and finding it interesting but also a little puzzling.
It seems Crabb has almost done an about face on the value of counselling and other similar practices and now advocates ‘spiritual friendship’ and ‘spiritual direction’ in their place. If I read him right he seems to be saying that all issues require a spiritual/divine/supernatural solution rather than using the more theraputic methodology.
There are some appealing things about what Crabb is saying, but by the same token he seems to have created a ‘spiritual’ approach and an ‘unspiritual’ approach to spiritual growth and resolution of issues. I keep feeling he is pushing the ‘spiritual’ too hard, as if he is compensating for a previous stance.
download legionnaire online and while I haven’t been blown away by it neither have i been overly disturbed by it. It will go into the back room probably never to be seen again… Unlike the bookshelf right by my chair where all my hot faves are kept!
Also waiting to be read are:
Becoming a True Spiritual Community by Larry Crabb. I guess you could call this ‘diversifying my reading’… I have never been a big Crab fan, but this one grabbed my attention and I thought it would be interesting to delve into how we function more authentically as the church. We’ll see how I go…
– by Jean Hatton. I’m interested to learn something of this group and how they came about and I’m a big fan of biograhpies so hopefully it will be a good one.
Reimagining Church by Frank Viola – I was sent this book a while ago to do a blog review on, but I am a bit behind… Part of it is that I just don’t find myself reading these kinds of books much any more. I find they seek to convince me that church needs ‘re-imagining’ but I am already convinced of that! Seven or eight years ago I was reading them by the bucket load, but each time I do these days I don’t feel refreshed and invigorated – more just ho hum… Now that’s not to say ‘Re-imagining Church’ is a ho hum book, but it probably explains why its still sitting there. Not enjoying Pagan Christianity didn’t help either I imagine… I will try and get thru it and write a review.
You Gotta Have Balls by Lily Brett. This is another of the books for our brighton Book Club, but I fearI may not get into this one either. It might be a good book even, but I have too many others that I want to read to even pick it up. I’m not a very good book club member I’m afraid!
If ever you needed convincing that bad press sells books then this is it!
I have read plenty of negative stuff about this book from the very conservative critics and I have also heard some very positive reviews from friends who have read the book, so I decided it was time to spend the $$ and make my own judgment.
I will confess to being something of a snob when it comes to literature and anything less than quality prose does tend to leave me cold. So we weren’t off to a brilliant start here… The Shack is a fair piece of writing, but not compelling.
I found it hard getting thru the first 60 pages mainly because the subject matter was so gut wrenching – a dad losing his daughter while camping and then discovering she has been murdered by a serial killer. I guess its every parent’s nightmare to see one of their kids die or suffer and I couldn’t help sitting in his place.
I am past that bit now and at ‘the shack’ where Mack meets God. God (the father) turns out to be a big black woman, Jesus is an average looking middle eastern man and th Holy Spirit is of Asian extraction. The author has been setting the scene for the conversations that will develop between Mack & ‘God’ and so far it is somewhat interesting, but probably not my cup of tea.
While it masquerades as a novel it is unquestionably a theological work because it does present God in a specific light and (I am led to believe) will go on to look at church, salvation and other theological themes.
I didn’t struggle with God as a black woman – in fact I found it quite a helpful way of getting past the ‘gandalphian grandfather’ that many of us have in our heads. I don’t think that is heretical in any way – just a clever device for making us reconsider how we have imagined God.
I have found the descriptions of relationships and conversations between the 3 (F, S & HS) a bit cheesy, however I accept that my own grasp of these relationships has been heavily shaped by an evangelical heritage that doesn’t involve a lot of laughter and frivolity.
As with ‘Sweet’, I will offer my reflections as we go and I’d be interested in yours back.
about the relationships between a WA Baptist pastor in the 80’s and 3 female members of his congregation. Essentially it explores the rather subtle issue of codependence and how this develops between a pastor and congregation. I don’t know how wide an appeal this book will have, but for those of us in leadership roles it ought to be read and reflected on.
