ron cole shares a bit of how scripture began to 'read' him.
"With the building blocks of knowledge scrambled around my feet like rubble...I discovered I was a lie. But, now, I could embrace every thing; the difficult, the obscure and the distant. The things I couldn't understand, the difficult passages that left fragments and holes, I embraced with faith, rather than belief, if that makes sense."
weary pilgrim: letting it read you...
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
the buzzword (synchroblog)
i am not an expert on all things missional. i am not an expert on anything missional for that matter. lets go one more step...i am not an expert on anything at all really. but back to missional. as a part of this synchroblog, i know i won't be proposing anything original or profound. not my concern really. but i also know that i can't properly define missional.
but within my head and heart i have come to some decisions of my own in regards to who i will become and what my response to the mission will continue to be. there are already a couple of great books out there (see michael frost and alan hirsch) and they flesh out missional much better than i ever could. but allow me to humbly state a few things here before speaking to my own tradition (nazarene).
1. missional isn't a program. a church cannot adopt a new program of being "missional" after hearing a speaker like reggie mcneal or michael frost. there is no "40 days of missional" model that is to be bought, launched and followed.
2. missional isn't what you look like or who you hang out with. although, what you look like and who you hang out with my be directly affected by the mission.
3. if you've tagged the term 'missional' onto your new efforts to 'grow' your church or sound relevant...then you most certainly are not missional...or relevant for that matter. that is to say, if missional is your buzzword, then it isn't a part your dna.
4. missional is living out the mission of God in our everyday, ordinary, mundane lives and allowing that everyday, ordinary, mundane life to be sacred.
with these four things in mind, allow me to speak to the nazarene denomination.
i am coming to the conclusion that the word 'missional' has become a bit of a buzz word for the church of the nazarene. while the focus of holiness in certain ways for the nazarene denomination has kept it missional to a point for the last 100 years, the denomination has also 'hijacked' the word to use it inappropriately. at least within the united states.
the clearest examples i can give come from the latest issue of one of our denominational magazines..."grow". i will not link to either article. however, both articles defined the churches they were about as being missional. the problem i have with this is that their successes were defined by their numbers of attending people during a weekend service. what is happening in those 2 churches is great. calling them missional because their worship services have attracted lots of people is NOT missional. these are attractional models of church being labeled missional. do these churches have a mission? yes. is their mission missional? i could not say without visiting them.
in this post i cannot thoroughly explain how my tradition is and is not missional. nor can i completely describe the length to which we have 'hijacked' the term missional. these are all posts for another time.
i merely want to point out that our denomination is misusing the term 'missional' and needs a bit of a conversation to help us clarify the terms we use. just because we as nazarenes have tagged missional onto our promotional materials does not make us missional.
i look forward to reading the 49 other posts and encourage you to do the same. thank you rick for setting this up.
but within my head and heart i have come to some decisions of my own in regards to who i will become and what my response to the mission will continue to be. there are already a couple of great books out there (see michael frost and alan hirsch) and they flesh out missional much better than i ever could. but allow me to humbly state a few things here before speaking to my own tradition (nazarene).
1. missional isn't a program. a church cannot adopt a new program of being "missional" after hearing a speaker like reggie mcneal or michael frost. there is no "40 days of missional" model that is to be bought, launched and followed.
2. missional isn't what you look like or who you hang out with. although, what you look like and who you hang out with my be directly affected by the mission.
3. if you've tagged the term 'missional' onto your new efforts to 'grow' your church or sound relevant...then you most certainly are not missional...or relevant for that matter. that is to say, if missional is your buzzword, then it isn't a part your dna.
4. missional is living out the mission of God in our everyday, ordinary, mundane lives and allowing that everyday, ordinary, mundane life to be sacred.
with these four things in mind, allow me to speak to the nazarene denomination.
i am coming to the conclusion that the word 'missional' has become a bit of a buzz word for the church of the nazarene. while the focus of holiness in certain ways for the nazarene denomination has kept it missional to a point for the last 100 years, the denomination has also 'hijacked' the word to use it inappropriately. at least within the united states.
the clearest examples i can give come from the latest issue of one of our denominational magazines..."grow". i will not link to either article. however, both articles defined the churches they were about as being missional. the problem i have with this is that their successes were defined by their numbers of attending people during a weekend service. what is happening in those 2 churches is great. calling them missional because their worship services have attracted lots of people is NOT missional. these are attractional models of church being labeled missional. do these churches have a mission? yes. is their mission missional? i could not say without visiting them.
in this post i cannot thoroughly explain how my tradition is and is not missional. nor can i completely describe the length to which we have 'hijacked' the term missional. these are all posts for another time.
i merely want to point out that our denomination is misusing the term 'missional' and needs a bit of a conversation to help us clarify the terms we use. just because we as nazarenes have tagged missional onto our promotional materials does not make us missional.
i look forward to reading the 49 other posts and encourage you to do the same. thank you rick for setting this up.
