emergent|San Antonio

I just got back from an afternoon in th city (San Antonio) where at a suave coffeehouse that served up excellent Cuban panninis and the best fair trade coffee I've had, I sat down with six others from all aspects and walks of life. The reason: emergent|San Antonio - the cohort in the city facilitating the emerging church conversation. It was a great time and good conversation. Two of the conversants were over 60 - a graphic designer, a young couple, me and then a curious-but-hestitant-believer of sorts who has yet to find a place (community or church of any kind) to call home. We told our stories (the short versions), shared some book suggestions, and had an "on ramp" to this larger conversation that is happening - literally - all over the world. So today's reflection is to think about this thing we are...ClayPeople...not as an isolated little speck on the pallette of God's artistic creation; but rather part of a Globally-spread, diverse, and concerned movement of people who are passionate about rethinking this church thing. Not trying to be creepy in a honor-fiction-film kinda way but: We are not alone.

until next time

Reflections on the Kingdom

Last night I met with my Outreach Team, and we were challenged to think about what service means to us and put that into words to share with the group. In order to get us thinking and reflecting, Becky (our supervisor and friend) gave us a paper with some quotes from Henri Nouwen's "In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership", Shane Claiborne's "Irresistible Revolution", from the Word of God, and some reflective questions. Here are just a few thoughts from Henri Nouwen and my reading in Matthew.

"The long painful history of the Church is the history of people ever and again tempted to choose power over love, control over the cross, being a leader over being led" (Nouwen, 59).

"The vision of Jesus is not spread through organizational structures, but through touch, breath, shared life. It is spread through people who have discovered love" (Shane Claiborne).

What stuck out to me as I read Matthew:
"But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (6:33).

"Thus you will know them by their fruits" (7:20 - talking about bad/good trees).

"Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (7:21- which is then followed by the example of the man who built his house on rock vs. the man who built his house on sand- one of my favorite passages of the entire Gospel).

My Cross, My Scars

When I look back on the past 9 months, the imagery of carrying my cross has been profoundly transforming...here is some very personal imagery that is emerging from my core:

[From My Journay Titled: Torn Pages (ask me sometime)]

Following this path has cost me a love of my life...at one time she was my everything. I was hers and she was mine. But that's a page that's been torn from the story of my life. The page is not there anymore, my love is not here, but you can tell when you rip out a page...its still there in the binding.

[in song lyrics]...

In front of me
Is more than I can see
Even more than I can dream
I will be her Adam and she will be my Eve

My Best is yet to come, yet to come
My Best is yet to come, she's yet to come.

Take me oh God up mountains
I'd never imagine to climb
And When I get up there
To the peak with her
Hand in hand we'll jump right off
and into Your vast unknown.

In front of me
Is more than I can see
Even more than I can dream
I will be her Adam and she will be my Eve

My Best is yet to come, yet to come
My Best is yet to come, she's yet to come.

For me the cross is about dying. Its about scars. Its about the transforming power of ressurection - new life. I wouldn't hope for such a thing and I wouldn't have it any other way. But I would pray the same prayer Jesus did:

Father, if there is any way for this cup to pass from me...if there is any other way...

Bearing your cross?

What does it mean to bear your cross? What does it mean and look like to deny yourself in how you live?

Hidden Church

Tim, great thoughts about the hidden church. I think many Christians agree that service is important and Christ provides us with a model of service. However, we oftentimes serve only within our own walls...never engaging culture or facing the injustice of structures. A thought from Shane Claiborne...It was never supposed to be about bringing people to church, but about the church going out to the people.

Gorgeous

ClayPeople Community
Wow Nate! Dusk and Summer is gorgeous. Thanks for putting it into words.

Two Reflections: Grace and The Hidden Church

These reflections come from dialogues in my Contemporary Theology class...Thanks to Dr. Phil Ruge-Jones for the Halle Berry example.

Grace::Not a Matter of Acceptance

One could say that grace is like this...If I were on a beach and along comes Halle Berry. She's not wearing much. And she walks up to me and tells me "We are going to make out." This is something so wonderful that it wouldn't be a question of "did you accept" - OF COURSE I DID! Rather though you'd be asking me what it was like. I might even brag a bit and tell you. Something this good, the gift of salvation from God is not a matter acceptance. That's the wrong question. Acceptance isn't the same as active participation - like that of making out with Halle.


The Hidden Church
From Forde's "Where God Meets Man"

Forde, relying much on Luther, draws a distinction between a hidden and revealed church. Something that is hidden is not obviously visible - however if you were to look in perhaps unexpected places...if you look in the right place, you can find it. Clues of where this "hidden" church may be can be found by looking for the marks it leaves. The church leaves its marks when it reveals itself is acts of liberation.

The true church is made up of those liberated by the good news. It is the communion of believers, the bearer of the proclamation of freedom and hope.

So what does this mean for us?

I think we are seeking to be intentionally hidden. The revealed (or institutional) church serves its purpose - but the hidden church also has its purpose in its abiliy to leave its marks in places where a revealed church can not go. The Church should consider commissioning "secret" agents of change - missionaries or sorts to intentionally be the hidden church. To go undercover into our culture and to leave our "marks" of "caring for the poor and the sick, prayer, praise, and bearing one's cross". Perhaps our questions of being called to "The Church" are too simplistic. If we adopt this twofold vision of The Church, perhaps we can really start asking questions of discernment.

Heaven We Have Problem: Part 2

In my first entry with this title I prayed this quote by Minnah Cuntu...

Christianity has been buried inside the walls of churches and secured with the shackles of dogmatism. Let it be liberated to come into the midst of us and teach us freedom, equality, and love.

I elaborated on this prayer in my journaling...
Buried beneath the debris of foundationalism - from the walls which are falling down. The walls of our churches are thicker than those of Berlin and Israel and more militarized than our southern Border.

Secured with the shackles of dogmatism - locked with the key of political power and chained with links of riligous piety, self-righteousness, and desperate presevation.

Let it be liberated from these places by people of clay - by this emerging generation. Lord let us be a generation of revolution...of movers and shakers...of Holy shit stirers and yet gracious lovers, tender caregivers, faithful servants, loving children - teaching freedom from stagnant places, equality with in The Body and love like we've never even imagined.



The pictures above where taken from INTERMISSION these past two weeks. I pray that in some way our ministry experiment with worship in these ways contributes to my prayers for The Church

Finally Together...Online.

Nate, Your blog is great...thanks for sharing. This community indeed is something special, a special call from God to be taking risks and to be re-imagining church. As we prepare the next few weeks to meet for the first time as ClayPeople Community I'm amazed at how far we've gone in just this short amount of time. A missional, holistic community...Mission in that we seek to sent first and gathered second. Holistic in that we seek to live lives centered on our calling to follow Christ - its about a spirituality not separated from the rest our lives.

Fences and Wells...
Ranches here in Texas have fences. These fences are to distinguish what cattle are in and out of a particular herd. They are to establish boundaries of where they can go and where they can not. But in Australia, the ranches could not possibly construct fences because the land area is to vast. Instead, they build wells. In their borderless fields the herd wonders freely and the ranchers do not worry because they know they will return to the well for water - to quench their thirst and be replenished for another day out in the fields.

I hope that this place, and this community, is a well and not a fench for us...for the church.

Look! I'm blogging.

this is cool! love you all.
court