tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-167676262024-03-13T00:25:47.031+00:00the McKenziesFaith, Family, Life & MinistryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-35857431062720794102011-03-01T15:38:00.004+00:002011-03-01T15:46:55.606+00:00I heard the voice of Jesus<div style="text-align: center;">I heard the voice of Jesus say,</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Come unto me and rest;</div><div style="text-align: center;">Lay down, thou weary one, lay down</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thy head upon my breast."</div><div style="text-align: center;">I came to Jesus as I was,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Weary and worn and sad,</div><div style="text-align: center;">I found Him in a resting-place</div><div style="text-align: center;">And He has made me glad.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I heard the voice of Jesus say,</div><div style="text-align: center;">"Behold, I freely give</div><div style="text-align: center;">The living water, thirsty soul,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Stoop down and drink and live."</div><div style="text-align: center;">I came to Jesus and I drank</div><div style="text-align: center;">Of that life-giving stream;</div><div style="text-align: center;">My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,</div><div style="text-align: center;">And now I live in Him.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I heard the voice of Jesus say,</div><div style="text-align: center;">"I am this dark world's Light;</div><div style="text-align: center;">Look unto me, my morn shall rise,</div><div style="text-align: center;">And all the day be bright.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I looked to Jesus and I found</div><div style="text-align: center;">In Him my Star, my Sun;</div><div style="text-align: center;">And in that light of life I'll walk,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Till traveling days are done.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>~Horatius Bonar, 1808-1889</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-55757584821108759882011-02-13T22:39:00.002+00:002011-02-13T22:39:47.499+00:00This is only a TestTest entry to see if this is still linked to my facebook wall.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-44114331842120592332010-08-13T20:03:00.007+01:002010-08-13T20:19:29.955+01:00Is God Dead?<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: center;">“God is Dead” – Nietzsche</p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: center;">“Nietzsche is Dead” – God</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/TGWXdOoYo0I/AAAAAAAAAq4/7rRcal9Y5kA/s1600/images-1.jpeg"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/TGWXdOoYo0I/AAAAAAAAAq4/7rRcal9Y5kA/s320/images-1.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504972647929783106" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 262px; " /></a><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: center; "></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: left;">...or so bumper-sticker theology goes (nearly as famous as “To Do is To Be” – Plato; “To Be is To Do” – Aristotle; “Do Be Do Be Do” – Sinatra).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Do any of you remember this <i>TIME</i><span style="font-style:normal"> Magazine cover?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Or to rephrase, have any of you ever seen it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Currently, it’s the most famous </span><i>TIME</i><span style="font-style:normal"> cover published, dated 8 August, 1966.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Naturally, I don’t </span><i>remember</i><span style="font-style:normal"> it, but I do remember seeing it as a point of discussion when I was younger… and it disturbed me; the idea that GOD could be… DEAD.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I now understand that it was a philosophical question and not a literal one, but that provides little more comfort than my initial misinterpreted misstep… culturally speaking.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This return to blogging addresses the rise in the so-called <i>‘New Atheism’</i><span style="font-style:normal"> movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Because I live and minister in a </span><i>(so-called)</i><span style="font-style:normal"> secular society, and I find myself engaging in passionate, civil discourse with a growing number of atheists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(I know… <a href="http://chrisandjasheen.blogspot.com/2007/08/secularists-what-happened-to-reason.html">things ain’t what they used to be, huh?</a>)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Attempting to understand what many of it’s own prominent members find difficult to quantitatively define, has been an important step in reaching common ground with my atheist friends, toward fostering healthy productive discussion about life, God, meaning, and the universe.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Again… why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A common Christian sentiment today is, “If we just start acting more like Jesus then people will want what we have.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m sorry, but what the (expletive deleted) does that mean?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I certainly won’t argue that if we, as the <i>people of God</i><span style="font-style:normal">, began engaging culture with the truth and grace that Jesus personified, then yes, </span><i>some</i><span style="font-style:normal"> people might want to know more about this God we follow… but it might also get us (expletive deleted) killed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Am I prepared for that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Are </span><i>you</i><span style="font-style:normal">? The authentic answers to those two questions carry with them an inherent weight of significance far greater than any ethereal, ambiguous call to ‘be Jesus’ to our neighbours.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Freud said that we have battled Nature to advance Western Civilization.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A theological perspective on that might be that we’ve battled God for the sake of (western culture’s) progress; or more relevant to the <i>people of God</i><span style="font-style:normal">, for our place amidst the progress of western culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, that’s the topic for a future entry.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, back to the ‘why’ question; Starting in 2004, a rash of bestselling ‘pop-atheism’ books (Sam Harris’ <i>The End of Faith</i><span style="font-style:normal">; Richard Dawkins’ </span><i>The God Delusion</i><span style="font-style:normal">; Daniel C. Dennett’s </span><i>Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon</i><span style="font-style:normal">; and Christopher Hitchens’ </span><i>God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything</i><span style="font-style:normal">) launched an ongoing public debate over faith versus reason, with Harris, Dawkins, Dennett and Hitchens being dubbed ‘The Four Horsemen of Atheism.’</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Public debates as such are certainly not new in recent times, and the media has definitely emphasized the ugliest side(s) of this debate, but while atheism, as an intellectual concern, has been a time-honored aspect of philosophy, it has never been generally popular (as Socrates learned when he was put on trial for impiety).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">It should be noted that as recently as 1985 one of the most common dictionary definitions of “atheism” was “immoral.” At that time, disbelievers in a supreme deity tended to be identified with the Soviet Union as <i>‘godless commies,’</i><span style="font-style:normal"> or with so-called ‘village atheists’, caricatures of petulance who reveled in offending the sensibilities of religious believers.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">But there appears to be a resurgence of interest in atheism – both as a philosophical theory and as a life-commitment; disbelief has come out of the closet, so to speak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Faith in the Holy Spirit’s transformational power notwithstanding, I’ve discovered that listening patiently, and responding with grace and respect dispels the debate and paves the way for discussion… which I wholeheartedly believe, is paramount in challenging disbelief and skepticism.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If the Old Atheism was met by believers with resentment and dismissal, the way forward with the New Atheism is a patient willingness to LISTEN to its fundamental claims and try to understand why they are so embraced by those who uphold them. ‘Being Jesus,’ is becoming harder and harder to quantify in secular, western culture, and if we’re to reach our friends who don’t share our faith, it begins with our recognition of the significant backlash against religious fundamentalism, and as such, we must engage New Atheism with a new approach to it as a philosophical paradigm.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If the question is asked today, “Is God <i>Still</i><span style="font-style:normal"> Dead?,” the overwhelming majority of the secular world would most likely be in the affirmative.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This reality precedes a ‘being Jesus’ approach and necessitates civil discourse getting back to the relevance of ‘atonement’ for a society that no longer even considers it necessary.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I’m certainly not challenging the precept, ‘actions speak louder than words’; I still believe in preaching the gospel, using words when necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m simply saying that in some cases, our expression of the gospel may begin with a willingness to listen to beliefs and convictions contrary to our own, with an authentic desire to understand, so that we may be invited into and participate in ongoing discussions about faith, reason, grace, atonement and eternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-89828326338111528302010-01-08T12:28:00.014+00:002011-03-01T15:52:31.377+00:00Quotes ListI'll be adding to this periodically... mostly for my own point of reference.<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(128, 128, 128); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><h3 ft="{"type":"msg"}" class="GenericStory_Message" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Our Lord never lays down the conditions of discipleship as the conditions of salvation... Discipleship has an option with it - "If any man...."</span></i></b></span></h3><h3 ft="{"type":"msg"}" class="GenericStory_Message" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px !important;"><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">~ Oswald Chambers</span></span></span></i></b></h3></span><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">~ M.K. Ghandi-</span></span></div></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: rgb(0, 102, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I simply argue that the cross should be raised at the centre of the marketplace as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town's garbage heap; at a crossroad, so cosmopolitan they had to write His title in Hebrew, Latin and Greek... at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died. And that is what He died for. And that is what He died about. That is where church-men ought to be and what church-men ought to be about.</span></span><span style="font-style: italic; "><span style="font-weight: bold; "></span></span><div>~ George MacLeod of Scotland (1895-1991)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(128, 128, 128); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><h3 ft="{"type":"msg"}" class="GenericStory_Message" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible. What a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves.</span></span></b></i></span></h3><h3 ft="{"type":"msg"}" class="GenericStory_Message" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size:medium;">~ A. W. Tozer</span></span></span></b></i></span></h3><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></b></i></span></div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people except Christians ever imagine that they are guilty themselves.</span></span></span></span></b></i></div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">The vice I am talking about is pride. Pride leads to every other vice; it is the complete anti-God state of mind... for pride is a spiritual cancer; it eats up the very possibility of love or contentment, or even </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">common sense.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000099;">"</span></span></span></span></b></i></div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">~ C.S. Lewis</span></span></span></span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;"><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></b></i></span></div><div><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;">"Humans are the only creatures that blush... or need to."