Just found this on the web - Adam Rutherford is attending an Alpha course and blogging on it for the guardian for the next 10 weeks. I'm sure it's going to make interesting, thought provoking and sometimes cringeworthy reading for us Christians. I hope that he has a positive experience of Christians while he's on the course. I'm not sure he'll be open minded enough to seriously consider the claims of the course...but then I really don't want to be cynical...or underestimate how powerfully the Spirit of God can blow us away.
Shame the commentors on the article aren't willing to have open minds...always makes me just a little sad...I wonder what we could ever do to convince them that most of us Christians aren't mindless, unthinking bigots?
Friday, July 10, 2009
Sunday, July 05, 2009
shine...
Isaiah 60 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
"Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;"
Jesus, Matthew 5 - "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
I love it when this kind of thing happens...yesterday's readings (I'm dong a kind of cover to cover thing) these two chapters. Seeingly random/coincidental?
So...how am I shining? How am I attracting 'nations' to the kingdoms light?
What a challenge...
"Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;"
Jesus, Matthew 5 - "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
I love it when this kind of thing happens...yesterday's readings (I'm dong a kind of cover to cover thing) these two chapters. Seeingly random/coincidental?
So...how am I shining? How am I attracting 'nations' to the kingdoms light?
What a challenge...
Saturday, July 04, 2009
dad support...
Something that's been running through my mind recently is how new Dads access support. At the base of it is maybe something networky that could be created. It strikes me that here's a whole heap of Mum and Baby tagetted stuff, but I don't think I've seen anything in Exeter (I'd be delighted to be corrected!) that looks at how Dad is getting on.
Maybe this sounds selfish...but it would be great to have a place to sit and be honest and open about this whole new world that's unfolding itself. Celebrating the good stuff, sharing the frustrations. Basically being real with a bunch of guys who won't try to joke about everything...
What kind of support do you think such a group could provide? How would you bring the idea of mission into it?
Be interested to hear your thoughts...
Maybe this sounds selfish...but it would be great to have a place to sit and be honest and open about this whole new world that's unfolding itself. Celebrating the good stuff, sharing the frustrations. Basically being real with a bunch of guys who won't try to joke about everything...
What kind of support do you think such a group could provide? How would you bring the idea of mission into it?
Be interested to hear your thoughts...
Thursday, July 02, 2009
forgiveness...
Just finished listening to a Mars Hill podcast. They're working through a mini-series on forgiveness, and boy is it powerful and enlightening stuff.
The latest one looks at the parable about the king and the debtor, and how the king is willing to throw away the book that contains just how much the servant owes to let him walk away, but the servant can't reciprocate that to the guy who owes him.
The kingdom picture seems clear. Grace means forgiveness that we can't earn and certainly don't deserve. The way the world works would see us forever trying to salve our conscience to no avail and forever carrying grudges against those we've perceived have wronged us, looking for opportunities to get even. We would never be able to be unburdened and eventually we would end up paying for all our mess by being forever separated from God.
God knows we can't work our way into his good books so he does something about it.
Grace.
Awesome.
But it doesn't stop there. How can we then live as the world lives if we've experienced this kind of forgiveness? How can I bear a grudge? Who am I to say that God's way of doing things is just messed up? If I can't forgive...then that separation from God is going to be a very real thing.
That scares me...but that's not why I should forgive. It should be because I want to live how God lives.
Generously.
Making it clear that we have to give up all the crap of the past and take up this new, forgiven and forgiving way of living.
Forgiveness doesn't mean people don't 'pay' for what they may have done, but instead accepts that God is on top of sorting that out. When we can't or won't forgive, we're kind of saying that we don't trust Him to do this.
Powerful stuff, eh?
Made me think about a couple of relationships that I need to work on...
The latest one looks at the parable about the king and the debtor, and how the king is willing to throw away the book that contains just how much the servant owes to let him walk away, but the servant can't reciprocate that to the guy who owes him.
The kingdom picture seems clear. Grace means forgiveness that we can't earn and certainly don't deserve. The way the world works would see us forever trying to salve our conscience to no avail and forever carrying grudges against those we've perceived have wronged us, looking for opportunities to get even. We would never be able to be unburdened and eventually we would end up paying for all our mess by being forever separated from God.
God knows we can't work our way into his good books so he does something about it.
Grace.
Awesome.
But it doesn't stop there. How can we then live as the world lives if we've experienced this kind of forgiveness? How can I bear a grudge? Who am I to say that God's way of doing things is just messed up? If I can't forgive...then that separation from God is going to be a very real thing.
That scares me...but that's not why I should forgive. It should be because I want to live how God lives.
Generously.