‘Cody’s’ journey has been of particular interest to me as she is a young Christian in the process of questioning her faith and wondering about its foundation. Her place of certainty is not Jesus or the scriptures, but William her pastor and she is struggling to come to terms with the fact that all is not a cut and dried as he would once have had her believe. Still his power is great…
Here’s an excerpt I found very challenging. After reflecting on Paul, the young man who drew Cody to faith, she goes on to think of William:
But with William it was the other way around, he had not attracted Cody to God. He had simply come to stand in the way of her notion of God. She had got caught up before she knew it, swayed to his way of seeing things somehow, like Patty Hearst, that syndrome where you form a dependence on your captor, your torturer. Was he really her captor? No-one forced her to be there. Doing what she would not do, and not doing what she would do, as it said in the book of Romans.
She thought of Jane Eyrewild wild west dvd download , which she had read at school. The chapter before Jane’s wedding, the wedding that fell apart:
He stood between me and every thought of religion, as an eclipse intervenes between man and the broad sun. I could not in those days, see God for His creature, of whom I had made an idol.
Is it just me or are those challenging words for those in local church leadership?
It makes me ask where is the line between protecting the sheep and abusing the sheep?
It causes me to wonder how much of my own needs to be needed and admired by those I lead get in the way of doing what’s best for both of us. As I read the novel I think William is (so far) quite oblivious to his controlling ways and personal needs. He doesn’t come across as a tyrant and yet his subtle exertion of control over these women is possibly even more destructive than if it were overt.
As a person who has led a larger church I have experienced the destructive side of the Jane Eyre quote as people have expected me to be someone I simply could never be and as I have used that influence to get things done. It is a strange and sometimes disturbing relationship that takes place between needy pastor and needy congregation member.
If I have learnt anything it is that those of us in leadership must be secure in our own identity if we are to risk leading others. Insecure leaders are the very worst as they make all sorts of demands stemming from their own need to be loved and valued and not from healthy motives.
I am pondering what makes a person secure rather than insecure. I was originally reflecting that it was a function of maturity – that as we get older we need the approval of others less – but that is not universally true…
Perhaps it has something to do with coming to grips with the greyness of the world and our frailty in making sense of it. William continues to see most issues in a strong shade of black or white and it is his undoing. I tend to think that as we get older we should be able to determine what issues are clear cut – and they get fewer as you get older – and which are grey, but maybe not all can do this.
I haven’t finished the book, but I imagine Cody will end up getting disillusioned with this brand of church and will leave. She will be guilt ridden for her ‘betrayal’, but will struggle on for the sake of integrity. She will become one of the ‘churchless faith’ Christians who still want to follow Jesus and who still believe, but who have not found a place to live a more questioning and reflective expression of discipleship.
and finding it very interesting – partly because it is written about a scene I have been so intricately involved with for the last 34 years, but partly because it addresses the ongoing issues of co-dependency that plague both church leader and church member. By that I mean, the people needing a pastor and pastor needing to be needed.
Nathan summarises the story well with these words:
Tracy Ryan’s third novel, Sweet, is the story of three women caught in the thrall of a manipulative pastor of a conservative Baptist church in the outer-suburbs of Perth circa 1986. The Reverend William King is a complex figure, genuinely caring but always controlling.
Cody is seventeen and has just lost her brother in a car accident. In her grief the church offers her a degree of purpose and meaning. Yet she seems to fall into Christianity, rather than converting through conviction. Soon, William is pressuring her to give her testimony in front of the church, the story of her conversion from the darkness of ‘Romanism’. But this story he is trying to impose on her doesn’t ring true; her nominally Roman Catholic background is neutral in her memory.
Kylie is a young mother whose husband Mick is frequently away shearing. Her Baptist neighbours take an interest in her and babysit her children; soon she finds herself sucked into the church. Mick is unimpressed by her heavy involvement and she is torn between the church and him.
