26 September 2007

CATWALK Update

There are several new developments in the upcoming benefit that Jasheen is directing. First of all, the event has been fashionably named, CATWALK. Secondly, and more importantly, CATWALK now has full-fledged corporate sponsorship! Harris Tweed Textiles will be co-sponsoring the event along with Sgian Dubh Productions Ltd. (pronounced: skee(a)n doo). Iain McLean, a producer with Whisky Galore Films Ltd. and Sgian Dubh Productions Ltd. is a friend that I get together with every Tuesday night. After weeks of pitching the event with he and several of his colleagues, they have agreed to be the primary sponsor of CATWALK. This is a huge answer to prayer.

To recap, CATWALK is a fashion show for up-and-coming young designers in the west end of Glasgow, and 100% of the profits will go to Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre, a non-profit organization that provides care for anyone who has, or has had cancer. They also assist their families, their friends and their care-givers.

Here is a first look of the poster that will be going up around the west end to promote the event:


It has been exciting to watch all of this come together. Jasheen has put forth so much time and effort into this event, and with full sponsorship, the fruits of her labors are beginning to show. I must confess that there were times I thought she'd taken on more than she could handle, but I should never have doubted her gifts, talents and resourcefulness.

Jasheen, along with her team, has already sold 150 tickets for the November 13th event... and advertising hasn't even begun. At £25 per ticket, it's already a success.

Attendants of CATWALK will enjoy a live musical performance by singer/songwriter Ashley Ballard, a guest appearance by actor/comic Sanjeev Kohli (star of sitcom Still Game), and will be hosted by Scottish journalist/television presenter Kirsty Wark, and Scottish television presenter Kaye Adams. Attendants will also receive a free door gift, and have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction and a raffle. Auction and raffle prizes include two tickets to the 2008 T In The Park, round trip airline tickets on Zoom Airlines, and free dinners at local west end eateries, to name a few.

Other contributors and participants of CATWALK include: Elements Productions, Origins Skincare, Model Team Scotland, All Talent UK, Oran Mor, Colours Management/The Look, Starbucks Coffee, and Raspberry Design.

For information on ticket purchases, contact Elements Productions on 0790 096 8530

24 September 2007

Post-Christendom Christianity

A young pastor I know here in Glasgow is preparing to give a talk at his church on Post-Christendom Christianity. I'm not sure how relevant this topic is in the North American church, as I'm not quite sure that America has become a Post-Christian culture yet, but Scotland (and Europe, for that matter) is very much in the throes of it.

To begin with, "Post-Christendom" is a term used to describe a personal world view, ideology or society that is no longer rooted in the language and assumptions of Christianity. Thus defined, a post-Christian world is one where Christianity is no longer the dominant civil religion, but one that has, gradually over extended periods of time, assumed values, culture, and worldviews that are not necessarily Christian.

The pastor is reflecting on where we've been:
  • Constantinian Christianity - a Christianity which operates from a Christendom mindset with the key characteristic being POWER
...to where we are:
  • Post-Christendom Christianity - a Christianity which operates from an early church mindset with the key characteristic being ????
He has had an abundance of input and feedback to fill in the ????, and is still wondering what Christ-followers of today would say the key characteristics of Post-Christendom Christianity should contain, some being: authenticity, community, flexibility, relational, intergenerational, marginal, sacrificial and subversive.

I rang in with my tuppence and shared that for some time, the emerging Christian generation has been banging on about 'community,' something I've had extensive involvement with. During my ministry I've been a part of the post-modern generation discussion that has occupied the thoughts, books and seminars/conferences of emerging pastors and missionaries. I have had the notion that in 50 years time, the post-modern, post-Christian, post-whatever generation of that time will reflect back on our generation as the era where Christians worshiped at the altar of 'Community' as a self-serving, self-fulfilling clique that promoted safety and sameness. I appreciate the value of 'community' for its biblical context, but often wonder if it's run its course as a definitive term for Christian togetherness.

The key characteristics that seem most relevant to me are authenticity, relational, mission and fundamental.

