Posts Tagged ‘church’

CLINK

Sunday, May 31st, 2009

IPL

grace

loftus

Picture 1 is when a few us watched cricket at the IPL with 20 thousand other people. (Note I don’t say cricket lovers - however I would say most are.) Picture 2 is when the fam and I visited Grace Bible church in Soweto with 7  thousand other people. (Note I don’t say Christ lovers - however I would say most are.) Picture 3 is me at an empty Loftus a day before Super 14 final.  There was actually something distinctly spiritual in sitting there, ‘drinking in’ the space inside this cultural phenomenan - (some cynics would say idol temple).

I think a lot of how we serve God is inseperable with culture.  It is still embedded in culture.  I’m not always particularly proud of my culture when I see Bulls fans with horns on their head and other stuff on their tow-bars, when I look at what’s best selling music in our country, and when I experience what I find to be strange cultural expressions of faith.  Some God-lovers judge all these different cultural phenomena.  Because they don’t understand it.

I don’t think God does. He just loves us anyway.

So here’s to embracing culture and respecting those we don’t understand. (Clink)  (’Clink’ -  another cultural tradition)

Here’s to the Bulls. (Clink)

Here’s to the Deccan Chargers who won the IPL. (Clink)

Here’s to the Mega Church. (Clink)

And all their fans (Clink)

And here’s to every other avenue we explore in exploring our spirituality. (CLINK)

MAY WE FIND GOD WHETHER IT BE AT LOFTUS OR AT CELL GROUP OR AT HOME OR UNDER A TREE OR WITH A GLASS OF WINE OR AS WE EXPERIENCE FORGIVENESS OR SALVATION AS WE WORSHIP OR AS WE DRINK IN THE SILENCE OR AS WE CELEBRATE LIFE HOWEVER WE DO OR AS WE TALK TO EACH OTHER OR AS WE GATHER TOGETHER IN WHATEVER FORM AND FOR WHATEVER REASON

WHETHER WE LIKE TO CALL HIM JESUS OR FATHER OR HOLY SPIRIT…  AND AS WE ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND MORE OF HIM IN THE FULLNESS OF WHO HE  IS

clink

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Engaging culture, New Thoughts | 5 Comments »

Movement

Sunday, March 22nd, 2009
1. The act or an instance of moving; a change in place or position.
2. A change in the location of troops, ships, or aircraft for tactical or strategic purposes.

3. A series of actions and events taking place over a period of time and working to foster a principle or policy: a movement toward world peace.
4. An organized effort by supporters of a common goal: a leader of the labor movement.
5. A tendency or trend: a movement toward larger kitchens.

Is Church supposed to be a movement?

Is Church supposed to be a movement?

If I look at number one, mmm, most churches have one building which probably doesn’t run around.  Erwin uses multiple locations, which sounds fun, but probably frustrates some.  If we don’t take this is a literal ‘position’, church should be constantly evolving, growing, changing - moving in regards to renewal of thought, adapting to environment.

Number two: This refers to major change of plan in regards to tactical and strategic procedure.  “We’re not doing this now.  And we’re not tweaking it.  We’re changing position and doing THAT now.’  I think church is supposed to do this.  Churches who are stuck to a ‘model’ - because this is what the Bible supposedly teaches in regards to model, will find it hard doing this.  Also churches who are governed by the masses, or governed by pleasing the masses - or governed by pleasing the key tithers.

3  Yes yes yes.  A movement working to foster a principle or policy.  A movement towards truth Jesus/God taught us/reveals to us. A series of actions or events that do this. (A book could be written on the last statement) A process.  Yes yes yes.

The fourth one:  Common goal… without this the church would simple be a ‘bless me’ party.

FIVER.  Ooooooh.  Yes.  Not the commercialized church ‘because we need to be trendy’.  The church that gets this right is not trying to get this right. They just engage in such a way that understanding tendencies and trends is a natural consequence of their way of integrating consistently with those they continuously ‘move’ past and move with.

So currently at Re:Verb we are challenged by this…

Tags: ,
Posted in Engaging culture, New Thoughts | 2 Comments »