11.21.2003
Gospel verse found on ancient shrine
http://www.msnbc.com/news/996230.asp?0cv=CB20
Lost then Found
I got lost today. I took a left turn into the world and quickly lost my way. I talked to Christ this morning and then He simply said go out there. So I did. I saw who was around me and they didn't look the same anymore. I saw the line for the needy but there was something about it that I had never noticed before. It was long. Longer than I'd ever known. I looked at the faces I saw and I saw faces I knew. Faces in the needy line that I had seen before but that pretended to be beyond need. They weren't. And they couldn't get out of the line because of their ill gotten perspective.
Then I saw one face. It was a new face. It was the face of a people. They did not look for need for they had their fill with this and that. But they were needy. I remembered that morning. When my Saviour beckened me to go. He sent me to them . . . and I went. So I will go.
Then I saw one face. It was a new face. It was the face of a people. They did not look for need for they had their fill with this and that. But they were needy. I remembered that morning. When my Saviour beckened me to go. He sent me to them . . . and I went. So I will go.
11.19.2003
only you
Take my heart, I Lay it down
At the feet of you whose crowned
Take my life, I’m letting go
I lift it upto You who’s throned
And I will worship You, Lord
Only You, Lord
And I will bow down before You
Only You Lord
Take my fret, take my fear
All I have, I’m leaving here
Be all my hopes, be all my dreams
Be all my delights, be my everything
And It’s just you and me here now
Only you and me here now
You should see the view
When it’s only You
At the feet of you whose crowned
Take my life, I’m letting go
I lift it upto You who’s throned
And I will worship You, Lord
Only You, Lord
And I will bow down before You
Only You Lord
Take my fret, take my fear
All I have, I’m leaving here
Be all my hopes, be all my dreams
Be all my delights, be my everything
And It’s just you and me here now
Only you and me here now
You should see the view
When it’s only You
11.18.2003
BTW: I was talking with C-Dog this morning and he raised a great point about LP's series on freedom in Galatians. He tied it in with John 8:1-11, the story about the woman who was to be stoned but Jesus called the Pharisees out by their own sins.
Then he asked her: "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
She responds: "No one, sir"
Is His response to criticize to council to tell her to fix the damage and then come back? No . . .
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
It is easy to forgot that we are living life in a fallen world through a saved and redeemed heart. We live from victory in a life of freedom and have lost our view of the joy of the Lord when we keep our eyes focused on anything but the changing power of Christ.
Can I get a witness!?!
Then he asked her: "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
She responds: "No one, sir"
Is His response to criticize to council to tell her to fix the damage and then come back? No . . .
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."
It is easy to forgot that we are living life in a fallen world through a saved and redeemed heart. We live from victory in a life of freedom and have lost our view of the joy of the Lord when we keep our eyes focused on anything but the changing power of Christ.
Can I get a witness!?!
I have invited a few close friends to take a look around a forum that can be a sounding board for thinking deeply about this thing that is the pursuit of God. I throw down the sword and challenge each of you to take part in this community of faith as we pursue a clear minded view of freedom. Shall you accept the challenge? Can you handle being called out? We will see!!
Check out this article that I pulled off of theooze.com about the changing church community. Let your mind free. . . .
So what might be some of the characteristics of church communities who
make
welcome these people inhabiting these 'edges' or 'in-between spaces'?
? They will creatively s t r e t c h outward from the edges. They will
preserve the old without resisting the new. They will be characterised
by an
opening outwards, an unfolding of creative and meaningful new praxis
and
forms. They will have a firm grasp of their core beliefs and values,
and
will operate out of a strongly theological framework. Their life will
be
less about perpetuating trendiness, about being 'trendy', and more
about
integrity, faithfulness, authenticity, and relational depth.
? They will be experimental, with a greater sense of 'movement' and
focus on
'journey'. There will be a greater sense of fluidity. Pete Ward, a
lecturer
in England, talks in terms of 'liquid church.' He's advocating a move
away
from church structures and practices of church where the focus is on
key
performance indicators such as increasing attendance, financial giving,
number of programs and small groups, and on the one-size-fits-all
approach
to church form and praxis. He believes the church must - in line with
culture - liquefy itself and adopt an increasingly informal, diverse,
and
fluid approach. Andrew Jones, in Prague, has blogged about diverse,
interacting, co-habitating "layers of church expression." Steve Taylor,
a
friend down here in New Zealand talks of this fluidity in terms of DJ's
and
their practice of sampling. Fluidity is less concerned about what the
one
best model of church might be, and is more concerned about being
faithful to
the One who calls it into existence, nurtures it, and enables it in all
its
diversity.
? They will have a greater commitment to creating 'space' - both
breathing
space, and creative, exploratory space. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of
Canterbury, has been quoted as saying that "churches need to offer more
space where people can 'draw breath' without demanding a big
commitment."