Missional Synchroblog
Alan Hirsch
Alan Knox
Andrew Jones
Barb Peters
Bill Kinnon
Brad Brisco
Brad Grinnen
Brad Sargent
Brother Maynard
Bryan Riley
Chad Brooks
Chris Wignall
Cobus Van Wyngaard
Dave DeVries
David Best
David Fitch
David Wierzbicki
DoSi
Doug Jones
Duncan McFadzean
Erika Haub
Grace
Jamie Arpin-Ricci
Jeff McQuilkin
John Smulo
Jonathan Brink
JR Rozko
Kathy Escobar
Len Hjalmarson
Makeesha Fisher
Malcolm Lanham
Mark Berry
Mark Petersen
Mark Priddy
Michael Crane
Michael Stewart
Nick Loyd
Patrick Oden
Peggy Brown
Phil Wyman
Richard Pool
Rick Meigs
Rob Robinson
Ron Cole
Scott Marshall
Sonja Andrews
Stephen Shields
Steve Hayes
Tim Thompson
Thom Turner
Alan Knox
Andrew Jones
Barb Peters
Bill Kinnon
Brad Brisco
Brad Grinnen
Brad Sargent
Brother Maynard
Bryan Riley
Chad Brooks
Chris Wignall
Cobus Van Wyngaard
Dave DeVries
David Best
David Fitch
David Wierzbicki
DoSi
Doug Jones
Duncan McFadzean
Erika Haub
Grace
Jamie Arpin-Ricci
Jeff McQuilkin
John Smulo
Jonathan Brink
JR Rozko
Kathy Escobar
Len Hjalmarson
Makeesha Fisher
Malcolm Lanham
Mark Berry
Mark Petersen
Mark Priddy
Michael Crane
Michael Stewart
Nick Loyd
Patrick Oden
Peggy Brown
Phil Wyman
Richard Pool
Rick Meigs
Rob Robinson
Ron Cole
Scott Marshall
Sonja Andrews
Stephen Shields
Steve Hayes
Tim Thompson
Thom Turner
Thursday, June 12, 2008
missional synchroblog called by rick meigs
rick meigs is organizing a 'what is missional' synchroblog for june 23. anyone who is interested is welcome to participate. however, please let rick know so that he can add you to the list...here.
rick was one of the first to introduce me to a formal missional concept. further conversations with him when i visited over a wonderful barbecue meal at his house helped me to really grasp the life of missional.
i look forward to participating and following up on everyone's posts. there is quite a list already!
rick was one of the first to introduce me to a formal missional concept. further conversations with him when i visited over a wonderful barbecue meal at his house helped me to really grasp the life of missional.
i look forward to participating and following up on everyone's posts. there is quite a list already!
Saturday, June 07, 2008
subversive holiness
members of my tradition gathered in 1999 for a 'subversive holiness' conference. this statement was formed during that time. brian postlewait has posted this over at emergent nazarenes.
AS MEMBERS of the Church Universal, we affirm the whole of the Christian tradition and seek to learn from the variety of gifts and expressions within it. We recognize the value of the Holiness tradition, in particular, its emphatic call to holy living. We speak from a concern for the Gospel, and the integrity of the Holiness tradition. Seeking to follow our Lord faithfully, we offer this statement to the Church, and to the Holiness tradition in particular, as our own statement of confession.
WE AFFIRM the sense of hospitality that has been preserved by practices of welcome and celebration in the Church of the Nazarene. We also express concern that the Church is becoming insular and is ceasing to welcome needy strangers and the poor.
WE AFFIRM the historical role of women in the Church of the Nazarene but fear that the historical commitment has become neglected.
WE AFFIRM the international vision of the Church of the Nazarene but want to confess that it still seems to support the nationalistic interests of the U.S. and the West.
