08.08.10
Posted in justice, mission, semiotics at 5:30 am by len
Skye Jethani reflects on the two sides of the debate in the Cordoba House controversy. he writes,
“Governmental, religious, and cultural leaders on all sides have already spoken, written, or tweeted about the proposed Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center site in Manhattan. So when my friend Eboo Patel asked me to add my voice to the noise, I wasn’t sure what new perspective I could offer.
“An expert in constitutional law might see the Cordoba House controversy as a First Amendment issue and demand that the Muslim-Americans organizing the project be allowed to proceed without impediment. A politico might see the matter as an opportunity to score easy points with constituents (right or left) by supporting or denouncing the “Ground Zero mosque.” And a member of the media might see the issue as a powder keg guaranteed to draw an audience and therefore pursue whatever means to keep the controversy alive. But I’m not a lawyer, a politician, or a journalist. I’m a pastor. And when I look at the matter it isn’t the legal or political arguments that get my attention–it’s the fear…”
More..
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08.07.10
Posted in ekklesia, emergence at 1:45 pm by len
Paul Fromont points to a review of this book by David Driedger. He notes that,
“The question Dula asks is whether the church as it is conceived in theologians such as Milbank, Hauerwas, Bell, Cavanaugh, and Yoder is actually best described as a type of ‘fugitive ecclesial,’ that is a church that for the most part does not actually exist as it is called but for moments does exist as such.”
Part of this conversation comes out of a new question arising from the difference in perspective, described by
Isaac Villegas as “the space between the individual and the community.” That space, in this reflection, defies premeditation, is outside our control.
More..
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Posted in books, mission, transition at 5:00 am by len
Did you read it? What did you think?
I thought it was as good as The Present Future, and helped spell out some implications. And I’ve always enjoyed Reggie’s conversational style and easy humor. It’s also helpful to remember his main audience is not under 35.
In particular I found his use of metaphors helpful, like this one: the shift from Director to Producer.
“Hollywood Directors are project managers. The work with all phases and components of filmmaking to produce a movie. They are on the set during every scene. They are in the film lab during editing. They are everywhere. Very little happens without the director’s attention.
“Producers play a different role. They find great stories, recruit talent, raise capital, negotiate with studios, and hire directors to bring ideas to life.
“Classic clergy church leadership operates in a director’s mode. Not much happens without the ordained ones… This is not bad. It just limits the ministry reach of the church. Come to think of it — that’s bad!
“Apostolic leaders in the New Testament found ways to release people for ministry. Whether it was the original crew faced with a food distribution crisis or a missionary from Tarsus managing a new church network, apostolic leaders understood the essential connection between the success of the mission and their willingness to launch other people into significant leadership roles. A failure to do this would have doomed the movement to be swamped by its early success. The apostles acted as Producers.”
I also liked his summary of the leader-shift broken down by four key areas: paradigms, microskills, resource management and personal growth.
The High Calling interviewed Reg. Read the interview HERE.
If you did read it, without looking on your shelf, what stood out to you?
Michael Thompson reviews the book here: Jesus Creed
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08.06.10
Posted in leadership, mission at 5:00 am by len
Is a paradox, probably. But Earl Creps does a great job with some questions in the chapter on assessment in “Off-Road Disciplines.”
“I think of such a scorecard as representing “missional efficiency.” The core issue being assessed concerns how closely we are identifying with Christ, co-laboring with Him, being sent by Him just as He has been sent by the Father. The items suggest general categories of concern in the parish context. (95)
* what proportion of the largest group meeting (and our leadership) is present because of a significant faith experience, rather than by transfer?
* what proportion of our leadership did we develop here by spiritual formation and leadership training?
* what have we learned about doing ministry in our context in the last month? What have we done about it?
* how many spiritual conversations have we had this month with unchurched people?
* what would our church look like if we had the same income but the majority of it came from those under thirty (or the poor, or the unchurched)?
* what would our ministry look like if the pre-Christian community had a representative with veto power on our board?
* if we worked for a missions agency, would we still have jobs?
* what are the best stories we can tell about the things God has done among us since our last meeting?
* what would we say to a poor person who asked us what we have done to help the marginalized since our last meeting?