</span></span></span></span></b></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#006600;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-size:medium;">~ Friedrich Nietzsche</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-style: normal; font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></i></span></div></span></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-77904887272530973292009-10-29T10:20:00.046+00:002015-05-16T15:25:46.640+01:00A Warning List for Those Who Would Join a Missional Church Gathering<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/Su83z_TP-KI/AAAAAAAAApk/oHKFnRPSnpM/s1600-h/church-shoppingjpg.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399595844545542306" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/Su83z_TP-KI/AAAAAAAAApk/oHKFnRPSnpM/s400/church-shoppingjpg.jpeg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 347px;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />Heaven knows that Mosaic has had its fair share of challenges establishing itself as a viable, thriving church community over the years. There are enough reasons, theories and rational explanations to write a book on the common variables Mosaic shares with many fresh expressions of church (wait... hundreds of books have already been written on the subject); these variables have, for better or worse, shaped Mosaic into the delicate yet resilient, vacillating yet enduring, joyful yet exhausted community that we are.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">There are myriad obstacles that have challenged Mosaic's growth, depth and presence in the west end of Glasgow. Some of these obstacles are cultural; some are circumstantial; but some come from within. I wouldn't identify it as 'in-fighting,' per se. I think it's more clearly associated with a misunderstanding of what our church's vision is, and where Mosaic is going.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In my limited experience, I've come to learn that 'broken fellowship,' or relational fallout among members of the Church community, can often be linked to differences in the understanding of common values and vision, combined with the definition and application (or living-out) of those shared values and vision. What ultimately results is the loss of faith, trust and respect in one another's leadership or role within the church/community - wounding, bitterness and blame may potentially follow.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I suppose this could now become a 5-Point rhetorical analysis on the areas of character, responsibility, biblical behaviour and such, but I'd prefer to take this opportunity to </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">prehab</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> the issue by addressing the root of such problems, particularly as it relates to our existing community at Mosaic.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">David Finch is the pastor of a missional church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago called </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Life on the Vine Christian Community</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. He's also the author of </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Great-Giveaway-Reclaiming-Organizations-Psychotherapy/dp/080106483X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-8585054-3757633?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183435967&sr=8-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The Great Giveaway</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">, and writes regularly on his blog, </span><a href="http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Reclaiming the Mission</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. Almost three years ago he wrote a post entitled </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">A Warning List for Those Who Would Join a Missional Church Gathering</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. Although he admits to having written it during a time of frustration with his own church-plant, and the fact that "some people (NOT ALL!) weren't connecting with where the church was going," I found much of what he was frustrated with to be similar to that which we have encountered as a church pioneering as a missional community.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In order to make some of the core points on the list more relevant to Mosaic, some of the content has been adjusted, and as I am not currently writing from a place of frustration, the tone of the list will most definitely be different. The overall ethos of it, however, will remain true to the general message of what people can and should expect when joining a missional community church.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Like some members at Finch's church, Mosaic has struggled at times to get people on the same page with where we're headed as a church. Are we a Bible-teaching church for mature Christians? Are we a 'seeker' church for first-time churchgoers? Should people feel like they're in church when they're at Mosaic, or should it feel more like a café, a pub or a living room? Is Mosaic a place where people will grow deep into their faith in Jesus, or is it a place where they will explore spirituality and participate in ongoing discussions about God and culture and Creationism and Intelligent Design? Of course, the hope is that the answer to all of these is, Both, or Yes, or All! We could talk ad nauseum about when 'church' happens and what it means to 'be the church.' We could talk about the purpose of the Sunday gathering and who it's for and who it should really serve. But really, all I want to do is help the folks that I do life, church and community with understand what to </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">expect</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> in a missional church/community... which may be the best place to start...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">EXPECTATIONS - Many people bring with them (from previous churches) expectations that certain things will be in place when they come to church. One of the expectations that has been an ongoing topic of discussion at Mosaic has been an established youth program that is consistently in place every week that parents can count on for their kids. You know the kind - it's the only kind that most of us know - arrive, give kids hugs, kisses and name badges, and then leave them with qualified childcare providers until returning after church to collect them before going home - the Sundays of my youth in a nutshell.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I'll be the first to admit that participating in the childcare at Mosaic can be exhausting some weeks; and sometimes I fall into the trap of believing that </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">church shouldn't be so draining</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. One of the concepts that some are having great difficulty grasping, is something that many of us are convinced of... that the best way to raise children is in vital community where we encounter Christ together in worship and mission; where youth are asked to join in mission with adults (of course, we also have a high value of mentoring and educating the youth so we're not chucking the baby out with the bath water when we seek to adjust the norm when it comes to youth programs). </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">The following list could be read and viewed as somewhat harsh, or perhaps a bit off-putting - typically anything that rings with some level of absolution (especially when it conflicts with other points of view) can be interpreted as unsettling to say the least, and downright threatening at worst. Nevertheless, it's important to be wary of expectations at the outset of a missional community. Most missional gatherings begin by calling out already existing Christians to gather in a time and place to give witness to the Kingdom of God (so that God might expand it). Most seasoned Christians come from somewhere else with perspectives and expectations about what church is. I think a warning list, therefore, serves a good purpose for both the beginning stages of a community's planning, as well as for a church community (like ours) that has struggled since its inception to truly land on a common understanding of what it means to be a missional community.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I believe an important posture to have is that of a learner, or someone that is teachable. I'm not saying that on my authority this is the official missional community list. As always, these things should be unpacked, sifted through and shaped by those in the community that call Mosaic home.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Is this list necessary? What would you add or subtract from the list?</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">TEN THINGS ANYONE JOINING A 21ST CENTURY MISSIONAL CHURCH-PLANT SHOULD NOT EXPECT:</span></b></div>
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<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Should not expect</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> to come to church each week as a consumer - getting what you need for your own personal growth and development, and your kids needs, and then leave until next Sunday. Expect mission to change your life - however, expect a richer, fuller life than you ever imagined. </span></li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Should not expect</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> that Jesus will fit in to our conditioned capitalist assumptions, lifestyle, schedule or accoutrement that may have been adopted before coming to Mosaic.</span></li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Should not expect</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> to be anonymous, unknown or able to disappear in this church community. Expect to be known, loved and supported in a glorious journey.</span></li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Should not expect</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> production style excellence all the time at Sunday worship gatherings. Expect organic, simple, creative and authentic.</span></li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Should not expect</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> a </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">cracking</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> youth program that puts on a show every week and really gets the kids 'pumped up,' without parental involvement. Instead, as the years go by, with our children as a part of our lives, worship and mission (after the hype would have died down), expect our youth to have an authentic relationship with God through Christ that carries them through a lifetime of journeying with God.</span></li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Should not expect</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> every Sunday to be a 'feel good' experience, or leave feeling ecstatic. Expect that there will ALSO be times of pain, lament, exhaustion, self-examination, and just plain silence. At the same time, never let us get away with allowing you to leave unchallenged to dig deeper in your faith, worship or mission. </span></li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Should not expect</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> sermons that promise that God will prosper you with 'the life you've always wanted' if you just believe him and step out on faith and give more money. This is a life that Jesus promised would be filled with loneliness, trials and persecution. </span></li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Should not expect</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> rapid growth whereby we grow this church from 10 to 1,000 in three years. Expect slower, organic, inefficient growth that engages peoples lives where they are at, and sees troubled people who would have nothing to do with the gospel marvelously saved.</span></li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Should not expect</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> that all meetings will happen where we meet for church (The Annexe). Expect a lot of the gatherings to be in homes, out in culture, or sites of mission.</span></li>