Making it clear that we have to give up all the crap of the past and take up this new, forgiven and forgiving way of living.
Forgiveness doesn't mean people don't 'pay' for what they may have done, but instead accepts that God is on top of sorting that out. When we can't or won't forgive, we're kind of saying that we don't trust Him to do this.
Powerful stuff, eh?
Made me think about a couple of relationships that I need to work on...
Sunday, June 28, 2009
interesting tv...
Channel 4 carried a interesting documentary narrated by Jon Ronson about the Alpha course this evening. You can find it here...
Interesting in that there seemed to be something of a agenda to the interpretation of what was going on. I missed the first 10 minutes (only picking up on it from Johnny's facebook status once it has started) so don't know if the group were handpicked by the documentary makers or were an ordinary group that the church offered to the documentary makers...
The Holy Spirit weekend, and in particular the 'tongues' issue seems to have been a real focal point for the programme...and I'm not sure I like the way they covered it. Dropped in a bit of Toronto Blessing when the actual weekend was fairly laid back in what they explored. Still, not bad for people 'out there' to see how a part of the church explores what the Spirit is up to in our lives.
Well worth watching, although there's no real outcome to the programme. Maybe that's the idea...but then documentary makers need to be aware that impartial observers sometimes sound less than impartial, and that they can something come across a little judgemental. In fairness, the 'niceness' of the Alpha church people was commented on.
I've never experienced Alpha, but have really high regard for it. At the same time a more natural, conversation with mates in the pub type approach strikes me as being a really great way of 'doing' (or should that be 'being'?) evangelism. Sure, you don't necessarily follow a curriculum or anything like that...which is scary because you just have to be open to what the Spirit leads your mates towards. I'd love to try something like this...maybe will.
Interesting in that there seemed to be something of a agenda to the interpretation of what was going on. I missed the first 10 minutes (only picking up on it from Johnny's facebook status once it has started) so don't know if the group were handpicked by the documentary makers or were an ordinary group that the church offered to the documentary makers...
The Holy Spirit weekend, and in particular the 'tongues' issue seems to have been a real focal point for the programme...and I'm not sure I like the way they covered it. Dropped in a bit of Toronto Blessing when the actual weekend was fairly laid back in what they explored. Still, not bad for people 'out there' to see how a part of the church explores what the Spirit is up to in our lives.
Well worth watching, although there's no real outcome to the programme. Maybe that's the idea...but then documentary makers need to be aware that impartial observers sometimes sound less than impartial, and that they can something come across a little judgemental. In fairness, the 'niceness' of the Alpha church people was commented on.
I've never experienced Alpha, but have really high regard for it. At the same time a more natural, conversation with mates in the pub type approach strikes me as being a really great way of 'doing' (or should that be 'being'?) evangelism. Sure, you don't necessarily follow a curriculum or anything like that...which is scary because you just have to be open to what the Spirit leads your mates towards. I'd love to try something like this...maybe will.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
community...
I can't seem to get out of my head the importance of community to the Christian journey and witness. God in Trinity is community, the people of God motif throughout scripture is all about the community of holiness, the gathering of the disciples and the incredible story of Acts is rooted in community. Faith can't be expressed in anything other than community.
There's something profoundly mystical and yet deeply practical about this. It feels like I'm on the verge of something really important and need to explore this. But community can't be explored alone.
I guess at the heart of this is something around the idea of creating a hub for mission that seriously impacts the community - both in terms of those who make up the hub and the physical community it's based in. Something like what those incredible Celtic monks did with their communities...hubs of hope, learning, new technology (entreprenuership?), creativity. Beacons of light in the darkness. Spirituality/theology that's willing to get it's hands dirty. Somewhere that says that there is a better way to live and seeks to model it.
If you pray, I'd appreciate some words up to Him for us as we figure this one through. What is it that the Spirit is saying to us in this season of our lives? Is this something that intrigues and excites you?
Let me know if you hear anything...
There's something profoundly mystical and yet deeply practical about this. It feels like I'm on the verge of something really important and need to explore this. But community can't be explored alone.
I guess at the heart of this is something around the idea of creating a hub for mission that seriously impacts the community - both in terms of those who make up the hub and the physical community it's based in. Something like what those incredible Celtic monks did with their communities...hubs of hope, learning, new technology (entreprenuership?), creativity. Beacons of light in the darkness. Spirituality/theology that's willing to get it's hands dirty. Somewhere that says that there is a better way to live and seeks to model it.
If you pray, I'd appreciate some words up to Him for us as we figure this one through. What is it that the Spirit is saying to us in this season of our lives? Is this something that intrigues and excites you?
Let me know if you hear anything...
Friday, June 05, 2009
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