* who is growing spiritually among us, and how do we know this? (96)
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08.05.10
Posted in gospel, mission at 5:00 am by len
Over the weekend I was reflecting on Luke 10. This passage, along with Luke 9 (the sending of the twelve), have become somewhat standard fare for lectio and for reflection on mission. I’m speaking out of the passage in a couple of weeks, and it has allowed me to pull some other thoughts together on the gospel of the kingdom.
On this most recent reading and reflection, I found myself noticing two things. First, the wider context from chapters 8 through 10 and the kingdom theme. Second, that it is in chapter nine that the great parable of the good Samaritan is found. And what leads us into that story? The question by the lawyer where Jesus responds with the great commandment. So whatever else we make of the eating references in the sending passage, the wider context is transformation in response to the grace and love of God.
The main theme is demonstrating and declaring the good news of God’s kingdom — connected to radical hospitality. This chapter is so loaded. Ideally a series of messages from chapter eight to chapter ten would be a great missional anchor and exploration.
Have you ever noticed that the scripting of the great commandment is quite different in Luke as compared to Mark 12? What do you make of the difference, especially the lack of the Shema? The difference in audience?
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08.04.10
Posted in gospel, hermeneutics, mission, theology at 5:00 am by len
In The Secret Message of Jesus (2006), McLaren devotes an entire chapter to contextualizing the concepts of the kingdom of God for the current generation. Here are his suggestions.
The dream of God. The Lord’s prayer: “May all your dreams for your creation come true.”
The revolution of God. To get beyond the Che Guevara connotation McLaren suggests that the concept needs a qualifier like: “the peace revolution of God,” “the spiritual revolution of God,” “the love revolution of God,” or the “reconciling revolution of God.” He also mentions favorably Dallas Willard’s term, the “divine conspiracy.”
The mission of God. This is probably my least favorite because of the tendency to view it as non-relational or task oriented. Of course, that is not how God views it. McLaren believes that it is of great value as a metaphor as long as we complement it with relational imagery. Maybe an antidote to the inward, self-referential focus of the attractional church.
The party of God. McLaren re-tells Tony Campolo’s story about throwing a birthday part for a 38-year-old prostitute who had never had a birthday party. When the owner of the donut shop asked him what kind of church he went to, Tony answered, “I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning.” The owner said, “If such a church existed, I would go to it.”
The network of God. This plays off of the idea of communication, interconnectedness and living systems in ecology: the metaphor of an ecosystem. God’s truth is in everything and he holds all things together.
The dance of God. There is a rich tradition in the early church fathers of comparing the relationships within the Trinity to a holy dance of creation and love (and Thomas Merton also loved this one). “The universe was created to be an expression of and extension of the dance of God”so that all creatures share in the dynamic joy of movement, love, vitality, harmony, and celebration.” (McLaren:147). I confess this last one really appeals to me – I picture Teviah in Fiddler on the Roof..
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08.03.10
Posted in gospel, semiotics, theology at 5:00 am by len
Tom Sine closes The New Conspirators as follows..
“When Jesus began teaching he made it clear that his new empire would be unlike any empire the world had ever seen. It came on a donkey’s back. it’s imperial council was comprised of a handful of unemployed fishermen, a couple of IRS agents, a prostitute and some hangers on. Jesus demonstrated how to wield his imperial power by washing feet, telling stories and playing with kids. Jesus’ empire is based on the absurd values that the last should be first, losers are winners, and the most influential in the empire should clean the toilets. Members of the empire are instructed to love their enemies, forgive their friends, always give twice as much as people ask of them and never pursue power or position. Jesus insisted that those who are part of his empire shouldn’t worry about finances, but simply trust god. The resources to run this empire were basins, towels, and leftover lunches. This empire also developed a reputation for constant partying – almost always with the wrong kind of people.
“Seriously is this any way to run an empire? Imagine what would happen if you ran a political, economic or religious institution with these bizarre values. Clearly it wouldn’t have much of a future. These values might even get the leader assassinated…”
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08.02.10
Posted in life happens at 5:00 am by len
Somewhere recently I read — it was Richard Rohr actually — that the heart of spirituality in terms of its dynamics is “letting go.” I’d say that is pretty accurate. Maybe that’s why “take nothing for the journey” in Luke 9 comes back to me so often. At the heart of the movement of God in the world is emptiness (the kenosis in Phil. 2) — and why should our human journey then be any different?
