Relax and Enjoy the Ride
Published by John Ketchersid on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 8:00 AMI think I need to spiritually relax. I have so many preconcieved ideas about church and being a Christian that I confuse business with faith. I recently read an article that a friend recommended...Detoxing from Church. It was really helpful to me. Maybe it will be helpful for you, too...http://www.theofframp.org/Detox.html.
I am really excited about starting a community of followers of Jesus in a new way, but I have to say it's not easy for me. After 20 years of ministry in traditional churches...I have the old-dog-new-tricks syndrome. It will be good to meet at the park this Sunday and do a new thing (I sure hope it doesn't rain). Speaking of rain...if it does rain then we will meet in our basement.
I am also reading a great book called Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures by Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger. The book gives a definition of Emerging Churches that I think is helpful and expresses what I have in mind for a new community of Jesus...
"Emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus inI know these nine things sound kind of like what church has always been. But as we talk about them more, I think we will see a new and fresh expression of the kingdom of God emerge. More later.
postmodern cultures. This definition encompasses the nine practices.
Emerging churches (1) identify with the life of Jesus, (2) transform the secular
realm, and (3) live highly communal lives. Because of these three activities,
they (4) welcome the stranger, (5) serve with generosity, (6) participate as
producers, (7) create as created beings, (8) lead as a body, and (9) take part
in spiritual activities." (Gibbs and Bolger, pp. 44, 45)
Does it sound like I am relaxing yet? Well...maybe not relaxing, but I am really enjoying the ride into new dreams and visions of following Jesus Christ in this world.
Peace!
John
"Transform the secular realm" is confusing too. Transform it into what?.....Into something that looks more like Christianity? (the evangelical answer)....into a better place? (one of the many emergent answers)...for what makes the world a better place very much depends on one's view of the world. I am not really sure one answer makes a lot more sense in practice than the other.
Hmmmm....just wondering if this kind of language is really detoxification.........
I agree with Sherrinda as well- If we say that the color of the "glasses" people use to look at the world is very much a relative thing, than we cannot in turn say that we have the "right" color glasses.
but we can say that Jesus has the right color glasses. (or that he sees the world clearly as it is without glasses) And we need to identify those things in us, in our society, and in our institutions that tint things a color that moves away from, rather than toward, Jesus' view of creation and humanity.