<li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Should not expect</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> arguments over style of music, teaching or even outlying doctrinal issues like dispensationalism. Expect mission to drive conversation.</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Oh yeah... and one more thing: you </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">should not expect</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> that community comes to you. The truth is, real community in Christ requires effort and a reshuffling of priorities for you </span><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">and</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> your kids</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. I understand that you want people to come to you and reach out to you and that you're hurting and busy - we all feel that at times - but assuming that you are a follower of Jesus Christ (this message is for the people who would claim that), you must learn that the answer to all those things is to enter into the practices of "being the Body" of Christ, including sitting, eating, sharing and praying together. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">As I read and reread this before posting it, I'm reminded of the struggles we have to contend with by choosing to be part of a missional church. There are certainly easier models that I could be a part of as a leader or as member, and maybe more importantly, there are a number of churches out there that may have more mass appeal, that people may feel more comfortable in. I'm not criticizing those models, I'm simply saying that I have chosen to be part of something more organic, something messier. We'll never be program-driven or teaching-driven. We'll likely never be able to compete with youth programs that attract kids like magnets to a frenzied collision of enthusiasm and energy every week. We're not likely to volunteer how many people 'attend our church.' When we gather, we don't gather for the sake of church, and we don't gather for the sake of community. But when we gather to worship God and love people, we are the Church... and we're in community.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It may be cliché to say we are Christ-driven, but what impassions us is shaping those in our community to know and love God more deeply, and in turn, to bring His Kingdom to a hurting world through mission.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-76845376516392222782009-10-18T15:35:00.006+01:002009-11-05T11:10:53.742+00:00...these two things<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/StsqtWkxDeI/AAAAAAAAApQ/QlRrgn84gBY/s1600-h/number-2.jpg.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 248px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/StsqtWkxDeI/AAAAAAAAApQ/QlRrgn84gBY/s320/number-2.jpg.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393951937348570594" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I don’t know that I would necessarily say that I’m slow on the uptake, but I’m definitely slow on documenting or publicizing my ‘original’ thoughts, theories and ideas before someone else does.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Among other examples, the name of my personal blog, </span><a href="http://barelyevolvedcavemen.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">PunkMonk</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> – the title of a book released several years after I used the expression in casual conversation, having no real notion how to capitalize on the semi-clever self-description at the time.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I’ve also been toying with the idea of documenting some personal perspectives and experiences that I’ve developed and learned from throughout the past 10 years in ministry, and wanted to call it, </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Memoirs of a Bad Christian</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, only to discover that there’s a blog with a very similar title already… though I don’t think it’s copyrighted (Ha!).</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I’m pretty sure that the majority of lessons I have to teach will come from poor choices, ‘bad’ decisions, and failures I’ve made or participated in over the course of my life.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">There will be no references to Chris McKenzie when developing models for success.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Mine may be more of a retrospective in trial and error - in truth, grace and forgiveness.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">In other words, being perfected, not perfect.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">It would be nigh impossible to draw from the majority of my learning experiences without directly referencing our first 4½ years in Glasgow with </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Nieu</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Communities (a leadership development program that actually failed before it began.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">It just took some of us a little longer than others to face that painful truth).</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I could attempt to write generally and elusively, alluding to vague concepts and veiled accusations, but that would be unproductive and unedifying, and would just frustrate you and me both.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Probably the best way to engage this period of our lives (when relevant), and the way that is most consistent with who I am, would be to take the band-aid removal approach – just yank it off quick and get it over with and out in the open.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">It’s been more than two years since we left </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Nieu</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Communities, and a lot of healing and growing has happened in that time.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I mention this because I genuinely believe that I’ve arrived at a place where I can write on this subject from a healthy perspective that, while may not be all Sunday-morning-smiles and pleasantries, will be an open, authentic and fair account of what in hindsight was a colossal train-wreck; a tragic study in dysfunctional Christian community.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Because I have no desire or inclination to make this an accusation-laden rant to assign blame or responsibility to anyone involved, I will simply say that Jasheen and I left </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Nieu</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Communities under extremely painful and confusing circumstances where words like </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">allegedly, dismissal, betrayal, communication ban, distrust,</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">ex-communication</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> would largely sum up the experience for us.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Despite all that, we are now healthy and even grateful for how everything unfolded (this may be unpacked in a later post if I ever discuss what a dear friend has pointed out as one of my biggest flaws – ‘terminal loyalty’ or ‘loyalty to a fault’).</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I recently read a fantastic comparison between the simplicity of baseball, as presented in the film </span><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094812/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Bull Durham</span></a></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, and the passage in Mark 12 where Jesus answers the question, “Which is the most important commandment?”</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:22.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:22.0pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The Greatest Commandment</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'</span><sup><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'</span><sup><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">There is no commandment greater than these."</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">In a frustrated shower-room rant in the film </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Bull Durham</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, the manager of the minor league baseball team, the Durham Bulls, explodes in a fury over their recent losing streak, cornering the team in the showers and throwing baseball bats all over the shower floor.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">“This is a very simple game,” he shouts.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">“You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes… it rains.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">When Jesus was asked by a regional scholar what the most important commandment was, his answer was so wonderfully simple, yet summed up the entire essence of what it means to live the Christian life: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">“Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind and with all of your strength.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">There is no commandment greater than these.”</span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">At its core, Christianity is a very simple faith that we have a tendency to make excruciatingly complex and difficult.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I’m not saying that it’s easy.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I’m saying that it’s simple.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">To paraphrase and intertwine the description of baseball from </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Bull Durham</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, and the response Jesus gave in Mark 12: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Love God. </span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Love others.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Sometimes it’ll be easy.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Sometimes it’ll be hard.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Sometimes… life rains on you.</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Or my personal interpretation (and mantra, perhaps), “Love God – Love others – Do what you like.”</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Why do we always make it so annoyingly complicated?</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Jesus said that there was nothing more important than </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">these two things</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Not church, not community, not baptism, not worship music, not programmes, not position, not curriculum, not strategies.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Nothing is more important than loving God and loving others.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Why do we try and make it about anything else??? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">(I’ll come back to this)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I reflect on the last 6+ years of ministry here in Glasgow, and I can’t help but recognize the lopsided measure of failures and trials to successes and triumphs.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Almost every aspect of ministry in this place has been laden with challenging pitfalls along the way, from team dynamics to cultural adaptation; from missional living to cult-level expectations/requirements; from weak leadership to no leadership; from apathy and indifference to exhaustion and frustration; from </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Nieu</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Communities to Mosaic.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">And as I reflect, I wonder how the Church would look if we simply concentrated on </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">these two things</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">. </span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I wonder how differently things with </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Nieu</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Communities would have turned out if </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">these two things</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> had been preeminent in the handling of a delicate and complicated situation.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I wonder how many wounds and how much disillusionment could have been avoided.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Would we really care that much about worship and teaching style?</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Would we concern ourselves so much with thoughts and discussions about other people, and what they’re doing or saying?</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Would we care so much what people think about us, or whether they agree with us?</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Would we worship at the alter of Community, or would we worship at the throne of Jesus?</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">If we simply concerned ourselves with </span><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">these two things</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, we would have so much more joy and enthusiasm about living out our faith.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">We would give and receive so much more grace.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">We would be a part of something that as of yet we only stage countless meetings and read hundreds of thousands of words about.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">These two things</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">, folks, are what it’s all about.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Love God.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Love others.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">More on this stuff later… </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-78146646522861414392009-09-23T23:12:00.006+01:002009-09-24T02:56:33.922+01:00Six Years!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SrrPuS4rWfI/AAAAAAAAApI/sbkEuwe8mG4/s1600-h/Highland+Cow.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 219px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SrrPuS4rWfI/AAAAAAAAApI/sbkEuwe8mG4/s400/Highland+Cow.