Carol has been a Christian much longer and her story is about the disintegration of her externally perfect Baptist family. As problems with her daughter and husband arise, she begins to realise that life isn’t as simple as her faith has taught her.
If you have been part of WA Baptist churches over the last 20 years then the scenery will be very familiar and like me you might even find yourself wondering who the ‘Reverend William King’ is…There is too much insider knowledge for this not to be based somewhat on personal experience.
So far it hasn’t been an overly negative portrayal of either the Baptists of the time or of William King (although there are definite issues with both).
Sometimes our history can look so embarrassing in hindsight, while in the moment it can actually appear to make perfect sense. The ‘separateness’ of the cultures is probably what strikes me most strongly at the moment, possibly because this has been my own significant shift. It was the era when we stayed away from sinners except for purposes of overt evangelism.
If you are easily offended by a few pretty graphic sex scenes then its not the book for you, otherwise you will probably find it a good read.
It is well written, easy to follow and yet at the same time has some substance for those of us in churches and ministry. I think it would be an interesting book for those in the ‘pastoral care’ field to use in their training courses as it would shine the spotlight on the complications of being both pastor and church member.
If dejavu is feeling like you’ve done something before then I am wondering what the term is to describe the feeling of anticipating doing something. Maybe its ‘premonition’!
As an avid reader I have recently joined the new Brighton estate book club, meeting monthly on Monday nights. I was very much looking forward to it but then heard it was a group of 9 women and me…
Now I like women… but even to me that sounds like something of a scary group to be part of.
Then tonight Danelle and I watched the Jane Austen book club and now I am very very scared… 🙂
Seriously, there is a Brighton book club starting soon and if you’re a bloke it’d be great to have you there. And if you haven’t seen the Jane Austen Book Club then its good for a light hearted Saturday evening – a creative story line and happy endings all round, without feeling like you need to vomit.
My session at our Forge Re-imagine Learning Day this weekend revolves around the concepts presented in Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. We are exploring what churches look like that have structures that facilitate healthy missional engagement and discipleship.
Duncan Brown who is about to be the new pastoral team leader at Peninsula Baptist Church in Vic (Mornington) is our key presenter and I am the ‘filler’…
What I liked about ‘SC’ is the way they distilled the essence of a healthy church into 4 distinct components and offered principles and a framework rather than a you beaut model.
However the further I went along the more I saw that while it may be ‘simple‘ it certainly wouldn’t be easy to do what they suggest.
The 4 core principles of ‘Simple Church’ are:
1. Clarity – because ‘people cannot embrace the ambiguous’. We need to decide what is is we are seeking to do and how we are seeking to do it. It needs to be clear and easily communicable so that people can ‘get it’. Clarity will enable measurability and accountability to what we put our hands to
2. Movement – Rhainer argues that we need to sequentially move people thru discipleship stages to help them increase in their
level of commitment. He states strongly that in churches where discipleship and mission is effective there is a ‘sequential / linear’ process that is followed. The sequence is not terribly imaginative being Sunday gathering – smaller groups – service. And I am not all that convinced that messy people follow linear processes very well either.
However his point is that we get ‘bottle-necks’ and need to clear them if people are to grow. Usually the bottle neck is the Sunday gig and we need to help people get beyond that. I’d like to see some more fluidity and flexibility in this dimension as it currently feels rather strait jacketish
3. Alignment – simply put this involves aligning all aspects of church life so that the same process occurs in each ministry area. It avoids groups competing and sending mixed messages to people. There is some real wisdom in this. Having been a youth pastor I know we developed our own vision statement, processes and systems alongside the main church, but it actually subverted the other congregation as we sought to develop our own identity.
Some will find Rhainer restrictive here, but the value is in harnessing a team that all wants to do the same things and not having competing agendas. Of course the question that arises is ‘what do we do with the disparate and dissenting voices?’ This hasn’t always been a strength of churches that are pursuing a vision. Its usually get on board or go somewhere else.
