The baptismal bombie!
I don’t think I would ever have had the courage to do this…
I like this kid!
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Monthly Archives: November 2006
Thinking Tribally
While I was up north a few weeks back on holidays I was reflecting on the task of mission in suburbia – by that I mean helping people encounter Jesus, and hopefully choose to follow him and become part of a community of faith.
We were in One Arm Point an aboriginal community 300 km down a dirt track from Broome. It is beyond the backside of nowhere.
In an aboriginal culture ‘community’ is a high priority as it seems is true for many more ‘tribal’ cultures (I was also reading Christianity Rediscovered) and the result is that when people become Christians they often do so en masse or at least in families.
Down here in the city when people become Christians they do it individually.
The issue it poses for us is then one of forming community in a society that normally avoids community. In ‘tribal’ cultures they get this aspect of discipleship working easier because communalism is already in their DNA.
For us individualism rules the DNA so when a person comes to faith we then have a harder task of somehow integrating them into a community.
It started me thinking that maybe we ought to intentionally live more tribally in the suburbs. It’d take some getting used to, and it would be radically counter-cultural, but I reckon it might be a missing link in the mission equation.
While we allow people to follow Jesus individually and don’t insist on tribal connection we will always find it hard.
So, my question is, who is your tribe? Who are you connecting with outside of the church who would actually be in your ‘tribe?
Over the last few years we have been knitting into a tribe and finding it a whole new way of living. I don’t know what will come of it in a kingdom sense, but I do thin it makes more sense than the typical western way of life.
So What?
Sometimes when I speak to people about what we are doing in Brighton and how I see mission working out in suburbia they say to me ‘but isn’t that just what normal Christians are supposed to do?‘
I can only say ‘yes – that is what normal Christians are supposed to do…’
The problem is that they often don’t…
There is very little rocket science in discipleship – but the fact that the word ‘disciple’ also associates with words like ‘discipline’ might give a clue as to why some do and others watch.
Reality is if every person who calls them-self a follower of Jesus actually started doing the very simple stuff of discipleship then I wonder if we wouldn’t witness a huge shift in the equilibrium of our communities.
Unfortunately no matter whether you are running a mission order or a megachurch people will cruise. Maybe one ought to weed out the cruisers better than the other, but we will never escaoe it.
Just for the record
I’ve had a few people actually ring and ask who made me mad enough to write the post here.
Truth is I wasn’t writing about my own experience (although I echo the sentiment). It was a friend who ran into some nonsense and I was just feeling very annoyed for her.
So – to those people out there wondering – ‘was it me who pissed Hamo off?’ you can rest easy, (although the Rev is in trouble when I get to his place next week…)
Hot Question
What happens to those who have never heard of Jesus and had an opportunity to respond?
Given the currents of the age we live in this is a critical question for those of us in mission work. Scot McKnight is opening it up on his blog. If you like some challenging theological thinking then head on over get stuck in.
Is it a question that perplexes you or is the answer simple?…
One of those days?
Sometimes writing about it makes you feel better…
Ok – so the ‘laptop’ arrived today… but hey wouldn’t you know it… its the wrong one… What the hell is going on????!!!! It is a refurbished dog. Its probably a decent machine but compared to what I paid money for its not even close.
When will this nonsense end!?
I was down to take the kid’s part at our team meeting tonight, but Danelle is filling in for me. The way I feel right now I am worried I might scare the kids a bit and after last time that wouldn’t be so good… And given that we are looking at biblical characters and I was thinking of Steven it might not go well at all!…
As I mentioned previously I can be a fiesty bugger when riled and I don’t give up easily so I am currently in the process of ‘fixing’ the problem (again).
If anyone thinks its funny to ask me ‘how my laptop is’ I might come out swinging so watch out 🙂 To be honest I am finding it very difficult to see the funny side of it at this point!
Then a speeding fine came in…
But I had already paid it… so why send it again?…
So… I look closer and read it again. What’s that?… I am fined for driving without a license. I go to my wallet and look at my license which expired in June. What?!
It turns out that at the time of my license renewal I was sent a form asking if I wanted to keep my bus/truck license. Given that I don’t drive many trucks and buses these days I let it slide. However on that same form was a piece of fine print that said if I didn’t send them written confirmation then the whole thing would expire. (I didn’t read the fine print…)
So I rang them to sort it out. Of course the licensing people sent me to the police who sent me to the licensing people who sent me to the… you get the idea.
