PINZMAN Musing

Selah

2010-12-06T16:11:00.004+13:00

And PAUSE...

Yes, that's right. A long pause. Not that I've won much by way of followers anyway but my attention has recently been drawn back to the blogosphere and I suddenly remembered I had some blog real estate floating out here somewhere.

To blow oxygen on the spark, someone commented that they recently visited the website that promotes this blog only to discover the blog dormant. Alas, the spark sputters but fails to ignite a flame.

Besides a flirtatious foray into Twitter, 'tis Facebook that has won my cyber attention post-blog-days. Its functionality and easy won 'friends' promise a more immediate gratification from time invested in status updates.

So the Selah (pause, reflect, meditate) continues here. If you're interested in tracking the minutiae of my personal life then try Facebook friending me at "pinzman" or "Jamie Wood" and if I recognize you or if we have good friends in common I might let you in.

For now, this blog remains in hiatus.

Goodbye.

So long.

(And thanks for all the fish)

Bite Me

2007-10-19T09:51:00.000+13:00

I turned 40 in August. It’s a curious age with many people on the NZ mission scene reckoning I’m still just a babe in arms (a babe?!) and those we’re trying to mobilise increasingly seeing me as an old man. Nevertheless, after a minor road bump a couple of days either side of the big day, I press on. I was hoping the whole mid-life thing would pass me by, and for the most part it has (so far), since Pauline and I try and live faithfully according to the call of God on our lives and in such a way that we have no regrets.

Having a clear sense of call makes so much of life easier. Decisions can be weighed up according to whether or not it is going to help or hinder what God has revealed for us to be and do. Other peoples’ plans for your life cease to have much relevance because God’s plans take priority, and there is a greater resistance to the forces in society because they often run contrary to His call. Not only greater resistance to society’s forces but greater awareness too.

I have never been more aware of the forces at work in our society than I am now after reading Ian Wishart’s shockingly sobering book "Eve’s Bite". As many of you will know, Wishart is a veteran Kiwi investigative reporter and editor of "Investigate" magazine. His new book draws together a number of issues his magazine has investigated that reveal our society rapidly heading in a direction contrary to Scripture and God’s Kingdom principles. I won’t go into those issues here, but be warned: it’s not light reading and in some parts he’s quite descriptive of some abhorrent activities. Needless to say, the truth ain’t always pretty.

Stick this in yer favourites: http://www.investigatemagazine.com/

Wishart clearly writes from a more right wing perspective but his thesis is fair and his supporting evidence is well documented, but he doesn’t tell you what you should do with it. And I’m glad. Too often we’re bombarded with prescriptive instructions of how to live the Christian life ‘in fullness’, ‘with purpose’, ‘for blessing’, etc. We dutifully follow the instructions but can often end up feeling a little ripped off. Who says, that’s the way YOU should respond? Aren’t we supposed to be keeping in step with another? Hasn’t the Great Designer of each of us created us for a unique reason? Shouldn’t we rather be listening to Him for our instructions? Or have we lost the art of listening and our concern for being bearers of Holy Spirit fruit?

Whatever our response to society’s ills or governments’ agendas or Biblical illiteracy or limited gospel availability or whatever, we should first and foremost respond with Spirit-empowered love. We should respond according to the unique way God has created us. We should respond according to the way He’s leading us to be involved. But we should respond. I am.

Ka Kite.

Vision Empowered Life

2007-09-25T15:19:00.000+12:00

I recently prepared this as a devotional for my colleagues at Pioneers Australia when I visited earlier in September and figured it might be helpful to the readers of my blog (both of you).

It's written in note form for me to follow - but hopefully you'll be able to connect the dots!

Primary Text: Acts 26:16-19

Here, the Apostle Paul is giving his testimony to King Agrippa...

(Acts 26:16) Now stand up! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and my witness. You are to tell the world about this experience and about other times I will appear to you.
(26:17) And I will protect you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am going to send you to the Gentiles,
(26:18) to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in me.'
(26:19) "And so, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to that vision from heaven.

Paul had an acute sense of his calling. Sometimes I wish I had a calling made as clear as this, but in a very real sense his calling is applicable to all of us.

But we are also called in other ways, to be uniquely involved in His Kingdom advance, which is clearly stated here in Paul's testimony...

to go to those who don't know Jesus (and in the case of Pioneers, those with least access to Him)
to open their eyes
so they may turn (or repent)
from darkness to light
from the power of Satan to God
so that they may be forgiven and accepted into the Kingdom

This is the Gospel message in a nutshell and more than 2.4 Billion people still don't have access to it. This I know. This is why I'm working for Pioneers.

This is the unified vision our mobilisation bases around the world - to recruit as many as are suitable to join in this task with Pioneers teams worldwide... and to help retain them for as long as God wants them out there.

But what is your specific vision?

What gets you out of bed in the morning?
What is it in you that gives you a deep sense that if you weren't heading towards it you would be 'disobeying the vision from heaven?'

From prison Paul reflects again on his reason for being, his ministry call, and His personal development program, and he encourages the Phillipians...

Phillipians 3:12 ...I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.
(3:13) No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be,° but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,
(3:14) I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to (from) heaven.
(3:15) I hope all of you who are mature Christians will agree on these things.

What has Jesus saved you for?

What does he want you to be?
What are you investing your life in trying to attain?
What is it up ahead that has you focusing your energies on, straining ahead to reach?\

There is a reward for we who persevere, no doubt about that, the last book of the Bible, Revelation makes that clear (in an oblique sort of way) and that's a worthy aim for all of us, but we each ought to also have a unique sense of calling.

While it appears that Paul's calling was given at one time in one shot, it was more likely to have been a progressive revelation over the 15 or so years he spent in his own personal wilderness in the desert before he started his own ministry.

The outworking of his calling was refined by others, most notably Barnabas, and he changed tack along the way as he sought to keep in step with the Spirit. The best example of this would be what we call the 'Macedonian Call' from Acts 16:6ff.

Similarly, our lives are a constant work in progress, and will be 'til the day we die.

But what should:

undergird our lives,
drive our personal development,
lock us in to step with the Spirit,

is...

a unique calling,
our inner voice,
our personal life vision,
our best contriution to God's kingdom cause.

I love the joke that goes, "God loves you and so & so has a wonderful plan for your life". It's so true because there's always someone out there who would love for you to follow their plan, whether it be society, the advertising industry, your parents, an influential mentor, or whoever.

We must not get to the end of our lives having lived other peoples agendas. Only God's agenda matters. We will have robbed the Kingdom and the world at large of our best contribution if we don't honour our God given calling as it's progressively revealed to us.

Of course, that calling should never separate from those we are committed to, but we can't afford our relationships to smother that call either.

So what is it? How do you find it? How do you know you're being true to it or not?

