March 01, 2006
Intensify the story
I forgot put in my previous post that my challenge to the congregation Sunday was to be reading through the Gospels during Lent. We must intensify our understanding of who this Jesus is, not by just what he did for us (I would contend it is more about what we can do for Christ) but how he lived and what he taught! I will be reading through Luke's Gospel and posting if any thing comes to mind.
Turning inward
The next 46 days are usually a very intense focus on the teachings, life, death and resurrection of Christ. Focusing on the scriptures, fasting from something, living more intentionally and centering my life on Jesus.
If your like me and cannot always figure out what "I'm giving up" then you might try this and go to their Interactive Lent Calendar which offers you possibilities for each day that you may live a more intentional life in Christ.
Here is a brief description of Lent and some creative ideas to possibly use for your own Lenten journey.
May your journey inward take you to a place of deeper meaning and direction so that your life that is hidden with Christ in God may become more visible to an aching, lonely world.
If your like me and cannot always figure out what "I'm giving up" then you might try this and go to their Interactive Lent Calendar which offers you possibilities for each day that you may live a more intentional life in Christ.
Here is a brief description of Lent and some creative ideas to possibly use for your own Lenten journey.
May your journey inward take you to a place of deeper meaning and direction so that your life that is hidden with Christ in God may become more visible to an aching, lonely world.
February 28, 2006
Beard and bonnet blogging
Travis has been doing some intensive posting about the various Anabaptist blogs out there on the web and I came across one that I did not expect to see at all.
Being somewhat raised in an Old German Baptist Brethren setting (my mother's side of the family) I wasn't shocked to find out that there are some "young folks" who are openly blogging under the heading Old German Baptist Brethren. Growing up in the 1980's and 90's, I can remember my cousin who is my age, showing me the radio that he had kept hidden from his parents and that was a big issue for them then. Those who defy the elders and Annual Meeting have always been around. The only disclaimer that I have in this post is that I have not attended and Annual Meeting for some time and am not sure exactly what changes if any have been made regarding computers in the home.
My only shock factor comes in the form of a question, how many of the elders know about this and whether or not they have done anything about it? I do not have a problem with members of the OGBB who want to blog or even own a computer (which Annual Meeting decided that you could own a computer only for business purposes). My concern lies in the very question that has kept me from deciding to become OGBB. At what cost do you forgo the technologies to become a part of the community of faith? And what damage to you potentially bring to the community of faith by choosing to not adhere to the rules? I realize that we are all subject to these "laws" in our own communities of faith, so it is not directed at any one particular sect.
I applaude those who have used their blog for useful purposes, I just hope they are doing so without compromising the strict beliefs that hold that small community of faith (only about 6,500 in the U.S.) together.
I actually hope that some of those bloggers get ahold of this post so that we can maybe start some helpful dialogue that I don't always get with my mother's side of the family.
(Thanks to http://www.schumann.com/journalism/baptists.htm for the photo credit. There are many more if you choose to visit this site.)
Being somewhat raised in an Old German Baptist Brethren setting (my mother's side of the family) I wasn't shocked to find out that there are some "young folks" who are openly blogging under the heading Old German Baptist Brethren. Growing up in the 1980's and 90's, I can remember my cousin who is my age, showing me the radio that he had kept hidden from his parents and that was a big issue for them then. Those who defy the elders and Annual Meeting have always been around. The only disclaimer that I have in this post is that I have not attended and Annual Meeting for some time and am not sure exactly what changes if any have been made regarding computers in the home.
My only shock factor comes in the form of a question, how many of the elders know about this and whether or not they have done anything about it? I do not have a problem with members of the OGBB who want to blog or even own a computer (which Annual Meeting decided that you could own a computer only for business purposes). My concern lies in the very question that has kept me from deciding to become OGBB. At what cost do you forgo the technologies to become a part of the community of faith? And what damage to you potentially bring to the community of faith by choosing to not adhere to the rules? I realize that we are all subject to these "laws" in our own communities of faith, so it is not directed at any one particular sect.
I applaude those who have used their blog for useful purposes, I just hope they are doing so without compromising the strict beliefs that hold that small community of faith (only about 6,500 in the U.S.) together.
I actually hope that some of those bloggers get ahold of this post so that we can maybe start some helpful dialogue that I don't always get with my mother's side of the family.
(Thanks to http://www.schumann.com/journalism/baptists.htm for the photo credit. There are many more if you choose to visit this site.)
February 25, 2006
Rebuild My Church
For the better part of the last month I have been reading like crazy. Ok I am always reading, but not this much in so little time. If it isn't thriller novels that I have recently been captivated by again; they are books that have a common elemental theme running through them... change/rebuild the church.
Without making it sound like I am going on an Emergent Church kick, the books that I am reading or have read in the past month have had that slant to them. Though I don't particularly believe the movement has the solutions... the ideas behind them are propelling the kind of change that I want to see take place in the complacent church.
These books include:
Without making it sound like I am going on an Emergent Church kick, the books that I am reading or have read in the past month have had that slant to them. Though I don't particularly believe the movement has the solutions... the ideas behind them are propelling the kind of change that I want to see take place in the complacent church.
These books include:
- The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne
- The Emerging Church and Emerging Worship by Dan Kimball
- Experiential Storytelling by Mark Miller
- Preaching Re-Imagined by Doug Pagitt
I find it particularly interesting that St. Francis had a similar calling from God in 1206 (note the year!) in which Jesus spoke to him saying to "repair my house." He then went on to turn the church on its heels by the manner of his and his followers living.
Maybe it is time for another such rebuilding.
It is time for the modern contemporary church (or better said North American Christianity) to understand that what we are doing no longer impacts society like we once did. If we are to be relevant in the coming century then we quite simply can no longer go about as we have. Everything must be looked at through the lens of authenticity and transformation albeit discipleship, evangelism, spiritual formation, social justice, preaching etc.
We must begin asking the kinds of questions that, up to this point, we have been afraid of asking because we were afraid of where they might take us. Now those very questions may hold the key to our survival.