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384844698725341682" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />On this day six years ago I boarded a plane at LAX bound for Glasgow, Scotland. I didn't know how long I would be here, but if I'd have placed a bet then, I would have lost. Seeing as I've never lived in one place for more than six years (and that was back in elementary school), I couldn't imagine that Glasgow would be the next time I repeated that home-stand.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It's almost cliché (not to mention impossible to quantify) to say that far more than six years worth of experiences have transpired in that time. Growth, grief, faith and development largely describe the past six years of my family's lives.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In many ways it's been harder than I could have ever anticipated; an uphill struggle all the way. But at the same time, I've never felt that I belonged anywhere other than here... going through exactly what I've gone through here. And I feel today precisely as I did two days after arriving... that inasmuch as I can say about anywhere else in the world, it's home.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Since we've lived here for six years without a car, I wish that my shoes could tell the many stories of the places I've been and the people I've met; the streets I've walked and the cafés and pubs I've frequented. I've walked to Yorkhill Hospital to visit Jasheen in the Queen Mother's maternity ward both times that she was admitted there - for Gabrielle and Isabelle's births. Yes, we've had two little girls during our time here, both of which are as much Scottish as they are anything else. I dragged Jasheen onto a start-up ministry team that I will spend the rest of my days trying to convince her wasn't a cult. We've made friends that will be that for our lifetime, and said goodbye to folks we may never see or speak to again. We've cared for friends through marriages of infidelity, abuse and gross neglect - and walked through divorce with some of those same friends. From the elderly to budding teens, we've allowed our home to be a place of safety, comfort and refuge - be it play dates, movie nights, afternoon tea or bed & breakfast. And now I've turned Jasheen into a pastor's wife - by no fault of her own (ha!).</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">These past six years have been everything but dull. Life hasn't been easy. Being married to me (I'm sure) hasn't been easy. I'm sure even working with me has been challenging for some, to say the least. When we think of what might have been, had we stayed in California near friends and family, in beautiful weather and extreme convenience and relative luxury, we simply can't imagine doing life anywhere else. Glasgow isn't perfect, but it's perfectly suited to us... for such a time as this.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Six years... eligible for citizenship... a blink in light of eternity... just the beginning?</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-38568311845841113792009-08-13T22:49:00.010+01:002009-08-14T00:15:14.677+01:00To Münster, with... love?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SoSc1Z6_-3I/AAAAAAAAAo4/WlhxfzFwMVc/s1600-h/622926-19c55dd3821f5f6e1c464640a22fe940.jpg.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SoSc1Z6_-3I/AAAAAAAAAo4/WlhxfzFwMVc/s320/622926-19c55dd3821f5f6e1c464640a22fe940.jpg.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369589097037822834" /></a><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"> <!--StartFragment--> </span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">As departure time for an upcoming trip draws nearer and nearer, life begins to blur a bit; tunnel vision sets in; anxiety flares; lists are made and items are checked off; and then ultimately, after staying up for two hours longer than you should’ve, nothing else exists in the world except for leaving on time, and remembering to bring everything.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">That’s about the time that I start playing a little game that has developed over the course of my extensive travel experience (I’m not boasting.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">My parents live in the U.S. and Jasheen’s parents live in Singapore.; We have to travel to a staff conference once a year that’s typically somewhere that’s not Britain; we have good friends in different parts of Europe that we can usually get to for pretty inexpensive airfare – like £0.01 sometimes – all that to say, we have a lot of stamps in our passports).</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Anyway, as I was saying… It’s about that time that I start playing a little game called, “How far into the trip will we get before I come completely unglued and make Jasheen revisit her reasons for marrying me.”</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">It’s not nearly as fun as it sounds.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Before I share at which point in our travels the wheels came off, I’ll just detail the outbound leg of our journey:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:45.6pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 45.6pt"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">·</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Taxi (from home to Glasgow Central Train Station – 10min)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:45.6pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 45.6pt"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">·</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Train (from Glasgow to Prestwick Airport – 45min)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:45.6pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 45.6pt"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">·</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Airplane (Glasgow/Prestwick to Frankfurt – 1 hr 30min)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:45.6pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 45.6pt"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">·</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Foot (Frankfurt-Hahn Airport to My Place hotel – 20min)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:45.6pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 45.6pt"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">·</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">SLEEP – 5 hrs</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:45.6pt;text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 45.6pt"><span style="font-family:Symbol;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">·</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Car (Frankfurt to Münster – 3 hrs 11min – not including stops)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">This journey began at about 5.30p on Tuesday evening and commenced at about 4.30p on Wednesday afternoon.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">And in case you’re wondering, we wash, rinse and repeat on Saturday – yippee.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">To be fair, our little girls were amazing.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I mean, amazing in the way that makes you look at your kids, then look at your spouse, then look back at your kids, then look straight at the audience and ask in external narrative, “who are they and what have they done with my kids?”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">(Right before we left the flat, I jumped on the computer and frantically sent out an email to our beloved eNewsletter list requesting prayer for the conference we’re at, and travel mercies for our girls – who typically are NOT good travelers.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">It wasn’t very far into the trip that I noticed that people had responded.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The way Gabrielle and Isabelle held up on the journey is inexplicable apart from being bathed in prayer.)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Ok.. so now that you know the timeline of the trip, we can get back to where this all started, my fun little game.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I won’t keep you in suspense any longer.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I left the flat feeling surprisingly good considering the upcoming journey that lay ahead.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Jasheen even made a point to say, “Wow, you’re relatively relaxed,” something that was clearly uncharacteristic.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">And I felt good.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">What could go wrong?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">When we arrived at Glasgow Central and were about 30 yards into the station, Jasheen exclaimed, “Oh!</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I don’t have my license!!!”</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">(for the record, this is the point in the trip where my little game ended – I made it about 15 minutes into the journey)</span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">The license she was referring to was her driver’s license; the driver’s license that we would need in order to collect the rental car because we rented the car in her name since my license is expired; the driver’s license that was, at that moment, in her purse at home behind our locked front door.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">And there wasn’t enough time to return home, get the license and get back to the station to catch our train.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">“Seriously,” I asked, “you don’t have it???”</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I wasn’t angry at Jasheen, let’s get that straight right off.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">I began to play out the potential scenarios of how this could effect our trip, none of which ended with us actually getting the car.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">So with the first leg of our trip done and dusted (the taxi), I launch with this zinger, “I’m honestly considering punting the trip and just going home.”</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Jasheen’s eyes got really big, but not in that ecstatic, you-just-gave-me-a-diamond-ring kind of big… more like that, I-know-donkeys-with-more-sense-and-class-than-you kind of big.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">And at that point I had effectively ruined Jasheen’s trip until around the time we landed in Germany.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">It’s a gift.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Needless to say, we carried on with our trip with the plan that we hoped the person at the rental car desk simply wouldn’t notice that my license expired in 2007.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">No such luck.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">After spending the night in Frankfurt, we proceeded to the car rental desk… and after being denied we were once again faced with the option to return home early.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Having assessed our options, Mike and Carol Kurtyka, whom we were traveling with, offered to rent the car with one of them as the driver.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Problem solved.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Reflecting back on the journey, I can’t help but review the trip in Billy Joel style, a la We Didn’t Start the fire fashion:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Got a taxi, Got a train,</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Forgot a license, went insane,</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Caught the airplane, Ryan Air,</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Walked to hotel, didn't care</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Gabrielle wet the bed,</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Jasheen started seeing red</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Tried to rent a car, got blanked</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Thought the trip had finally tanked</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Carol drove, Sophie chucked</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Now our trip was really… well, not that bad.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Arrived in Münster half past four</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Room was on the 2nd floor,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Now we’re here, where we belong</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Traveled safe, but a bit too long.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Can’t rent a car you liar!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Your license is expired</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Your ruse is oh so tired.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Well, we're here... in the land of bier, schnitzel, bratwurst, and the autobahn. It's so great to be back in Germany after so long. I revisited Munich in 1990 after returning to the States in 1989, but have long waited to return. Two more days and then we're back to Glasgow. Can't to see what adventure that brings! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-52134470914081874502009-06-24T15:10:00.003+01:002009-06-24T15:19:43.262+01:00Something from this past Sunday<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">St. Ignatius of Loyola's <b><i>Examen</i></b><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The <b><i>Examen</i></b> traditionally has five steps:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1. <b><i>Recall you are in the presence of God.