backyardmissionary

“For the working class world, Christ seems to be settled with the church and middle class society.”

Bonhoeffer (Christology)

In years gone by I would have had many answers for these people, but today I feel inspiration at their story.

I guess we all change.

Thanks Simon

Every single week in Perth the fuel prices follow a predictable cycle.

They gradually drop a little each day thru to Tuesday (which is almost always the cheapest day to buy fuel) and then on Wednesday they jump back up by 10 c/litre.

Its a cycle that repeats every week without fail.

Maybe I’m missing something but I can’t see how prices can fluctuate so dramatically over the course of a week - every week.

And yet it seems to be one of those strange phenomena that we now take for granted. Occasionally I find myself wondering why we put up with it, but then I don’t have the time or energy to ‘lead the charge’ against dodgy fuel prices, so I guess I just have to cop it like everyone else

That’s kind of an understatement for what happened on Friday.

Over the last year Danelle has been very involved with raising funds for a Bali orphanage and has been working her butt off to try and help them. Many have got involved and it has been a successful venture thus far.

The directors of the orphanage as well as 2 of the kids were due to be in Australia this week, partly to touch base with supporters and partly to raise profile. Danelle has spent a heap of time pulling the week together.

However at 4pm on Friday, with the guys due first thing Saturday morning, we got a call to say they hadn’t secured their visas and wouldn’t be allowed on the plane that night.

Someone over there buggered up very badly.

So there followed a flurry of phone calls to try and resolve the issue, and a subsequent flurry to cancel weekend appointments. All very disappointing, not to mention embarrassing. It seems the crew in Bali had the paperwork for a couple of months but only submitted it last week…

So the hope is that papers will go thru Monday and they will arrive Tuesday, but who knows. The person who forked out for the airfares could well be a tad irate at the whole affair.

A little while ago Danelle and I decided we would make 2009 a year when we take an extended break from the things we have been involved with over the last 6 or 7 years to rest, refresh and come back recharged.

I will be taking a year’s leave without pay from directing Forge WA, we will leave Upstream for the year and obviously as we travel my reticulation business will go into recess. The only ‘hat’ I will continue to wear is that Forge National Director. I get the impression that I shouldn’t let that one roll even while we take a break and because of the nature of our trip it will actually be well served to keep in the role.

The plans have shifted somewhat as we have schemed and dreamed. We began with the idea of a round the world trip starting in the US, heading to UK and then Spain, maybe the Philippines… Afghanistan… it got a tad hazy at the end.

The latest configuration is looking like doing the around Oz trip with camper-trailer, as well as hitting the US. We expect to head off after Easter next year (I will work my butt off digging trenches between Jan & April) and once we hit the east coast will do a ’side trip’ to the US for a couple of months to visit friends over there before coming back and finishing a lap of Oz.

In one sense its early in the piece to be making plans and yet I am also quite conscious that if we don’t plan it will be a bit of a shambles!

So I have begun exploring camper-trailer v caravan questions, airfares to the US, free campsites around Oz, possible work opportunities along the way and all those kinds of things.

I imagine we will be gone from April thru to Oct/Nov depending on how many free campsites we find, how many kind friends put us up and how long the money lasts! Everything back here will be business as usual with Forge and Upstream but I’ll say more about that later.

So if you have any ‘travelling wisdom’ then feel free to add your two bobs worth.

A few weeks back I had some strong words to say in regard to the Draft Covenant document for Baptist churches. My concern revolved around several issues, but primarily the imagination of church that undergirded the document and that was expressed by ‘40 adult members’ being seen as the minimum number for admission to the denomination.

I wrote to the denominational leaders expressing my concerns, received a helpful letter in response and late last week the final document was released with the number 40 nowhere to be seen.

Hats off to the BUWA for listening to the people who responded and re-shaping the document appropriately. I am sure I wasn’t the only one who had issues here, but it is encouraging to see that the process was effective.

A new Tim Winton novel comes out on Friday…

I have been in waiting…

If you can’t be there then this bloke give you the next best thing.

Some awesome photography!

