Brackish Faith

The Fox and the Grapes

2012-01-06T22:40:00.002+11:00

The fox who longed for grapes, beholds with pain
The tempting clusters were too high to gain;
Grieved in his heart he forced a careless smile,
And cried ,‘They’re sharp and hardly worth my while.

Aesop's fables

The Darkness

2011-12-24T10:51:00.001+11:00

Christmas is not a reminder that the world is really quite a nice old place. It reminds us that the world is a shockingly bad old place, where wickedness flourishes unchecked, where children are murdered, where civilized countries make a lot of money by selling weapons to uncivilized ones so they can blow each other apart.

Christmas is God lighting a candle; and you don’t light a candle in a room that’s already full of sunlight. You light a candle in a room that’s so murky that the candle, when lit, reveals just how bad things really are.

The light shines in the darkness, says St. John, and the darkness has not overcome it.

from N. T. Wright (via many others)

I Think...

2011-10-30T14:57:00.005+11:00

HT>>>click here for full size.

OS here

Youth Group

2011-09-16T18:02:00.001+10:00

The Bone House by Stephen R. Lawhead

2011-09-01T18:17:00.003+10:00

I previously reviewed the book The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead (you can read that review here)

Having enjoyed the first book in the Bright Empires series I was keen to read more particularly in light of the fact my only criticism of book one was the abrupt way the book ended. I said it felt like the first part of a book without the ending – having read the second book I can see why and it is because the author is trying to be a bit clever. The Second book, The Bone House kind of picks up where the last one ended but then goes back at the same time as it goes forward. I can’t say for sure but it is possible that by the time the entire series is out I’ll amend the above “trying to be a bit clever” into “is a genius” we shall see.

The Bone House continues the story of Kit Livingstone and assorted others as they journey through the multiple realities and different relative times using mysterious ley lines. The reason –they are trying to find the Skin Map, the ultimate prize in the universe.

Although I found it a slower start compared to The Skin Map I was soon enough re-engaged with the adventure and keen to keep reading.

As with the first book the ending is too sudden for my liking but as I said I think the Lawhead is building something that will only be truly appreciated at the end.
The Bone House is worth reading if you like this sort of thing (as I do) but before you do check out The Skin Map.

Disclosure of immaterial Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. The Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” is an American law and has nothing to do with me because I'm an Australian blogger so while I am disclosing this in accordance with the their 'rules' I'm only doing it to keep the Book-Sneeze people happy not the US The Federal Trade Commission. :-)

Jesus’ Prayer

2011-08-18T08:00:00.002+10:00

Father in heaven, praise your holy name.
Reveal you kingdom and have your way on earth just like in heaven.
May we only rely on you today.
Forgive us and give us a forgiving heart, ease our passage through life and keep us from evil.
You rock and you rule for all eternity,
Amen.

Erasing Hell by Francis Chan

2011-08-13T17:24:00.006+10:00

I read with interest Matt Anslow's post about this video

I have recently been checking out Chan's stuff so found this interesting.

Matt writes

"My problem is not that Chan presents an argument; my problem is with the hermeneutical arrogance and naivety of Chan’s method. Chan goes on in his video to say he himself is concerned with “arrogance”. He quotes Isaiah 55, where it is said that God’s ways are higher than ours...But the arrogance of implying that one’s opponents have doubted the standard evangelical doctrine of Hell based solely on their own desire is astounding. It is as if the Bible is dead clear on the issue, and anyone who doubts it is unjustifiably questioning God, while those who hold the standard view are more faithful to God."

Matt acknowledges that he has not read the related book Erasing Hell and is commenting only on the video.

Well, I read the book today and while I don’t find the book arrogant, it is an outright defence of the standard evangelical doctrine of Hell.

It does not address the recent and age old debates about hell so must as give one side of this debate – which is fine except the fact the book is kind of presented by the writers as an honest look at all sides with the writers looking to give up there preconceived notions and make a study of the topic.

Matt continues

"At this point I smell biblical literalism and selectivity."

Without pulling the whole thing apart…

While Erasing Hell criticises universalism for selectively reading the text he does a bit of this himself.

In chapter two when they looks at “Jewish beliefs” about hell they clearly assume that the only interpretation of many biblical texts is literalism but then they reject a literal interpretation of the text that they disagree with (as used by Rob Bell) by claiming it is is metaphorical.

Matt concluded

"Chan’s video reveals an inconsistent and naive hermeneutic which circumvents any complex historical or exegetical debate. I am, however, happy to be corrected in regards to the book, as I realise how truncated videos can be."

For the book I would say - As a defence of their position it is a fine book but it is a little disingenuous in its presentation.

Having said all that:

I should add the writers do some excellent work in "Chapter 5: What Does This Have To Do With Me?" by taking their doctrine of Hell and reflecting on it through Matt 25 to place the debate back on how Christians should respond to this. Agree with their interpretation of hell or not there is a challenge in this for us all - how does our understanding of eternity impact on our actions in the here and now.

The Skin Map by Stephen R. Lawhead

2011-05-12T20:24:00.001+10:00

After my first experience with 'Christian fiction' (Immanuel's Veins) I was less than enthusiastic about a second round. The good news is, in The Skin Map, writer Stephen R. Lawhead at least showed that Christian fiction can at least have good writing. It also has lots of adventure and an interesting concept.

Kit Livingstone's great-grandfather disappeared years ago. So when he turns up out of no where talking about other worlds and a map that shows how to navigate between them it turns the truly mundane life of Kit upside down. Through-out the story the pace is good with lots of good moments but this is spoiled somewhat by the ending which comes suddenly and without a conclusion.

I read a lot of serialised novels and the best of them build a narrative across the series but also contain a internal narrative that stands alone. The Skin Map does not do this well, it's all first half, no second half. There are more books to come and I enjoyed it so I will pick up the rest but feel a bit cheated that I have to wait for a conclusion to any of the story.

Disclosure of immaterial Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. The Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” is an American law and has nothing to do with me because I'm an Australian blogger so while I am disclosing this in accordance with the their 'rules' I'm only doing it to keep the Book-Sneeze people happy not the US The Federal Trade Commission. :-)

Return the Cross to Golgotha

2011-04-20T20:21:00.002+10:00

I simply argue that the cross be raised again
at the center 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 a town garbage heap;
at a crossroad of politics so cosmopolitan
that they had to write His title
in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek...

And 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 about.

And that is where Christ's men ought to be,
and what church people ought to be about.

- George MacLeod

HT

Permission To Speak Freely by Anne Jackson

2011-04-13T19:39:00.002+10:00

How do most people see the church? How do most Christians see it? How do you see it? As a place defined by love, grace, hope, forgiveness, acceptance and openness or as a place of judgement, alienation, hopelessness, rejection, closed minds and hearts .

Anne Jackson’s, Permission To Speak Freely is about answering the question, “What is one thing you feel like you can’t say in church?” She explores this question by giving herself "permission to speak freely" about her own experiences and calls on others to do likewise.

People don't speak freely in church, or at least it makes those who do wish they had not. I remember once sharing a beer with a pastor friend of mine as he lamented the way people in his church had shut down a conversation because someone had started to get " too deep for us". This is one of the great failings of the church as community.

In this book, Anne Jackson has opened the door that so many try to keep closed. Life is messy and if the church is not a place that embraces that messiness then it will never have relevance to messy people. While the book has its limitations due largely to stylistic aspects the book is to be applauded for asking the question and starting the conversation.

Disclosure of immaterial Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. The Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” is an American law and has nothing to do with me because I'm an Australian blogger so while I am disclosing this in accordance with the their 'rules' I'm only doing it to keep the Book-Sneeze people happy not the US The Federal Trade Commission. :-)

A Song of Sorrow

2010-12-08T20:31:00.002+11:00

Let that day be darkness,
let darkness and the shadow of death stain it.
Let a cloud dwell upon it and let that night be solitary.
Let no joyful voice come therein.

For now should I have lain still and been quiet,
as infants which never saw light.
Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery,
and life unto the bitter in soul.

My roarings are poured out like the waters.
For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,
and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

I was not in safety,
neither had I rest,
neither was I quiet.
Yet trouble came.

Review - Immanuel's Veins (or the worst book I ever read)

2010-10-18T19:41:00.007+11:00

Immanuel's Veins is a book about a Russian soldier in the 1700 called Toma Nicolescu who is sent by the Queen of Russia to provide protection to the Cantemir estate in the Moldavia. He and his partner end up going through a predictable story of good against evil and personal struggle with desire and despair. Toma's struggle is far exceeded by the struggle of the readers.

The story is ridiculously laborious, constantly recovering the same ground again and again. The cliché narrative is only outdone by the cliché writing and bafflingly poor choice of language. The book is loaded with anachronistic colloquialisms and is more cringe worthy at times than two bits of Styrofoam rubbing together.

Finally, I have never read a “Christian Fiction” before and this book confirmed what I always expected. The spiritual 'point' of the book felt like it had to forced into the story (such as it was) and made absolutely no impact.

Overall I have to ask, if this was not a book made-to-order for those inside the Chirstian bubble would this have ever made it past the desk of the assistant to the assistant editor at the publishing house.

Disclosure of immaterial Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review (obviously). The opinions I have expressed are my own. The Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” is an American law and has nothing to do with me because I'm an Australian blogger so while I am disclosing this in accordance with the their 'rules' I'm only doing it to keep the Book-Sneeze people happy not the US The Federal Trade Commission. :-)

Review - "The Boy Who Changed the World" by Andy Andrews

2010-09-07T09:51:00.003+10:00

"The Boy Who Changed the World" by Andy Andrewsa is a children's books, that uses the true stories of different people from history to tell its story.

The story begins with Norman Borlaug playing in the cornfields of Iowa. As the story develops Norman decided to change the world. If your not in the know (or a fan of the West Wing) Norman Borlaug grew up to develop new wheat varieties with higher yields saved billions from starvation in places like India. The book goes beyond Norman to the lives of Henry Wallace, George Washington Carver, and Moses Carver to show how even small actions can have just as big an impact. The Book relies on the somewhat cliche "butterfly effect" to explain how each child can make a difference in this world.

The illustrations are nice and the language appropriate to kids 5 to 10 years old. I read it to a 7 year old and he was able to read much of it himself and easily understood its message. I would recommend this book for a similar aged child.

Disclosure of immaterial Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. The Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” is an American law and has nothing to do with me because I'm an Australian blogger so while I am disclosing this in accordance with the their 'rules' I'm only doing it to keep the Book-Sneeze people happy not the US The Federal Trade Commission. :-)

Climate action election 2010 scorecard

2010-08-19T20:05:00.003+10:00

Where exactly does each party stands on climate policy? Here's another useful scorecard.

Urgent Challenge to all Stumpers.

2010-08-18T22:19:00.001+10:00

news today via email:

Black Stump 2010 promises to be a fantastic weekend with a host of world class Musicians, Artists and communicators including PLANETSHAKERS, BRIAN & JENN JOHNSON, ANGELAS DISH, NEW EMPIRE, FATIS VALOUR, SONS OF KORAH, BRAILLE, JC FAM, SIMON WARD, CAMERON SEMMENS, DAVE WIGGINS, STEPHEN HILAIRE, JOEL EDWARDS, TIM COSTELLO, PAUL & ROBBIN MOULDS...

but....