When operating in a post-modern context it is crucial that we, as leaders, be authentic. One friend that I've worked closely with in the last year put it like this, "Post-modern youth are born with authenticity radar and won't put up with people who don't live what they preach." Our words have a very short shelf-life with people of the post-modern generation. If they don't see words accompanied by action, the power of the Gospel is lost on them. Erwin McManus catches this fundamental issue when he says, "What I said on Sunday wasn't nearly as important as what I did."
Our grand vision, values and inspiration are for naught if they're not lived-out in the context of mission. We can even learn some things from pop-culture. Why are characters like Harry Potter and Jason Bourne so endearing? Why has James Bond's character been reinvented? Why were audiences so taken with Frodo and Aragorn? People are drawn to and relate with flawed heroes. Perfection in any context is not believable.

Closely related to authenticity, is the need for us to be relational. This means believers, saints, brothers and sisters of the faith inviting non-believers into the intimacy of our home setting; breaking bread with them; intertwining our lives with theirs. This means being transparent before them. If we keep people at arms length, we may be able to maintain the veneer of perfection, but we will make precious little headway when it comes to inviting them into a life with Christ. We must be comfortable with our weaknesses, our fears and our failures. This is how people will best relate to us and understand our need for a perfect Father... and theirs.

I said fundamental in the context of the fundamentals of our faith - scripture, prayer, discipleship and mission - as in Acts 2. In a post-Christian society where we model our lives and practices after the early church, we must, as a collective, dive into God's word together; worship and cry out to God together; and build-up and equip one another for the purpose of returning to the battlefield together on mission.
Reading scripture together is good. Worshiping and praying together is good. Discipling and equipping others is good. But none of it is GREAT unless it is for the purpose of sending one another out to love and minister to a lost world. Collective reading and praying is the equivalent of a farmer tilling the soil. It's only necessary if he is then going to plant the seeds, work the land and harvest the crops. The tilling (praying) is necessary, but if it's not followed by action, all he's done is turn the soil over and let it breathe. It's still just dirt. 'Community' is impotent if it does not culminate with MISSION.

So these are my thoughts on ministering as the church in a post-Christian culture. I'd love to hear yours!

22 September 2007

Parenting & Helplessness are Virtually Synonymous

Few things reveal our cracks, flaws and inadequacies as much as marriage and parenting. When Gabrielle was born I had a glimpse of how God loves His children. Holding that precious, fragile life in my hands and knowing that her need for me was so great... even if she herself had no idea. I was reminded of our Father's love again when Isabelle was born 18 months later. But recently I got to identify with another of God's parenting attributes - Grief... amidst his children's suffering.

Isabelle was admitted to Glasgow's Yorkhill Children's Hospital on Thursday afternoon and diagnosed with croup, a respiratory virus/disease that afflicts infants and young children. The symptoms (fever, sinus infection, "barking cough") are caused by inflammation of the larynx and upper airway, which restrict breathing and lower oxygen levels. The doctors decided that it was best to keep her overnight for observation and make sure that she didn't take a turn for the worse.

Nearly seven months old and already spending the night in hospital - not a place parents expect to find themselves so soon after their birth. What made it even harder was watching Isabelle labor to breathe and struggle to get sound sleep. Her wheezing and subsequent pain in her throat when she coughed was heartbreaking.

Being the primary source of food, Jasheen elected to stay overnight with Isabelle. The isolation unit they kept Isabelle in was furnished with a bed for parents. I had to return home with Gabrielle so she could eat, sleep and question where mommy and sissy were. "Mommy and Sissy have to stay at the hospital," I explained, "but we can pray for them and ask God to heal sissy and let her come home tomorrow." There's nothing sweeter than the prayer of a two-year-old... even if it's relatively unintelligible and scattered with distractions of hiding behind the curtains and feeding dolly a sip of milk.
Jasheen's evening was less endearing... and less restful.

The prayer chain extended beyond our immediate prayer warriors and we received multiple email-words of encouragement and prayer. Thankfully, Isabelle is resting here at home now and showing marked improvement in both her breathing and her emotional health. She's smiling, sleeping and feeding again. Praise God!

It's these experiences that put life into perspective. All the petty things that occupy our thoughts and fuel our anxieties fall to the wayside, and we discover the things that really matter... and are reminded how grateful we should be. I have a wife that LOVES me and her children very much. I have two beautiful, healthy girls that light up whatever rooms they're in. I have a God that loves me even more than I love each of them... and He anguishes when I suffer. I have family and friends that love, care and support us... and they are there for us whenever we need.

Thank you all for your prayers and well-wishes. It was a real source of comfort and encouragement.