It stirs memories of those crazy teenage years when we’d surf anything that moved…

This weekend is the Anzac day long weekend and tomorrow is the public holiday. Yeeha!

I was lined up to be one of the speakers at the Seventh Day Adventist Church planting conference in Logue Brook Harvey, when our neighbours on either side invited us to go camping… also at Logue Brook in Harvey right next door. We decided that it seemed most opportune to do both!

So for the next few days I will be sharing stories with the Sevvies and sharing drinks with the neighbours in the next campsite.

We will be tenting with the neighbours while the Sevvies stay in cabins… its been a long time since I have slept in a tent and I can’t say I am excited at all by the prospect of lying on the ground for two nights… tenting… trying not to think about it…

We’re off at 7 am tomorrow so it might be a little quiet around here for a couple of days.

We invited Steve Timmis of The Crowded House in Sheffield to join us at the recent Forge festival and I found his session on Sunday morning very helpful. I have really appreciated Steve’s insights as a church planter and long term practitioner.

Today I was reading the reflections of Johnny, a bloke who accompanied him on the journey. You can read his full post here, but this is a summation of it.

“Forge is a large boat, filled with evangelical and non evangelicals cut off from gospel moorings enjoying the jerks and jolts of the rough seas of dodgy doctrine as if it were part of the gospel ride. There are many lovely gospel hearted people in Forge but I can’t help feeling they have lost their way.”

These are very strong (and deeply offensive) words and I don’t have time to respond to them properly right now.

If we have “cut ourselves off from the gospel” and are ‘enjoying dodgy doctrine’ then I’d really like to hear about it. I am happy to accept that we all have our blind spots and maybe Johnny knows something I don’t.

I’m very open to hearing thoughts, comments and reflections from those who know Forge as to whether we have “lost our way”. No prizes for guessing my opinion, but given that the question has been raised I am happy to hear from those who know us as to what we need to hear.

We had a great time last night at Jarrod’s house with Tom Sine and a whole bunch of pioneers and missionaries from around the city. It was great to catch up with some of my old youth ministry friends and to enjoy an evening with some kindred spirits.

Rodney has an interview between him, Tom & Jarrod here

We have just started a new blog for those in the forgewa reimagine stream.

At the start of 2008 Forgewa began its ‘reimagine‘ stream, working with 6 established churches who are on the journey of exploring what it means for them to live as a missionary community.

This blog is way for them to share learning, explore ideas and encourage one another along the way.

You are welcome to listen in, share your own thoughts and add to the conversation.

I am hoping that my contribution to this site will be a minor one as those who are actually doing the learning contribute to it and foster the discussion.

Watched the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ tonite with Danelle.

Had to note down this quote from ‘dad’ as Ben Stiller goes to ‘get his girl’.

“Be careful! This is the Bible belt. These people have guns”

(An average movie with some funny bit and several cringeworthy moments)

Over Easter I was reading Tom Sines latest book The New Conspirators and loving it.

The good news is that Tom is in Perth this week, staying with Jarrod and the Peacetree crew and doing a few gigs around the place. The pics below give an idea of what he’s up to.

Should be a great time!

For most of the time we have been married I have been the person involved primarily in ministry in one form or another, but lately I have been observing that the roles have been changing and now Danelle seems to be the primary ‘minister’ (or insert whatever word you prefer)

Up until 2002 we were based in a local church and I was a pastor. I was theologically trained and in a system that preferred men as leaders (although the church I was in saw women as equals) so inevitably I was the one who would earn $$$ from it and spend the bulk of my life in it.

However the last 4 1/2 years have been quite different and I feel myself slowly sliding out of the ‘primary minister’ role and watching Danelle slide more naturally into it. We have moved from a medium sized church setting with all the bells and whistles to a missionary team setting with no sign of bells and whistles and I have much less to do. In a more programmatic environment with staff and volunteers to oversee, more admin and a regular preaching role I had stuff that I could do, but in a local community where ministry is relationship based, relaxed and often chaotic there is much less control over the environment and much less to organise or lead.