We need YOU, our valued, die-hard Stump supporters to help us meet a big challenge over the next two weeks!

It is *essential* that we hit our target of 1800 early-bird registrations for this year's festival before the 2nd ticket cut off on Tuesday, August 31st.

WE HAVE LESS THAN 2 WEEKS TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL!

You can help us to reach 1800 early-bird registrations by getting online NOW to register if you haven't already, and by helping us to rally the troops! Please tell your friends, your church, anyone and everyone about this important message and help us distribute it as far and wide as possible.

The Black Stump Festival plays a vital cultural role in shaping the Church in Australia to be mission and justice-focussed. Please act and pray for the ongoing success of the festival.

Check back to the Black Stump website www.blackstump.org.au for ongoing updates and information.

Once again, 3 easy ways to help:

* Register online now (if you haven't done so already)
* Encourage your friends to register now
* Forward this message as far and wide as possible

Thank you!

* Should the 2010 festival fail to proceed, we guarantee all tickets sold will be fully refunded.

Make Poverty History election 2010 scorecard

2010-08-18T16:51:00.002+10:00

Make Poverty History has put out a policy report card based on the policies the Make Poverty History coalition believes should be adopted to improve Australia’s aid program, help reduce global poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Read the report card here

My summery:

Liberal Party of Australia - partial commitments to just 2 of 12 of the most urgent and measurable outcomes. No commitment above what other parties have made and a $300,000,000 cut to funding to developing countries to help them adapt to climate change.

Australian Greens - strong commitment to 10 of 12 of the most urgent and measurable of these commitments and partial commitments to the other 2.

Australian Labor Party - partial commitments to just 6 of 12 of the most urgent and measurable outcomes. Stronger commitments to 2 others.

Election 2010: Two things

2010-08-11T17:23:00.003+10:00

First up - a great resource from 2004 that is just as relevant today, no matter what side of politics you lean towards.

How to Vote Christianly!

Secondly - my choice in 2010.

Laying your hands on a conversation.

2010-07-31T14:29:00.001+10:00

"It doesn't matter whether you're selling Jesus or Buddha or civil rights or 'How to Make Money in Real Estate With No Money Down.' [...] Because as soon as you lay your hands on a conversation to steer it, it's not a conversation anymore; it's a pitch. And you're not a human being; you're a marketing rep."
- Phil Cooper
from The Big Kahuna

Haven Prayer from the film Serenity

2010-07-27T20:02:00.000+10:00

Lord, I'm walking your way. Let me in, for my feet are sore, my clothes are ragged.
Look in my eyes, Lord, and my sins will play out on them as on a screen. Read them all.
Forgive what you can and send me on my path. I will walk on until you bid me rest.
~Haven Prayer

Off The Track

2010-07-26T02:35:00.001+10:00

There was a man who use to rescue old greyhounds from the race track.

One day a visitor to the man asked one of the dogs “Dog, why aren't racing anymore?”

“Did you stop winning?” He asked

“No, I always won.” said the dog

“Was the pay to low” He asked

“No the pay was great” said the dog

“Were you not getting the recognition you wanted” He asked

“No I was really famous” answered the dog

“Well then what, why did you stop racing” He asked

and the dog answered

"Because one day I realised that rabbit I was chasing wasn't real."

Christian Marketing Jumps the Shark

2010-07-08T09:50:00.000+10:00

I was at a local Christian bookshop this week and was on my way out the door when I saw a t-shirt with this on it.

It was a good thing no one was near me at the time at as the words that escaped my lips were probably not the kind of language most of their customers use.

I guess it could have been worse and been a 'Team Jesus' shirt but seriously WTF.

To quote another blogger

[Jesus is] not a product we’re selling, He’s not a item to be branded and twittered. He’s more than all of this, He’s not corporate, He’s organic. He’s not a product, He’s the Savior.

and yet so often the best the modern church can do to respond to culture is this weak ass shit that suggests a very trivial faith.

To quote Dallas Willard (HT Mark Sayers)

Think of the bar codes now used on goods in most stores. The scanner responds only to the bar code. It makes no difference what is in the bottle or package that bears it, or whether the sticker is on the right one or not. The calculator responds through its electronic eye to the bar code and totally disregards everything else. If the ice cream sticker is on the dog food, the dog food IS ice cream, so far as the scanner knows or cares

but of course dog food is really dog food no matter the bar code. Willards point was about transformation of self and about rejecting a Jesus Club membership card type faith in favour of one that actually makes a difference in the way we live. This is why I really reacted so strongly against the shirt above - its dog food with an ice cream bar code.

That poor bastard...

2010-07-07T16:19:00.002+10:00

I'm sort of an atheist. I like Jesus and all, but I don't care too much for most of the other stuff in the Bible. Take the Disciples, for instance. They annoyed the hell out of me, if you want to know the truth. They were all right after Jesus was dead and all, but while He was alive, they were about as much use to Him as a hole in the head. All they did was keep letting Him down. I like almost anybody in the Bible better than the Disciples. If you want to know the truth, the guy I like best in the Bible, next to Jesus, was that lunatic and all, that lived in the tombs and kept cutting himself with stones. I like him ten times as much as the Disciples, that poor bastard.

- Holden Caulfield
The Catcher in the Rye

Review - "The Vertical Self" by Mark Sayers

2010-07-05T14:46:00.002+10:00

Are you ready to find out who you really are?

This is the question Mark Sayers asks in his latest book The Vertical Self.

The simple message of this book is that the modern world has sold us a false bill of goods. Sayers outlines two ways to modern people understand themselves and their identity:

The Horizontally Self which looks to the world and dominate culture to understand the individual identity. In contrast The Vertically Self looks to the creator God from whose image the individual can draw their identity. Sayers uses this paradigm to give an examination of how we view ourselves and how we can shift from 'The Horizontal Self' image towards a 'Vertical Self' based identity.

Sayers communicates in a very clear although sometime overly simplistic way to lay out his concepts of the Vertical and Horizontal self and his greatest achievement maybe making sociology easy to understand for younger readers. He makes frequent use of very clear examples to explain his point but these are at times rather prosaic.

I expected this to be the kind of book that drive me as the reader to 'take a look at myself' and to some extent it does draw the reader to question themselves, perhaps more so when using the included study guide and in the chapter 'Meeting Your Future Self'.

I would recommend this book to younger people and those who work with younger people but also to others thinking about self-image and how it connects with how we are created in the image of God.

Disclosure of immaterial Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. The Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” is an American law and has nothing to do with me because I'm an Australian blogger so while I am disclosing this in accordance with the their 'rules' I'm only doing it to keep the Book-Sneeze people happy not the US The Federal Trade Commission. :-)

Gandalf Goes to the World Cup.

2010-06-27T09:50:00.000+10:00

Growtivation

2010-05-08T09:30:00.004+10:00

NB: This was produced by one of the largest megachurches in America, Northpoint. Good to see they are able to critique themselves. HT

Being a first follower...

2010-02-14T19:28:00.001+11:00

Fantastic Video HT

The Teaching of the 12

2010-02-05T21:19:00.007+11:00

Tony Jones calls the Didache “the most important book you’ve never heard of” but for me it was more a case of it being “an important book I’ve heard of but never read”. So Tony’s latest book The Teaching of the 12 was as much an opportunity to address that oversight as it was to hear Tony’s thoughts on what this early Christian document has to offer to the Christian in the 21st century.

First of all the Didache itself: it is an eminently simple and practical guide to Christianity that builds on several Jewish documents and traditions to most probably help those new to the way of Jesus understand and practice their faith. It shares much in common with the New Testament and at first feels overly familiar and even redundant but underneath the surface reveals a great deal about the community it was written to serve and the formative days of what came to be called the Christian Faith.

Tony Jones’ approach to the Didache is similarly simple and practical. He starts with a bit of his own journey with the text in chapter one and outlines its rediscovery and the basic outline of the book. Chapter two is taken up by the Didache itself. In Chapter three He explains something of the Community that produced the Didache and another modern community that is engaging with the text. Chapters 4-7 each unpack a section of the book outlining sources, making comparisons with the Old and New Testament and explaining historical contexts. This section is in no way academic but is scholarly. Each section includes reference to the real world implications of the teaching in the Didache and concludes with the very straightforward perspective of “Trucker Frank” (a well know figure to anyone who has followed Tony’s writing or activities online).

This was a fantastic introduction to the Didache. It didn’t answer all my questions about this ancient document, if I was going to criticise The Teaching of the 12 at all it would be for the few times it outlines a section of the text that has some ambiguity and then doesn’t make any effort to explain the possible meanings of the passage, but this criticism would be unfair given the tenor of the book and the gentleness with which Tony treats his subject.

I tend to judge books by one standard: When finished, do I immediately begin thinking of people with whom I wish to share the book? By that standard The Teaching of the 12 is a excellent book.

Linky Dink:

Tony Jones
The Teaching of the 12 (Koorong)
The Teaching of the 12 (Amazon)

THE IDIODYSSEY by Cam the Poet

2010-02-03T16:15:00.002+11:00

Claimed by God for Mission: The Congregation Seeks New Forms

2010-01-17T13:35:00.005+11:00

Here is a sample from a book I found this week, much of this will no doubt sound familiar to those conversant with the EMC conversation but read on for the plot twist.

Chapter 1: Some present congregational structures can justifiably be termed heretical, as they separate the church from its Lord and from its mission, persons from one another and the gospel from its social implications.

Chapter 2: Many present congregational structures are renewable, provided mission is central to their life: a mission that is comprehensive, open to the future, and intentionalistic.

Chapter 3: The development of relevant, renewed structures hinges upon our understanding of what God is doing in the history he created, in which he reveals himself, and which he promises to fulfil. A congregation's decision to participate in history forces it to ask the question: What is god doing in history?

Chapter 4: Relevant structures for the congregation in our twentieth-century world must be responsive to what God is now doing in our shifting, surging, secularized, suffering, and searching world.

Chapter 5: Renewed structures must be responsive to God's word as recorded in Scripture. This Word portrays a variety of congregational forms in constant change, orientated to the outsider. They are to be orderly and infused with genuine hope.

Chapter 6: The Search for new congregational forms is aided by the projection of new images that help envisage the goal towards which we may move. The dual-centered ellipse, the intruder, and the boundary-crosser are such images.

Claimed by God for Mission by Eugene L. Stockwell published 1965

Missional Prayers #6

2010-01-16T23:07:00.003+11:00

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

Prayer of Saint Francis

Lux umbra Dei

2009-12-24T23:02:00.002+11:00

Listen carefully, through the stillness
listen, hear the songs of angels glorious
ere long it will be heard
that His foot has reached the earth.

God the Lord has opened a door.
Christ of Hope, door of Joy!