Anyway — this coming from seeing Steve Falk’s pictures on FACEBOOK this weekend — the marriage of his son Calen. I remember Calen quite well from our seminary years in Fresno. He was a year old when we first met, just a bit younger than our daughter Elise. Steve is a good friend, living on Vancouver Island, just a bit too far away to see with any regularity.
On Saturday while Calen was being married we were attending a wedding at METRO. The couple spent some years on the streets of Kelowna. Both are well into a healing journey now, and my wife was deeply involved in helping to coordinate the wedding for about four weeks prior to the event. I helped by driving a truckload of chairs and tables out to Bertram Park.
A great celebration! And that theme is powerful in the New Testament. Every wedding for Jesus seems to have symbolized the final consummation. Isaiah describes the event like this:
On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all people.
A banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
The sheet that covers all nations.
He will swallow up death forever. (25)
Or as Tony Campolo would phrase it, the kingdom of God is a party! I like to think it will go on for a while. I also like to think we will drink real wine. Jesus himself is my source on that one (Mark 14:24). Imagine drinking wine aged 5000 years…
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08.01.10
Posted in audio, leadership, mission, the arts at 8:55 am by len
And nothing to do with the DaVinci Code. This more down to earth and inspiring. Bruce Cockburn was honored in Toronto at Massey-Hall by a who’s-who of Canadian artists including Sylvia Tyson, the Rodeo Kings, The Wailin Jennies, The Barenaked Ladies and more. You can listen online. There is one song many will never have heard: “Going Down the Road.”
The MP3s include any commentary, so if you see a really long song listed its because it begins or ends with somebody .. or Bruce.. talking. (Also Cockburn on “Q” last year and then THIS year.)
CRA (Christian Associates International) one of the networks empowering and resourcing church planting in the US.. and come to think of it, in other places like Europe also .. has a spanking new website. Check it out HERE. Thanks for the tip Rob!
A reminder to any who missed it that I have a second WORDPRESS site running now, where I am listing anything I publish. So, if it appears in a journal, a book, or a collection of articles somewhere, it will also appear here at MissionalLeader. The only thing recent I haven’t listed there is “Leadership: From hero to Host” which appeared in the MB Herald in June.
This morning I am working on a presentation for a church board in southern Ontario. Like many churches in transition they are wrestling with how to remain relevant, how to reach a wider representation of the culture around them, how to reimagine leadership in a way that empowers mission.
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07.31.10
Posted in books, life happens at 10:06 am by len
The creative thinkers and practitioners seem to be multiplying. And never have we had such easy access — at least those who are digital immigrants or digital natives. Last night at a friends home I watched as his sixty year old mother maneuvered deftly around the iPad. Yes — the iPad, not merely an iPod.
In other words, not merely the range and ease of access to a conversation like the one here: leadership, culture, mission, change — but the growing span of generations who are finding their way around.
This past week I have been dipping around three books that I previously read, and discovering some new riches. Point three I guess — there is so much information and experience on offer that no one can take it all in. It’s another reason that when engaging change processes we need to cast a wider net, include more voices from the margins.
The books I was revisiting this past week are Earl Creps, Off-Road Disciplines, James Bryan Smith, The Good and Beautiful Life, Bruxy Cavey, The End of Religion, and two new ones actually — Keith Meyer, Whole Life Transformation, and Len Sweet, So Beautiful (given by a friend, though I think Sweets book is a couple years old now).
On top of this I was sifting through some file folders and found a 2004 edition of Cutting Edge magazine. Cutting Edge is published by the Vineyard USA, and often with some great interviews and articles. The title of this old one is “As The Wind,” subtitle, “The Spirit in the Church.” This issue contained a great interview with Steven Sandage, who co-wrote Transforming Spirituality with LeRon Shults in 2003. If I have time this week I’ll post an excerpt from the article, one of the better ones I have read this past year that uses a holistic approach to view spiritual life and growth.
* * *
This is going to be a busy week. A wedding today, some other things to do tomorrow in addition to METRO. Thursday we fly to Ontario. I may take a blog holiday from the 6th to the 9th or so, I’ll see how it goes.
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