A calling is a specific sense of your best contribution to God's general Kingdom advance. It grows over time because you grow in terms of your own self awareness. At various points in your life it requires you to do an internal inventory:

What are your personality preferences?
What energizes you and drains you?
How do you prefer to operate by default?
What kind of people do you like being around?
What skills have you acquired along the way?
What are the things that you find dead easy to do compared to some other people? These are likely to be innate talents that you can hone into strengths.
What Spiritual gifts do you utilise? Realising they're all available to us as the Spirit wills, but we tend to have access to some more than others in a ministry context.

Having done an inventory (and I recommend you focus on who you are, not who you wish you were or who you're not), here's the big question...

What is it that pushes your button the most?
In your eyes...

What is the BIG problem with the world?
What's that vexing issue that keeps appearing as a massive blip on your radar?
What irritates you most about this life?

Now the thing about your answer to these questions that would suggest that this is your calling is if YOU ALSO HAVE A STRONG SENSE ABOUT HOW IT SHOULD BE FIXED.

Chances are very high that God is equipping you and calling you to invest yourself in this direction.

Proverbs 29:18a is interpreted in various ways in different translations...

KJV says "Where there is no vision, the people perish."
NIV puts it this way, "Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint."
And the NLT, "When people do not accept divine guidance, the run wild."

The antedote noted is to keep the law, but in a New Testament equivalent it is to keep in step with the Spirit...

Without a sense of life direction, calling, personal divine revelation, vision, call it what you will, we're in danger of running around like chooks with our heads lopped off.

I am convinced that God's Kingdom purposes will be achieved best when God's people are true to who they are and what God is calling them to be and do.

I am also convinced that God's Kingdom purposes are global and many are being disobedient to their calling by not getting involved in His global Kingdom purposes.

As Pioneers founder, Ted fletcher is quoted as saying to his wife Peggy just before he died, "I love you and I want to finish well."

May we too love well and finish well as we obey our vision(s) from heaven, and focus our energies on what lies ahead.

Amen.

Tribute To Ellen Margaret Diamond

2007-08-24T09:28:00.000+12:00

Around 2pm on August 18, 2007 one of the most influential people in my life passed from this world into the next.

Ellen ("Nellie") Margaret Diamond, affectionately known as "Nan" to me, died with most of her immediate family around her after a brief bout with stomach cancer. She was 89.

Her passing has had a significant impact on our lives, leaving a big gap, as she featured so heavily as part of them. In her later years we nicknamed her our "Duchess" because she lived her life with so much dignity.

At the funeral we heard how her life was one of hard graft and few trappings. She lived most of her married life in state housing, managing to live off a government benefit, and mainly used public transport get around, but she was always content with what she had. She raised nine kids (lost a tenth at birth), had a strong hand in raising 20 grandkids, and got to enjoy 20 great grandkids before she died. She was the mainstay of the home, even when Grandad was alive because he had succumbed to alcoholism early on.

I am her second eldest Grandchild, but was the first to be raised by her. Merely 5 years younger than my nearest Aunty, I was raised as one of Nan's own until Mum married my stepfather 3 or 4 years later. Apparently my transition to a new home caused quite a stir with Nan refusing to attend the wedding. I may have moved down the road, but she was always there - after school care, school holidays, family gatherings, and special visits. Nan's was always my 'safe place'.

I eventually moved back in with Nan in my late teens when I relocated to the big smoke for my new job. I guess I hung around there for about 5 years off and on until I was married! It was cheap board and great care :)

Nana influenced me in many ways I'm only starting to discover. I must have picked up many of her values by osmosis because I can't ever recall a lecture from her about how things should be done. She was first and foremost a servant, quietly wise and very strong of character. She chose never to worry about anything, although I'm sure she did a bit internally. The overwhelming example she set (in my opinion) was that of faithfulness. She stuck with stuff through thick and thin, never varying her course, at least not that we noticed.

Here's a record of how I put it in the eulogy I gave at her funeral when all us grandkids got an opportunity to say something, and then my final committal message at the crematorium with just the immediate family present...

Funeral Eulogy.

It's at times like these that we realise that we're all connected. We all impact each other. You're all here today because our Nan had some sort of impact on your lives.

When it comes to the end we all leave behind us a legacy - for better or for worse. Nan's legacy was undoubtedly for better.

The place Nan impacted us most...
The place Nan impacted the world most...
Was from her home.

From her home she created her own centre of gravity...
She was utterly selfless, always there for others - I wonder if she ever thought of herself,
She accepted everybody who crossed her threshold without hesitation - she never turned anybody away,
She was our anchor in the storm, the one we'd run to when we were in trouble.

Her words were simple but held an almost mystical power for me. They seemed to make my whole world right again when she'd listen carefully to the problem and then just: "Tsk, tsk... Oh well, never mind, not to worry."

My prayer is that Nan's unconditional love, her steadfast faith, her selfless servant heart, and her acceptance of all people will live on in each of us...

If our legacy were to shine just a fraction as bright as hers will, this world would be full of light.

Our God and Father, help us to love as she loved. Amen.

Crematorium Committal.

In the book of beginnings, Genesis, we discover that God made humanity in His image.

Although that image was quickly corrupted in all humanity, Nan is as close to a true reflection of the image of God as I've ever seen.

I have every hope of seeing that same dignified reflection again one day, only perfected and whole and beautiful and radiant and full of joy...

In his First Letter To The Thessalonians, St Paul writes...
(4:13) And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope.
(4:14) For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died.

There will one day be a renewal of all things.

Today we commit Nan to the fire. But in God's eyes she's merely asleep, resting with Him, because her faith was in Him and His only Son Jesus whom He sent to show us the way, and who He is sending back for we who believe in Him.

In His time, in no more than a blink of an eye, God will raise Nan again perfected.

What was once born of the dust of the earth and perishable, will be reborn of the Spirit of heaven and imperishable. This is our hope. Eternal life.

"Not to worry" Nan. We'll be seeing you again.

My Lord and Father, take good care of her. She's done well and deserves your best.

Amen.

The Huntaway Heart

2007-08-09T17:59:00.000+12:00

I just wrote this devotional for a 40 day devotional book Pioneers is putting together...

Selected Relevant Scriptures

“Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 20:26b NLT)
“I assure you, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing… for the Father loves the Son and tells him everything He is doing…” (John 5:19a & 20a NLT)
“I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice; and there will be one flock with one Shepherd.” (John 10:16 NLT)

I am a New Zealander.

New Zealand, colonized by Britain in 1840, is comprised of two major islands in the South Pacific Ocean, together making up a landmass about the size of California. It is home to 4.1 million people and… 43.1 million sheep. That’s a lot of sheep.

Sheep in New Zealand are not like sheep in the Middle East. There are far too many of them for the shepherd to get to know and train personally. The shepherd needs an intermediary he (or she) can trust. So the New Zealand shepherd created the Huntaway.

