to see a public acknowledgment of the historical realities. That takes a lot of courage, and I respect the new Australian administration for their efforts.
More About: Aborigines , Apologize , Polo , Logi

Thoughts on Leadership
2007-11-24 06:56:00
This got me thinking:We?re all leaders, and we?re leading all the time, well or poorly.Leadership springs from within. It?s about who I am as much as what 1 do.Leadership is not an act. It is my life. a way of living.You can read the source post here.
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Following... who? Why?
2007-11-19 22:47:00
House church movements, Simple church movements, Emerging movements - any movement, for that matter - why are people moving? Is God moving? Where is it all going? Why is it happening? Broad questions, I know. They don't really have definitive answers since they inherently broad and general. But I have been thinking about why transitions like this happen, and what motivates them. I personally am totally uninterested in being part of a movement that is motivated by reaction. I don't want to reform my faith as an anti-thesis to what I feel is "wrong." I want to conform my faith to Christ and His reflection. I want to conform the expression of my faith to the Kingdom of God here and now (as well as the Kingdom yet to come). This isn't about not doing things the way that is ineffective. This isn't about not being like someone else, or some other organization, or some other expression of ecclesia. At least not for me. There are some for whom that IS what it's about. I am not interest...

Bella - speaking up for the voiceless
2007-11-16 21:02:00
Film is my favourite artform, and I believe it can be a powerful medium of communication. The movie Bella is a beautiful an important film about the realities of abortion. Christians and anyone else who care about protecting the unborn should support this film. Go see it in the theater this weekend! Tell your friends about it! It is a highly acclaimed film and a refreshing alternative to much of the Hollywood drivel. (Yes, I'm a film snob, but much less of one than I used to be... so it's all relative). :)
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I Am The Church
2007-11-13 01:12:00
HT: Marc
More About: Church , The Church

I don't like to brag, but...
2007-11-13 00:46:00
Get a Cash AdvanceHT: Made to Praise Him
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Traveling and Pondering
2007-11-08 21:15:00
I'm in the great state of Montana visiting my family for a couple weeks while my husband completes one of his on-campus residencies in Victoria. So, here's some random thoughts occupying some of my headspace lately: how has consumer culture influenced our expression of Christianity. (By "consumer culture" I mean a culture OF consumption. Every culture consumes, but when our culture is defined by the processes of consumption, that's a different matter.)Here's some things I wonder about:1. The merchandising of community: church becomes a product. "I like this church because they have a great worship band, I love the teaching, the nursery and children's church is fantasic..." or whatever. So choosing a community of believers becomes a consumer choice among various products on offer.2. The merchandising of the things of God: "Support this ministry and God will bless you financially." I haven't sorted through this one fully. I still have a lot of unanswered questions. I do believe ...
More About: Traveling , Erin

Dualistic vs. Holistic Gospel
2007-11-04 03:12:00
So I've been pondering how dualistic Greek thinking effects the way we express our faith in western Christianity. The Hebrew mindset is holistic - all of life is a form of worship. Whereas the Greek/Hellenistic mindset holds a much stronger delineation between the material world and the spiritual world. I think many in America (and the west in general) approach the gospel from the Greek dualistic mindset. Our "good news" then only touches on our spiritual condition, but tends to ignore the material, everyday world around us. Helping the poor, stewarding creation, caring for the sick - these become mere "causes" in the mere (read: less important) material realm. There's almost a sense of gnosticism in that as well.But if I adopt the gospel holistically, then the kingdom of God invades the material realm when I care for the poor, steward my surroundings, take care of the sick and generally obey what Jesus commanded me in the living of my everyday life. All of my choices and actions ...
More About: Holistic , Gospel

His Truth is Marching On
2007-11-03 20:36:00
I can't remember if I already posted this video. But it's worth repeating if I did.
More About: Truth , Ruth