</i></b> No matter where you are, you are a creature in the midst of creation and the Creator who called you forth is concerned for you.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2. <b><i>Give thanks to God for favours received.</i></b> Pause and spend a moment looking at this day's gifts. Take stock of what you received and gave. Notice these clues that guide living.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br />3. <b><i>Ask for awareness of the Holy Spirit's aid.</i></b> Before you explore the mystery of the human heart, ask to receive the Holy Spirit so that you can look upon your actions and motives with honesty and patience. The Spirit gives a freedom to look upon yourself without condemnation and without complacency and thus be open to growth. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">4. <b><i>Now examine how you are living this day.</i></b> Recalling the events of your day, explore the context of your actions. Review the day, hour by hour, searching for the internal events of your life. Look through the hours to see your interaction with what was before you. Ask what you were involved in and who you were with, and review your hopes and hesitations. What moved you to act the way you did?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">5. <b><i>Pray words of reconciliation and resolve.</i></b> Having reviewed this day of your life, look upon yourself with compassion and see your need for God and try to realize God's manifestations of concern for you. Express sorrow for sin, give thanks for grace, and praise God for the times you responded in ways that allowed you to better see God's life.<br /></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:11px;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-57239860684162648122009-06-16T19:46:00.020+01:002009-06-18T18:43:32.301+01:00Online Catharsis<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SjpjS-yURkI/AAAAAAAAAoo/W0QHny0f7TE/s1600-h/facebook-logo.jpg.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SjpjS-yURkI/AAAAAAAAAoo/W0QHny0f7TE/s320/facebook-logo.jpg.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348696685198722626" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Purging My Emotions Regarding Online Absence</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div>I don't know why it's been so difficult to maintain my blog. Of course, life is busy, but I used to find the time to sit down and type out my thoughts and experiences, and keep people relatively up to date with what was going on with the McKenzie Clan.<div><br /><div>I have had so many things I've wanted to share on this blog, from... blogging to facebook; from family sickness (I have a throat infection and both girls have chicken pox in varied stages) to pub theology; from books I've read, to ministering in a pluralistic society; from missional community to intimacy with Jesus; from homosexual ministers to dialoguing with Mormons.</div><div>The thing about blogging though, is that if you don't do it in a timely manner, the potency of the moment is kind of lost, and then it's just a process of recapturing the moment and manufacturing an appropriate level of passion for whatever that particular subject or experience was. I suppose a blog could be a simple report on what's going on... but seriously (and I'm not being cynical), very few people's lives are really interesting enough to chronicle daily, or even weekly, accounts of what's happening in, to or around them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Which brings me to my next point. I've begun to see blogging, like facebook, MySpace, online journaling and personal profiles, as another extension of the social networking phenomena that is sweeping... nay... has swept the planet, that really amounts to nothing more than a serious case of global narcissism. We create entire online personas of ourselves - profile pictures, interests and activities, friends lists, favorites lists - all carefully and strategically thought out to showcase to the world the very best version of ourselves; the best looking; the most spiritual; the most interesting. </div><div>I was reading in <i>Adbusters Magazine</i> a few months ago about a person who decided to commit 'facebook suicide' (delete their account). Ironically, the decision came about as they were trying to enhance their profile. They were looking for a new, clever quote that would show depth and introspection, when they came across a quote from Aristotle on a quotes website:</div><div><br /></div><div>"We are what we repeatedly do."</div><div><br /></div><div>What then are we? If all of our time is spent changing our profile pictures on facebook, thinking of clever status updates for facebook, checking our profile pages multiple times in a day to see if anyone has commented or responded to our most recent posts, is this what we are? People who revisit their own thoughts and images for hours each day? <a href="http://barelyevolvedcavemen.blogspot.com/2009/06/thoughts-on-me-generation-v-generation.html">Have we become the most narcissistic people the world has ever known?</a> The most voyeuristic? The most egotistic?</div><div>(click on link to examine this question further)</div><div><br /></div><div>Now consider this cultural trend of self-obsession in light of missionaries. A big part of a missionary's ministry is "donor relations," the job of keeping up with and maintaining communication with one's support base. But I've discovered that my recent view of online personas has permeated my view of missionary personas, as well. On our websites, blogs and in newsletters, we too can create the best versions of ourselves. Missionaries are often compelled to sensationalize their ministry experiences or random encounters with people in their neighborhoods or in coffee shops - making them sound more dynamic than the lives of the 'normal' people that support our ministries. We may feel the need to create context or share statistics such as, "Glasgow is the most violent city in western Europe," and "Two of Europe's 10 worst neighborhoods are in Glasgow." These are true statements, but I don't know many people other than missionaries who discuss that kind of data... in newsletters and on blogs. </div><div>I guess what I'm saying is that, in the same way that I grew tired of constantly enhancing the online version of myself, I grew tired of enhancing the missionary version of myself, too. Yes, I'm one of the pastors of a church-plant, but to be honest with you, I really don't feel much like a missionary at all. I feel kind of like a guy that has been blessed with enough time during the week to reach out and share God with as many people as I can; to meet people where they're at and when they're available to talk about their spiritual journey; to process through pain and loss with folks at any given time of day or night.</div><div>I guess I just got tired of sensationalizing those encounters and exploiting the people involved. So I kind of stopped writing newsletters or blogging about daily life encounters. I'm certainly not saying that was the answer. I feel I've done a grave injustice to my donors and a disservice to my family by not communicating more regularly with supporters. I guess I'm just recognizing how the self-obsessed online culture has affected me over time and how I'm trying to gain proper perspective in how to balance the good with the bad</div><div>...because there is good...</div><div><br /></div><div>For all the pitfalls and delusions of connection that accompanies facebook, there is, indeed, a positive side to all of it, too. Facebook is a remarkable tool for reconnecting you with people you may have otherwise lost touch with forever... especially those people you lost touch with before the days of email and the internet. I have found or been found by friends I lost touch with 20+ years ago when I moved from Munich, Germany to California. I may never have rekindled those friendships if not for facebook. Now I may have the opportunity to visit some of those old friends in Munich this summer when I'm scheduled to attend a conference in Muenster.</div><div>Being a third-culture kid living away from friends and family in the U.S., I'm also able to stay connected with people better through facebook than if I relied on the telephone or email. And thankfully, I haven't had any of those awkward or inappropriate online reunions with girlfriends-past. Probably the worst thing I do on facebook is brag about my kids through pictures. I love posting picture updates of my girls. I think they're beautiful and so naturally, I assume that everyone else will, too. It's sort of like, "Look what I made!!!"</div><div><br /></div><div>To be honest, I expected to do a mini-rundown on what's gone on with us these last few months, and what's going on with us for the next few (how funny is that?), but it sort of turned into this cathartic process of understanding and describing why I've struggled to write newsletters or blog posts for the past six months.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll keep trying to do better... while maintaining journalistic integrity and respect for the people I encounter every day.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-12518541823477779222009-06-02T14:48:00.002+01:002009-06-02T14:51:31.546+01:00Definition of the New Testament experience of church (ekklesia)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; "><i>Organic church life is profoundly simple yet endlessly complicated. It satisfies the deepest longings of the human spirit but frustrates the soul and bids death to the flesh. It’s at the same time rewarding and maddening–it is without a doubt the greatest spiritual experience a mortal can know. Why? Simply because God has chosen the </i><em>ekklesia </em><i>in her organic expression to reveal the glories and the riches of His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to bring to this earth the fellowship that exists within the Trinity.</i></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">-Frank Viola</span></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-52511705469389914332009-05-12T16:53:00.001+01:002009-05-12T16:55:18.432+01:00Comedian Steve Harvey's Introduction to Jesus<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; white-space: pre; "><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yEMrz0QhhA0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yEMrz0QhhA0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-65261923013340141942009-03-11T11:26:00.007+00:002009-03-12T16:07:49.825+00:00Life in the Fast Lane<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/Sbez_mdU7NI/AAAAAAAAAog/M2Ui7OofxIs/s1600-h/fast_lane_burbank.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/Sbez_mdU7NI/AAAAAAAAAog/M2Ui7OofxIs/s320/fast_lane_burbank.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311912190743473362" /></a>Once again, my blog updates have fallen victim to the <a href="http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:2QXDj3mfklYJ:www.uga.edu/navigators/Resources/Tyranny%2520of%2520the%2520Urgent%25202.doc+tyranny+of+the+urgent+essay+charles+hummel&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&client=safari">Tyranny of the Urgent</a>. Our lives have had so little margin since the beginning of the year that 'normal life' seems a distant reality. We just can't seem to slow down... and in some cases, it appears we don't want to.<div>For the past several years we've used the analogy of having a revolving door installed to our flat to accommodate the coming and going of all our visitors. Never has it seemed more appropriate than now. Since December, we've had house guests every month... usually multiple guests per month, and it looks as though that trend will continue until at least August.</div><div>In addition, we have and host more dinners, meetings, birthday parties, baby showers, gatherings, and general hangout times than we've ever done before. Yes, that includes when we had apprentices/students filing in and out on a weekly basis for 3 years.</div><div><br /></div><div>The thing is, this exercise of hospitality is simultaneously life-giving and taxing. We can honestly say that each of our house guests have been a blessing; they've been encouraging, helpful and gracious - playing with our kids, babysitting them, and helping out around the flat. In most cases, they simply jump into our routines with us.</div><div>As good as it's been to host these great folks - friends and family - we're loving the family time that we're getting for the next couple of weeks. Our girls are so used to having folks in the house, that when a bathroom door is closed or the curtains are drawn, they call out for the guest they think is responsible for that.</div><div>It has been good, however, to really concentrate on giving Gabrielle and Isabelle our undivided attention.</div><div><br /></div><div>Aside from the hospitality, Jasheen and I have some pretty exciting things in the cooker right now, not the least being a new missional endeavor for me. I've taken the point on a project that would see <a href="http://www.findachurch.co.uk/churches/ns/ns56/mosaic/">Mosaic</a> launch and indoor skateboard park in the city of Glasgow. In a place that sees so much rain, this could be a great place for local kids to skate during the cold, winter months. We anticipated the park being built and ready by the end of the year, but research showed that the project will take much longer than that. In addition to acquiring the necessary funding for the park, we also need time to find the right facility and get all of the certifications and permissions needed to launch and operate such a business. It will be a business. It will need to be at least profitable enough to cover the costs required to keep it open. No margin, no mission.