Technically I can’t drive now because I don’t have a license.
To get a license I must first fax a copy of my written decision not to renew my truck license to the traffic people and then go to the licensing centre to renew it.
We don’t have a fax.
So theoretically I can’t drive… until I fax the letter… and then I need Danelle to drive me to the licensing centre to do the rest of it.
And I am still being fined $100.00 for it all. Nobody is willing to rescind the fine so if I want to fight it I have to go to court. I reckon that’ll cost me more than $100.00, but then they were probably banking on that weren’t they?…
Am I happy?
Funnily enough writing it down makes it all sound like one great big comedy! I think I’ll laugh about it one day…
Update: just ‘bullied’ my way to a full refund on the laptop. Ech… I hate to deal with people aggressively but some folks just don’t seem to respond to polite people like me…
Straight Shooters
A tip – if you want to ‘dish it out’ then make sure you can take it.
If you consider yourself a straight shooter only because you can throw your opinions at other like missiles then you’re really just a bully or a dickhead.
If you want to deal in strong opinions and debate ideas then fine.
But don’t recoil and then criticise or gossip about those who do it back at you.
As you were…big trouble in little china dvd download download employee of the month dvd contact dvd download
‘Romero’ a Dollar Well Spent
Last night I stopped in at the local video store (can we still call them that now that they are phasing out ‘videos’ and using DVDs exclusively???) and saw the pile of videos that were being cleared out for a dollar each.
Among them was Romero, the story of the El Salvadorian archbishop who stood against both the armed forces and the rich and powerful elite to try and bring harmony to the country. I’d seen it before and remembered it as worth watching again.
Romero began the journey as a fairly innocuous ‘safe bet’ for the ruling class, but as he stood with people and felt the pain of injustice he was transformed both theologically and practically into a different person. His ecclesiology was radical and powerful as he called the church to actually be the church in the face of terrible oppression and injustice. Although it was hoped his bookish approach to life would keep him hidden away, his intellect and courage actually moved him to action and to service of those with no voice. Its a good study in liberation theology and how experience shapes our grasp of the gospel.
I had a debate with a friend recently about the impact power and position has on us. She argued that it always corrupts and changes a person for the worse. I argued that it often does – but that others can live with it and live with integrity. Sadly it seems they often die with integrity more than they live. Think MLK, Ghandi and also Romero.
Its probably not the world’s best made movie, but it is a tale of courage, transformation and the nature of the church. It will disturb you – but then I have a feeling we middle classers all need more disturbing.
What’s The Deal?
I had a text from a mate the other day who was in a meeting that was discussing the possibility of a big name American speaker coming to Perth. He wanted to know if we (Forge download who am i movie man between the dvd download ) would be interested in using him.
I read it and thought ‘maybe…’ and then rang to find out more.
I discovered that this person is very expensive and only flies first class. Suddenly the decision became easy. I told him my friend that I wouldn’t even consider it based on that alone. If someone has that level of self importance then they probably aren’t someone I want to listen to.
What is it with those Christian ministers who ‘only fly first class’ and charge like wounded bulls? (I can understand some regular flyers might prefer business class – but to make first class a requirement?…)
We have a word here in Oz for people like that. I’m not sure what it translates to in other parts of the world, but I’m sure I don’t need to spell it out.
By contrast:
Darryl Gardiner came to our last Forge intensive where numbers were down and as a result our income was low. He refused to take any speaking fee, (as he always does with Forge) stayed in our home rather than a hotel (all the Forgies do that) and actually gave us $100.00 back to help with the costs we incurred in running the intensive.
What does that say to you about him?
You reckon I’d have Daz back? You reckon I’d love to give him as much money as I could find? You betcha!
Some people ooze integrity and concern for the kingdom. Those who ‘only fly first class’ raise some serious question marks in my mind.
Maybe some of you out there are in high demand and have similar standards. Please tell me if I am really missing something here because to be frank it just feels very very dodgy.
Win No.2
After much nonsense it seems that a laptop may be on its way here…
I have a fedex tracking number of 724680525340 that shows the laptop is currently having a stopover in Honolulu on its way to Sydney!
If only I were the laptop…
After much emailing and haranguing the seller agreed to send a second laptop via Fedex so long as I forward on the ‘original’, but still non-existent laptop.
So maybe this week I will have two Sony laptops turn up.
But it does make me wonder… will the ‘original’ one ever come? Did it ever exist?…
What do you reckon?