Testing 1, 2, 3!
2007-11-02 07:19:00
I think I sorted out the feed problem. If you subscribe to a feed for this blog, please leave me a comment to let me know this worked. I will take silence for the next 24 hours (from 11:20pm Pacific Standard Time) to indicate the problem is not resolved. Thanks for your help...
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How do we 'understand'?
2007-10-30 21:00:00
I don't have much to post on right now. I am reading a fantastic book called "Consumer Culture and Modernity" by Don Slater. When I finish it, I'll probably post something about that. In the meantime, I really enjoyed this post:Further thoughts...academia vs. incarnation
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Why Reformation?
2007-10-29 19:26:00
Here's a quote from a post on Reformation Sunday:"The Reformers were committed to an ecumenical consensus of unity. They wanted to reform the whole church, not just one break-away segment that became the Protestant Movement. Sectarianism was not the intention. The Reformation was initiated NOT because of doctrinal purity, as commonly taught, but because of corruption in the use of power and wealth. Doctrinal reform was a bonus, but not the primary motivation. There is reform in the church today because there is corruption in the church today. God still cares about his church. So should we. The way we play with ecclesiastic power and the way we spend the Bride's finances should concern us all, not just our commitment to a common creed."

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
2007-10-27 23:35:00
I'm not sure why mega-churches call the tithe 'giving.' In my humble, often outlandish opinion, the tithe seems to function more like social club dues. The tithe pays for the comfortable seating, the salary for charismatic and always entertaining speakers, the state-of-the-art sound systems, the maintenance of huge, gorgeous facilities, and the budgets for programs that members can participate in. Seems like payment for services, not 'giving.'Although the excerpt from the following article discusses 'charity' in a secular sense, it reminded me of mega-church 'giving':"This year's charitable donations are expected to total more than $200 billion, a record. But a big portion of this impressive sum -- especially from the wealthy, who have the most to donate -- is going to culture palaces: to the operas, art museums, symphonies and theaters where the wealthy spend much of their leisure time. It's also being donated to the universities they attended and expect their children t...
More About: Rich , Famous , Lifestyles

More Disconnect
2007-10-27 03:09:00
I was just a bit curt with a telemarketer calling my home as I was about to type this up. So it's probably more relevant for myself than anyone else, but I thought you might like it. Alan at Forgotten Ways writes,"Bonhoeffer believed that the only way to truly comprehend the revelation of God in scripture is by approaching it with the pre-commitment to obey it. For those interested in weird theological terms, he calls this ?tropological exegesis? or simply ?tropology?. Bonhoeffer can therefore speak of discipleship as a ?problem of exegesis? and goes on to say, ?By eliminating simple obedience on principle, we drift into an unevangelical interpretation of the Bible.? So, if we never obey God we can never understand or follow him. Simply believing right doctrine is not enough. As followers of Jesus, we have to start obeying long before we know and understand much of Him whom we obey. More than that, if we take obedience out of the equation, we cannot even hope to truly understand ...
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Back to actual content
2007-10-25 01:31:00
I haven't posted anything of substance in a while. So I thought I would just share a question that I've been pondering: How do I live my everyday life in a way that is socially responsible (as I believe a socially responsible lifestyle is an important evidence of my faith)? Let me warn you in advance. You probably don't want to read this. It isn't about 'nice' topics. It isn't anecdotal. But it is a real part of my journey with God.I didn't always think like this. The seeds of this question were planted when I began working with a Christian ministry geared toward issues of global social justice. Even though I carried a burden for these social issues, I still continued to live in a disconnected way. Let me explain...I cared about the developing world. I cared about the social costs of IMF structural adjustment loans. I cared about corporate developments like GM seeds and terminator seeds and other methods of economic enslavement. I cared about violence, especially the use of ...
More About: Content , Back , Tent

Back to actual content
2007-10-25 01:31:00
I haven't posted anything of substance in a while. So I thought I would just share a question that I've been pondering: How do I live my everyday life in a way that is socially responsible (as I believe a socially responsible lifestyle is an important evidence of my faith)? Let me warn you in advance. You probably don't want to read this. It isn't about 'nice' topics. It isn't anecdotal. But it is a real part of my journey with God.I didn't always think like this. The seeds of this question were planted when I began working with a Christian ministry geared toward issues of global social justice. Even though I carried a burden for these social issues, I still continued to live in a disconnected way. Let me explain...I cared about the developing world. I cared about the social costs of IMF structural adjustment loans. I cared about corporate developments like GM seeds and terminator seeds and other methods of economic enslavement. I cared about violence, especially the use of ...
More About: Content , Back , Tent