In fact very little at all…

Then there is the question of where the line is between ministry and friendship (buggered if I know or care these days) and a person who had found his identity in ‘pastoring’ could easily feel quite at sea. I know I have felt that way plenty of times as I have tried to figure out who I am in this new place.

We are currently in an environment that is perfectly suited to Danelle’s temperament and make up, but less so suited to mine. Danelle loves just hanging out with people and I like accomplishing something. Not that those two are as mutually exclusive as I just made them sound, but our lives here have been much more so suited to her talents.

So lately I have been reflecting on whether its my time to support her in the things she does and to free her up to do more of what she does well.

Truth be told I think we have slipped into that mode at present and this is a less of a question and more an observation.

As I listened to Wayne Carey share his post-football identity crisis I felt a little bit of resonance. There is a sense in which my identity has been tied up in the professional minister role for nearly 20 years and to feel that drifting away evokes an uncertain response. Part of me wants to re-claim it in some way and part of me feels that maybe there is stuff to be learnt in a space that I won’t get hold of if I hang on tight.

So its an interesting place to be in.

A little disturbing, a little disorienting also, but at the same time a sense of adventure as I walk down a path that is continually shifting and re-forming. I’m not sure where it will lead, but I am aware of the shift occurring. I actually don’t feel any less a sense of vocation or calling but the way that is being expressed at this point in my life is quite different…

Anyway that’s FWIW, as I imagine others may have had similar shifts.

My friend Andrew Menzies emailed this thru today… I enjoy extreme statements as they make us think more than gentle conciliatory ones. Here’s a pie in the face for those of us are seeking to connect with specific people groups.

“The projects known as ‘Fresh expressions’ and ‘mission-shaped church’ are, therefore, the outcome of this evangelical-liberal collusion. For all the protestations, they are a clear conspiracy against the parish.

One can’t set up a church in a cafe amongst a gang of youths who like skateboarding because all this does is promote skateboarding and dysfunctional escapist maleness, along with that type of private but extra-ecclesial security that is offered by the notion of ‘being saved’.”

From ‘Stale Expressions: the Management-Shaped Church’, Studies in Christian Ethics, April 2008 by John Milbank.

So… what do you reckon?! (I will offer my views tomorrow)

Just go here for some great pics of the recent Forge Festival.

I have chosen one that for me stands out - not because its a fantastic pic - but because it captures something of the heart of the festival.

The pic was taken during a short time we set aside to honour older missionaries and those who had gone before us -acknowledging that we stand on their shoulder. Of all the people we could have chosen (and there are plenty) Smithy finished up being the one. This image shows 3 ‘generations’ of Aussie missionaries.

Smithy was and to some extent still is the roving itinerant evangelist who was responsible for starting the ‘God Squad’ (mission among outlaw bikers) and for paving the way for others to take seirously the task of mission that says ‘go’ rather than ‘come’.The fact that I finish up deeply knitted into the forge community is no surprise, as this man was one of my heroes as a teenager and inspired me to follow Jesus passionately more than almost anyone else I can think of. I loved his direct, straight talking approach to preaching and his courageous example of following Jesus into the difficult places. We honoured him as one who paved the way for the rest of us.

The others in the photo are Alan Hirsch the founding director of Forge, and Kim Hammond, currently the Victorian director and the festival organiser.

The festival is very much about gathering the tribe and celebrating the missionary adventures God has called us to. I really didn’t want to come home at the end of it as it felt like we were amongst family and people who genuinely shared our hearts for the work we are called to.

Its been a great 4 days of hanging with the Forge tribe from all around Oz and even a few from overseas. Alan & Deb Hirsch made the trip back from the US for the event and it was great to see them again. We spent a couple of hours over lunch yesterday in their home strip of Acland St, St Kilda. When I am around the forge crew I am reminded again of how much I value those relationships.

This year’s festival was brilliantly organized by Kim & Maria Hammond and had a huge diversity of options for people seeking to learn in many different areas with workshops and electives in 5 different streams.

The general sessions were great value. Frosty led off with a stoing challenge to us to live out the truths we already know and to be people of action rather than content with talk. It was pretty classic ‘Mike’ as he pulled no punches and spoke boldly to all of us present.