If Jesus were a shepherd in New Zealand, He would trust His Huntaway more than His disciples. He would call attention to the Huntaway in His parables. The attributes resulting from the cross-breeding that created the Huntaway are so striking that I have adopted them as a standard of servant-hood for my life and commend them to any who would find such virtues attractive additions to their own character…

His name is Ben, Jock, Duke or Wag; or her name is Faye, Grace, Bess, or Flo. They are a mongrel breed, bred from the finest working dogs into the best working dog. Their origin is a mystery, the stuff of legend. What we know is that they are, and that they are unlike any other.

One hundred years ago they were bred for a purpose – to search for lost sheep, out in the farthest reaches of the range, up in the most rugged terrain, amidst the toughest conditions, with limited resources. Their black and tan markings barely visible to the shepherd against the spectacular tussock, rock and snow speckled, “Lord of the Rings” backdrop of the New Zealand high country.

Working alone or as part of a team, the Huntaway uses its keen senses to find scattered sheep and heard them into a flock. It acts on its own initiative, remaining true to its training; all the while keeping its sharp hearing attuned to the directions of its master, the shepherd. Using a high pitched whistle, the shepherd directs each dog in a unique way. A dog knows it is he or she that needs to “hunt” left or right, up or down, to speak up or remain still, rather than another; while methodically directing the sheep down towards the shepherd.

Their voice is fearsome and directive. Both male and female can hunt out stock and they share a deep resonating bark that echoes around the mountain range.

Recognizing their authority, the sheep move and gather, as if it were the shepherd him/herself directing them. But the voice is always at the will of the shepherd - commanding “speak” and they speak, “be still” and they are silent.

Always obedient, the Huntaway lives to serve.

At the service of the shepherd, to whom they are totally loyal, Huntaways work tirelessly. They are heavy set dogs with large paws, strong and agile, with a regal head, a gentle expression, and a playful demeanor. Their delight is praise from their master and to one master are they true.

The bond between the shepherd and the dog is strong. Big burly men are broken when one from their Huntaway team is lost. Unless commanded to, the Huntaway won’t leave the shepherd and when it’s work is done he or she returns eager for the simple pleasure of the shepherd’s hand scruffing his neck and patting her side.

The shepherd knows the value of a Huntaway. S/he invests in their welfare, trains them well, never underestimates their extraordinary intelligence, and seeks to replicate them in the next generation of trusty servants. The older dogs are used to help train the young, and the young quickly get to know “the voice” as they vie for a kind word and praising touch.

The muster happens once a year, before the onset of winter. Sometimes the onset comes too soon, but the sheep must still be guided to safer pastures. It is for this gathering that the Huntaway is trained, it is what he or she is born to do. Its purpose is to act as one with the shepherd, an extension of the shepherd, his or her representative on the mountainside. The sheep are numbered and to a one they must be found. Down deep gullies, on the side of precipices, hidden in dense brush. In habitat comfortable for the sheep, but otherwise alien to the sheepdog, the Huntaway must hunt out the strays and return them to the shepherd who will direct them to safety. Should winter come early, the Huntaway will work through the fog, rain and snow to see the job done. There is no other choice if the sheep are to be saved.

Strong, courageous, intelligent, authoritative, and obedient; faithful, joyful, gentle, and fun. The Huntaway’s heart is that of a servant. The Huntaway’s purpose is that of a missionary. The Huntaway’s place is at the side of the master.

Would that we all be Huntaways.

Twice Transformed

2007-07-16T18:28:00.000+12:00

So, yep, saw Transformers. What a blast.

Actually I saw it twice would you believe?

On July 1st I was travelling back from meetings in Chiangmai Thailand and had a few hours to kill between my domestic and international flights, so I decided to hang out at my favourite mall in Bangkok - the MBK Centre. My next favourite mall runs a very close second - Pantip Plaza (the computer geeks mall), but the MBK has food courts, a multiplex cinema, and a marketplace feel to its 7 floors.

Anyway after lunch at Sizzler and purchasing a couple of my favourite shirts, I decided to check out the flicks options. Low and behold, Transformers was on and if I paid for a gold pass ticket (still cheaper than in NZ) I could catch the next movie with 20 minutes to spare. I was in like Flynn.

Now, by my calculations I could see the movie, get down to the taxi and make it to the new Bangkok airport to check-in the required two hours before the flight. After all, a movie like this wouldn't go longer than 2 hours right? Wrong!

Man, I was gripped. This film was funny, slightly sexy with a great soundtrack, cool in all sorts of testosteronic ways, and once the action got rolling I was sucked right in.

I get to the part where they're under the dam, Bumblebee is all bundled up under dry ice, and Megatron is about to stir from his looooong slumber. That nasty little watsit that turns into a CD player that looks just like Paulines, is starting to kick up a stink and... I wonder what the time is?

Strike me! I should be in the taxi on the expressway by now! Urrggh.

With my adrenaline pumping from the movie's action I shoot out of my seat and hightail it out the door. I'm on the 5th floor (I think). Elevator's taking too long. Gotta take the escalator. Schools out and there are young Thais crammed into every nook and cranny.

"'Xcuse me..." (arrogant Westerner). "Ooops, sorry 'bout that" (stupid foreigner, always in a rush). Tick tock, tick tock. "Outa my way! I'm coming through!".

Ground floor. Clear route to the taxi rank. Woah! There's a line. A looooong line. (Expletive removed).

At a very fast walk I head for the other exit, take the steps in one leap and hit the ground running for the side walk. Several prominent signs declare horrendously large fines for anyone catching a taxi from this sidewalk. (Expletives removed). Prayer ensues.

Gotta get to the other side. (Cue an appropriate black gospel song...)

Like Moses parting the red sea (well, not quite), I dodge the afternoon Bangkok traffic and make it to the other side. No 'taxi catching is naughty' signs here.

Here comes a bright pink one. "Hey! Over here!" Great, he's pulling in. "Sow-de-cup." "Uh, new airport? Expressway? Fast fast?" Did I actually say that? I think I did.

"Khrup, khrup" he says (Yes, yes or good good or something like that) .

"Foah hundred fifty baht." he says.

No no "Two hundred fifty baht." me says.

"Thwee hundred fifty baht. O.K." he laments.

Suhweet. Let's go. Phew we're off, and way cheaper than the 900 baht that it can cost in a private "limousine" (not nearly what you'd expect a limousine to be).

"You come Bangkok long time? You get boom boom?"

"Huh?"

"Boom boom" as he points to a sign for a brothel.

"Uh, no. Short time. No boom boom. Urgggh" (I'm not even gonna try sharing with this guy - language barrier).

Why are we going in the opposite direction to the airport signs?

"Airport this way?"

"Uh, need fill. This way." as he first points to his fuel gauge on E and then to a nearby service station.

"Oh. My. Lord. We're cutting it close."

Tick tock. Tick tock. Now he's in the loo. Tick tock. Tick tock. Should I get out and grab another cab? Ah, no we're off again.

I'm ready with the fare for the expressway. No fare required. No expressway taken. Pretty scenery, if you like rice fields and palms and industrial complexes. (Cue slow elevator music...)