4. Focus – the point of this element is to eliminate any unnecessary activity and be very careful about adding anything new to the calendar. Often churches seem to develop and allow anything to happen so long as someone runs it and doesn’t ask for money. This element requires a particularly cohesive and focused leadership team to be able to implement and stay on track.
In all of these elements communication is crucial and the success of a church seeking to implement these elements will probably hinge on the degree to which they are able to get the message out. I guess we could call that good leadership!
While the book seeks to encourage churches to simplify, I am not quite sure where a missional involvement in the local community and everyday life fits. There was little if any talk of mission while there was talk of serving within the church.
Mark Sayers is back in blogdom and throwing out some juicy thoughts on gospel and culture over here.
Mark is one of those blokes I never tire listening to so if you have an interest in 21st C western culture and how we engage in it as missionaries this blog is essential reading – especially for Aussies.
And while we’re on Mark his first book is now out and there is an official booklaunch in Melbourne to celebrate it.
‘The Trouble With Paris’ Book Launch
Sunday June 15th 3:30pm – 4:30pm
@ the Red East Space: Level 1, 878 Whitehorse Rd, Box Hill
Cost $0
You can buy the book at the launch for $15.00 or you can head over to Amazon and get it there
The book gets an eclectic range of endorsements:
“These are great tools for everyone trying to find the Way, the Truth, and the Life in a world of shortcuts, deception, and death. Amid the noise and seductions of our culture, may Mark’s work help us to be both relevant and peculiar to this chaotic world. May we raise up a generation of radical nonconformists with everything that is wrong in the world, a generation that turns the world upside down so that it aligns with the Kingdom of God.”
Shane Claiborne, Author of The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
Mark has something fresh to say about what can kill your soul and who can salvage it.
John Ortberg, Pastor and Author, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
Mark Sayers is something of a spiritual genius who is able to both name and diagnose the angst of an entire generation caught up in the web of consumerism and hyperreality. This book is laced with the kind of wise and prophetic insights that take the reader to the heart of some of the most important issues of our age. Nothing less than a clue to the spiritual healing of a generation lies hidden in the pages of this book.
Alan Hirsch Author of The Forgotten Ways and author (with Michael Frost) of The Shaping of Things To Come. Alan is founding director of Forge Mission Training Network
Mark Sayers’ new book The Trouble with Paris is outstanding. Well informed, insightful, articulate, and down to earth are just a few thoughts that come to mind when describing this tour de force. Sayers has a unique ability to put his finger on the pulse of contemporary culture and Christianity, and he proves to be a capable guide through the thickets of that which is counterfeit and fake. Today we’re submersed in the media driven and publicity shaped hollow promises of hyperreality, which are driving us to embrace the unreal and consequently an impoverished spirituality. Reading this powerful book will help us get back to the real and lead us to a rediscovery of our spiritual bearings for the present and the future.
In working with Swiss L’Abri for over twenty years now, my take on this book
is that it’s exactly what we need to get our priorities aligned with living in God’s reality, instead of trying and failing to make it up as we go along. Hyperreality is deceptively addictive, and if we are to touch a generation of people for the sake of Christ, it is books like Sayers’ The Trouble with Paris that will help pave the way. Highly recommended.
Dr. Gregory J. Laughery, Author of Living Spirituality: Illuminating the Path and teacher with L’Abri Fellowship, Switzerland
Its great to see Mark’s brilliance recognised and now in print. If you haven’t come across him before then I’d encourage you to check out both blog and book!
Danelle bought me this novel for my birthday and I finished it last night.
As anyone who has read this blog for a while would know, I am a Winton fan – possibly even an addict – and love virtually everything he has written. So when I heard this book was coming out I was frothing at the mouth with anticipation. I often feel like Winton writes what I would have written if i were a genuinely good writer. he says things like I wish I could. I feel in tune with his writing and the whole energy of his books.
However right off the bat there were a few things about Breath that knocked me a little. The first was the size of the book. At 213 pages it is hardly an epic and I knew I’d probably feel ripped off by the end. I would have just become engaged with the characters and the whole thing would end. And knowing Danelle paid $42.00 for it I was determined to get every penny worth out of it.