WE AFFIRM the heritage of entire sanctification, but we fear that we have come to understand holiness only in terms of personal piety. We believe the Gospel message is for the whole person and the whole community.
WE AFFIRM the commitment to the Gospel message and we believe that the teachings and life of Jesus to be central to the life of holiness.
WE AFFIRM the distinct heritage of the Wesleyan holiness movement and therefore encourage the Church to remember the ancient Christian practices, especially the Eucharist, that have sustained the Christian Church throughout history.
WE AFFIRM the relational nature of our congregations and fear that it may be lost to the pressure to grow numerically and to perform according to the consumeristic values of America.
WE AFFIRM the importance of community in the Wesleyan heritage and therefore encourage the Church to seek and support forms of intentional Christian community, e.g. Wesleyan covenant groups, intentional communal living, accountability groups, etc…. We believe fellowship and community to be essential aspects of holiness.
WE AFFIRM the emphasis on the Church of the Nazarene on education but fear that education has become increasingly elitist and unaffordable. Massive debt acquired by students is particularly burdensome for those who are called to lives of occupational ministry within the church. We are concerned about the possibility that people may have had to step away from ministerial vocations because of educational debt.
WE AFFIRM our history of lay driven ministry but fear that the professionalization of some ministerial vocations leads to complacency in our congregations. Compassion, in particular, is now understood as a particular vocation instead of an essential aspect of the life of every believer.
WE AFFIRM the heritage of compassionate ministry but we believe there is no compassion separate from the work of justice – the confrontation of systems that cause poverty and oppression.
WE AFFIRM the commitments of the holiness tradition to racial reconciliation but we believe there remains a lack of reconciliation in our churches.
WE AFFIRM the worship of God in its many and diverse forms but we acknowledge a dangerous trend in worship services toward spectatorship.
WE AFFIRM the call of the early Church of the Nazarene to lives of servanthood but are concerned about the trend toward consumerism in the Churches.
BECAUSE THE HOLINESS TRADITION is clear about the abuse of resources WE CANNOT SUPPORT the ongoing lack of stewardship, investment in large buildings and entanglement of lives in material possessions and entertainment when the Church’s own manual calls it to be “free from an emphasis on wealth.”
IN SHORT we embrace or encourage the tradition of the Church of the Nazarene but collectively caution against it being commandeered by the values of the world. We believe that our emphasis on sanctification should call and support us to embody an alternative way of life as a sign and a witness to the world of the Lordship of Christ.
THEREFORE, even in the diversity of our convictions and traditions, we resolve to seek lives of holiness of heart and life that are centered on Christ and that live by the values of God’s Kingdom. We commit ourselves to the universal body of Christ as brothers and sisters. We will seek to live lives of reconciliation to each other, hospitality to the world, and solidarity with the poor. We commit to the hopes and practices of the historic Church and we commit to pray for the renewal of the Church everywhere.
FINALLY we call upon Christians everywhere, especially those who are in any form of church leadership to reflect upon what they might do to help expand and recover the tradition and hope of Christian holiness.
AS MEMBERS of the Church Universal, we affirm the whole of the Christian tradition and seek to learn from the variety of gifts and expressions within it. We recognize the value of the Holiness tradition, in particular, its emphatic call to holy living. We speak from a concern for the Gospel, and the integrity of the Holiness tradition. Seeking to follow our Lord faithfully, we offer this statement to the Church, and to the Holiness tradition in particular, as our own statement of confession.
WE AFFIRM the sense of hospitality that has been preserved by practices of welcome and celebration in the Church of the Nazarene. We also express concern that the Church is becoming insular and is ceasing to welcome needy strangers and the poor.
WE AFFIRM the historical role of women in the Church of the Nazarene but fear that the historical commitment has become neglected.
WE AFFIRM the international vision of the Church of the Nazarene but want to confess that it still seems to support the nationalistic interests of the U.S. and the West.
WE AFFIRM the heritage of entire sanctification, but we fear that we have come to understand holiness only in terms of personal piety. We believe the Gospel message is for the whole person and the whole community.
WE AFFIRM the commitment to the Gospel message and we believe that the teachings and life of Jesus to be central to the life of holiness.
WE AFFIRM the distinct heritage of the Wesleyan holiness movement and therefore encourage the Church to remember the ancient Christian practices, especially the Eucharist, that have sustained the Christian Church throughout history.
WE AFFIRM the relational nature of our congregations and fear that it may be lost to the pressure to grow numerically and to perform according to the consumeristic values of America.