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm in the process of raising a team of folks to help with the administrative legwork for the project - not my strongest suit. Jasheen has been vital to much of this on the front end. Her business knowledge and experience has really helped me grasp a realistic timeframe for this endeavor. We're praying about how all of this is going to come together, but one thing I would LOVE is if someone would catch the passion and vision of this project and take a year of their life to join us over here and commit to the project until it's ready to open. But that's just a dream and prayer of mine.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, I'm continuing to serve at <a href="http://www.findachurch.co.uk/churches/ns/ns56/mosaic/">Mosaic</a> and Jasheen continues to be supermom and piano teacher.</div><div>The girls are growing so fast. At 3 1/2, Gabrielle is still a relational dynamo... making friends hand over fist at nursery school. Isabelle turns 2 this month, and she is doing well to keep up with her sister in all their playful adventures.</div><div><br /></div><div>I will try to be more diligent in keeping the blog current. Several folks have been encouraging me to write a book (subject of said book is still coming together), and some of the most important exercises for writing is... well, writing... and reading. I'm going to try and write a little everyday, perhaps in blog posts, and perhaps in my own journal. Either way, it should help me keep up with the blog better.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-68130714045341728712008-12-31T14:08:00.003+00:002009-02-13T14:15:29.160+00:002008 Reading List<div>It was kind of a slow year for reading. Maybe I'll get back into a reading rhythm this year!</div><div><br /></div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Skeptic-Wrestles-Questions-Christianity/dp/1564762440/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219230248&sr=1-2">Gregory A. Boyd: Letters from a Skeptic</a><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Letter-Christian-Nation-Vintage-Harris/dp/0307278778/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219230312&sr=1-1">Sam Harris: Letter to a Christian Nation</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shack-William-P-Young/dp/0964729237/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219230080&sr=8-2">William P. Young: The Shack</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Punk-Monk-Monasticism-Ancient-Breathing/dp/0830743685/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205191231&sr=8-1">Andy Freeman & Pete Greig: Punkmonk - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">New Monasticism and the Ancient Art of Breathing</span></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Survivor-Thirteen-Unlikely-Mentors/dp/0385502753/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204622964&sr=8-1">Philip Yancey: Soul Survivor</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Suburbia-Have-Tamed-Lifestyle/dp/084990059X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204077413&sr=1-1">Miroslav Volf: Free of Charge</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://chrisandjasheen.blogspot.com/2008/02/book-review-jesus-of-suburbia.html">Mike Erre: The Jesus of Suburbia</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://chrisandjasheen.blogspot.com/2008/02/book-review-community-101.html">Gilbert Bilezikian: Community 101</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Welkening-Three-Dimensional-Tale/dp/1582293554">Greg Spencer: The Welkening - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">A Three Dimensional Tale</span></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Traveler-Fourth-Realm-Trilogy-Book/dp/1400079292/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204077228&sr=8-2">John Twelve Hawks: The Traveler</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-92038451425677341382008-12-15T15:47:00.005+00:002008-12-15T17:40:47.037+00:00Fire in the... bins?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SUaV6pDKh-I/AAAAAAAAAns/AA0TtrSVVaw/s1600-h/burning_motorcycle.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SUaV6pDKh-I/AAAAAAAAAns/AA0TtrSVVaw/s320/burning_motorcycle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280072447822563298" /></a>As Mosaic was about to get started yesterday, and I was just switching my mobile phone to silent, Jasheen (ill at home) rang frantically, "Chris, the bins are on fire!!!"<div><br /></div><div>The bins she was referring to sit unattractively to the left of our front window. Due to the increased size of todays' waste bins, the excessive rubbish produced by an average family, and the fact that there are three families that occupy our building, we have three large brown plastic bins for organic garden waste, three large blue plastic bins for recyclables, and five large green plastic bins for other rubbish - scratch that - we HAD five large green plastic bins for other rubbish.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Chris, the bins are on fire!!!" </div><div>There's pretty much only one response to that phrase, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT??? WHAT BINS?!?!?"</div><div>"The green bins. They're on fire," Jasheen repeated.</div><div><br /></div><div>What followed was a realtime report of what was happening, from dialing 999 (Emergency), to attempting to douse the 6' flames with a bucket of water (which seemed only to make the blaze spit sparks in all directions), to a description of the trail the fire was blazing, to the arrival of the hunky firemen who finally conquered the inferno.</div><div><br /></div><div>We were left with a hunk of molten plastic, ash and charred debris. Remember the Simpson's episode when Bart accidently burned down their Christmas tree and all their presents, and then buried the evidence in the snow? Well, our bins look like that; one solid piece of melted gunk.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's oddly funny, actually. On Saturday we woke to discover that our boiler wasn't working properly and we could not heat our flat - it's winter here and the temperature outside is literally freezing. Being an old, drafty structure, our flat gets really cold really fast if there is no heat. We spent most of the entire day in the lounge with a space heater while the rest of the flat was a meat locker. Needless to say, it was challenging to have a good attitude... especially since we've all been sick.</div><div>So we watched TV... and what did we watch? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Extreme Makeover: Home Edition</span> - that show where a disadvantaged family goes from a shack to a mansion in a massive exhibition of compassion, goodwill and free advertising. It really helped put things in perspective, and by the end of the fourth episode - yeah, it was on back-to-back all day long - we were very grateful for our freezing, drafty, old flat.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our gratefulness extended through Sunday as we thanked God for the couple who came knocking on our door to tell us that the bins were on fire right next to our living room window. Who knows how bad it could have been if no one was home to call 999?</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-38719885640084182992008-12-01T01:42:00.005+00:002008-12-01T14:16:54.882+00:00St. Andrews Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/STNC3QDeLUI/AAAAAAAAAnc/NVOTxEYRpuo/s1600-h/flag-of-scotland.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/STNC3QDeLUI/AAAAAAAAAnc/NVOTxEYRpuo/s320/flag-of-scotland.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274633105550748994" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Today we celebrated Scotland's main national holiday, St. Andrews Day. While I won't go into detail about the history of the holiday, I thought I'd share a St. Andrews prayer:<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">O Christ, our Lord,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Who didst beautify the most blessed Andrew</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">with the grace of apostleship,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">and the crown of martyrdom,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">by granting to him this special gift,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">that by preaching the mystery of the cross,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">he should merit death on the cross;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">grant us to become most true lovers of Thy holy cross,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">and deny ourselves,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">to take up your cross</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">and follow Thee;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">that by sharing Thy sufferings in this life,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">we may deserve the happiness</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">of obtaining life everlasting.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Amen. (Attributed to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Eusebius</span>, 263-339 c.e.)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/STNDNMd9-eI/AAAAAAAAAnk/cMqR8bN_hrk/s320/DSCN6436.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274633482545265122" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 320px; " /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Me, teaching on St. Andrews Day Sunday, wearing my kilt.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(the lighting was bad so treating it has made the photo look a little washed-out)</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-59894203135346827952008-11-02T14:24:00.009+00:002008-11-02T14:50:40.309+00:00Halloween: The Holiday of Good & Evil<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SQ28ZHtYpEI/AAAAAAAAAnE/fEwC6gxiC8o/s1600-h/DSCN6270.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SQ28ZHtYpEI/AAAAAAAAAnE/fEwC6gxiC8o/s320/DSCN6270.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264070679218136130" /></a>There are several different takes that people have on Halloween. Some argue its pagan roots, while others claim its Christian origins. Either way, I thought I'd share a brief blurb on our first real Halloween to speak of in Glasgow.<div>Until this year, we really didn't have much reason to celebrate Halloween (i.e. We didn't have kids old enough to grasp the concept of free candy).</div><div><br /></div><div>Just before going out for some trick-or-treating, Isabelle, our little Angel (costumed and otherwise), decided to projectile vomit all over the hallway of our flat. Funny... I thought that happened after the excessive candy ingestion. So Gabrielle and I joined some of the neighborhood kids for a little door-to-door begging.</div><div><br /></div><div>We discovered, however, that it's not begging at all. There was none of this ring the doorbell, say 'trick-or-treat,' and get a free handout, no. The children are invited in - sometimes as far as into the living room, but usually into the entry way - and asked to perform their 'party piece,' which may be anything from a song, a dance, or a joke. These kids have to work for their treats.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SQ28q81X1SI/AAAAAAAAAnM/Ydt2HyOWVF8/s320/DSCN6280.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264070985536492834" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px; " /></div><div>This is really a very cool tradition. It fosters deeper connection within the neighborhood. After living in our new flat for exactly a month, Halloween couldn't have come at a better time. We've already been in our neighbors' flats. We've met them in more intimate ways than just a passing hello on the street. And I got to show off my kid... the one not covered in puke, for now.</div><div><br /></div><div>For a holiday that catches a lot of flack from some, and is an excuse to be a menace to a few (our flat was also egged by some local youths that decided to hit just about every flat on our block), and is just a downright celebration of evil to others, our first experience trick or treating proved to be a great way to meet our neighbors, and have some good clean fun.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-63395003611317694882008-10-27T12:38:00.003+00:002008-10-28T14:22:54.980+00:00Skateboarding in Scotland: An Enoch Magazine WebisodeThis is just a little video some friends of mine made when they came over to Scotland to document a skateboarding ministry here. This was made almost a year-and-a-half ago, but they just sent me the link... I think this is one of several videos made of the trip, and the first one that I'm in.<br /><br /><embed src="http://blip.tv/play/gbdD1agOjvNg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="608" height="456" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-4823179486780491132008-10-19T00:54:00.010+01:002008-10-20T23:55:41.084+01:00Some 'splaining<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SPqFkLq_-0I/AAAAAAAAAmc/08EoCsEYZ0U/s1600-h/17-33-54-sm.