Though laid in a manger,
He came from a throne:
on earth though a stranger
in heaven He was known.

from Christmas Liturgy, Northumbria Community

Let the little darlings work it out for themselves

2009-11-24T16:25:00.003+11:00

Many years ago now I was a student at a Christian School in Newcastle and because they were particularly hard pressed for upstanding young men that year they made me a prefect.

As a result, I ended up with the responsibility of coming up with a “thought of the week” for the school assembly most weeks. Usually this involved me looking though a book of quotes until I found something that seemed like it was meant to be inspirational or spiritual. I would take this to the office and have them put it on an Overhead Sheet and I would totter off to assembly. At the appointed time I would get up, remove the words to the school song or some Praise and Worship song from the OHP and replace them with my hopefully well chosen peace of wisdom. I'd then wander over to the microphone read the quote and then, because being a teenager I assumed everybody else was dumber than me, I'd explain what the quote meant or "was saying".

One morning, after assembly Mr Taylor, the History Teacher, came up to me and said:

“Wheatley, you know you don't always have to explain the “thought of the week” let the little darlings work it out for themselves.”

Now I could tell you what the point of this story is and why I posted it but....

Missional Prayers #5

2009-11-23T16:39:00.000+11:00

O God,
you have made of one blood
all the peoples of the earth
and sent your Son to preach peace
to those who are far off
and to those who are near:
grant that we may seek after you
and find you in the places you are already working
pour out you spirit upon all flesh
and hasten the coming of your kingdom
through Jesus Christ our lord. Amen.

Adapted from the Prayerbook for Australia

Preaching to the Choir

2009-11-19T14:12:00.000+11:00

Sam: "...I'm saying you have me preaching to the choir.... Why?"
Toby: "'Cause that's how you get them to sing."

- the West Wing

Missional Prayers #4

2009-11-18T16:41:00.002+11:00

An APEST Prayer

We praise you, lord of all,
For the gifts of Christ our ascended King:
for apostles, prophehts, evangelists, pastors and teachers.
Hear our prayer for all who do not know your love
and have not heard the gospel of our Saviour Jesus
Send out your light and truth
through the messengers of your word.
Help us and hasten the coming of your kingdom,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

adapted from the Prayerbook for Australia

Parable of the Pensioner and the Lotto

2009-11-16T11:09:00.001+11:00

The Kingdom of Sorrows is like a pensioner who had a few spare dollars one week so decided to bet it on the lotto. He played his grandchildren's birthdays but didn't win anything. The next week he thought to himself, knowing my luck my numbers will come up this week when I don't have a ticket. So he walked to the shops instead of catching the bus and used the money he saved to by a ticket. Again he did not win. As soon as I stop buying tickets these numbers are bound to come up, he thought, I had better keep buying them so that doesn't happen, because I would be mad if my numbers came up and I did not have a ticket. So every week he would skip a meal or not use the bus or go without something so he had the money to buy his lotto ticket. His numbers never came up.

Famous Without Ability

2009-11-09T19:24:00.000+11:00

Martyrdom is the only way in which a man can become famous without ability.
- George Bernard Shaw

I guess George never lived to see reality TV, the internet or the chick chick boom girl.

Parable of the Car on the Hill

2009-11-06T16:35:00.001+11:00

The Kingdom of Sorrow is like a man who tried to drive his car up a hill but ran out of fuel. No matter how much he stomped on the accelerator or rocked in his seat the car eventually ground to a halt. Before the car could roll backwards he jumped out and tried to push the car up hill but the weight was too much and slowly the car started to roll backwards. The man refused to get out of the way and just kept pushing and pushing not noticing that he was moving backwards until he tripped on a pothole and fell under the car which then rolled down the hill hitting others trying to get up the hill.

Undisclosed Desires

2009-11-05T14:52:00.001+11:00

I know you've suffered,
But I don't want you to hide,
It's cold and loveless,
I won't let you be denied

Soothing,
I'll make you feel pure,
Trust me,
You can be sure

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognize your beauty's not just a mask,
I want to exorcise the demons from your past,
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

You trick your lovers,
That you're wicked and divine,
You may be a sinner,
But your innocence is mine

Please me,
Show me how it's done,
Tease me,
You are the one

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart,
I want to recognize your beauty's not just a mask,
I want to exorcise the demons from your past,
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

Please me,
Show me how it's done,
Trust me,
You are the one

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart,
I want to recognize your beauty's not just a mask,
I want to exorcise the demons from your past,
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

Missional Prayers #3

2009-11-02T17:59:00.001+11:00

Eternal God and Father, by whose power we are created and by whose love we are redeemed: guide and strengthen us by your Spirit, that we may give ourselves to your service, and live this day in love to one another and to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

from 'Daily Service, Mornings' in An Australian Prayer Book

Missional Prayers #2

2009-10-29T16:17:00.000+11:00

With Jesus, we proclaim:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Father, anoint your church with your Spirit. As you sent your Son, your Son has sent us; may we embody the presence of your Son in the world. Empower us to live and proclaim your good news in the world.

'The Jesus Manifesto', from the Missio Dei Breviary

Uprising

2009-10-27T19:40:00.003+11:00

Paranoia is in bloom,
The PR transmissions will resume,
They'll try to push drugs that keep us all dumbed down,
And hope that we will never see the truth around
(So come on)
Another promise, another scene,
Another packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed,
And all the green belts wrapped around our minds,
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
(So come on)

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious
(So come on)

Interchanging mind control,
Come let the revolution take it's toll,
If you could flick a switch and open your third eye,
You'd see that
We should never be afraid to die
(So come on)

Rise up and take the power back,
It's time the fat cats had a heart attack,
You know that their time's coming to an end,
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious

Missional Prayers #1

2009-10-26T22:48:00.000+11:00

Christ, whose insistent call disturbs our settled lives: give us discernment to hear your words, grace to relinquish our tasks, and courage to follow empty-handed wherever you may lead, so that your gospel may reach the ends of the earth. Amen.

Call to Discipleship, Occasional Prayers #30 from the Prayerbook for Australia

The Parable of The Man and The Diary

2009-09-25T19:00:00.004+10:00

One day a man decided to go on a journey and for the fun of it he thought he would keep a diary of his thoughts as he went. Before setting out he decided to spend some time reading about the places he intended to go. As he read he got very excited about the destinations he would be visiting and started to write about them in his diary. He read so much that he could write in great detail about many wondrous sites he himself had never seen and could even find mistakes in the descriptions of others who had actually visited these places.

As time went by he became more engrossed in his diary, he found himself spending a great deal of time just trying to think of things to record there and his mind turned less and less to starting out on the journey he intended to take. Weeks past, then months and finally years. The man grew bored with life and frustrated with those around him. In his diary he read about another life, a life on the road and a world so desirable and yet still unseen by his eyes. His diary taunted him and he found reading it and writing in it gave him less pleasure. He sometimes found himself striving to recapture his early enthusiasm for it but all that resulted from that was refections on previous reflections.

So, one day, he just stopped. He stopped writing and he stopped reading and he settled into a life of quite desperation. Sometimes he felt angry but mostly he just could not care anymore.

Time went by and then...

One day the man decided to go on a journey, but that's another story and it is one that is meant to be lived and not written in a diary.

I don't remember phone numbers anymore

2009-09-05T17:02:00.002+10:00

I once read a Science Fiction in which the humans race had forgotten how to read. At first technology replaced the need, they held a hand over the book and pictured a special pattern in their head and the words entered the mind via nanotechnology . However, over time people turned to books less and less and soon no one remembered the special pattern that activated the automatic “reading function”. With out this no one could make words enter the mind by simply placing there hand over the page and no one remembered what the squiggles on the page meant.

My mobile phone battery died today and I needed to phone someone, My first thought was to use the land line at work but this was stymied by the fact that I could not remember the number. I usually just scroll down the menu and hit the green button. This inability to recall 8 digits was made somewhat sadder by the fact that the number in question was my home phone.

I gave it some thought and I realized I could not remember a single number in my phone – the only numbers that come to mind are ones that I learned 15- 20 years ago, most of which are useless now as the friends who go with these numbers have long since moved, I could however ring the parents of a childhood friend.

In the story, nobody cared that they could not read anymore, except one guy but he had a lot of strange ideas. For example he also thought fathers should have a roll in the raising of children and he liked to walk places instead of being “faxed” there, stuff like that.

My point: None except, I don't remember phone numbers anymore.

Hoodoo

2009-06-13T22:02:00.002+10:00

Come into my life
Regress into a dream
We will hide
Build a new reality
Draw another picture
Of the life you could have had
Follow your instincts
And choose the other path

You should never be afraid
You're protected from trouble and pain
Why, why is this a crisis in your eyes again

Taught to be
How did it come to be
Tied to a railroad
You'll have to set us free
Watch our souls fade away
Let our bodies crumble away
Don't be afraid

I will take the cold for you

And I've had recurring nightmares
That I was loved for who I am
And missed the opportunity
To be a better man

- Muse

Everything Is Meaningless

2009-03-10T20:28:00.003+11:00

The words of the Teacher...

"Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless."

What does anyone gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?

Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.

The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.

The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.

All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.

All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.

What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

Is there anything of which one can say,
"Look! This is something new"?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.

There is no remembrance of people of old,
and even those who are yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.

The Calf-Path

2009-02-27T20:01:00.000+11:00

One day, through the primeval wood,
A calf walked home, as good calves should;
But made a trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail, as all calves do.

Since then three hundred years have fled,
And, I infer, the calf is dead.
But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs my moral tale.

The trail was taken up next day
By a lone dog that passed that way;
And then a wise bellwether sheep
Pursued the trail o’er vale and steep,
And drew the flock behind him, too,
As good bellwethers always do.

And from that day, o’er hill and glade,
Through those old woods a path was made,
And many men wound in and out,
And dodged and turned and bent about,
And uttered words of righteous wrath
Because ’twas such a crooked path;
But still they followed — do not laugh —
The first migrations of that calf,
And through this winding wood-way stalked
Because he wobbled when he walked.

This forest path became a lane,
That bent, and turned, and turned again.
This crooked lane became a road,
Where many a poor horse with his load
Toiled on beneath the burning sun,
And traveled some three miles in one.
And thus a century and a half
They trod the footsteps of that calf.

The years passed on in swiftness fleet.
The road became a village street,
And this, before men were aware,
A city’s crowded thoroughfare,
And soon the central street was this
Of a renowned metropolis;
And men two centuries and a half
Trod in the footsteps of that calf.

Each day a hundred thousand rout
Followed that zigzag calf about,
And o’er his crooked journey went
The traffic of a continent.
A hundred thousand men were led
By one calf near three centuries dead.
They follow still his crooked way,
And lose one hundred years a day,
For thus such reverence is lent
To well-established precedent.

A moral lesson this might teach
Were I ordained and called to preach;
For men are prone to go it blind
Along the calf-paths of the mind,
And work away from sun to sun
To do what other men have done.
They follow in the beaten track,
And out and in, and forth and back,
And still their devious course pursue,
To keep the path that others do.

