A few thoughts on my dreams and hopes for The House

As part of this tiny fellowship of faith followers, I have been asked to dream about where I see us in five years. First, what a privilege for me to be able to even dream in such a way as our very existence is not self-sustaining yet. And yes, I have this bias ( must be honest) that I hope within five years we are no longer needing to receive mission support from people outside our direct community of faith. Having said that, the first part of my dream is for us to be many clusters of folks meeting in homes as small houses who come together with the common task of being the hands and feet ( and yes, $dollars$) of Jesus for others in need. That we would see ourselves as giving from our storehouse of riches for the sake of restoring hope and healing others.

The second part of my dream is to take seriously what I heard in this morning's message from Brian, one of our co-pastors. That is, to know that God only gives us what we need today, this moment in time. That we are to be led by the Shepherd who has hardened us, his sheep to depend only on what we can graze on today, knowing full well that we will have to seek new pastures elsewhere tomorrow. There are a number of reasons I say this especially in today's culture and global economic climate. Here in the US, we can no longer rely on the wealth of our Christian heritage. The one which could afford so much of this world's goods. We already knew this but knowing it in our heads is now translated in the day to day reality of leanness we face here and now.

This may have many implications for many younger couples in our fellowship and yes, perhaps even for this slightly over middle aged guy. One of the implications is the ideal of the American dream- being able to afford my own idea of a palace, multiple means of expensive transportation and providing for my own needs and that of my family at present consumptive level. That ideal may be forever beyond the reach of most. As someone in our fellowship once said "everytime I think I am getting ahead, more is being asked of me. The bar of success always keeps rising!"

I think our dreaming needs to see our hope in the little mustard seeds of faith rather than the mansion-promised-over-the-hilltop. And these little mustard seeds need to be far more intentional about pooling our resources for the benefit of all. To see our earthly goods as communal rather than individual. Yes, I know, talk like this sounds rather ethereal, bad politics or at best idealistic. What it does mean to me is for us to be all the more industrious in our thinking and pragmatics. Like those Palestinian sheep in pastures, we may have to graze on more leaner fields as a flock. But leanness is not contrary to richness in my book. I see it as working more intelligently and living simply so that we can FIND REST from the ideals of this world and culture and ENTER THE REST of Jesus' ideals and culture.

I could go on but for now, may this suffice except to offer one last thought about dreaming in the form of some questions. If say, we could afford all this world USE TO offer (yes, our post-consumptive world is crumbling), that is, if our earthly storehouses were abundant and overflowing with wealth, would we still be called to seek another way? Or would we simply be satisfied to go along raising our own bar of success everytime it was raised on us? And if not, then what? What should we seek? Sometimes those questions haunt me as well as comfort me. Either way, I am continually drawn to ask them?

Perhaps part of our dreaming could be to enter into an ongoing dialogue and decision making which keeps these questions in mind. I am sure they are not the only ones we should discuss but hopefully they will help us on our journey of being followers of the Nazarene.

We are blessed! John

Some help in tough economic times

We all need help during these hard economic times. For my next few blog entries I will try to provide some information we can all use.

For some help, check out my post on my business blog: http://unitedmontessori.blogspot.com

Interview with Jim Fay, co-founder of Love and Logic

Here is an interview I recently had with Jim Fay, co-founder of Love and Logic Institute. Check it out:
http://unitedmontessori.blogspot.com/2009/04/audio-interview-with-jim-fry-of-love.html

"Looking back...." some reflections on AB Bruce's words

I wonder how many of us, looking back on our times together, perhaps will suddenly realize how the Lord was there with us. And not simply something we think or understand but something that is more elemental-a presence felt. One which left its mark on us as followers of Jesus. Not over-dramatized or puts us in a euphoric state but a solid, heart felt "we know He is here!" As Bruce put it: "that facts objectively insignificant may be very important to the feelings of those whom they personally concern."

Talking with someone else about our group we would mention the time and place and perhaps a few details of what we discuss. But our richness of it is only there in the laughter, the ponderings, moments still not clearly defined and yes, the joking around.

How often, perhaps daily, I have crushed under my hurried mind, the importance of first encounters?

We are at a seminal point in time in our gathering on Wednesday mornings. I will try not to read more into it than this: that the Spirit's hand and breath is there. May we simply bask in its warmth of our friendship.

Just a few disconnected ramblings....

Guys Gathering April 15th

A rich discussion for and about our Guys Gathering this morning. I am blessed to be with you all! So every week, I will include the lectionary gospel text and a short reading from AB Bruce’s “Training of the Twelve.”

Lectionary Gospel text found here!

Below is a reading from AB Bruce’s classic text: “The Training of the Twelve”, chapter 1. It is a reflection on John 1:29-51:

“Far from being surprised at the silence of the synoptical evangelists, one is rather tempted to wonder how it came to pass that John, the author of the fourth Gospel, after the lapse of so many years, thought it worth while to relate incidents so minute, especially in such close proximity to the sublime sentences with which his Gospel begins. But we are kept from such incredulous wonder by the reflection, that facts objectively insignificant may be very important to the feelings of those
whom they personally concern. What if John were himself one of the five who on the present occasion became acquainted with Jesus? That would make a wide difference between him and the other evangelists, who could know of the incidents here related, if they knew of them at all, only at second hand. In the case supposed, it would not be surprising that to his latest hour John remembered with emotion the first time he saw the Incarnate Word, and deemed the minutest memorials of that time unspeakably precious. First meetings are sacred as well as last ones, especially
such as are followed by a momentous history, and accompanied, as is apt to be the case, with omens prophetic of the future.1 Such omens were not wanting in connection with the first meeting between Jesus and the five disciples. Did not the Baptist then first give to Jesus the name “Lamb of God,” so exactly descriptive of His earthly mission and destiny? Was not Nathanael’s doubting question, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” an ominous indication of a conflict with unbelief
awaiting the Messiah? And what a happy omen of an opening era of wonders to be wrought by divine grace and power was contained in the promise of Jesus to the pious, though at first doubting, Israelite: “Henceforth ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man”!”
(You can find this book on Amazon for quite an inexpensive price. I thought it was out of print but alas, no- good news.)

May our discussions follow from both the lectionary gospel reading and from “TofTwelve”.

John

Poem: Reflections on Life's Road

One of my partners in mission, Nate Worden, shared this poem with us:

"Reflections on Life's Road"
by Julie McGuinness.
 
Some people travel in straight lines:
Sat in metal boxes, eyes ahead,
Always mindful of their target,
Moving in obedience to colored lights and white lines,
Mission accomplished at journey's end.
 
Some people travel round in circles:
Trudging in drudgery, eyes looking down,
Knowing only too well their daily, unchanging round,
Moving in response to clock and to habit,
Journey never finished yet never begun.
 
I want to travel in patterns of God's making:
Walking in wonder, gazing all around,
Knowing my destiny, though not my destination,
Moving to the rhythm of the surging of his spirit,
A journey which when life ends, in Christ has just begun.
 

In Prayer: Engaging Our Imaginations with others...

How will we engage our closest friends and loved ones in our prayer life? How will we use our imaginations to pray large? How will we bring to true intentions, needs and desires of our heart to prayer and relating those prayers to others so that they will pray for us and with us?

And again, how will this be worked into the fabric of our faith culture and community?