WE AFFIRM the importance of community in the Wesleyan heritage and therefore encourage the Church to seek and support forms of intentional Christian community, e.g. Wesleyan covenant groups, intentional communal living, accountability groups, etc…. We believe fellowship and community to be essential aspects of holiness.
WE AFFIRM the emphasis on the Church of the Nazarene on education but fear that education has become increasingly elitist and unaffordable. Massive debt acquired by students is particularly burdensome for those who are called to lives of occupational ministry within the church. We are concerned about the possibility that people may have had to step away from ministerial vocations because of educational debt.
WE AFFIRM our history of lay driven ministry but fear that the professionalization of some ministerial vocations leads to complacency in our congregations. Compassion, in particular, is now understood as a particular vocation instead of an essential aspect of the life of every believer.
WE AFFIRM the heritage of compassionate ministry but we believe there is no compassion separate from the work of justice – the confrontation of systems that cause poverty and oppression.
WE AFFIRM the commitments of the holiness tradition to racial reconciliation but we believe there remains a lack of reconciliation in our churches.
WE AFFIRM the worship of God in its many and diverse forms but we acknowledge a dangerous trend in worship services toward spectatorship.
WE AFFIRM the call of the early Church of the Nazarene to lives of servanthood but are concerned about the trend toward consumerism in the Churches.
BECAUSE THE HOLINESS TRADITION is clear about the abuse of resources WE CANNOT SUPPORT the ongoing lack of stewardship, investment in large buildings and entanglement of lives in material possessions and entertainment when the Church’s own manual calls it to be “free from an emphasis on wealth.”
IN SHORT we embrace or encourage the tradition of the Church of the Nazarene but collectively caution against it being commandeered by the values of the world. We believe that our emphasis on sanctification should call and support us to embody an alternative way of life as a sign and a witness to the world of the Lordship of Christ.
THEREFORE, even in the diversity of our convictions and traditions, we resolve to seek lives of holiness of heart and life that are centered on Christ and that live by the values of God’s Kingdom. We commit ourselves to the universal body of Christ as brothers and sisters. We will seek to live lives of reconciliation to each other, hospitality to the world, and solidarity with the poor. We commit to the hopes and practices of the historic Church and we commit to pray for the renewal of the Church everywhere.
FINALLY we call upon Christians everywhere, especially those who are in any form of church leadership to reflect upon what they might do to help expand and recover the tradition and hope of Christian holiness.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
rev jeremiah wright
WARNING...LOTS OF EMBEDDED VIDEO!!!
rev jeremiah wright spoke today at the national press club. i was able to catch the majority of it live.
last night he spoke to the naacp. claiming he is not 'divisive' but 'descriptive'.
rev jeremiah wright has taken quite a few critiques since his eyebrow raising comments which generally have been taken out of context of his entire sermon which has come be known as "god damn america".
unfortunately pop culture media, youtube for example, only provides us with soundbytes. unfortunately again, so many of us judge in entirety, a person due to a 25 second soundbyte. thats us folks...thats american. if the entire sermon would be heard...the context would be apparent. wright said "god damn the american church because she thinks she is god".case in point
see a longer version here where wright calls for self-examination about our relationship with God.
rev jeremiah wright defended himself here on hannity and colmes below
...again with bill moyers (clip 1)
(clip 2)
(clip 3)
check out the links. listen to several of his sermons. you tell me...rev. jeremiah wright...prophet, racist, pastor, hater?
rev jeremiah wright spoke today at the national press club. i was able to catch the majority of it live.
last night he spoke to the naacp. claiming he is not 'divisive' but 'descriptive'.
rev jeremiah wright has taken quite a few critiques since his eyebrow raising comments which generally have been taken out of context of his entire sermon which has come be known as "god damn america".
unfortunately pop culture media, youtube for example, only provides us with soundbytes. unfortunately again, so many of us judge in entirety, a person due to a 25 second soundbyte. thats us folks...thats american. if the entire sermon would be heard...the context would be apparent. wright said "god damn the american church because she thinks she is god".case in point
see a longer version here where wright calls for self-examination about our relationship with God.
rev jeremiah wright defended himself here on hannity and colmes below
...again with bill moyers (clip 1)
(clip 2)
(clip 3)
check out the links. listen to several of his sermons. you tell me...rev. jeremiah wright...prophet, racist, pastor, hater?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