They keep the path a sacred groove,
Along which all their lives they move;
But how the wise old wood-gods laugh,
Who saw the first primeval calf!
Ah, many things this tale might teach —
But I am not ordained to preach.

by Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911)
featured in Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna

Postscript

2009-01-29T22:45:00.004+11:00

It's nearly the end of a long week for me so I'm more than a bit tired but I just wanted to make mention of a follow up to my last post.

Mark Sayers has clarified his point and affirmed the value of mine, both of which is much appreciated.

A Church for Nerds

2009-01-28T20:25:00.009+11:00

As I write this I feel a real sense of anguish and a little bit of resentment and disappointment. It is important that anyone reading this realize that these feelings are not directed at any of the individuals I am about to name but rather at the situation I find myself in.

I am and always have been what others might call a nerd/geek. Unlike most of my nerd brethren however I am what I am going to term a Metanerd – in that I am not just aware of my own nerdishness but actually understand its nature and am able to cognitively apply adapted social skills to appear more “normal” and then be able to apply my nerdishness in ways accessible to others.

Nerds do not choose to be nerds - All true nerds are in fact living somewhere on the Autism Spectrum some with the “benefit” of a diagnosis such as Aspergers but many of us without a ‘condition’ to explain our behaviour. (Please know I’m not suggesting that people with Aspergers are better off, merely that a person with an Aspergers diagnosis is generally better off than some one who has Aspergers but is undiagnosed.)

In a recent post Mark Sayers, who often has excellent things to say that I greatly appreciate, asks “Have Nerds hijacked the Missional Church?”

I think Mark gets it wrong here or at least chose the wrong language.

The fact is, speaking as a Nerd, I believe that the one thing Nerds long for most is a sense of belonging and community but it is the one this consistently denied them by the nature of there Nerdishness. In a sense Mark’s post feels like we are being attacked for the one aspect of our brokenness that we have least control over. Let me stress I know that was never Mark’s intention.

Mark suggests that:

“these days that the more interested you are in all things techie, the louder your voice has become”

I want to argue that this is not the experience of most Nerds. While Nerds were the early adopters of the kinds of technology Mark (and Dan Kimball) are referencing we are not the dominant voice in these media today. While Nerds pioneered the 'social networking website' and 'the blog' I guarantee that of the 50 million bloggers in the world Nerds are a minority, as we are in the minority among the 150 million active facebook users. The loudest voices on the internet (at least in the wide sea lanes of the internet ocean) are the same load socially apt extroverts who make us Nerds uncomfortable in real life.

Mark also says that:

“The people who I have met and who I know who are the most naturally missional and gifted in sharing their faith, tend to be highly social, highly extroverted people, whose idea of punishment is being shackled to a computer away from interacting and loving people, to be blunt, they are not nerds.”

I’ll be blunt here: the kind of people Mark is describing are the kinds of people who have most often made me feel like an outsider in the church. While I accept that this has more to do with my nature than their nature, the fact remains that Nerds do not feel truly welcome in church.

Some Nerds cover for this by being busy and the consumer church has often welcomed this because of the skills we can bring in areas like sound and multimedia. This was certainly my experience, but all this does is temporally hide the fact that such people are often the most disconnected from feeling truly part of the church community. While such people are often at every formal church event (and often helping out) they are often not included in the informal and far more real social gathering that are often more informally organized by the social network of the church.

Some struggle on and some do not

Some of us have found ourselves in the missional conversation, are we the dominant voice in that conversation?

No

If we are, then where is the Church for Nerds?

The fact is, the one time in my life when I actually felt like an accepted member of a community was outside the church as part of the Geocaching community. Often described as a Nerd Sport - Geocaching gave me a Tribe to belong to. This is something I never got in church. As part of this tribe I was a natural leader and experienced acceptance beyond just the skills I could provide the group, I was appreciated for my personality, a rare experience for a Nerd. I was missed when I was not there, an even rarer experience for a Nerd.

I have often thought that if I was to try and plant a missional church it would be a Church for Nerds (and concerns about the HUP be dammed.) The model for this church would be my experience of community as a geocacher.

Returning to Mark's post and if I might be a bit nerdy and reference Harry Potter I believe the real targets of marks post should not be Nerds but the All Talk, No Action Gilderoy Lockhart’s of the missional church (be they online or off) these are a subset of those I termed MINO. They are kin to those Mike Frost tagged as having the Yellow Fever of 'dullness of understanding' at Grassroots.

It is not Nerds, do not blame us for the way others are using the technology we pioneered, that’s your brokenness not ours.

Mostly I want to ask that you love us because we feel unloved more than you will ever know and the only way to truly bring us into the community is to love us into it, we can’t do it ourselves.

Australia

2009-01-26T00:01:00.003+11:00

The Cultural Cringe

According to Wikipedia:
The idea of cultural cringe was defined by Australian sociologists Brian Head and James Walter as the belief that one's own country occupies a "subordinate cultural place on the periphery", and that "intellectual standards are set and innovations occur elsewhere". As a consequence, a person who holds this belief is inclined to devalue their own country's cultural, academic and artistic life, and to venerate the "superior" culture of another country.

I think it is true to say that Australians have been overcoming the cultural cringe increasingly in recent years. The fact that the movie Australia was a success here but bombed in the U.S. is telling. Increasingly, in many aspects of Australian life we are able to appreciate what other cultures offer while not feeling like our own culture has little to add and we are able to value our own culture without the need for approval from overseas.

I suspect however that this is an area where the church is lagging behind the rest of the country – I think we still feel the cultural cringe in churches when it comes to things like theology, forms of church, worship, teaching and so on. I have no problem with accessing “Christian stuff” from all over the world. However, I wonder if we are not prone to devalue our own country's contributions except where those contributions attempt to fit in with a foreign ideal and achieve international success.

Synchroblog: Christianity in Australia

This post is part of the Christianity In Australia synchroblog which a number of Australian Christians are participating in to celebrate Australia Day. For more on Christianity in Australia see:

Matt Stone on Spirit of Australia

Les Chatwin on Some People are Never Happy

My Sunday

2009-01-18T23:07:00.002+11:00

I went to two churches today that I have never been to before. I had Pies and Chinese and I met someone I had already met.

Firstly I’ll say, I’m still amazed at the mental process involved in walking ‘cold’ into a new church for the first time. I can’t imagine what its like for someone who did not grow up doing it.

The First church was one that would I think describe itself as missional but it is also Pentecostal/happy clappy/charismatic so it made for a very interesting mix. I liked that when I arrived there was a bout a half dozen tattooed and rough and ready types out the front having a last drag on their cigarettes before entering. I was greeted at the door by an older couple who it turned out I recognised as an old work friend of my Mother so My greeting turned into a big hug. Feeling very welcome I entered further and noted the AA drop in chapel and café before the main gathering area. I found a seat and was soon chatting with the pastor. He gave be a bulletin which I read until the service started. In one section called profiles that gave a run down on two of the churches regulars I noted one of the people profiled listed geocaching as a hobby.

While Pentecostal is not my cup of tea I felt pretty at ease with most of the service and was impressed with the social justice focus of the church. They actually run a café/ restaurant for homeless people. Not a soup kitchen type deal but a real, sit down, here is you menu, what can I get you today restaurant.

After the service I had pies for lunch – Darby’s pies taste great and are only $1 so that’s got to be worth mentioning.

Given that I was in town (to get the pies) I decided to drop by the Cathedral (which is always open) to look at the small book shop and find out how much it is to climb the tower (it’s $3 and the view is fantastic I’m told) I plan to go back this week with my camera. I was talking to the volunteer running the little shop and after a while he said:

“Do I know you”

“You do look familiar” I said

Then he pointed at me and said

“I think I sat next to you and your wife two years ago at Blackstump during a Michael Frost session, you are from Muswellbrook right”

“…”

“Good Memory” was about all I could say because he was correct.

We had a good chat and exchanged details and will catch up, he knows my co-conspirator Les so that was cool as well.

After a quick visit to my parents house, I headed home.

After dinner (Fried Rice and Chicken Chow Min) I decided to head around the corner to another nearby church. This church (slightly charis-baptist-ish) is the closest to our new home so curiosity dictated that I have a look. It was fairly typical stuff although it was hard to judge as I was told most of the regulars were away (Summer Holidays) and also because tonight they were giving a young bloke from the Church his first preaching gig. He did alright and listening beyond his first time awkwardness he had a few good points about trust in what we know versus emotional responses.

After that, was home and a night on the PC.

So how was your Sunday?

The Prayer for the Dollar Man

2009-01-16T22:43:00.005+11:00

It is a shame this is local pick up in Sydney or I would bid on this. Not sure what I'd do with it but I am sure I'd think of something.

Turn and face the strange.

2009-01-10T23:06:00.006+11:00

I'm back online sooner than I thought.

The last two times we have moved house it took over a week to get the internet back up, but having logged off for the last time at the old house last night, we are back on and cruising at the new house tonight.

The move went as well as possible and now we just have the monumental task of unpacking and getting everything sorted.

Time Changes

Tonight on the way out to grab some takeaway, my wife said "We are Novocastrians." to which I replied "Always was."

She said "yeah, but we were in exile"

I'm not sure if the 5 years we spent in Dubbo and 3 years in Muswellbrook was quite that bad (although Dubbo was close at times) but looking back what is really hard to believe is just how long it has been and consequently the effects of that time.

We are by any measure very diffrent people than when we left, and just like the exiles of old we feel we are crossing over Jordan in a spiritual sense as we physically return to our home town.

Amid all the boxes and jobs that need doing there is the idea that now is the time to stop and think about the future. Not in the 5 year plan sort of way or the existential meaning of it all sort of way. Rather, I'm thinking about 'doing the future', about doing life on purpose and getting another 8 years down the track one day at a time but in a manner that makes sense. Life is not a film or a book with a story that is building to a climax. Life is not the next thing on the calendar that you are looking forward to. Life is now.

Who really knows what the future holds but without a doubt it will involve more change and I intend to enjoy it, experience it, struggle with it and make the most of it.

Moving Day

2009-01-10T00:01:00.001+11:00

I’m going offline (more or less) for a few days as I move house.

Hopefully I’ll be back in a few days.

Ben

Ecclesiology or Missiology - Missional Tribe

2009-01-08T18:10:00.003+11:00

I've just posted a new post on my blog at Missional Tribe on the topic of Ecclesiology and Missiology asking the question - which comes first?

Head over and share your thought.

Nuts about Fairtrade?

2009-01-07T20:15:00.003+11:00

I was feeling a bit peckish this afternoon so I dropped into a supermarket and was happpy to find a new (I assume) range of Fairtrade Nuts from Amorefoods

From the back of the pack:

At Amore, we care passionately about where nuts come from. The fact is, most nuts we eat in Australia are imported, mainly from developing nations. Regardless of origin, we believe that nuts should be produced sustainably, processed hygienically, and the workers involved treated fairly. Our partnership with Fairtrade is a logical extension of this long held belief.

Good stuff and they taste the way good nuts should.