Tick tock... Yeah, I'm sure you get the message.

Hah-le-lu-jah, hallelujah, hallelujah (I'm hearing Handel's Messiah now) - There's the airport!

"Good time for you?"

"Huh? Oh yes, my flight. O.K. Good time" (But you're not getting a baht over 350 buddy).

Out I jump. Over goes 350. Off I dash across the road ignoring his disappointed frown.

Thai Airways international flight TG889 check-in row G. Time? Just squeezed through.

"Any bags to check in Sir?"

Wha?!, Oh yeah...

"No, they were checked through from Chiangmai."

"Have a pleasant flight Sir."

"Thank you. I certainly will." I wonder what the movies will be?

So aaaaanyway. I had to go see it again with Pauline to see how it finished. Boy, am I glad I didn't hang around 'coz there was ages left to go.

Mind you, I think my ending to the first viewing created just a tad more adrenaline!

Transformers!

2007-05-23T18:02:00.000+12:00

Transformers are coming! Woohoooo!

Yup, I seen the shorts of the new movie being released soon - coooooool.

You can see the trailer here: http://www.transformersmovie.com/

Cor, they were my most favourite toys… when I was twenty four. I used to get up faithfully at eight every Saturday morning just to watch Optimus Prime beat the stuffing out of the bad guys. Well, he would eventually... maybe in the next episode.

You’re at a distinct disadvantage here if you have never had the joy of watching the anthropomorphic machines change shape from trucks (or whatever) to robots to battle against the forces of evil (autobots verses decepticons). You’ve had a seriously deprived childhood (or adulthood for that matter) if you’ve never fiddled with a Transformer® toy and tried to manipulate the moving parts of a vehicle into a robot or vice versa.

It reminded me of an incident at one of my old churches...

Our Pastor’s son had a number of Transformers® that I enjoyed playing with during our leadership meetings. A favourite was Optimus Prime, the leader of the good guys who was a flat nosed semi articulated truck — red with blue trim. He converted into the toughest robot of them all.

What made this toy extra special was that it had flashing lights and when pressed in the appropriate place a mechanized voice would boldly declare “I am Optimus Prime!”

Great fun to play with... unless you’re at a particularly Pentecostal church meeting in the middle of a quiet, contemplative and meditative time of worship.

Bradley (the Pastor's son) was fiddling with his Prime and made the mistake of hitting the wrong button on his truck as the congregation was ‘waiting for a word from the Lord’. In the stillness, in the quite place... suddenly a tinny voice echoed around the auditorium and declared — “I am Optimus Prime!”

Is that you Lord? Your servant listeneth. :)

Bring on the movie!!!

What Centred Mission?

2007-05-09T14:02:00.000+12:00

If one more person asks me what I think about "Church Centered Mission" I think I'll scream.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's a new strategy to get local churches more active in mission. For more information check out: http://www.churchcentered.org/

It's a philosophy created by (American) pastor Joel Holmes, the son of missionaries to Korea, his dad worked in Dr Yonggi Cho's church growth organisation. Joel has two Master's Degrees and a good track record as a pastor in Chicago. More recently he has founded Pathfinders International, the organisation that is promoting the Church Centred Mission paradigm - and his book.

The heart of the strategy being promoted is great: 'mobilising entire local churches to be involved in mission, not just a few of their members; releasing abundant resources toward mission; taking responsibility for mission related outcomes; and seeing strong churches multiplied around the world.'

We saw something similar to this in NZ back in the late '90s with teaching from the Californian Church on Brady. But this new package is reaching far wider.

And I identify with it to a point.

In fact, in Pioneers NZ our vision statement concurs...

"By faith we see many New Zealand churches passionately engaged toward active involvement in cross-cultural ministry among ‘Least Access’ People; and we see ourselves serving innovatively to facilitate such involvement with Pioneers teams worldwide."

One of Pioneers' main core values is partnership with local churches, and seeing them 'passionately engaged' in mission in their entirety. We believe that the local church (whatever form it takes) is the God ordained starting and ending point for mission in a needy world.

For the record, my preferred ecclesiology goes something like this... local churches are "Christ centred, outreaching, worshipping communities." When you unpack that, whatever else you may think church is is merely cultural dressing.

Having said all that, I still find myself uncomfortable with the church centered mission program. It's in the name and the intent.

I'm not going to elaborate further by way of critique, but...

I'm far more comfortable with Christ Centred Mission.

Here's some correlating thoughts...

I don't see any Biblical evidence for local churches controlling the direction or 'vision' of mission ventures. That's the role of the Spirit at work in the mission team.
Mission history informs me that mission is best led and managed from the field, not the 'home' base.
Biblically, I see the responsibility of a sending church as being, equipping the sent ones for service, confirming calls, resource support, pastoral care and encouragement, and most of all prayer.
We need to be building Christ's Kingdom, not our version of it.
I strongly believe that requires partnership across the whole Body without prejudice.
I value the call on the life of an individual, confirmed by the witness of the Spirit via their local fellowship.
I know from 17 years of experience as a mobiliser that effective missions involvement requires a high degree of cross-cultural sensitivity and a deep understanding of contextualisation (i.e. specialist training).
Letting loose a flood of under trained, ethnocentric, idealists on to the mission fields of the world would be disastrous - even as short termers.
We live in an age of outsourcing where specialist services are created to help the many. That's why I refer to Pioneers as a Mission Service Provider.
I am adamant that the Church needs to reprioritise to get culturally appropriate gospel resources (especially culturally sensitive, long term, 'life on life' ministers) to those who have least access to the gospel.
The future of mission will not be restrained by Western economics or management theory disguised by Christians as 'good stewardship' and 'effective strategy'. But that's a whole 'nother blog subject.

That's all I got to say 'bout that... for now.

Jamie

Demon Coffee Dreams

2007-05-08T10:19:00.000+12:00

I think it's because I started the day with a long black and ended it with a missions prayer meeting that I had this dream last night. I swear I'm retelling it as accurately as I recall it, I even woke myself up laughing...

I'm running through a big old large house with a small group of people I seem to know well. We're being chased by some malevolent entity.

I often find myself dreaming about being on the run inside some sort of large multi-roomed building. I'm sure it has some deep psychological significance. Anyway...

We dash down a corridor and I duck behind the wall of a side room on the left as the others scramble for some other hiding place. My back's against the wall that separates the room from the hallway. The room's quite well lit so as soon as my breathing eases I take stock of where I am, all the while remaining alert for that which is chasing us.

As it turns out, the room I'm in is rectangular and quite long. I entered at one end and find myself leaning against the longer wall looking down to the other end of the room. The room is empty except for a pedestal of some sort, maybe 4 foot tall, with a small paper sack sitting on top of it.

Suddenly I feel a surge of emotion - anger - about our situation and blurt out "Right, that's it!" My attention is fixed on the sack. It seems the sack is the source of whatever has been chasing us.