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SPqFkLq_-0I/AAAAAAAAAmc/08EoCsEYZ0U/s320/17-33-54-sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258662371563404098" /></a>A little over a week ago I posted an entry entitled <a href="http://chrisandjasheen.blogspot.com/2008/10/failure.html">"failure."</a> I've been contacted privately by several readers asking me to explain (or elaborate on) the demise of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities in Glasgow.<div>First off, I must say that I'm not going to write and open-letter addressing this subject. I am willing to speak personally/one-on-one about it, but I'm not going to publicly address it. I feel I should also point out that the purpose of the post was not to emphasize that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities failed. I was simply using a conversation that I'd had earlier in the week as a launching pad into the processing I'd begun on the issue of failure in general.</div><div>I simply found it intriguing that I had already begun the internal process of evaluating personal and group failures during my time in Glasgow, when the conversation with my friend spontaneously occurred one evening while we were out.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I mentioned in the post, I can only speak for Jasheen and myself regarding these matters, but to understand what 'failure' meant in this context, one would have to understand and consider the vision, values and purpose of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities as a whole. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities endeavored to be a missional <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">community</span>, thus, failure was a collaborative effort. The operative words there are 'missional' and 'community.' While 'missional' is not a recognized word in English dictionaries, its generally understood to mean, "relating to or connected to a religious mission."</div><div>'Community,' on the other hand is easy to define, and it's key characteristics are commonality, social group, shared location, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 'failure' I alluded to in the original post had to do with our failure as a community, and the subsequent withdrawal of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities from Glasgow. Despite the end result, Jasheen and I have experienced and enjoyed a flourishing five years of ministry here. Our place and calling in Glasgow has never been in question, and as the smoke has settled, we remain right where we belong. We may never fully understand God's hand in what happened during our time with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities, but for now, we can humbly accept that He used it as a vehicle to get us here, and perhaps it will serve further as the vehicle that leads us into further works in Europe and/or beyond.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not sure that this serves as a satisfactory 'elaboration,' but I feel it's the best I can do as a public address.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-82613182448594982482008-10-16T01:32:00.003+01:002008-10-16T01:52:06.194+01:00New York State of Mind<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SPaPr-ehQKI/AAAAAAAAAmE/eHRSve9C-5c/s1600-h/new-york-city.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SPaPr-ehQKI/AAAAAAAAAmE/eHRSve9C-5c/s320/new-york-city.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257547600669786274" /></a><br />Here's a little trip that sort of snuck up on me, but Jasheen will be leaving me and the girls this Friday and flying to New York City. This is all part of the process we're going through to finalize her permanent residence in the U.S. since she married an American. Although we live in Scotland, this is necessary for future trips to the U.S., and of course, in the event that we relocate there.<div> <div>This trip almost seems like a game show prize. Airline miles were given to her for the flight; a hotel is being covered by a friend that I went to Westmont with who is a flight attendant, who is also meeting her there and spending a girly weekend in The Big Apple with her... and taking her for a spa day!</div><div>The whole purpose of the trip is so that Jasheen can get a stamp in her passport that proves she was in the continental U.S. before 1 November... everything else is just bonus.</div><div><br /></div><div>This trip to New York caps a month that has brought with it several 'firsts.' We just made our first move as a family unit into a new flat; we watched our 3-year-old go to her first day of nursery school on 1 October; I built our first outdoor play apparatus - a wooden playhouse - and Jasheen is going on her first trip away from our girls for the first time since either of them was born (Bali doesn't count b/c we did that together). Incidentally, Jasheen's trip brings with it my first stay-at-home experience with the girls, too.</div><div><br /></div><div>If you are of the praying persuasion, toss one up for all of us this weekend. Jasheen leaves on Friday and returns Tuesday. I'll have the girls for five days without the help and security of mommy. Something tells me that Jasheen is in for a more relaxing weekend than I am.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-62442869052499831812008-10-11T11:55:00.012+01:002008-10-12T01:40:52.659+01:00"failure"<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long<br /> and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones<br /> that open for us. - Alexander Graham Bell</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">"NieuCommunities was a complete and utter failure," insists the bloke sitting across from me in The Chip, a local pub on Ashton Lane in Glasgow's west end. More than a year and a half removed from <span style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities and I still find myself haunted by conversations like this.<br />The 'bloke' I'm with is a good friend whom I join down the pub once a week with a few others for some good chat (usually), and to be fair, he's earned the right to have an opinion. I've known him since the first month I moved here, and though he's "not particularly religious," he became quite familiar with <span style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities from very early on.<br />"I could have told you it was going to fail within six months of your arrival," he adds. <span style="font-style: italic;">Oh</span>, I think to myself, <span style="font-style: italic;">it took me a little longer</span>.<br />"It's not that it wasn't a good plan," he continues, "it's just that the wrong people came."<br /><br />Hindsight is 20/20.<br /><br />Thank goodness he regulalrly inserts the phrase, "except for you and Jasheen," otherwise I'd probably be feeling pretty worthless about now. He continued to share with me his thoughts on how and why the organization I originally came to Glasgow with has since pulled up stakes and closed shop - or in his words, "failed." His thoughts are not personal; they're not emotionally charged. In fact, he has little to no personal agenda at all. He's just astute, and afterall, we did come to <span style="font-style: italic;">his</span> town.<br /><br />The west end is a relatively small place for being home to a couple of hundred thousand people. I would have expected by now that these conversations would have run their course, and Jasheen and I would just be... Jasheen and I, working with Mosaic, teaching piano, etc. But no. In many ways we are still called upon to account for and explain the whos, whats and whys of <span style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities.<br /><br />In any case, the idea of examining 'failure' began while I was in Geneva a few weeks ago at a Coaching Leaders workshop provided by CAI and led by longtime friend, Keith Webb (<a href="http://www.creativeresultsmanagement.com/">Creative Results Management</a>). I began thinking of 'failure' beyond the arena of life-coaching. This wasn't an exercise in self-deprecation, but of self-examination; of reflection.<br /><br />Last week I dropped Gabrielle off at her nursery and adjourned to a little coffee shop down the street to wait. As I sat in Chapter One, I began reflecting on my own personal failures over the past five years in Glasgow - my failures as a husband, as a father, as a leader, and as a follower. My thoughts then turned to the failures of my team... probably because of the previous night's conversation with my friend.<br /><br />At the coaches training workshop, Keith Webb stated, "Failure is an emotionally-charged word. Discouragement is its constant companion. 'Failure' also has a note of finality or completeness. Black or white. Bad or good. Fail or succeed."<br /><br />As I continued to reflect on these things, I considered the end result of <span style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities in Glasgow. To put it in a black and white context, we appear to have failed, at least to local onlookers. However, while the overall result may not have been what was hoped for, many of the individual actions may have actually moved us closer to our ultimate calling and goal. I can't speak for the leaders or other members of the original team, but I can speak for Jasheen and me. On the way to 'failure,' there were individual successes over the course of our time with <span style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities. I mean, we must have done something right, right? <br />We still have great, ongoing relationships with a large number of the apprentices that passed through Glasgow. In fact, we still see many of them when we're in their neck of the woods or they return to Glasgow. And one mark of success may be the support we recieve from them. Of the three groups of apprentices that we've led, nine of them have supported or are currently supporting us, in addition to some of their parents. We have also continued coaching several of them after their departure. And many of the relationships that were developed while we were a part of <span style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities are still thriving.<br /><br />So yeah, 'failure' happened, but I think it's important to look at every individual step taken, and the success that came as a result of those steps before writing off the entire endeavor as a complete failure.<br />Although I anticipate more provocative conversations about <span style="font-style: italic;">nieu</span>Communities, the leadership, and the impact (or lack thereof) it had on the west end of Glasgow, I think I'll be better equipped to shoulder and process my role and responsibility in the whole ordeal by recognizing that not all measures of success or failure can be ascertained by the ultimate outcome of a project.<br /></div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-31823856806031211092008-09-30T00:51:00.017+01:002008-10-19T09:14:52.579+01:00On Saying Goodbye<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SOF0mc1yFUI/AAAAAAAAAlk/Nw71kx_nsgE/s1600-h/54505099_847e8bda78.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SOF0mc1yFUI/AAAAAAAAAlk/Nw71kx_nsgE/s400/54505099_847e8bda78.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251606844416333122" border="0" /></a><br />I'm sitting here blogging one last time in what doesn't really look like our flat anymore, before unplugging, packing our computer, and placing it in the pile of things I don't want things stacked on.<div><br /></div><div>...and I'm feeling a bit emotional.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blogs are used in a range of ways, often unleashing the would-be journalist, the reporter, the contemplative, the theologian, or the philosopher hidden inside the blogger. Sometimes I even write as if there's an internal monologue tracking with hip theme music. This entry will undoubtedly be reflective of the four years Jasheen and I have spent in the only home we have known as a married couple... and the one each of us have lived in for the longest stretch of time... ever.</div><div>We both grew up moving around a lot. Our journeys have taken us from Singapore to London to California to Germany to Arizona to Australia, and finally, to Glasgow, Scotland. Between the two of us, we've lived on four of the seven continents, and saying goodbye to each place has never been easy.</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SOF04p-NF1I/AAAAAAAAAls/EHal_KKDfZ4/s320/433376428_ea5eeb53cc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251607157178963794" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 233px;" border="0" /><div>Jasheen and I began our married life in this flat four years ago. We've welcomed two additions to our family (Gabrielle & Isabelle), hosted people who have become life-long friends, led leadership, and marriage classes, hosted jewelry launch parties, youth clubs, movie nights, Super Bowls, tea parties, Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas' and birthday parties for literally hundreds of people. We've experienced some of our highest highs and our lowest lows in this flat. We've been a part of discoveries, heartbreaks, celebrations and failures in this flat. We've watched two seasons of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Heroes</span>, four seasons of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">24</span>, and are in our fourth season of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Prison Break</span> in this flat.</div><div>And if it were the right choice for our family, we'd stay. We love our flat. It's been perfectly situated in the west end of Glasgow to be right in the middle of where LIFE happens. But as our girls are growing, other needs are superceding this prime location. For one, we're situated on a main road running through the heart of the west end - not ideal for two toddlers eager to run instead of riding passively in the stroller.