Brackish Linkage: Missional Tribe

2009-01-07T13:00:00.002+11:00

Like many, today I’m messing around with Missional Tribe and working out what to do to make the most of it.

Today while checking out the Blog platform I imported all my posts from Brackish Faith to my new Missional Tribe Blog.

The thing is, having done that it seemed pointless and excessively. So I then trawled through what I had imported and ‘turned off’ all but 50 of the posts. What I left (and I still need to go through and re-read check what I left) is what I thought might (note I said might) be of use to the conversation at Missional Tribe.

For now my intention is to continue Blogging here on my own journey. When that journey connects with Missional Tribe I’ll cross-post it there. No doubt I’ll eventually post some original content there but I’ll always link to that from here.

If you have not already checked out Missional Tribe then head on over and see what the story is.

A Conversation in Newcastle

2009-01-06T15:53:00.003+11:00

I’ve been blogging on topics relating to EMC now for the better part of a year and it has been helpful for me to spill my random thoughts, as has reading the thoughts of many other great EM bloggers.

However their comes a time when you need more, in the second half of last year I stumbled across Les Chatwin’s blog and after realising he was a local suggested we meet up. We met up back in October for coffee and a chat and one of the thoughts that came out of that was that it was good to just meet with someone and chat informally about stuff that was important to us – stuff like Jesus, Faith, Life, Church and Good Coffee. Coincidentally both of had just that week independently met Tony Jones (the then National Coordinator of Emergent Village in the US). One of the things that Emergent Village does is conversation. This conversation is organized informally through ‘cohorts’. So back in October Les and I talked about the idea of a local ‘cohort’ of sorts.

Jump forward and we are now getting started. So far all we have done is set up a blog and a facebook group but the intent is to gather those interested (however large or small that group may be) and start talking. I expect we will be looking to start meeting by late January or early February. After that who knows.

So, if you are in Newcastle, NSW (or nearby) and have an interest in emerging missional et. al. drop by the blog or facebook and give us a shout out so we can keep you up to date.

Just because I had to post it...

2009-01-04T10:00:00.001+11:00

A Game of Chance

2008-12-31T23:24:00.002+11:00

How often do you let chance decide a decision?
What limits do you place on chance?
Is not every decision, no matter how meditated, still just a crap shoot?

I’ve been thinking about church and what my plan is for 2009?

Do I choose not to participate in an intentional church gathering and see what happens?
Do I choose to participate in an intentional church gathering and see what happens?
Do I choose to participate in several intentional church gathering and see what happens?
Do I choose to start my own intentional church gathering and see what happens?

I have said “my plan is to have no plan” but does choosing not to get involved somewhere constitute a plan.

To put this all another way:

I’ve been looking at a few options and trying to decide if I should take a chance on:

Option A - One particular Church (with a History)

Or

Option B - Another particular Church.

Or

Option C - Doing the rounds for a while.

Or

Option D – Something else.

It occurs to me that no matter what I choose at this point:

a) I’m not stuck with the decision.
b) No mater how much I think it through I cannot possibly make a perfect decision.
c) It is a crap shoot
d) If it doesn’t work out I just start again

In a Q&A interview my favourite film maker, Joss Whedon, was asked how he decided which characters to kill off in the movie Serenity.

His answer “With my dungeon master’s seven sided dice”

Well if it’s a crap shoot let it be a crap shoot.

I loaded up an online dice website and enter my choices…

Number of sides: 7

Number of dice to roll: 1

Number of rolls: 1

I decide - If the dice reads seven, I’ll go with Option A (O.K so that’s a decision in itself but it is still 1 in 7)

I Click – “Roll Dice”

The screen flashes…

Then…
Result: 7

and they say Baptists don’t gamble: if you ask me they take a gamble every Sunday.

Brackish Faith Top 10 Omnibus 2008

2008-12-31T13:25:00.011+11:00

A quick pass through Google Reader this morning showed that everyone is doing Top Ten of 2008 lists, I’ve seen “top ten missional posts/blogs/books” “top ten emergent posts/blogs/books” “top ten stories/people/events/internet flops” the lists go on. I was determined to follow the crowd like a dopey sheep named Travis and tried to come up with a topic for my own Top Ten. I couldn’t so in stead I’m just going to list Ten things from 2008 that I think should be in a top ten list.

#10 Grassroots Mission Festival - I couldn’t go to Grassroots but I got the DVD pack afterwards and loved it.

#9 Missional – everybody’s talking about it, now it is time for less and talk more action (and I include myself in that).

#8 Books – I bought a lot of books in 2008, too many. I’ve made a deal with myself not to buy anymore until I finish the ones I have. So far I’ve only broken that deal 5 of 6 times. In 2009 I’m going to read.

#7 Don Miller - I read two of his books this year and am looking forward to reading more. He has an interesting style and his are great books when you want to take it easy.

#6 Mark Sayers - after hearing him on MP3 from Grassroots I started reading his blog and met him in Newcastle in November. He has uncommon insights for the church to grapple with and I look forward to more from him in future.

#5 Spiritual Practices - The Ancient Way is about joining God in the spending of every day.

#4 The Daily Office - Just one Spiritual Practice that I stared in 2008 (although with ups and downs) and one I hope to continue.

#3 Blackstump 2008 – The New site, Tony Jones, Sons of Korah, Sammy Horner, Calendar Boys, Cameron Semmens, Chevalet, Michael Connell and The Four Hoarsemen of the Apocalypse

Loved it all and looking forward to 2009

#2 Newcastle – Well this one almost sunk in to 2008 but after 8 years (5 in Dubbo 3 in Muswellbrook) we are going home to Newcastle next week. 2009 will be another year of change with a whole lot of new stuff but it feels right to be going back as we start over.

And

#1 Not For Sale - In 2008 Catalyst groups joined the Not For Sale campaign to end the global slave trade. Through the Not for Sale campaign Catalyst groups asked the Australian Government, to play their part in ending this vile trade – the governments response was positive:

The Federal Government has shown a heightened awareness of trafficking and has initiated action on several fronts, especially around care for victims of trafficking into Australia;

Many Parliamentarians raised the issues of human trafficking and aid in Parliament, with a number specifically mentioning visits by Catalyst groups.

In 2009 the campaign will have a renewed focus on Australian businesses and Australian consumers. Watch this space.

Storm

2008-12-29T21:42:00.002+11:00

2008/12/29 - Muswellbrook, NSW.

Any Given Sunday

2008-12-29T10:16:00.003+11:00

For the last couple of months Jonathan Brink has been collecting experiences from those who participate in some type of community or gathering on each Sunday. I have from time to time participated by sharing my experience and have each week enjoyed reading the comments of others.

Now, Jonathan has posted a review of these posts that is well worth a read.

It paints a beautiful picture of Christian community in all it's brokenness and yet with a capacity to still connect people with each other and with God. In a sense it is in the mix between the "frustration", "uncomfortableness" and "boredom" and the "chills", "fullness" and "amazing" "awesomeness" that we can become church. As we struggle with each other, with institutionalism, with dogmatic repetition and with ourselves we engage in a process of becoming church.

The end of that process is nowhere.
The end of that process is now here.
The end of that process is now in sight.
The end of that process is insight.

Snags for change

2008-12-23T14:26:00.002+11:00

I bought snags at Snags for Change to support World Vision's Global Food Crisis Emergency Appeal.

You should check it out. Buy a snag. Shout your mates. Make a difference.

Are you Mino? Part 2

2008-12-21T21:02:00.004+11:00

Part one is here

To borrow, paraphrase and reframe a quote from Alan Hirsch

If your church has a mission you are mino

but

If the mission has your church you are missional

What I Read Today #2

2008-12-21T20:57:00.002+11:00

Gen 21,22,23,24,25

What I Read Today

2008-12-20T22:03:00.004+11:00

Gen 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

Are you Mino?

2008-12-19T00:40:00.006+11:00

I’ve been following (sort of) the recent introspection over the word ‘missional’ on the blogverse that was kick started by Dan Kimball and taken up by a hundred others.

I’m not going to get into the main debate...

But an idea that has been brewing in my head is that part of the misgiving some have over the word missional comes from the fact that some (many?) who use it are misusing it. I’d like to suggest that there are a lot of churches/individuals out there that are Mino (or Missional In Name Only). And before I continue - I not claming the higher ground on this one because that would just make me a hypocrite. I’m defiantly still trying to overcome my own Minoness.

So without further ado – Are you Mino?

If all the talk is all about ‘going’ and no one goes anywhere – you might be Mino.

If the majority of your money, your leaders time and your buildings are still used to meet your needs – you might be Mino.

If your idea of church is still just one hour out of your life each week – you might be Mino.

If I can come to your church, be anonymous and just blend in – you might be Mino.

If you spend any significant amount of time perfecting the show – you might be Mino.

If your worship is little more than an act of spiritual masturbation – you might be Mino.

If church always has to feel good – you might be Mino.

If you like to talk about being missional because you think it might help grow ‘your church’ – you might be Mino.

If you have added a ‘missional program’ – you might be Mino.

If you bare no resemblance to your surrounding community – you might be Mino.

If you bare too much resemblance to your surrounding community – you might be Mino.

If your church sold its building, cancelled all services and programs, fired all staff and gave all its money to the poor but then the church didn’t exist anymore – you might be Mino.

Taking it easy

2008-12-19T00:00:00.000+11:00

I have not posted much of late. At first it was just because I was busy with work. Then I found it desirable to take it easy and wait until I felt like blogging rather than ‘make’ myself blog.

The feeling has finally taken hold, so time for a few updates.

As I said work has been busy and I found myself asking myself a lot of questions about why I do what I do, why I do it where I do it and not for the first time, considered not doing it at all.

Some time back I expressed these thoughts in prayer and eventually worked myself around to the thought that if I wanted to quit then I should quit – especially if I felt called to other stuff. Thinking and doing are different things however and it took a metaphorical shove off the cliff before I would act. In the end I took leave rather than quit outright but the effect was the same.

Around the same time I was once again thinking about the faith communities I’m part of and how I should move forward. On top of that my wife and I were thinking of moving on from the town we have been living in for the last 3 years and going back to our home town.

So two months ago I needed to work out what to do about work, housing and a faith community.

Tomorrow is my last day of work for the year and at my current work site, happily I have work lined up for the New Year doing much the same thing as I do now but at a lower grade. I’m looking forward to chance to keep is simple at work and focus on the basics of my profession with out all the responsibility of current position. I’m also looking forward to have mind-space for other stuff.

On the housing front things are progressing and I have faith we will sort it out soon.

Finally I’ve decided that as far as a faith community goes: My plan is to have no plan.

I honestly believe I see the best ‘results’ when ever I stop trying to make stuff happen but just engage with what ever happens. It’s a bit like stepping out over the stream and trusting the first stone you step on will hold you with out even being able to even see the stone after that. Will I end up going head over turkey into the creek, I hope not but if I do I’ll make the most of the swim.