The pressure rising within me suddenly bursts forth and with eyes fixed on the sack I stand and walk towards it, thrust my index finger at it, and let fly a verbal torrent...

"Urrggh... you unclean thing, I resist you in Jesus name!
You shall not have power over us any longer!
We stand against you with the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony!
You will not be victorious!
We will prevail. Jesus has already conquered you and your power is no more!
I rebuke you and stand against you in Jesus' name!.."

I reach the pedestal, still verbally combating the enemy, and open the sack. Fine brown dust puffs out carrying the rich and enticing scent of coffee. It's a sack of coffee.

I close the sack and speak against the dust, rebuking it in Jesus' name. It dissipates.

Again I open the sack and again the dust puffs up. Again I rebuke the demon dust in Jesus' name after closing the sack.

A third time I open the sack and rebuke the resulting dust cloud. A third time it disappears.

Satisfied that I have effectively neutralised the threat to my little group. I relax.

Pointing at the sack of coffee, I confidently declare to all within hearing distance...

"This is now holy ground!"

And I woke up laughing my head off.

Didn't get it? Here's a hint: "holy ground" = a unique coffee grind.

Maybe I should try and market this very consecrated type of coffee to a the very large Christian population that seems to be willing to buy anything with a 'Christian' label slapped on it. It could help support us in our full-time ministry endeavours!

Whatever.

Jamie.

Big Feet, Chicken, and Eggs

2007-04-24T17:25:00.000+12:00

Oops... I did it again. I've put my big foot in it well and proper...

So I arrive at my second engagement on this tour of the UK and Turkey, this one is in Istanbul where our workers from all over the wider Europe region are retreating (catching up with friends old and new, receiving good teaching, enjoying great worship, and kicking back while a visiting team takes care of the children during the day and the hotel does the catering etc).

I walk in to my first meeting which happens to be the third or fourth teaching session on Postmodernism, which happens to be one of my pet subjects and one that I've studied quite a bit. The teaching is o.k. and attempts to tackle some of the broader issues of postmodernity (in a very modernist sort of way). We are then asked to break up into small groups to discuss the issues at hand.

So I find myself in this small group of mostly strangers, and become increasingly frustrated at the way the conversation is going. I wonder if, after three or four sessions on postmodernism, they are actually getting the point. I'm thinking they're all thoroughly stuck in a modernist worldview, trying to understand postmodernism as rank outsiders.

I forget how the subject came about, but I happened to mention how in a postmodern context the Bible no longer holds pride of place as the voice of authority, how postmoderns need something more than the written word, how the Bible isn't being viewed as "The Word" so much as a collection of writings within historical contexts by different authors to different audiences... How people are questioning (or simply just ignoring) the issues of inerrancy and infallibility of the Scriptures, in favour of seeking after that which gives Christian Scripture its 'authority'. You know, that sort of thing.

Well, one of the members of my group was intrigued enough to recommend I mention this to the whole gathering. She was even 'so kind' as to stand up and introduce the topic, leaving me to explain myself. This was after a number of people had presented their groups' findings, most of which I found thoroughly modernist and missing the deeper issues of postmodernism completely.

I guess by the time I stood up to share I was a little frustrated by the limited awareness of the group (most of whom are supposed to be ministering to European postmoderns) and therefore what I perceived to be inadequate teaching on the subject. However, I only saw one session for myself so in hindsight that was probably an unfair assumption.

Anyway, I get up and share more or less what I shared in the small group, trying to emphasise the need to "go beyond" the Scriptures when sharing with Postmoderns in favour of referring to the God who gave the Scriptures and lends His authority to the Scriptures. Unfortunately something must have been lost in translation because it kicked off a rather embarrasing chain of events!

After my spiel, the presenter promptly closed the meeting and the larger group toddled off to lunch, mumbling along the way.

Over the course of the next few days it became apparent that many in the group heard me said that I didn't believe the Scriptures to be inerrant, infallible and totally authoritative. It also became apparent that my attempt at reassuring those few who were bold enough to speak to me about it was not going to cut it. I had to make a statement to the larger group to neutralise the concern.

On my last night at the retreat I did just that and it seemed to appease most people, however I remain frustrated at the short sightedness of the majority who continue to hold unswervingly to a modernist approach to the Scriptures and attempt to use that approach to reach out to postmoderns. As a postmodern Christian I can only come to the conclusion that the Scriptures have authority for me after I've accepted that God exists and that He has revealed Himself to the world as historically recorded in the Bible, and to me via my personal relationship with Him (confirmed via Scripture).

It's a bit of a chicken & egg scenario, I agree, but what postmodernism teaches us is that we must go beyond the word to the giver of the word to discover the meaning of the word - moreover, we must develop a relationship with the giver of the word to discover the meaning of that word for each one of us.

For example, here's a mantra that I find helpful as a basis for Christian ethics:

"A Christian ethic is a transcendant ethic, rooted and revealed in the Character of God."

We don't find a basis for our ethical stance in the Scriptures per se, we find it in God Himself. But how do we know God, how do we discover His character? The surest way is through a study of the Scriptures, so we need to look there for an introduction and confirmation of who it is that we serve.

So, I leave the retreat group behind me and hope that despite the confusion and concern the discussion has opened the way for further exploration and engagement with an increasingly postmodern world, because it's not going away and modernism is never returning. Get used to it.

I think my feet are now back in their right place... for the moment.

For more on the subject, check out my musings in the January posting called "Pomo Theo Intro".

Cheerio,

Jamie

Turkey Trial

2007-04-20T04:07:00.000+12:00

Hey,

Guess where I'm going tomorrow... Turkey.

Why is that significant? Well, yesterday 1 expat and 2 local believers were trussed up and had their throats slit by young Muslim extremists and the groups I'll be meeting with in country are going to be reeling from this attrocity.

I'm probably 2 or 3 degrees separated from those involved (i.e. I know people who know the martyrs), so I'm not nearly as affected but it will significantly alter the tone of the gatherings.

For some time now I've been considering my response to hearing about the effects of radical Islam on innocent victims because my first reaction is one of aggressive anger, only to recognise tendrils of fear seeping in. I then arrest myself and consider Paul's response in 2 Cor 10:5b where he says, "we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ".

So how does this help? Well, anger and fear in themselves are not sinful or evil, there is an anger that is quite acceptable and fear is an emotion that helps with our self preservation, but when these things affect "the peace of Christ" that ought to rule in our hearts (Col 3:15) we need to stop, take stock, and assess them. At times like these we desperately need to make such thoughts and emotions subject to Christ.

The only correct response of the saints in the face of attrocity and trial has to be that of LOVE. It sounds trite I know, but The Way of Jesus cannot be divorced from love - love is the end all and be all of the Christian life, no matter what. Perfect love drives out fear, John says (1 John 4:18). He goes on to explain that fear has to do with judgement/punishment, i.e. death; but the love of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus has released us from needing to fear death - it's lost it's sting (1 Cor 15:55-56).

