Some thoughts I agree with...

John Armstrong...

The way we gain real access to people's minds and hearts is being altered so quickly that only those who are doing evangelism in the trenches seem to recognize the real significance and power of this hyper-change.

Navigator's President Alan Andrews...In my opinion the time has come to do church differently. I am convinced that we must shift our focus from highly programmed ministry to developing Missional / Transformational Communities that are formed as a seamless organic whole. These types of communities are rare and difficult to visualize because we have moved so forcefully to programmatic ministry in the last half of the previous century. . . . Now the climate in America has begun to shift. Much of the culture is beginning to look for integrity and wholeness. Many people are coming from broken backgrounds with deep wounds in their souls. They long for something that provides real relationships, something that provides integration for their lives, and something that fills the longings of their soul. In short, though they are not aware of it, they seek the whole Gospel for their whole lives.

Steve Addison's Movements That Change the WorldJesus did not come to found a religious organization. He came to found a missionary movement that would spread to the ends of the earth.Christianity conquered the Roman world without an organizational structure, without access to significant resources, without academic institutions, and without a professionalized clergy. Ordinary people, on fire with the love of Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, told their families, friends, and casual acquaintances what God had done for them.For a movement to grow rapidly it has to spread both within social networks and between social networks.Jesus turned individual encounters into opportunities to touch whole social networks. The Gerasene demoniac begged Jesus to be allowed to join his band of disciples. Instead, Jesus told him to go home and tell his family what God had done.

Transition

You can make many plans,

but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

Proverbs 19:21

Transition....passage from one form, state, style, or place to another.

That word, transition defines me at this moment.

I am not fond of change, especially the older I get. It is uncomfortable. Goes against my grain.

For a long time, almost 22 years, I have been a mother. I really like that job. I am comfortable with that position. Love it. And for many of those years I have also been a school teacher. I was comfortable with that position, too.

However, children grow up. They do not need you in the same way. Which is the object of the game, so to speak. I mean, that is the goal, right? Nevertheless, this is an adjustment, a transition for the mom when their children become adults.

And all I have ever done is teach, but teaching jobs have been cut in our county and there are threats that more jobs will be cut. I have applied, interviewed but nothing is available.

So, two of the defining roles in my life have been altered, changed, even omitted from my life.
As a result, I am trying to re-defne who I am, what my purpose is all over again.

I am learning to let go and mother in a different way and I am applying for a job out of field. It's a change, something different, transition. And I am not a happy camper.

As I meditated on this today, I came across some notes on a Scott Presson devotion. He said, "...that God’s will is always changing us. He is always transforming us and molding us to be something different than we are. In the Word, God even refers to Himself as a potter and we are His clay. It’s an easy image to see. A lump of clay is shaped into a vessel and then refined in the fire until it is becomes purified and hardened. Only then is worthy of use. Change is never comfortable but it is a fact of life and it is the will of God. We are changed as we grow in age and maturity. We are changed when we accept Christ into our hearts. We are changed as we move deeper into a relationship with God and accept His will in our lives.
God is refining us in His furnance. God is molding us into vessels that glorify Him. This time of transition is going to make us feel uncomfortable but it is God’s will. We all have certain things in life that we want and even have planned for. Some of those plans will undoubtedly be disrupted. Don’t fret.

So here I am learning to trust Him...allowing Him to have His way. Casting all my anxiety on him because he cares for me. (1 Peter 5:7)

I am so thankful that He is patient with me. What a loving Father He is.

I owe much...

My little bird sister, you owe much to God your Creator, and you must always and everywhere praise him...and you are also indebted to Him for the realm of the air which He assigned you. Moreover, you neither sow nor reap, yet God nourishes you, and He gives you the rivers and springs to drink from...Therefore my little bird sister, be careful not to be ungrateful, but strive to always praise God. -St. Francis

Praising Him...

501. introduicng Malli to farm animals

502. spending time with oldest son, Taylor

503. hugs and kisses from Malli

504. Trinidadian friends in our home

505. praying and worshiping with friends

506. a day at the pool

But I will hope continually

And I will praise you yet more and more.

Psalm 71:14

Chewing on this ...

Where in the New Testament does anyone say how great their church is? Where in the New Testament does anyone brag on their favorite preacher? (Other than in Corinth.) Where in the New Testament are we told to spend money on church advertising and making our pastor’s name the brand of the entire church? Where are we told we know so much that we are experts on everything and can fix anything? Where are we told in the New Testament that we are producing experiences? Where does it say we are competing for the world’s attention the world’s way?
Yes, we’ve heard it all 100 times before, and our children will hear it a 1000 times more if they stay in evangelicalism. They will hear it because the entire gassed up, energized machine is launching itself into the future with all the arrogance it can muster, replete with every answer and all wisdom, learning nothing and seeing nothing wrong.
In 2009, we will hear it all 100 times again and again.
But not all of us. Perhaps less of us than you think.
Some of us will finally say good-bye to this insanity. Some of us will stay, but we will not be listening anymore. Some of us will discover others ways, other paths, other pilgrims and friends.
In fact, many of those standing to say the same things and do the same things and insist on the same things will feel the Great Emptiness in it all.
Somewhere, just beyond the 100th time we hear it all again and the 100th time we hear the new version of it in the latest church, latest book, latest sermon series, latest CD, latest web site and so on….somewhere, we’ll hear it the last time and we’ll walk away.
We will be hearing something else….someone else. Other voices and other music. Another way of being Christian.

(written by Michael Spencer)

The Problem with Religion « The Master’s Table

The Problem with Religion « The Master’s Table

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