Yesterday I caught up with an old friend – a bloke called Mark Wilson who is senior pastor at Whitford Church of Christ, one of our biggest local churches in Perth. Mark and I did youth ministry together when we were in our teens, both did a teaching degree, moved into youth ministry, then both switched roles in the churches we were in to become senior pastors. At this point our stories changed as Mark continued to lead a large church and I sensed a calling to pioneer new kinds of churches.

I am in the process of moving around some of our big church guys and talking about Forge with them. In the past there has been animosity between established big churches and emerging new churches – with each being threatened by the other to some degree.

Pretty sad really…

I really enjoyed the time we spent sharing what God is doing in each of our lives, families and ministries. As I sat in the foyer I flipped thru the Whitford literature and saw that they are doing a lot of good stuff in the community, they are involved with a lot of mission projects and Mark told me that at some stage they may even plant another congregation that looks nothing like Whitford.

I am very hopeful that as I get around the guys we might be able to establish a healthy mutual respect rather than any kind of adversarial relationship.

I sense the kingdom will benefit from many kinds of churches and if we can work together to that end then God would be pretty cool with that.

“Observing the modern world, French sociologist Jacques Ellul noted a striking trend: As the Christian gospel permeates society, it tends to produce values that, paradoxically, contradict the gospel.”

Read an interesting response to that issuehere by Yanceytrois 3 the escort movie download

Yesterday, after 14 years of being a Baptist pastor I attended my first ever ‘assembly’ meeting. Assemblies are where the churches all across the state come together to discuss issues and vote on stuff.

I was hoping to keep my dismal record intact, and possibly never attend a single meeting, but yesterday did actually kindle some interest in me, so I drove across town for the day and met with other ‘Baptists’.

We were discussing the recommendations made by Paul Borden for WA Baptists to actually start becoming effective in what they do. He was fairly scathing of our current situation and in essence told us to make massive change or die.

We had a kiwi Baptist (Lindsay… someone or other) come and tell us about their experience with a similar approach.

At the end of the day its hard to say what I felt – hope? A bit… Excitement? Not really… Disappointed? No… I guess I look at the road ahead and think to myself that whoever wants to walk it has to be committed to working with systemic and organisational change. I find that fairly uninspiring stuff to do. I’d rather just get on with stuff.

Ironically the report was presented in light of the trend towards ‘post-denominationalism’… Maybe we ought to just close the denomination down, divide up the $$$ and let people get on with being church and see what happens.

I think I’ll suggest that at the next assembly…

If I ever go…

How important is reading the Bible to a person’s discipleship?

Recently I seem to be hitting a fair slab of people who tell me they haven’t picked up the Bible in ages. Everything evangelical in me reacts to that fairly strongly as a problem, but is it really a problem?…

It seems to be almost a trend in some ’emerging’ churches not to value personal reading of scripture highly even if we would say we see it as authoritative. In established churches I think the same goes on – people don’t read the Bible – but there they just don’t talk about it as openly…

Is it detrimental to discipleship if we don’t read the Bible? Does it matter?

I was reading Randy Frazee’s Connecting Church this afternoon and he makes the following points:

“Our contemporary culture consists of the most educated people in all of history but they are also the most biblically and spiritually illiterate.”

He quotes Gallup who says ‘we revere the Bible but don’t read it’ (so really we don’t download last word the dvdrip revere it at all!)

His point is that our faith is rooted in the Jesus of the Bible – in the truth of the scriptures, but if we don’t know what that truth is then how do we grow genuine Christian community? If we are all bringing our own intuitive preferences and prejudices to what discipleship/community looks like rather than a biblical framework then how do we move ahead?

The stuff I hear seems to say ‘I know I should read, but I am surviving without reading scripture, so maybe it doesn’t matter…’

Does it matter?

We don’t want people simply feeling guilty because they haven’t read the Bible this week… do we?…

Or maybe we do want them to feel guilt… Maybe its a guilt we need to feel if we call ourselves disciples and followers of Jesus?… False guilt is destructive, real guilt is like pain – a signal that all is not well.

What do you think?

Have we overestimated the value of Bible reading in our evangelical tradition or have we simply failed to practice it well and are looking for ways out?

How critical is personal reading of the Bible to a person’s spiritual formation?

“If you find God with great ease then perhaps it is not God you have found”

Merton

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Mike Yaconelli at his firey best – good enough for me to take the time to copy it out!

What happened to radical Christianity, the un-nice brand of Christianity that turned the world upside down? What happened to the category smashing, life threatening anti-institutional gospel that spread thru the first century like wildfire and was considered (by those in power) dangerous? What happened to the kind of Christians whose hearts were on fire, who had no fear, who spoke the truth no matter the consequence, who made the world uncomfortable, who were willing to follow Jesus wherever he went? What happened to the kind of Christians who were filled with passion and gratitude who everyday were unable to get over the grace of God?

I’m ready for a Christianity that ruins my life that captures my heart and makes me uncomfortable. I want to be filled with an astonishment that is so captivating that I am considered wild and un predictable and… well… dangerous! Yes I want to be dangerous to a dull and boring eligion. I want a faith that is considered dangerous by our predictable and monotonous culture?