So if death holds no terror for us because of the love of God, what else is there to fear? John reckons that if we do fear then love hasn't been perfected in us. In other words, if we fear and act out of fear then we really don't get that God is love, and that His Spirit in us is unadulterated love, and that the fruit (singular) that His Spirit produces through us (providing we allow Him to) is love in action: joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control (Gal 5:22).

So I repent.

I renounce fear enduced anger. I'm still angry because such things should not happen, but I'm angry at a group of mis-guided young men, and I'm angry at the way Satan manipulates humanity so easily. But I'm not reactive in that anger, I'm not looking at Islam and seeing it as the enemy per se.

Instead I feel pity toward those who don't know love. Those who feel they need to defend their frail beliefs so forcefully, who obviously aren't at peace, don't know joy, have run out of patience, don't know how to express kindness, allow evil instead of goodness to motivate them, act unfaithfully toward the creator of all humanity, who prefer violence to gentleness, and obviously lack any self control or they would have been able to resist the urge to destroy life.

We must persist in love, be proactive in love, respond in love, and continue to hold out the Lord of love to those who don't know Him. Extending an invitation to know Christ is as far from proselytism as a hug is from rape. It's the most loving thing we can do as Christians. That it can be misunderstood mustn't keep us from doing it - and genuine love is often misunderstood, the world doesn't understand it.

It's in the face of times of persecution that the New Testament becomes quite clear in many respects. Large chunks of the New Testament were written to persecuted Christians who faced the threat of martyrdom on a daily basis. This was certainly the context into which John was writing - from within Turkey to the Turkish churches. Food for thought.

Ah well, I'll get down off my soapbox now and sign off. I have a feeling these themes will keep arising though.

Love and peace to you all,

Jamie

Fits and Starts

2007-04-19T00:16:00.000+12:00

Gidday,

Long time, no blog eh? Yeah, I suspected when I started this thing that I'll be hard pressed to continue it regularly. As my grandma is fond of saying, "not to worry". So fits and starts it is.

The last entry was to do with my trip to Africa. On returning from Africa Pauline and I went off for a summer holiday and on our return to work we hit the ground running and...

I'm in England now.

Last year I was invited to join (deep breath) the Missions Mobilisation Task Force of the World Evangelical Alliance's Mission Commision. Here I am at my first set of meeting with this group. We're staying at OM's WestWatch House in Sussex and a lovely environment it is too - at least on this clear spring day.

The group's mandate is to develop and conduct a research project that will help uncover what factors are involved in the successful mobilisation of Christians from being pew sitters to beign fully engaged in cross-cultural mission endeavour. To discover these factors we're going to be undertaking qualitative interviews of missions involved people in our respective nations. Such people include active cross-cultural workers, mission staff, church leaders, church mission coordinators, etc.

Those involved in the research project include:

Dr Malcolm Gold - a sociology professor who is guiding, coaching and overseeing the research project to ensure it complies with the latest Academic standards. The university he's lecturing at (Malone College, in Ohio) is providing the academic backup

Trev Gregory - a missions consultant in the UK who has extensive experience in mobilisation of Europeans. Trev is leading the task force and conducting the UK interviews.

Jo Jowett - a very well connected leader in an organisation called Christian Vocations, a Christian job placement organisation that's very missions oriented. Jo will be helping Trev with interviewing UK residents involved in mission.

Min Young Jung - a leader in Wycliffe Bible Translators responsible for their Asian region mobilisation. He will be interviewing Koreans.

Hikari Matsuzaki - a Japanese lady with extensive experience in Operation Mobilisation. Hikari was the administrator of the Missions Mobilisation Network (now ceased), gathering and posting email updates about mobilisation resources around the world. She lends her logistics skills to organising the task force and will be interviewing Japanese.

Carlos Scott - the leader of COMIBAM, the Ibero-American (Latin American) Evangelical Missions Alliance. Carlos is Argentinian and will be interviewing Argentines.

Duncan Olumbe - a sharp young Kenyan leader who is operating a mobilisation network ministry in Kenya to assist Africans interested in mission find their way to the nations. I first met Duncan at All Nations Christian College while I was completing my Master's Degree. He was in his first year of his BA. Obviously Duncan will be interviewing Kenyans.

Alison Clarke - a brilliant young woman who from an early age developed a heart for Romanians which lead her to study Romanian at university and then live and work in Romania for the last 6 years. Alison is completing her MA dissertation at All Nations at the moment. She'll be interviewing Romanians involved in mission.

Kannan Ragendran - a young Indian based in Hyderabad and working with Indian Missions Association as a missions researcher. This meeting is his first trip outside of India so it is quite an experience for him. Kannan will be interviewing Indian missions workers.

Jamie Wood - yeah, that's me and I'll be interviewing Kiwis out there involved in mission... but not with pioneers, because ethically I'm not able to interview people with whom I'm supposedly in 'authority' over. I can hear our Kiwi workers laughing from here! Nevertheless, I'll enjoy the opportunity to interview other Kiwi misso's concerning their journey to the nations and see what gems pop up.

These meetings finish on April 19. I then head to Turkey on the 20th.

There you go, a bit of an update for now.

Jamie.

Most of the MMTF in Action

Out Of Africa

2007-02-14T09:07:00.000+13:00

Hey - I'm baaaack.

What a time was had in Africa - I loved it. Can't wait to go back, but not sure when that'll be.

What first struck me when I entered Africa (at Nairobi Airport) was how overtly Christian it was. People reading Christian literature (Bibles, Purpose Driven Life, Richard Foster) and loud religious discussions interspersing Biblical references (sometimes out of context).

Once I got into Ghana shop front names, taxi services, and bumper stickers clearly revealed a Christian influence, and billboards promoting mega-churches.

Here's a picture I took with my cellphone camera - a bumber sticker stuck to the rear window of a car parked outside a church service.

The AIDs prevention program is understandably a big deal over there but the church is quite anti condoms as the answer. They are very strong on encouraging their young people to abstain from sexual relations before marriage, and married people from extra marital affairs. So the humble condom gets quite a bashing (...ah, you know what I mean).

I met some wonderful people in Ghana. Some deeply spiritual men and women, emersed in Biblical principles, many very well trained, and working hard with limited resources to reach people in nations around them who have little or no access to gospel resources. I discovered quite a heart connection with those I was privileged to spend a bit more time with.

This is my friend, Dr Kofi Annane Fenin a professor or environmental physics at Cape Coast University and the Chair of Pioneers Africa's Board.

The main reason for going to Africa was to join the International Leadership Team of pioneers. I rotated on at this meeting and join the team for a 3 year appointment. We act as a think tank and sounding board for our International Director and help develop operational protocols for the mission. This is the sort of thing I love doing - a lot of team dialogue and creative thinking about big picture stuff. It's a privilege being able to inflluence the direction of the organisation at this level.

All in all it was a great trip. The travel went well, even the long trip home where I didn't see a bed for something like four days! During a 12 hour layover in Kenya I was able to hang out with some pioneers workers (from the US) who work up in the North West with the Turkana people. Check out their runabout...