This kind of space will be opened up to the possibility of encountering
God
present by his Spirit - God encountered through story, symbol,
scripture,
art, music, poem, movie, and physical movement / symbolic action. The
gathering of these church communities (in whatever form) will be about
the
'framing' or 'curating' of open-ended space within which to listen, to
dream, to reflect, to pray, to learn, to be energised and replenished,
and
from there, to be sent out into all the world.
? They will be characterised by a very real sense of DIY
('do-it-yourself')
and participation. For me, Annie Dillard most succinctly captures this
sense: "...I know only enough of God to want to worship him, by any
means at
hand. There is an anomalous specificity to all our experience in space,
a
scandal of particularity, by which God burgeons up or showers down into
the
shabbiest of occasions, and leaves his creation's dealings with him in
the
hands of purblind and clumsy amateurs." Another friend, Mark Pierson, a
Baptist Pastor, writing on the subject of excellence of performance
versus
increased congregational participation, has this to say, "If excellence
is a
primary goal (rather than participation), then the weak, the timid, the
depressed, the disabled, the unskilled, the sick, the introverted, the
overweight, the less attractive, the poor and the untalented aren't
going to
get a look in. They'll be relegated to being spectators for someone
else's
worship performance...It's only in being open to as much participation
as
possible that community can be built."
Check out this article that I pulled off of theooze.com about the changing church community. Let your mind free. . . .
So what might be some of the characteristics of church communities who
make
welcome these people inhabiting these 'edges' or 'in-between spaces'?
? They will creatively s t r e t c h outward from the edges. They will
preserve the old without resisting the new. They will be characterised
by an
opening outwards, an unfolding of creative and meaningful new praxis
and
forms. They will have a firm grasp of their core beliefs and values,
and
will operate out of a strongly theological framework. Their life will
be
less about perpetuating trendiness, about being 'trendy', and more
about
integrity, faithfulness, authenticity, and relational depth.
? They will be experimental, with a greater sense of 'movement' and
focus on
'journey'. There will be a greater sense of fluidity. Pete Ward, a
lecturer
in England, talks in terms of 'liquid church.' He's advocating a move
away
from church structures and practices of church where the focus is on
key
performance indicators such as increasing attendance, financial giving,
number of programs and small groups, and on the one-size-fits-all
approach
to church form and praxis. He believes the church must - in line with
culture - liquefy itself and adopt an increasingly informal, diverse,
and
fluid approach. Andrew Jones, in Prague, has blogged about diverse,
interacting, co-habitating "layers of church expression." Steve Taylor,
a
friend down here in New Zealand talks of this fluidity in terms of DJ's
and
their practice of sampling. Fluidity is less concerned about what the
one
best model of church might be, and is more concerned about being
faithful to
the One who calls it into existence, nurtures it, and enables it in all
its
diversity.
? They will have a greater commitment to creating 'space' - both
breathing
space, and creative, exploratory space. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of
Canterbury, has been quoted as saying that "churches need to offer more
space where people can 'draw breath' without demanding a big
commitment."
This kind of space will be opened up to the possibility of encountering
God
present by his Spirit - God encountered through story, symbol,
scripture,
art, music, poem, movie, and physical movement / symbolic action. The
gathering of these church communities (in whatever form) will be about
the
'framing' or 'curating' of open-ended space within which to listen, to
dream, to reflect, to pray, to learn, to be energised and replenished,
and
from there, to be sent out into all the world.
? They will be characterised by a very real sense of DIY
('do-it-yourself')
and participation. For me, Annie Dillard most succinctly captures this
sense: "...I know only enough of God to want to worship him, by any
means at
hand. There is an anomalous specificity to all our experience in space,
a
scandal of particularity, by which God burgeons up or showers down into
the
shabbiest of occasions, and leaves his creation's dealings with him in
the
hands of purblind and clumsy amateurs." Another friend, Mark Pierson, a
Baptist Pastor, writing on the subject of excellence of performance
versus
increased congregational participation, has this to say, "If excellence
is a
primary goal (rather than participation), then the weak, the timid, the
depressed, the disabled, the unskilled, the sick, the introverted, the
overweight, the less attractive, the poor and the untalented aren't
going to
get a look in. They'll be relegated to being spectators for someone
else's
worship performance...It's only in being open to as much participation
as
possible that community can be built."
11.17.2003
A Magna Charta of Trust by an
Out-of-Control Disciple **
by Leonard I. Sweet
I am part of the Church of the Out-of-Control.