More soon…

Future Church with Mike Frost

2008-12-14T20:58:00.000+11:00

Three talks given by Mike at the 'Future Church' event in Central Hall Southampton on 3-4 October 2008 are available here

Go listen...

HT

God on Google Earth

2008-11-30T23:57:00.006+11:00

I found this interesting...

Aussie artists - The Glue Society have mocked up Google Earth images of some events in the Bible.

Effective and could be cool for an alt. worship event.

HT

So Sexy it Hurts

2008-11-20T15:45:00.003+11:00

Earlier this month I attended a forge event hosted by Mayfield Baptist Church called So Sexy it Hurts. The speaker was Mark Sayers and now you can listen to the talk online by going to Marks blog.

Today we struggle to find ourselves. Our culture no longer gives us a sense of self. Instead we are given disposable identities such as 'cool', 'glam', 'sexy' or 'alternative'. How do we find out who we are really meant to be? Biblical faith offers us a radical and subversive way of understanding our true selves; one that not only might change us but change the world.

Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance

2008-11-11T00:35:00.001+11:00

Over the weekend I finished reading ‘Through Painted Deserts’ by Donald Miller.

This is a revised edition of Miller's earlier book – ‘Prayer and the Art of Volkswagen Maintenance’.

This is probably the least overtly religious of Millers books. In it Miller recounts a journey from Texas to Oregon that he took with his friend Paul in a Volkswagen van. The experiences they have and the people they meet along the way are described and reflected on often with much humour. Miller’s description of the journey also forms the basis for wider refection on life. Along the way he discovers that life is simultaneously simpler and more complicated than he had previously believed.

Reading this book will have young men thinking about the future and old men reflecting on the past. Those like me stuck someplace between being a young man and old man will do a little of both. I’m not really sure what a women (young or old) will make of it.

This is a decidedly male book but not in any kind of chauvinistic way. It’s just a bloke’s book about a bloke’s journey told in a genuinely blokey way. I think this is part of the reason I’m coming to enjoy Millers books so much. It’s unusual to find someone who writes so well about spirituality in a narrative style who still has his balls attached.

In the end this book is just a great road trip story told well.

Teaching the Syllabus

2008-10-28T03:44:00.001+11:00

I picked up a used copy of Sometimes Gladness by Bruce Dawe at a garage sale over the weekend and have been rediscovering some favourite poems.

This one struck me very differently today than when I first read it, so I thought I'd share.

Teaching the Syllabus

Teaching lions to leap through flaming hoops
Teaching baby elephants to waltz
Teaching dogs on bikes to loop-the-loop
Teaching chimps to undo nuts and bolts.

Teaching doves to pick out painted numbers
Teaching hawks to sing
Teaching bears the latest Latin rhumbas
Seals, the Highland fling

Teaching those with wings to walk up mountains
Teaching those with feet of lead to fly
Tossing coins in intermittent fountains
Calling in the plumber when they're dry

And lastly - when it seems that each performer
Has learnt the lot - to teach them one thing more,
The thing that in the process they've forgotten:
Dogs, to bark again; lions, to roar...

Bruce Dawe

Quote

2008-10-27T14:46:00.002+11:00

Why does missiology need to presceed ecclesiology?

"The problem if ecclesiology presceeds missiology is to make mission into a subset of the church."

or more to the point:

"It is not so much that the church has a mission, but that the mission has a church”

- Alan Hirsch (in the comments)

The Blue Parakeet

2008-10-26T16:43:00.006+11:00

Despite this being a rather obscure Blog I was very happy to receive an advanced copy of The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight (Zondervan, 2008)

This book looks at the issue of biblical interpretation and charts a ‘third way’ for individuals that aims to avoid some of the pitfalls we often encounter after spending some time with the bible.

Early in the book Scot tells the story of a ‘blue parakeet’ that visited his yard and this bird becomes his metaphor for those bible verses that that throw a curve ball at our understanding of the bible. He outlines the different ways in which people choose to read the bible and examines how these ‘blue parakeets’ upset and challenge such methodology.

Scot argues that all of us ‘pick and choose’ which Bible passages apply to us directly and which ones do not.
He outlines methods of interpretation that he says result in poor interpretation and suggests instead that we need to read the Bible as a one story from Genesis to Revelation, He analogized the bible with wikipedia with each writer contributing an individual part of the one story but the story remains one. So although God speaks ‘in Moses’ day’ in ‘Moses’ way’ & ‘in Jesus’ day’ in ‘Jesus’ way’ & ‘in Paul’s day’ in ‘Paul’s way’ it is still best to understand each of these as retellings of the one greater story.

Next Scot calls on us to ‘listen’ to the Bible. He argues that the point for us is to develop a relationship with the God of the bible and not with the Bible itself.
He argues that a correct way of reading the bible will be evident in how we live. In short, a so called ‘right view of scripture’ that does not result in a changed life in not really a right view of scripture.

Finally Scot outlines a way of discerning what we ‘pick and choose’, how we put the bible into practice. By way of example he looks at a number of issues describes methods we can apply to discern how to apply the bible to these issues.

The last section is a case study on women in the church, here Scot applies the above methods: seeing the bible as story, listening relationship, and discerning.

I feel ‘The Blue Parakeet’ is a good introductory book on how to read the bible and would recommend it particularly those looking a something that is not too heavy going but still with real theological credibility. This book is probably most useful to someone who has been journeying with the bible for some time, thought they had it worked out but is starting to find some of the easy answers are just not cutting it any more.

Links
Amazon
Koorong
Koorong (paperpack)

Why?

2008-10-25T22:31:00.001+11:00

Single Sentence Stories

2008-10-25T13:02:00.003+11:00

There is a website called http://www.onesentence.org

The idea is for contributors to tell ‘the most interesting or poignant story possible in the least amount of words.’

I spotted this story today:

Five Hours

After calculating that I wasted 6500 hours in church the first 25 years of my life, I vowed to spend 6500 hours doing volunteer work that would actually make a difference in the world.

interesting thought!

Sample chapters from Re:Jesus

2008-10-24T11:20:00.002+11:00

Alan Hirsch has posted links to some free sample chapters of the soon to be published book Re:Jesus which he co-authored with Michael Frost.

What I've read so far suggests this book will be everything I expected it to be (read into that what ever you want) suffice to say I'm looking forward to the full book.

Also, even just this small sample has added some further reflection on what I posted on here

click through to Alan's blog to read the chapters yourself.

The Song that got me through today

2008-10-15T22:46:00.006+11:00

When I got up this morning I was really feeling 'down'.

Some days are like that.
Some days my Morning Prayer helps, but not today.
Some days saying the 'Jesus Prayer' using my rosary ring to count the decades helps, but not today.

Today was looking bad but then God gave me a song and I sang it all day (well just the chorus really). Somehow it got me through.

'Cool boys play croquet. Cute girls love to crochet. Let's knit our lives together and play, and play, and play, and play, and play, and play, and play, and play.'

I have to thank Cameron Semmen for sharing it with the world.

Blog Action Day 08 - Poverty

2008-10-15T21:38:00.004+11:00

Perhaps one of the most famous Tony Campolo quotes goes:

"While you were sleeping last night 30,000 kids died because of starvation and diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t even give a Shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said Shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.”

but the thing about this quote is that about 10 year ago Tony use to say:

"While you were sleeping last night 40,000 kids died because of starvation and diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t even give a Shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said Shit than the fact that 40,000 kids died last night.”

The remaining 30000 is in no way insignificant but then to go from 40000 down to 30000 is not insignificant and I see a great deal of hope in that, we can change the story.

The Millennium development goals, the global plan to beat poverty, needs $180 billion. The developed world is currently giving around $100 billion. America is spending $3 billion a week ($150 billion a year)in Iraq. This week when Kevin Rudd opened the chequebooks to stimulate the Australian economy he found A$10.4 billion (U.S. $7.4 billion). It is within our grasp to make poverty history and all it will take, if you will excuses me one more time, is that we give a shit.

Blackstump 2008 – my thoughts

2008-10-10T10:42:00.002+11:00

I have already posted a few thoughts relating to Blackstump and in particular the Tony Jones teaching sessions but I thought I’d post some final thoughts on the festival in general.

Firstly I’m not going to really address any negatives as most of those have to do with minor teething issues at the new site and I expect organizers will sort those out for next year so there is no point bagging them about it now.

New Site
On the new site - I have to say it worked well, teething issues aside. I think this site will take the festival forward in new ways once the organizers really capitalize on its potential in the years ahead. I loved getting there sooner and the overall feel was close enough to the old site to still feel like Blackstump but was different enough to give it a sense of freshness.

The Music
Last year I was sort of flying blind as far as music was concerned as I had been out of the loop for several years. This year I was able to be more intentional about what I went to.
I really enjoyed both Sons of Korah and Sammy Horner, I’d love to get Sammy up to the Upper Hunter some time and if he is true to his word about no community being to small as far as he is concerned I’ll talk to some others in the next week to see if that is possible.

The Arts
I loved Calendar Boys, Cameron Semmens, Chevalet, Michael Connell and The Four Hoarsemen of the Apocalypse

Other Thoughts
I’d like to see some ‘more bang for your buck’ in the teaching program next year. On my feedback form I suggested Mark Sayers, Dan Kimball and Tom and Christine Sine as speakers I’d like to see next year. I picked these three as they represent three different ‘kinds’ of choices:

Mark - is the ‘new’ Aussie voice that Blackstump has always been good at giving a platform too. Given his background I think he has a great deal to contribute to what is still essentially a youth focused festival.

Dan - is the international speaker that only festivals like Blackstump have the capacity to bring over. Like Mark he has a great deal to contribute to the youth aspect of this festival.

Tom and Christine - are the left of field speakers that make Blackstump what it is. I expect Tom and Christine would be willing to come over and just cook for people and in my book that makes them a great choice to lead some sessions.

The point here is not so much the individuals suggested but the kind of speakers they represent.

My final thought is about the general direction of the festival – Blackstump has always been aimed at youth and that’s O.K. and should remain the central focus, but as more regular Stumpers become old Stumpers I think they need to build a broader festival around the youth core. I suspect if they broaden the appeal of the festival then there will actually be more opportunity for more young people to experience stump.

The Sacred Way

2008-10-10T10:11:00.001+11:00

As well as attending the Emerging Leadership sessions with Tony Jones at Blackstump I also attended an elective session with him where he gave an overview of some of the practices he wrote about in his book ‘The Sacred Way’.

The more I read, see, hear and explore such ancient practices the more I am convinced that they are the critical phenomena that was missing from the Christianity I grew up with. I am also coming to suspect they are the key to a more holistic approach to discipleship among youth and young adults. I suspect they are the key to overcoming low fuel faith. In short I think they are a desperately needed way of reframing our faith as a way of life.

I intend to pick up ‘The Sacred Way’ as soon as I meet my commitment to myself not to buy anymore books until I finish the ones I have already purchased.

The end of emergent, not.

2008-10-10T10:09:00.000+11:00

I have followed the ongoing speculation on the future on the term emerging/emergent on various blogs.

