Generous Orthodoxy Conference

Living Life

Well...for what's it's worth we're moved to a new address. I love the house but our Lab is going to have to adjust to the fenced in yard and we're going to have to be patient with all the boxes and misplaced items.

Charlie Wear of Next Wave, post some thoughts on how we should live life. He uses the chorus from Tim McGraw's song, "Live Like You Were Dyin."

Links

Ten Questions for Brian McLaren [...ten questions]

Johnny Bakker's Worship Tricks

Moving

I'm moving accross town. Wife and I begin tommorrow. Hired a local moving company to pull up to my front door Monday and carry all the big stuff from here to there.I'll be out of touch and blog will be idle for the next few days as I change internet providers. In the meantime check out the Emergent Evolution blog.

New Era Leaders

The print era valued the intellectual leader; broadcast valued the motivational leader. As we transition into and through the digital era the impartational leader will value transpropositional communication, intimacy, example, and time above proclamation and exhortation in the transformation process. In this way we loop back to the oral era’s apprenticeship model where the follower absorbs character and identity through vital mentoring relationship. This, in and of itself, is a paradigm shift where leaders/mentors become significant to a few rather than continue to be marginal to many.

Preaching Values to Myself

I have quite a few weaknesses and habits in my life that are constantly erosive to my pursuit of character. I know I’m not going to outgrow these characteristics so I keep preaching to myself:

•Assume that you are ultimately powerless to manage your life and that you must surrender to the God of the Universe

•Live as transparently as possible—resist image building

•Derive self-value from the Creator and not from people or the blog you author

•Content yourself with littleness and powerlessness

•Resist a competitive spirit; allow no inner resentments; rejoice in the success of others.

Representatives for Jesus

One of the key influences on my thinking has been that of Lesslie Newbigin. He reminds me that the key focus of the church’s mission is not the church but the world. In one of the memorial addresses at his funeral in 1998, it was noted that Newbigin knew everybody. He knew on a first-name basis all sorts of kings, queens, prime ministers, celebrities, and zillionaires.

But the only name Newbigin ever dropped was the name of Jesus.

Evangelism's Reputation

Evanglism—a word with a good heart but a dirty reputation. It’s a word that’s been so bastardized that I can hardly use it.

On the street it is equated with pressure. It means selling God as if God were vinyl siding, replacement windows, or a mortgage refinancing service.

I suggest we not only re-lexicon this word evangelize/evangelism but take up new practices in the art of engaging others with Jesus.

I’ve written an article that suggests replacing the outdated, modern evangelist model with a new model and breed of Fellow Explorers, and Sometimes Guides. This article was published in the New Wineskins Magazine issue, “Life in Christ in Emerging Culture.” [read the complete article]

What Christians Could Learn via Dialogue with Other Religions

From the Muslims- Christians can learn about prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
From Hindus- Christians can learn about meditation and contemplation.
From Buddhist- Christians can learn about detachment from material goods and respect for life.
From Confucianism- Christians can learn about filial piety and respect for elders.
From Taoism- Christians can learn about simplicity and humility.
From animists- Christians can learn about reverence and respect for nature and gratitude for harvests.

Adapted from comments made by the Asian Bishops Synod in 1998