There's so much more that could be said about this time, but I'll leave it there for now.

Every blessing,

Jamie

The Gated Path

2007-01-20T14:35:00.000+13:00

I've just prepared a message which I will deliver at Mt Roskill Baptist Church on Sunday (Jan 21, 2007), the guts of this message will also be the basis for a seminar session, should I get the opportunity to share something with my African colleagues during my visit to Pioneers in Ghana next week.

The message is something I've been ruminating on since October '06 when I had what you could call an epiphany of sorts. A revelation. A sudden occuring thought. Like, why now, why have I missed something so obvious for so long? I guess we just need to be in the right place to 'get' stuff at times.

Anyhow, as part of my message I decided to create a story. A metaphor. It's not entirely original as you will see. It takes Jesus' parable of the narrow and broad ways (Matthew 7:13ff) and expands on it. If you find it helpful - use it. Acknowledging the source is always an appropriate courtesy. Hopefully this will make sense outside of the message context...

There was once a man who travelled the same road everyday out from and back to his home.
It was the road everybody else took – it was wide and straight and well paved.
There are plenty of people to hang out with along the way and heaps to do. He shared a lot in common with them – they had their favourite cafés, watched the same sport, worried about money and family, etc.

But after a long while he started to feel somewhat discontented, irritable, depressed — “there must be more to my existence than this”, he thought.
Hearing rumours of an alternative route, it wasn’t long before his eyes started to wander and he began to notice stuff along the side of the road he regularly travelled.
One day his eye caught a glimpse of something down a dim side alley – a high heavy gate, the type with iron bars that you could see through and razor wire along the top. He decided to check it out the next day.

On closer inspection there were no warning signs or “keep out” notices. In fact there was a “welcome” sign – bizarre.
Beyond the gate he could make out a pathway that led to a very attractive courtyard full of sun where he could see some people lazy around on the grass beside a fountain while other people were diving into the fountain’s pool.
Someone saw him looking through the gate and yelled out, “Hey, come on in! This is great!”

He tried the gate but it wouldn’t budge – then he spotted a massive locking mechanism with a key slot the size of a pin head.
“I need the key!” He yelled back.
And as he did so, he noticed that the pathway extended beyond the courtyard and disappeared around a corner.
Someone started to emerge out of the shadows to his right. As his eyes adjusted he recognised her.
It was his old friend Sue who had talked to him about the pathway, but he never really took her seriously.
“How do I get in there?” he asked Sue.
“Just come on in…” she said.
“But it looks like I need a tiny key.”
“Oh, yeah" she giggled, "here, borrow mine and make yourself a copy.”
Accepting the key, he tried it in the lock and the gate swung open.

Looking in from the outside didn’t really do the courtyard justice – it was fabulous! What tranquillity. Peace and joy, heaps of laughter and fun and people truly engaged in one another’s lives.
The man made his own copy of the key and frequently returned to visit this new nook in the city. Each time his curiosity about where the pathway lead was piqued and one day he decided to check it out — where did it lead? What adventures lay around that corner following "The Way"?...

What he found was Lucy’s Wardrobe, Alice’s Hole, Sophie’s Correspondence Course, Neo’s Red Pill.

O.K. so here’s the deal…

The Broad Road is our lives lived according to our culture’s principles — it’s what everybody is doing by default.
The Pathway at the side is a life lived by God’s Kingdom principles — they are different.
The Gate is Jesus — a deterrent for some, an intrigue for others, but through Him you can see all sorts of wonderful possibilities and a lot of mystery to boot.
The Key is faith — as small as a mustard seed, believing that Jesus has made a way clear to enter this new lifestyle.
The Courtyard is regeneration — it’s a place of healing and restoration, it’s where we are empowered to follow "The Way" and live according to new Kingdom principles.
The Way is the Holy Spirit — what direction the path takes around that corner is different for everybody but it is well signposted for each of us. It criss-crosses the Broad Road but if you a Broad Roader you probably wouldn’t notice it. It also intersects others following "The Way" and when it does, oh what great times they are.

Should you wish to look up the reference in the Scriptures yourself, read the whole passage from Matthew 7:13-29. It makes a single point. The key to the passage is the commentary about fruit (vs 15-20). The two roads share the same meaning as the two buildings - in each example one leads to life, the other to death. To be able to determine which one relates to you, you have to keep an eye on your Fruit Gauge... but that's a whole 'nother lesson my friend.

Later,

Jamie

Pomo Theo Intro

2007-01-08T16:02:00.000+13:00

So anyway, Dr Rose Dowsett's paper on "Combined Fuel - A Whole People Need A Whole God".

As I said yesterday I wholeheartedly agree with her conclusions, but the introductory part of her paper pushed one of my more sensitive postmodern buttons. I'm not going to relay the details of her paper, I'm just using it as a launching pad...

Why is it that most of the (dare I say it) 'older' generation - boomers and above (born pre 1965) - who write for, or about, a postmodern audience seem to not quite 'get it'? My thesis is that they're writing about or into a situation from the outside.

I think it's very difficult for pre-'65ers to fully break away from a 'modern' worldview. In her paper, Dr Rose asks her readers to evaluate their worldview to consider how society is (negatively) influencing our Christian behaviour and watering down our theology. Her antidote is for us to return to a "biblical framework" as opposed to a "secular framework". Now, a 'modern' Christian thinker would automatically understand what she's getting at, but to a postmodern Christian thinker she might as well be on another planet.

Dr Rose is quick to point out that the objectivity the secular world claims to have via the scientific method is actually based on certain presuppositions that paradoxically render such objectivity as less than entirely trustworthy. Quite so. However, she then claims that Christians can be more truly objective if we are "living within and operating from a biblical framework, not from a secular framework".

Well, slap me on a pire and brand me a heretic but my postmodern grey matter thinks that's just a tad naiive nowadays. What is a biblical framework? Whose interpretive structure are we to use? How can we trust it?

At this point I think three Bible colleges are going to withdraw my qualifications. But these are important questions to a postmodern thinker. Within the limitations of her paper Dr Rose valiantly addresses such questions by pointing to a Trinitarian paradigm, but it is all too easy for modern readers to simply accept something as 'true' without uncovering why.

What I mean is, in a postmodern context it's no longer acceptable simply to proclaim "The Bible says... therefore that's the truth." Many modern Christian thinkers are still fighting against what they perceive as the 'death of truth' while upholding propositions as truly objective statements about whatever. But this argument simply doesn't appear on the radar of the postmodern thinker. It's irrelevant. Truth is not dead, it's 'out there', somewhere. The individual simply needs to search for it, to find that which is true... for them. Is that such a bad thing?

Now here's where the modern theologian freaks out. "It's too subjective, too relative, too self-centred, open to too much error, not authoritative, it is the original sin, etc, etc." That's their opinion and they're entitled to it.