Here is a little prediction – in the next week or two we will see a flood of blog posts proclaiming the ‘death of emergent’. I say this because it was kind of predicted by Tony Jones. When talking about institutionalization and democracy he mentioned some changes that will be announced by Emergent Village in the next week regarding how it is organized and directed. In the end this will not be the end of Emergent simply a continuation of Emergent’s commitment to resisting institutionalization and the centralization of power in ‘white, male, enneagram eights’. One way or another it will be interesting to sit back and watch the premature eulogizing.

Why I’m not emergent buy one guy who would be if he was an American.

2008-10-09T21:44:00.003+11:00

In my previous post I paraphrased Tony Jones as saying of the American context:

Emerging Churches do not start as outreach but as a last ditch effort of founders to save their own faith. Best way to be missional is to be an authentic Christ centric community.

One of the things that occurred to me when Tony’s said this was how it aligned with something Mark Driscoll says in his book Confessions of a Reformission Rev. In this book Mark agues for the following formula:

Christology determines Ecclesiology determines Missiology

This is in contract with Frost and Hirsh who advocate the formula:

Christology determines Missiology determines Ecclesiology

When I first read these different perspectives (in the authors respective books) I felt a gut reaction to agree with Frost and Hirsh, but after hearing what Tony had to say at Blackstump I was left wondering if this was an American / Australian thing. Is this just about context or is one side actually right and the other actually wrong?

Tony provides further food for thought in this video recorded while he was at Blackstump he notes some of the differences between the Australian and US context.

Finally Matt Stone also adds some helpful refection on Tony’s video here

Matt says:

Tony notes that Australia is very similar to America in many ways, except when we say unchurched, we genuinely mean unchurched, not just dechurched. Yes, true, very true. Hopefully that observation will help more people understand why we place much more emphasis on mission and much less on welcoming post-evangelicals.

I’m left wondering if this is not one of the keys to understanding the differences between the ‘emerging/missional’ conversation as it has played out in our different contexts.

An alternate title for this post could have been ‘Missional versus Emergent’ but that perhaps takes the dichotomy too far. Maybe that’s the point of this whole post - that at the end of the day we are coming at the same issue but in different contexts and that results in subtlety different approaches getting primacy. I suspect there are others who have a better perspective on this than I do – I’m off to google now to see if I can find them, feel free to link me in the comments if you can add some perspective.

Contextless thoughts – Tony Jones at Blackstump

2008-10-09T15:40:00.007+11:00

The following is a collection of thoughts, ideas, personal reflections and not-quite-quotes that I made at Blackstump during the Emerging Leadership sessions with Tony Jones. I post them here mostly for my own future reference but hope others might find them useful. This is not a review/summary/direct retelling of what Tony said during these talks so please keep that in mind.

***

Tony started out encouraging us to leave our mobiles on if we wanted to. He talked about how at Solomon’s Porch (his faith community) that the message is often given that if your phone rings during the message and you want to answer it then you should as God must have something more important for you than whatever is in the sermon. He illustrated this with the story of someone from his church who took a call during the sermon and just made it to Florida hours before his father died.

***

Tony talked about dethroning the sermon during the sermon (as above) and how at Solomon’s Porch everyone has an equal part in interpreting scripture including the person with Down Syndrome or children. He talked about creating space for all to participate. He later talked about stopping to listen to babies cry during the service, seeing their voice as just as valid.

***

Those raised in the church generally have certain expectations of leadership in the church and these are not how the church will be lead in 20-30 years.

Just as the disciples had to adjust there understanding re: gentiles not coming to Jesus through Judaism the emerging leadership will require a similar shift in understanding.

***

It’s easier to plant an emergent church than change an existing one – like turning the titanic. (He later strengthened this statement to you can’t do it in an existing one)

***

No one is (can be) 100% orthodox.

***

The decline of denominations as people change the way they choose a church.

***

At Solomon’s Porch - No microphones and circular church arrangements, couches no spotlight etc. was not about cool but about a theology of reconciliation and equality of voice (see above).

***

All humans want to institutionalise Spritual experiences.

***

No payphones does not mean that communication has stopped. If we had told our grandparents that there would one day be no payphones but people would all carry a phone around they would not believe it. In Churches the forms will change but it does not mean people are not leaders.

***

(in USA) Emerging Churches do not start as outreach but as a last ditch effort of founders to save their own faith. (I’ll have a follow up post on this in the next day)Best way to be missional is to be an authentic Christ centric community. (again more to come).

***

It’s the theology stupid (see above re: not about being cool) going back to go forward.

***

He said a lot more, on a lot more topics but the further on we got the less concerned I was with taking notes. These sessions where drawn from his book – The New Christians - so if any of this is of interest to you I suggest buying the book. I’ll confess, I’ve had the book for a few months but have yet to read it so this blog post is mostly to just record points I'll be looking to explore when I do.

meanwhile

Coming up in my next few posts

The end of emergent, not.
Why I’m not emergent by one guy who would be if he was an American.
The Sacred Way
Blackstump 2008 – my thoughts
The day after – my chat with Chatwin

Blackstump - My plan...

2008-10-01T00:38:00.007+10:00

Here are a few of the things I plan to check out at Blackstump 08.

Music, Arts and Stuff

Fri Night
7:00 PM Main Stage - Save The Cheerleader
8:00 PM Main Stage - Sons of Korah
8:35 PM The Arthouse - Disco Joe - Stephen Hilaire
8:50 PM Fools' Theatre - Sammy Horner
9:50 PM Fools' Theatre - Cute Girls Love To Crochet - Chevalet
10:00 PM Main Stage - Alabaster Box
10:50 PM Fools' Theatre - Calendar Boys
11:00 PM Sacred Space - Vespers (Closing Prayers) - Sacred Space Team
11:20 PM Supper Club - Scott Burford

Sat Lunch
12:00 PM Sacred Space - Desert Spirituality - Bernard McGrath
1:15 PM Main Stage - Sons of Korah

Sat Night
5:00 PM Mars Hill Cafe - Chat with Tony Jones - Tony Jones
5:45 PM Fools' Theatre - Deli of Fine Words
6:20 PM Supper Club - Geoff Bullock
6:50 PM The Arthouse - Moses and the Whingers - Stephen Hilaire
7:45 PM The Arthouse - Sammy Horner
8:30 PM Fools' Theatre - Do Geese See God? - Cameron Semmens
9:10 PM Fools' Theatre - Michael Connell
9:40 PM The Arthouse - The Four Hoarsemen of the Apocalypse
10:45 PM Fools' Theatre - Stephen Davis
11:20 PM Supper Club - Sammy Horner

Sun Night Early
5:00 PM Main Stage - The Black Stump Comedy Debate: UK or US?
Sun Night Late
9:00 PM The Metro - The Black Stump Musical Challenge
9:30 PM Fools' Theatre - The Sacred Set - Chevalet
10:00 PM Mars Hill Cafe - Chat with the Sacred Space Team - Sacred Space Team
11:00 PM Fools' Theatre - Michael Connell
or
11:00 PM Sacred Space - Vespers (Closing Prayers) - Sacred Space Team
Worship
11:20 PM The Metro - Outback Hippies
11:30 PM Fools' Theatre - Late night Lovin' - Cameron Semmens

Seminars

Sat Seminar 1
2:00 PM The Eastern Stables - Expressions of Living in Community (Monastic Orders) - Brent Lyons Lee & Jon Owen
Sat Seminar 2
3:30 PM The Arthouse - The Sacred Way - Spiritual Practices For Everyday Life - Tony Jones
Sun Seminar 1
2:00 PM Sacred Space - An Open Ecumenical Celebration of The Lord's Supper/The Eucharist - Stuart Robinson
or
2:00 PM The Genesis Lounge - The Poetry Shed - Cameron Semmens & Cadence
Sun Seminar 2
3:30 PM Artworx Alley - Sample 24/7 Style Worship and PrayerRoom - Colin White
Elective

Studies
Not sure at this stage but here are some of the options that I think look good:

Fools' Theatre - Emerging Leaders - Tony Jones
Main Stage - Cash, Comfort and Jesus - John Smith and Sammy Horner
Sacred Space - The Jesus We Thought We Knew - Dave Andrews
The Metro - First Things First - Andrew Palmer

Gatherings

Naturally we'll be going to all 3 of these but I'm expecting the Sunday night to be the best of the three.

You can see the full program here.

Blackstump Venue Map

2008-09-26T22:17:00.002+10:00

The Geocacher in me couldn't resist doing this.

View Larger Map

The official map is on the Blackstump site in a PDF. I'm glad they put this up, with the change of location this year I was keen to get a feel for where everything would be.

It looks like this year will be a lot more spread out than previous years. Although this might mean a bit more walking between venues I think it will improve each individual venue and certainly make things easier for the sound guys.

I won't be able to Blog during Blackstump but will be taking some notes for a post stump review. I've added my Twitter feed to the right side in this blog under the links so if I get the urge I'll drop a tweet or two.

A Few Small Changes

2008-09-21T20:47:00.003+10:00

I've cleaned up the layout of this blog a little by losing a few elements. More importantly I've added a feed to my 'shared items' from google reader on the right below the 'Blog Archive'. You can also view these shared items here.

I don't know if it's some sort of blog-meme-feedback-loop or if I am just reading all the right blogs but it seems every time I get finished thinking through an idea to post about, I find a post by someone else that says exactly what I am thinking but much more eloquently than I ever could.

There are some great posts in the list so go check them out.

Litany for the Rogation Days

2008-09-20T13:59:00.001+10:00

God the Father, From thy Throne,
Hear us, we beseech thee
God the co-eternal Son,
Hear us, we beseech thee
God the Spitit, mighty Lord,
Hear us, we beseech thee
Three in one, by all adored,
Hear us, we beseech thee

Jesu! Jesu!
By Thy wondrous Incarnation,
By Thy Birth for our salvation,
We beseech thee, we beseech thee
From every ill defend us,
Thy grace and mercy send us.

Jesu! Jesu!
By Thy Fasting and temptation,
By Thy nights of supplication,
We beseech thee, we beseech thee
From every ill defend us,
Thy grace and mercy send us.

Jesu! Jesu!
By Thy works of sweet compassion,
By Thy Cross and bitter passion,
We beseech thee, we beseech thee
From every ill defend us,
Thy grace and mercy send us.

Jesu! Jesu!
By Thy Blood for sinners flowing,
By Thy Death true life bestowing,
We beseech thee, we beseech thee
From every ill defend us,
Thy grace and mercy send us.

Jesu! Jesu!
By Thy glorious Resurrection,
Earnest of our own perfection,
We beseech thee, we beseech thee
From every ill defend us,
Thy grace and mercy send us.

Jesu! Jesu!
To the father’s Throne ascended,
All Thy pain and sorrows ended,
We beseech thee, we beseech thee
From every ill defend us,
Thy grace and mercy send us.

Jesu! Jesu!
Advocate for sinners pleading,
With the Father interceding,
We beseech thee, we beseech thee
From every ill defend us,
Thy grace and mercy send us. Amen.