The second was that it was actually about surfing. This might surprise those who know my love of the surf, but what I have loved about Winton is the way the ocean and the West Ozzie landscape has formed the backdrop to his stories and in many ways has framed his writing. To move it to centre stage left me a little anxious. I guess I was wondering if the focus on surfing itself might actually be too obvious. People have often comnpared full scale surf movies to pornos – a dog-lame storyline hung around some exciting visuals. Now Winton is way too good for this, and his descriptions of surfing were as beautiful as any I have read, but I was still concerned.
Sadly it only took two evenings of slow deliberate reading to reach the final chapter. Now we have to wait another 4 years for his next novel.
Perhaps it was a self fulfilling prophecy, but my anxiety about surfing as the centrepiece had some merit. As much as the descriptions of Pikelet and Loonie’s first ventures out into the surf brought back wonderful memories, I just didn’t find the whole surf scene as potent as much of his other writing.
The guts of the story is about two young blokes who love surfing, and who find a ‘mentor’ in Sando who takes them out to surf humungous waves and stretches them to the limit. It traces the relationship between the boys the man and his wife and the twists and turns life takes in it all.
While the story itself revolves around surfing and the associated relationships and adventure, (kind of like a quality version of ‘Surfs Up’), the deeper theme of the book is powerful and worth a bit more reflection.
In essence it revolves around the desire for a life that is extraordinary in the middle of the mundaneness and blandness that forms most of our experience. The novel starts with Pikelet in his 40’s and now a paramedic attending a teenage death. While considered by some to be a suicide (hanging), Pikelet knows that it was actually accidental death by asphyxiation in search of a sexual rush. he knows because he has been there before…
Enter the idea of ‘breath’.
Much of life really is as mundane and ordinary as breathing in and out, which propels us to seek out climactic experiences – ways of encountering something more – or as Winto puts it “rebelling against the monotony of drawing breath’ . In many ways this is what the boys do as they surf bigger and bigger waves and as they seek new experiences, hyperventilating their way to longer and longer times under the ocean’s surface. Without wanting to spoil it, the story explores this theme of what ‘extraordinary’ looks like in a world where most of us need to live in the ‘ordinary’.
Loonie keeps chasing the extraordinary while Pikelet lives with his ongoing frustration with his own ordinariness. Somehow in the midst of the tumult that is Piklet’s life he learns to live with his own ‘insignificance’ while Loonie dies as a crazy feral always on the run and never content. Its probably no surprise that Pikelet finds some joy in this life as a paramedic where peak adrenalin experiences may remind him of his days in the ocean.
The metaphor of breath as that which gives life, is played out in the extremes of the sexual asphyxiation scenes and the mega hold downs in surfing and these are contrasted with the rhythmic, predictable, everydayness of simple inhaling and exhaling.
The messiness of life is contrasted with the sheer beauty of surfing. As Winton writes: “‘how strange it was to see men do something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant, though nobody saw or cared.”
I think Winton actually commends the more ‘ordinary’ Pikelet who gets left behind by Sando and Loonie in their mutual pursuit of bigger adrenalin rushes. Pikelet lives where most of us live. He refuses to surf the terrifying ‘Nautilus’ with Loonie and Sando and is considered something of a coward, by them and himself. He struggles with his failure and his own demons of insecurity. he isn’t the ‘hellman’ he wishes he were.
Welcome to the world… But the fact that does he struggle is possibly his redeeming feature. He is honest and real, fragile and broken.
Loonie and Sando appear as superheros but in reality their adventures only serve to mask their own brokenness and struggle.
If anything the book is a testimony to the importance of being content with living an ordinary life. At least an honest divx sidewalks of new york ordinary life.
Maybe not my favourite Winton, but still a very good read, if you’re not easily disturbed.
This little clip is from the promo website and is very good, if only for its depictions of the south west Oz coastline.