I once was a control junkie, but now am an Out-of-Control Disciple. I've given up my control to God. I trust and obey the Spirit. I've jumped off the fence, I've stepped over the line, I've pulled out all the stops. There's no turning back, looking around, slowing down, backing away, letting up, or shutting up. It's life Against the Odds, Outside the Box, Over the Wall, the game of life played Without Goal Lines other than "Thy Will Be Done . . . ."I am not here to please the dominant culture. I live to please my Lord and Savior. My spiritual taste-buds have graduated from fizz to froth to Fire and Ice. Sometimes I'm called to sharpen the cutting edge, and sometimes to blunt the cutting edge. Don't give me that old-time religion. Don't give me that new-time religion. Give me that all-time religion that's as hard as rock and as soft as snow.I've stopped trying to make life work, and started trying to make life sing. I am finished with second-hand sensations, third-rate dreams, low-risk high-rise trades and goose-stepping, flag-waving crusades. I no longer live by and for anything but everything God-breathed, Christ-centered, and Spirit-driven.I can't be bought by any personalities or perks, positions or prizes. I won't give up, though I may give in . . . to openness of mind, humbleness of heart, and generosity of spirit. In the face of adversity no longer will I hang in there. I will stand in there, I will run in there, I will pray in there, I will sacrifice in there, I will endure in there -- in fact I will do everything in there but hang. My face is upward, my feet are forward, my eyes are focused, my way is cloudy, my knees are worn, my seat uncreased, my heart burdened, my spirit light, my road narrow, my mission wide.I won't be seduced by popularity, traduced by criticism, travestied by hypocrisy or trivialized by mediocrity. I am organized religion's best friend and worst nightmare. I won't back down, slow down, shut down, or let down until I'm preached out, teached out, healed out or hauled out of God's mission in the world entrusted to members of the Church of the Out-of-Control . . . to unbind the confined, whether they're the downtrodden or the upscale, the overlooked or the underrepresented.My fundamental identity is as a disciple of Jesus -- but even more, as a disciple of Jesus who lives in Christ, who doesn't walk through history simply "in his steps," but seeks to travel more deeply IN HIS SPIRIT.Until he comes again or calls me home, you can find me filling not killing time so that one day he will pick me out in the lineup of the ages as one of his own. And then . . . it will be worth it all . . . to hear these words, the most precious words I can ever hear:
"Well done, thou good and faithful...
Out-of-Control Disciple."
Out-of-Control Disciple **
by Leonard I. Sweet
I am part of the Church of the Out-of-Control.
I once was a control junkie, but now am an Out-of-Control Disciple. I've given up my control to God. I trust and obey the Spirit. I've jumped off the fence, I've stepped over the line, I've pulled out all the stops. There's no turning back, looking around, slowing down, backing away, letting up, or shutting up. It's life Against the Odds, Outside the Box, Over the Wall, the game of life played Without Goal Lines other than "Thy Will Be Done . . . ."I am not here to please the dominant culture. I live to please my Lord and Savior. My spiritual taste-buds have graduated from fizz to froth to Fire and Ice. Sometimes I'm called to sharpen the cutting edge, and sometimes to blunt the cutting edge. Don't give me that old-time religion. Don't give me that new-time religion. Give me that all-time religion that's as hard as rock and as soft as snow.I've stopped trying to make life work, and started trying to make life sing. I am finished with second-hand sensations, third-rate dreams, low-risk high-rise trades and goose-stepping, flag-waving crusades. I no longer live by and for anything but everything God-breathed, Christ-centered, and Spirit-driven.I can't be bought by any personalities or perks, positions or prizes. I won't give up, though I may give in . . . to openness of mind, humbleness of heart, and generosity of spirit. In the face of adversity no longer will I hang in there. I will stand in there, I will run in there, I will pray in there, I will sacrifice in there, I will endure in there -- in fact I will do everything in there but hang. My face is upward, my feet are forward, my eyes are focused, my way is cloudy, my knees are worn, my seat uncreased, my heart burdened, my spirit light, my road narrow, my mission wide.I won't be seduced by popularity, traduced by criticism, travestied by hypocrisy or trivialized by mediocrity. I am organized religion's best friend and worst nightmare. I won't back down, slow down, shut down, or let down until I'm preached out, teached out, healed out or hauled out of God's mission in the world entrusted to members of the Church of the Out-of-Control . . . to unbind the confined, whether they're the downtrodden or the upscale, the overlooked or the underrepresented.My fundamental identity is as a disciple of Jesus -- but even more, as a disciple of Jesus who lives in Christ, who doesn't walk through history simply "in his steps," but seeks to travel more deeply IN HIS SPIRIT.Until he comes again or calls me home, you can find me filling not killing time so that one day he will pick me out in the lineup of the ages as one of his own. And then . . . it will be worth it all . . . to hear these words, the most precious words I can ever hear:
"Well done, thou good and faithful...
Out-of-Control Disciple."
John Wesley's "Covenant Prayer"
"I am no longer my own, but Yours.Put me to what You will,
Rank me with whoever You will.Put me to doing...
Put me to suffering.Let me be employed for You,
Or laid aside for You.Exalted for You, or
Brought low for You.Let me be full
Let me be empty.
Let me have all things,
Let me have nothing!And now, O Father,
You are mine and I am Yours.So be it. And the covenant I am making on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
"I am no longer my own, but Yours.Put me to what You will,
Rank me with whoever You will.Put me to doing...
Put me to suffering.Let me be employed for You,
Or laid aside for You.Exalted for You, or
Brought low for You.Let me be full
Let me be empty.
Let me have all things,
Let me have nothing!And now, O Father,
You are mine and I am Yours.So be it. And the covenant I am making on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.