From Hymns Ancient and Modern: for the Services of the Church

A Couple of Great Post

2008-09-16T23:19:00.003+10:00

I read (or skim) over 50 blogs a day (mostly using google reader) but I only click through to explore more deeply when the content grabs me.

Recently I've been really digging post by Mark Sayers

Here are two great examples:

5 Things We Got Wrong in the Emerging Missional Church - lots of resonance here

An Ancient Cure For A Very Modern Anxiety - A post I need to sit with for a while

Blackstump

2008-09-09T23:11:00.007+10:00

In a little over 20 days it will be the weekend of the Black Stump Festival.

As well as the usual line up of music and arts they have once again put together an interesting list of teachers including Dave Andrews, Tony Jones, Mike Pilavachi, Stuart Robinson and John Smith.

There also looks to be some great Electives on offer.

Along with the above I’m particularly looking forward spending significant time in Sacred Space, relaxing at the Supper Club and catching the unique performance of the Psalms by Sons of Korah.

check out the website for more info or Download a brochure here (right click - save target as)

Getting it wrong

2008-09-09T22:05:00.003+10:00

Mark Sayers posted an interesting top ten list of the ‘biggest mistakes and errors we are making in the church today’. I think it is worth a look.

While on the topic, if you are in the Newcastle area Mark is speaking in November for Forge at Mayfield Baptist Church

A big tree with many branches.

2008-09-08T12:16:00.002+10:00

Here’s a concept, I’ve formulated it into a ‘saying’

Christianity is a big tree with many branches, some of those branches produce fruit and some of them produce nuts. This is why, from time to time it a good idea take a look around you and make sure your happy with what branch you are on.

(HT for the idea)

One Hit Wonder

2008-09-05T21:05:00.004+10:00

If you have not participated in onehitwonder yet, well it's about time you did.

The aim is to gather 7.29 million dollars, one dollar at a time, and then give it away to the world’s poorest communities.

so come on it's only $1

If you'd like to know more go to www.onehitwonder.org

- Check it out and if you're inspired, then please participate.
- Then spread the word by passing it on (i.e. tag your it)

Thanks!

Raising a generation of fully devoted followers of Jesus

2008-08-26T17:06:00.005+10:00

I was reflecting recently about an older couple who attended the same church as me during the 90’s. I recently had contact with them and was interested to note a few changes in their church involvement.

Back in the late 90’s they were all about the ‘kid’s church’/’family church’ thing. Today they are all about the ‘youth/young adult’ church thing.

What changed for them in that time?

Their kids grew up!

I’m not judging them in any way. I just think it’s interesting that people tend to approach church differently as parents than they might otherwise.

As a young guy I remember being told by a church elder that he had seen a pattern among young people in his church. He saw them being very involved in church as teens/ young adults only to drop away or lessen their involvement after they paired up in their 20’s. He had also noticed however that these same people would generally come back and get involved again as they started having kids down the track.

Earlier in the year, I listened to an mp3 of Andrew and Danelle Hamilton from the Grassroots festival. Danelle said that when leaving a traditional church to do incarnational neighborhood ministry one of her first thoughts was “what about my kids”. I’ve heard much the same from others who are looking at doing church differently. The fact is the traditional church’s children’s program works very well for Christian parents looking to drop off the kids and have them “ministered to”. I do have my doubts, however, about how well the kids are actually being discipled (more on that in a moment).

I have to be honest, I’m not that interested in generational ministry but I am interested in my kids. I read with interest information on the differences between Generation X (my generation) and Generation Y and how that’s playing out in both traditional and emerging churches. I also wonder about the next generation, how they will differ again and how that will play out in churches. I read some news articles today about the so called ‘Millenium Kids’. It seems they are suffering from a lack of sleep and a bad diet, spend all their time surfing the net from the comfort of their own bedrooms and playing PSP while watching their personal LCD TV while their ‘helicopter parents’ look on ready to meet their every need.

I have no desire to cut my kids off from this completely, I want them to be relevant to their generation and the challenges that their generation will face. If they do not experience what it is to be part of their generation then how will they transcend what defines their generation to help bring gospel transformation to it. I guess this is part of the tension of being a ‘missional parent’. The other part of this tension is that while I want them to transcend their generation, I also want them to transcend the church. I want them to be fully devoted followers of Jesus.

So I come back to where I started and how being a parent is shaping the way I approach church.

My family goes to a traditional church (in addition to our non-traditional non-church) – my wife goes on Sunday because she is involved beyond the Sunday expression. She helps run the mums groups, a women’s bible study and coordinates a database of people from the church with particular skills willing to help others both in the church and outside it in times of need. I go on Sunday because I consider the Pastor a mate (and if he has to go on Sunday then I feel I should to). To be honest, I (and to a lesser extent my wife) would be more than happy to cut the Sunday morning expression of church from the schedule and just do the other stuff during the week.

The one thing that mitigates this however is the kids. Rightly or wrongly, there is a compromise we have made between our missional beliefs and our parental desire for what the consumer church offers. It’s just too easy to drop the kids at Sunday School.

The Question now becomes: Do I want my child ‘taken care of’ or do I want them discipled. As I said above I have my doubts that traditional church programs are actually discipling kids/teens/ young adults all that much. My own experience tells me they aren’t, what I see in the lives of my friends tells me they aren’t and what I hear from smatter more experiences leaders in the church tells me they aren’t. Not that I have seen or heard of anyone doing something different and claiming better results and it will be a few years before the results are in on most of the ‘newer’ forms of church. Ultimately I have no easy answers, only questions.

How does being a parent change the way I approach church?
What experience of church do I want for my kids?
Do I want my child ‘taken care of’ or do I want them discipled?
Is there a better way?

The Way of the Leaf is for everyone

2008-08-25T19:21:00.003+10:00

First up a little background

For several years now, I have been reading a series of books called ‘the Wheel of Time’ by the late Robert Jordan. For the uninitiated it’s an epic fantasy in the ilk of Lord of the Rings. One of the reoccurring groups in these books are called the Tuatha'an.

The Tuatha'an, AKA Tinkers, AKA The Traveling People, are a nomadic people who travel in long trains of brightly coloured wagons. They follow ‘the Way of the Leaf’, a pacifistic philosophy of nonviolence and hospitality. They do not believe in harming another person, even if they themselves are being harmed.

One of the characters to encounter them is called Perrin. Although Perrin encounters them several times and even muses that, the Way of the Leaf “had seemed attractive to him once” his life remains one of violence. Not that he is ungentle, but when the need arises he is always ready to fight for those around him.

After being injured in a battle Perrin (and his companion Faile) seek aid in a Tuatha’an camp.

The Tuatha’an treating him (Ila) remarks:

“Once I thought he might eventually find the Way of the Leaf, he was a gentle boy, I think.”

“The way of the leaf is not for everyone” Faile said gently, but Ila shook her head again.

“It is for everyone,” she replied just as gently, and a touch sadly, “if they only knew it.”

Faile and Perrin’s attitude to the Way of the Leaf just about sums up the prevailing attitude you might encounter today to a pacifistic philosophy.

That is: it’s a nice idea suited only to Limp Wrested Nancy Boys but not much use to those of us in the ‘real world’.

I know the first time I read the above I sided with Faile but as time goes by I’ve come to see the truth behind the fictional beliefs of the character Ila.

The power if a pacifistic philosophy is not in its appeal to some small section of the population but in the power to transform those of us with no natural inclination towards it.

The Way of the Leaf is for everyone if only they knew it

For me this has lead to a developing engagement in the Anabaptist movement, not because I feel naturally attracted to it's non-violent values (and other values for that matter) but because I am supernaturally attracted to it and because I believe its part of becoming a more authentic followers of Jesus.

That’s all for now, but more eventually…

Morning Prayer: A place to rest

2008-08-22T12:49:00.001+10:00

I have not had the best week. Most of the time I was thinking of being someplace else, doing something else. I still managed to pray the daily office each day but often it was perfunctory and done just to say I did it.

I make my morning prayer on the way to work. Not far from my house there is an old iron and wood bridge over the river with a small park beside it. I pull up under he same tree each day and pray the Morning Prayer from the Missio Die Breviary.

At night I wait until everyone else is asleep and then sit in the living room to say the Evening Prayers.

I’m doing ‘week one’ at the moment which is drawn from the Sermon on the Mount.

My Morning Prayers this week have all been rushed because I didn’t give myself enough time, my Night Prayers have been done more as an afterthought to other reading and activity.

This morning as I left for work, I was not so much thinking “TGIF” but “this is BS”. My predominant thought was that my life consisted of nothing but working and surfing the net and that was less than I wanted it to be.

I normally take a right turn onto the highway out of town, which almost immediately takes me to the left turn off the highway and onto the low road back though town.
As I approached the right turn onto the highway I thought about going the other way. I shook off that thought and turned right. A moment later, as I turned left onto the low road, I felt a strong desire to not stop under my usual tree by the bridge but instead continue through town. “Alright” I thought “let see were this leads”

As I took this detour I noticed I was again running a bit late so decided that I would just stop outside the Anglican Church to read my prayer. It is a quite street so I figured I would not get too distracted sitting in the car.

As I pulled up I looked over at the Church. I thought about getting out and praying in the gardens. Just as I decided against doing this the thought came again but much stronger, this time drawing me to a particular spot – the covered entry way. I knew the portico had two stone benches running along both sides, although I could not see them from where I was parked.

‘I’ll have to be quick’ I thought as I grabbed my Breviary.

I walked hastily up the church drive and turned into the opening of the portico.

I don’t know who was more startled, me or the homeless man sleeping on one of the stone benches.

“Sorry mate” I said “I didn’t mean to wake you”

“Na, I wasn’t sleeping!” he replied “I… was just stretching my back”

“You’ve hurt your back?” I said

“Yeah… yeah.” he said

I took a seat on the other bench, my mind was reeling a bit. I realised I had been expecting something from the first moment I had thought of turning a different way.

“Are you having a hard time, mate?” I said

“Na, Na, I’m not having a hard time” He said

I wished he had said “yes” so I could have emptied my wallet into his hands or invited him to the nearby café for some breakfast.

The homeless man sat up and looked a bit sheepish.

I wanted fill the silence to relive him of his embarrassment so I said:

“I just came here to pray”

“Oh, ok” He said

“Not because it’s a church” I said “just because it’s a quite spot”

“I’ll get out of your way” he said

“No, no… you rest your back” I said “I’ll head off”

“No, I’ve got a friend to go see, I’ll just go see him” he said and was off before I could say more.

I sat there slightly stunned…

After a minute I opened my Breviary and prayed it with my whole heart.

Re:Jesus

2008-08-15T21:03:00.003+10:00

I first heard about this book back at the start of the year and have been keenly waiting for it's release. Alan Hirsch reports on his blog that it will be out by the end of the year (most likely in November).

Alan writes:

This is a radicalizing book that aims at helping the church recalibrate itself around Jesus as the protoypal Christian. It is what I would call a missional Christology. And it is wild! Published by Hendrickson.