Dangerous Wonder p.24

For anyone sick of fluffy, feel good faith Mike was a breath of fresh air… what a lossgrudge the online

It seems that spiritual disciplines change and morph at different life stages.

Just as I was really getting into a groove with one pattern of connecting with God we went and had another child, finished at LBC, had long service leave and then planted a church. I was finding that if I was reasonably disciplined I could comfortably set aside the first hour of the morning for a meditation/examen type practice.

It really worked for me and I miss it. That daily practice impacted on who I am signficantly. The fact is it just isn’t going to be possible again real soon.

So… that’s it for me and spiritual disciplines! Until my kids are adults I’ll just ‘pass’ on connecting with God…

Or…

If neccessity is the mother of invention then maybe we can invent different spiritual practices. This week at the start of the week I felt like God was saying ‘when you get up each morning to the kids (usually its me and not Danelle) rather than seeing the feeding and babysitting as a chore, see it as an act of worship. Do it with the kind of heart you would if you were serving me.’

The previous week I had done it every day and felt peeved by it. I realised that I had been hoping to find at least 30 minutes space for prayer and reflection each morning – but it just didn’t happen. I rarely get that space now and I have been annoyed by it.

Fact is not much is going to change!

So this week I approached it a little differently. I can’t say I am a better person for it – but then that’s often the nature of disciplines. What happens is rarely visible on the surface.

It was funny on Thursday morning I woke at 5.45 and thought I would sneak into my study for some quiet time before the kids woke (usually anywhere between 6.00 and 7.00). When I had been there 10 minutes a little face appeared at the door…

‘Can I see a bit of Alfy

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dad?’ (her favourite kids computer site)

It just wasn’t meant to be! I guess what I’ve been contemplating and trying to implement is the idea of developing our spirituality in every day practices. We have all spoken about it, but to do it takes a mental shift.

I’d much rather have my hour each morning, but for now… I will learn.

This week on Compass looks like being interesting…

This morning Danelle went to the local Anglican church to witness confirmations and renewals of vows by some of the folks there.

Each person was invited to write their own belief statements / creed and then read them to the congregation. I would have liked to have gone too… but it didn’t happen…

I reckon it would be an interesting exercise to write down what I believe now and compare it to what I believed 20 years ago, and then to do it again at 60. My beliefs have shifted substantially in the last 20 years.

On that, a great book for those who like to know what people believe is the one in the title of this post. Its a collection of the beliefs of ’emminent Australians’. I don’t know how emminent they are – I haven’t heard of most of them! But FYI here is a sample.

Greg Champion – apparently a well know musician pg. 51 opens by saying

I believe there are nature spirits in the garden and elsewhere.
I believe every creature, every ant, every animal is bonded to us.
I believe that plants respond to our energy.
That trees and mountains possess wisdom we can barely fathom
I believe that a man doesn’t have to do what a man doesn’t have to do.
I believe that when two men go up for the mark only one will find true happiness (that’s not deep – I just like it)
I believe that Tibetan Buddhists know nearly everything.
That all our worldly dealings are but an illusion preparing us for a greater peace.
I believe that its the God in me that helps me achieve good things
I believe if I had more brains I’d be brilliant
I believe there’s only one song and we’re all singing it.

Then Natalija Kristicevic a Croatian immigrant and uni student p. 208 writes:

I believe in God and admire his mystery. I have great faith in my religion but I respect other beliefs. I believe that religion should never be forced upon an individual. I have confidence in each person deciding what is spiritually satisfying for them.

And then back to John Casmir pg. 51 of the Sydney Morning Herald who has one very helpful observation where he says,
I believe banks are not our friends. But then after another list of random disconnected beliefs he goes on to say

More than anything, I believe there are no absolutes. Live learn, change your mind as often as you can.

The post below this one, a poem by Steve Turner, picks up on that theme beautifully!

Tonight I was speaking at a mates church in a place called Parkerville – over an hour and a quarter from Brighton, but still in the metro area! (Just!)

It was a great night with some very creative and significant ideas implemented in what it means to be and do church. One segment of the regular service is entitled ‘What The?…’ I’m not sure all of what it is about, but tonight the presenter (one of the regulars) showed a video she made at 11.AM today as she channel surfed. It was to highlight the gap between Christian culture and contemporary culture. A great idea – songs of praise meets Britney “Toxic” Spears and the football amongst other things. Made the point very creatively with no comment from her.

They also have a ‘What Now?’ segment where someone shares what they will do this week because of being there tonight. Last night a woman who had been part of the legendary Nine O’Clock Service in Sheffield shared some of what God had been saying to her.

My talk took her back to those days and the community she experienced there. What she said was only loosely related to anything I said (which is fine!) but its interesting to see how God speaks to people.

I have two more weeks speaking there – its great to be able to do things over three weeks as you don’t have to cram everything into 30 minutes.

Great bunch of people and I’m looking forward to the next two weeks!