What if we were to agree with the deconstructionists and say that reality is only evident through language? Therefore it is subjective. Therefore reality spoken of is merely reality interpreted through a language grid. Comprehension and communication of reality is therefore limited by the vocabulary of the subject. How would that affect our understanding of the Bible?

It would mean a "biblical framework" needs to be carefully constructed with a hermeneutic (art of interpretation) made obvious to the subject, one with presuppositions acknowledged, humility inherent and open to critique. Most modern theologians would agree, but can the conclusions of my hermeneutic differ from yours and still be acceptable? I guess it depends if we're comparing Granny Smiths with Galas or Granny Smiths with Sunkist Navels. If we are comparing apples then I reckon dialogue should naturally ensue. If not then we'd have a long way to go before we'd reach any sort of common ground.

Now understand me here, I'm not into textual criticism in a big way, I choose to believe that the canon is what orthodox tradition says it is, but I do believe the Scriptures remain open for interpretation and that the truth within them will probably never be completely unveiled this side of eternity. Scriptural interpretation is, by and large, a subjective excercise. That doesn't mean the Bible is any less authoritative, just that one cannot say that one size fits all when it comes to interpreting the meaning for the reader's context. Bible translators know this, cross-cultural ministers should know this, non-Western theologians know this, why can't modern theologians make the paradigm shift?

Well I've ranted more than enough for this post. For future reference refer to yesterday's blog for the core theological presuppositions that influence my thinking. My fundamental presuppositions are that God exists (as a Triune Community), that He is Love and is the sole arbiter of good and evil. I treat the orthodox Christian canon (the Holy Bible sans the apocrypha) as the sole provider of accurate information about who God is, how He interacts with the world, and what the purpose of humanity is. To me the debate about the origins of these Scriptures it irrelevant. I have sufficient evidence to satisfy me that they are authentic. Finally, I relate to God personally and respond in obedience to what I sense He reveals to me (albeit at times delayed!). Everything else I hold as true flows from this.

If you'd like to explore truth within the Christian Scriptures for yourself afresh (rather than rely on second hand interpretations) I recommend taking a look at "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell, senior Pastor of Mars Hill church. It's a light read on the surface, but Rob takes a similar view to me on such things (I'm a little older than him!) and takes the reader on an sample truth hunt - it's great fun.

Must dash - more truth to seek.

Jamie

This I Believe

2007-01-07T14:02:00.001+13:00

Over the Christmas break I took the opportunity of reading a paper that Dr Rose Dowsett (of the mission organisation OMF) wrote for a Global Connections (the UK Evangelical Missions Alliance) event in December 2006. Dr Rose is very well respected in evangelical mission circles as a leading missions theologian - and for good reason. The paper is entitled, "Combined Fuel - A Whole People Need A Whole God." But I think I'll discuss it in a future post.

For this post I'll say that I wholeheartedly agree with Dr Rose's conclusions. I think she's spot on. I thoroughly believe in a Trinitarian God who has been at work in the world since He began time...

I believe He has always existed and nothing that has been created was created apart from Him. It can be corrupted, but not created ex-nihilo.
I believe He created humanity in His own image and therefore created us for community.
And I believe it was all stuffed up when the first humans took the Adversary at his word and overstepped the parameters God set them.
I believe since then the "great problem" in the world is that we think we are able to call the shots ourselves (individually and corporately), decide what is right and what is not, and live by our own code of ethics (aka: morality).
I believe that unless Laws are enforced, this unbridled self-determination is inherently destructive.
I believe if left to our own devices, our morality will atrophy and behaviour will become destructive, unless there is an overriding motivation to will to power and discipline to maintain or increase positive social development.
But I believe the fruit of such apparently noble discipline is temporal and ultimately self-serving.
I believe that the Triune God makes available a power that supersedes the need for Laws, one that overcomes the propensity to live selfishly and destructively. This is not morality (which is a code), it is Life (which is an energy).
I believe access to this power is made possible only through the belief in, acceptance of, and allegiance to Jesus the Christ, the 'Son' of God, fully man yet mysteriously fully God, rightful heir, King and Lord of all creation, a member of the Triune Community we call God; one who came to earth as a baby to grow, live, minister, suffer, die and be resurrected as a substitutionary atonement (took punishment for) for... those who believe.
I believe that this power is made available by the Spirit of God to those who serve the Christ. The Spirit is that person of the Triune Community who is at work in the world to accomplish the will of God. The Spirit enlivens our spirits and connects us to the Source of all life, grants us special 'powers' or gifts to use in a supernatural way to evidence "The Kingdom", teaches us The Way, and bears an eternal fruit in us that no moral code could ever duplicate - a fruit called "Love". Love supersedes law because it produces behaviour born out of a positive relationship (with God), not a written code of socially acceptable behaviour that needs to be enforced.
I believe that love, apart from that empowered by the Triune Community, is merely a shadow of the real.
I believe we are to make this reality known to all of humanity, so that they can decide (without manipulation, force or coercion) if they want to integrate it into their narrative.
I believe those who choose not to accept this narrative will suffer terribly as a consequence of their decision because believing that this is not a 'meta-narrative' does not make it any less real (for those postmodernists among us). In other words, just because you don't believe it, doesn't mean you're immune from the consequences.
I believe time as we know it is coming to an end and that the Christ will return as a King resplendent in glory, riding on the clouds accompanied by Angels and his faithful followers (Saints) whether dead or alive at the time. My Sci Fi tendencies can conjure up all manner of ways this might happen but whichever way it happens, it'll be spectacular. When this happens it will kick off a process of renewal unlike anything we can imagine.
I believe true followers of The Way will be rewarded for their perseverance and faithfulness by being resurrected into eternal bodies and given gifts, responsibilities, creative activities, and free reign over the new creation (which somehow seamlessly blends heaven and earth) in harmony with the Will of God and the community of God's people.
Conversely, I believe those who refuse to fully submit to the Christ narrative will be refused entry into this new reality. Their new reality may be the subject of some debate but there is one thing Scripture is clear about and that is that it'll be nasty - suffering, anguish, regret, hatred, destruction. This reality wasn't created for humans but for the Adversary and his minions, yet humans who refuse to join the Way are by default aligning themselves with the Adversary, there is no neutral ground - so be it.

I'm not sure if revealing this makes me friend or foe. If foe, then The Way empowers me to love you; if friend, then you know you are loved already. This I believe.

Jamie

So It Begins...

2007-01-03T20:28:00.000+13:00

O.K, so I made a bit of a New Year's commitment to start blogging. Add to the noise? Why not?

My purpose is to provide a space to place my random thoughts to create some sort of order in this increasingly cluttered head. I don't promise to be too regular - especially during periods of international travel, but I'm predicting it'll be interesting!

A word to the wise - I'm a verbose writer so if you get bored don't say you weren't warned!

As a wise man once said, "That'll do pig"

Let's see how long it is before I get into the swing this here new fangled technology.

Cheers,

Jamie