</div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SOF2GfkjosI/AAAAAAAAAl0/EPvwrt3xKgQ/s320/54505100_931cf82f4e.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251608494416831170" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" border="0" /></div><div>We discovered our new flat by chance. I was over at my friend an colleague's flat and noticed that the door downstairs from them was open. Some men were working inside and the flat has been uninhabited for more than a year. I snuck in to take a peak and liked what I saw. In addition to being much closer to my teammates, the flat has a front yard for our girls to play safely in away from constant traffic. It's not as ideally located as the one we've been in, but as I said... new priorities.</div><div><br /></div><div>While we won't be welcoming any new arrivals to the family in the new flat, we're confident that many new and cherished memories await us.</div><div>But still... saying goodbye to the only home our girls have ever known; to our friends and neighbors whom we have grown quite fond of; and to corner shops, pubs, parks and coffee shops, is going to be hard... even though we're only a 12-15 minute walk away.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We've grown so much in this flat, as a family, spiritually, maritally, emotionally, and socially. One of the byproducts of being third-culture-kids is that we love new beginnings, new adventures and new settings.</div><div><br /></div><div>...but still, saying goodbye is hard.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SOF23f_2f-I/AAAAAAAAAl8/D-8aaowrhB0/s320/51366914_9b6ea27fc0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251609336344903650" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" border="0" /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-83186714933841067742008-09-01T18:21:00.014+01:002008-09-04T15:50:45.296+01:00Busy... No, Full Week<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SL_EpZCzRbI/AAAAAAAAAaI/7Lshy1AyWrw/s1600-h/DSCN5767.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SL_EpZCzRbI/AAAAAAAAAaI/7Lshy1AyWrw/s320/DSCN5767.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242124706658862514" border="0" /></a>I won't say it was the busiest week we've ever had, but this past week was the fullest we've had in a long time. I make the distinction because there's a difference between <span style="font-style: italic;">busy</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">full</span>. Busyness is often a self-induced state; a byproduct of poor scheduling and time management. Fullness, on the other hand, is complete, rich, gratifying, productive.<br />Although the week was physically, spiritually and emotionally draining, it was also life-giving.<br /><br />The backdrop of our week is set against preparing for and taking the <span style="font-style: italic;">Life in the UK</span> test that is a prerequisite when applying for permanent residence. Having been here for five years now, we're eligible to apply for permanent residence which will allow me to find part-time work in the marketplace, fostering a deeper connection with locals, as well as providing financial stability for our family. One of the reasons that this is a critical step in our ministry, is that permanent residence is the last step before gaining British citizenship, and by becoming British citizens, we will also be gaining European Union (EU) citizenship. This would allow us to move into countries that are becoming more difficult for church-planting missionaries to move into should the Lord lead that direction in the future.<br /><br />All of this to say, Jasheen and I both passed the 24-question True/False - Either/Or - Multiple Choice test. The test itself wasn't so difficult, but preparing for it was the primary contributor to our full and draining week. Unlike students that have time allotted for studying, we have our regularly scheduled week that we have to incorporate study-time into.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SL_FAcaC5hI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/bDZ7nFg6tNc/s1600-h/DSCN5831.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SL_FAcaC5hI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/bDZ7nFg6tNc/s320/DSCN5831.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242125102698653202" border="0" /></a>Throw in a friend visiting from the States, a friend moving down to London this week, and the start of Mosaic's youth group ministry, and that's a recipe for very little sleep. My friend Sharon (former Westmont classmate) was visiting her parents here for a couple of weeks. And our good friend and babysitter (one of the few that refuses payment) from Kember & Jones, Becca, is heading down to London to attend Uni - that's the second K&J pal we're losing in as many months. (For those of you unfamiliar with Kember & Jones, it's our favorite little patisserie/food emporium around the corner). Anyway, between quality time with Sharon and Becca, attending Becca's going away party with her work colleagues, and hosting a youth group pizza & movie kickoff... not to mention squeezing studies into our already chaotic schedule(s)... we had a VERY... FULL... WEEK.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-48125004445125863072008-08-20T12:06:00.005+01:002008-08-20T16:45:18.808+01:00Pub Theology<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SKwC_5kMciI/AAAAAAAAAZc/UWRxdkdCgaQ/s1600-h/beer-full.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SKwC_5kMciI/AAAAAAAAAZc/UWRxdkdCgaQ/s320/beer-full.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236563763532689954" border="0" /></a><br />You may notice from the <span style="font-style: italic;">On My Nightstand</span> list that I'm reading a couple of new books. It's only coincidence that they're both positioned as 'letters.' Before anyone starts worrying... yes, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Letter-Christian-Nation-Vintage-Harris/dp/0307278778/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219230312&sr=1-1">Letter to a Christian Nation</a> is written by popular philosopher/atheist, Sam Harris. I've been getting together with a guy in my neighborhood lately and discussing faith, religion(s), God/Jesus, and the universe. This certainly isn't a book that I would have pushed to the top of my <span style="font-style: italic;">To Read</span> list, but in the interest of connecting with him where he's at, and furthering the ongoing conversation, I agreed to check it out.<br />He and I usually get together at the pub down on the corner and share our stories, views and experiences over a pint. Before I moved here five years ago, a friend who'd been a missionary to Scotland for seven years told me that if I wanted to connect with people here I needed to engage the pub culture. So I have been. And to my utter dismay... my fun, relational, fraternal time down at the pub has been hijacked by deep theological conversations lately. Oh wait... that was the idea.<br /><br />The last few times I've been down at the pub with some guys I get together with weekly, I have been taken aside for some pretty intense chat. I was speaking with one guy that currently lives and works in Africa who shared passionately how much he would love to believe all that I was saying and all that he's heard, but he just can't get past the way he has experienced Christians living/behaving... especially missionaries.<br />The next guy that cornered me just couldn't get his head around a God that was supposedly "merciful," yet says that 'all these people over here are going to hell.'<br />And yet another guy had issues with Jesus' claims to be the son of God.<br /><br />Our conversations generally center around rugby, kids and work, but I found myself fielding the toughest (most common) issues the world has with Christianity: Christians, justice and Jesus. It's taken a long time for the conversations to turn to these topics, but I've discovered that I've grown into the role of the pastor they reference for all their queries and doubts.<br /><br />I really do enjoy the lighthearted boys-night-out atmosphere that we typically have on a Tuesday night down at the pub, but at the same time, I am incredibly encouraged that these times are becoming seasoned with more depth and authenticity.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16767626.post-82452453321293041202008-08-07T11:21:00.008+01:002008-08-15T04:04:15.964+01:00There and Back Again: Thoughts and Reflection from Glasgow to HungaryThere's nothing like returning home from a week away to the shrieks and squeals of, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!" This was a first for me as I recently returned from Christian Associates' CONNECT conference in Sopron, Hungary.<br />But perhaps I'm getting a little ahead of myself. In the past six weeks I've been commissioned as a pastor at Mosaic, operated on twice, and in Hungary for the conference... and it looks as though things are just starting to get busy.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SKTxygSCgfI/AAAAAAAAAZM/jkiMOhcV5ao/s1600-h/2682067773_2011955b13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SKTxygSCgfI/AAAAAAAAAZM/jkiMOhcV5ao/s320/2682067773_2011955b13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234574516872708594" border="0" /></a>I've been extended the honor of serving as the shepherding pastor in Mosaic. What exactly does this mean? Are we one of those churches that has a different "pastor" for every area of ministry? No (not that there's anything wrong with that). It simply means that I will be living out my passion, gifting and calling in a leadership role within our missional community. Being a pastor has never been an ambition of mine. Nor is it something that I thought I was coming to Glasgow to <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">do</span>. However, after further reflection, it is precisely what I'm here to do... or more accurately, to be.<br />A pastor isn't a pastor because of his/her title. And many without the title are, indeed, pastors. There are those that serve as preachers and teachers, or as healers, prophets or servants. And there are those that serve as shepherds. Shepherds exhort, disciple, equip, coach, mourn, lead, etc.<br />There is one thing that's been confirmed amidst the peeks and valleys of a tumultuous five years in ministry here: People Need Jesus. I need Him. You need Him. Everyone we know needs Him. Whether I have been exalted or maligned, excommunicated or embraced, celebrated or vilified, depressed or encouraged, mocked or respected, isolated or enfolded, accepted or rejected, abandoned or surrounded; the one thing that I can honestly say has kept my eyes forward, is the simple truth that I want everyone I know to know Jesus, or to know Him better.<br />My (new) title doesn't define me. On the contrary, I hope and pray to live up to what it means to shepherd the people God entrusts to me.<br /><br />The CONNECT conference in Hungary is the first staff conference I've attended since joining CAI just over a year ago... and it was amazing! With speakers like <a href="http://www.gregboyd.org/">Greg Boyd</a> (Sr. pastor, Woodland Hills Church, St. Paul, MN) and <a href="http://www.theforgottenways.org/blog/">Alan</a> & Deb Hirsch, how could it not be?<br />There were so many highlights from the conference, but I think I'll touch on just a few... for now.<br />One of the best things about my experience was connecting with people doing what I'm doing, but in different parts of the world. In Scotland, it's easy to feel removed at times. We're on an island. We're in a relatively small, humble country. We have a growing, yet small church community. And we are breaking new ground in the areas of church-life and missional living. Sometimes, it feels like we're downright alone. But it was encouraging to get to know and hear the stories, trials, and victories that other teams are experiencing in Paris, Lisbon, Amsterdam, and Brussels (to name a few). I was both ministered to, as well as having the opportunity to share some insight and experience with teams going through some typical team dysfunctions. Hey, the Lord redeems even life's toughest experiences.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SKTyAUXN9KI/AAAAAAAAAZU/i84vuvgTXrU/s1600-h/2748895611_a33f467790.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x239pIeIPxQ/SKTyAUXN9KI/AAAAAAAAAZU/i84vuvgTXrU/s320/2748895611_a33f467790.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234574754191373474" border="0" /></a>Another cool (and somewhat surreal) experience happened during a commissioning ceremony held for all of us new to staff in the past year. A couple of years ago I was assigning a book by Alan Hirsch to a group of young leaders. On this night, I was standing next to Alan Hirsch and his lovely bride, Deb, as we were being commissioned. What a trip!<br /><br />I can't express how at home I felt among the staff at CONNECT. Although there are people of all ages on staff, it has a very young and energetic vibe. It's a group full of explorers, adventurers and risk-takers.<br /><br />The next few months are as busy as these past two... if not more so. I have a Coaching Leaders Workshop to attend in Geneva in late September, as well as Field Orientation to attend for Christian Associates in the Hague in early October. And these trips fall just prior to our family moving flats. Hectic times call for fervent prayer.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0