Sally Morgenthaler was first up on Saturday morning and spoke about living out of our true identity and the importance of authenticity in mission and ministry. She did a great job and provoked us to think about how/where we may be living out the type of life we feel we are supposed to be living rather than actually being content with living as ourselves. I had the opportunity to have a long conversation with Sally over dinner and it was great to see the same person around the meal table as we did behind the lectern. She is living what she preaches.

That evening TSK was up and he was in great form. It was a mix of zany humour, great insights and genuine inspiration to live as the people of God. It was really good to have him back in Oz offering his insights on what God is doing all around the world, from the point of view of one who sees more than most. We had some time to reflect and laugh about our teenage fundy days spent at Maylands Baptist back in the early 80’s. How things have changed…

Sunday morning saw the festival joined by the congregation that normally meets in Life Expedition – a group of Asian young adults led by Tim Goh. One of the things that impressed me hugely over the weekend was the way the volunteers from the church served at the festival. These guys set up, cleaned up and did everything in between – and they did it with fantastic attitude. Hats off!

The keynote speaker for Sunday morning was Danielle Strickland, a Salvo leader from Canada, but now working in Oz. She is one of the most sensational communicators I have heard in a long time. She spoke with passion, insight and more than a touch of attitude. If you ever get the chance to hear this woman speak on living out God’s dream for the world then don’t miss it. In terms of ‘learning’ this session was my personal highlight, partly because of the personality of the speaker, but also because she re-ignited some embers in me that had grown a little dim. Maybe we’ll need to look at getting her over west to shake up the local crew.

Daz Gardner finished the weekend off with a challenge to actually make change happen – not to just hear more good stuff and then go back to business as usual. Daz was as raw and raucous as ever and his message was a great way to tie together the weekend.

As well as the opportunity to be challenged from the front by some great communicators, it was also incredibly valuable to simply be there with our Forge team and with people from all around the country who are seeking to express mission and church in ways that fit their context.

Its interesting reflecting on the take up of missional incarnational ideas around the place. It varies greatly from state to state and denomination to denomination. My observation this time around, is that more people are making the shift from thinking about missionary praxis to actually getting on with it. And more established churches are recognizing the need to adopt a missionary posture if they are to genuinely engage their communities.

I wonder where things will head in the next 10 years as more churches pick up on the missional incarnational approach, while others go harder at the established form. Let’s hope we all keep learning!

“Seafood extender does not belong on a seafood platter under any circumstances.”

After 4 great days in Melbourne this was the one disappointment. Lygon St in Carlton is well known for its cafe strip, but competition seems to sometimes ring out the worst in a business as it tries to save money.

With the fish of the day being ‘basa’ (cheapest and most tasteless imported fish available) and seafood extender used in place of crab meat it was one of the least memorable parts of the trip!

Last time we ate in Lygon St we were greeted with a warm bottle of chardonnay and instead of succulent king prawns on my seafood pizza, (as the menu read) I was greeted with tiny tinned prawns…

Rant over.

I’m vegging out waiting for the festival to start. Vawz - who came in on the midnight flight - is asleep in our room while I tap away up here.

Andrew lent me a copy of a very interesting and provocative DVD entitled ‘Finger of God‘ that looks at the miraculous intervention of God in our world - everything from gold teeth and gold dust to healings and dead people coming alive. Pretty wacky stuff… but what if?… What if God really does do things that are so far outside my paradigm that I can’t even comprehend them?

My skepto-meter does go off like a banshee when I hear of gold teeth and similar ‘what the?!’ kind of experiences, but I admit I do the see the world thru a ‘God who doesn’t give gold teeth’ framework.

Its a very well made DVD and well worth a look. But be prepared to be disturbed. It raises the question - does God want to do miraculous stuff more often than we know and we miss out because we are not conditioned to see it or ask for it?

Then there is disturbance in the other way. Cam has written a brilliant post on his ongoing battle with multiple myeloma. He is ‘terminally ill’. There is no cure for his form of cancer - just a buying of time thru chemo etc. He has been prayed over for healing, but last night a well known big name ‘healer’ came to town and he went along…

Read his reflections here