Ok, one more LAST post

Random thing happened, so I must report it. I clocked up my 10,000th km on my bike the other day. I was so excited, many of you wont care, but this is MY blog, damn it, so if I'm excited, I write -gruff-

Peace and giant thighs

Last Post for a month

I'm off on holidays for September so I won't be posting or commenting. I just need a break from ministry and I'm feeling quite tired (not that I am in my role full-time but I am feeling burdened).

So, I'll leave you with these lyrics to a wonderful song. It's one that I connect with strongly and it's words resonate with where I am at the moment with God.

"Faceless Man" Creed

I spent a day by the river
It was quiet and the wind stood still
I spent some time with nature
To remind me of all that's real
It's funny how silence speaks sometimes when you're alone
And remember that you feel
It's funny how silence speaks sometimes when you're alone
And remember that you feel

Again I stand, Lord I stand, against the Faceless Man

Now I saw a face on the water
It looked humble but willing to fight
I saw the will of a warrior
His yoke is easy and His burden is light
He looked me right in the eyes Direct and concise to remind me
To always do what's right
He looked me right in the eyes Direct and concise to remind me
To always do what's right

Again I stand, Lord I stand, against the Faceless Man

'Cause if the face inside can't see the light
I know I'll have to walk alone
And if I walk alone to the other side I know
I might not make it home

Next time I see this face I'll say
I choose to live for always
So won't you come inside And never go away

As with all lyrics, different people will draw different ideas. I'll leave you with the words to let them speak to you, however you need to read them

Peace and hope...

Justice Night @ Church

On Friday night, our youth ministry ran a Justice Night which focused on the topic of Body Image and self esteem. I was a little apprehensive about how the night would run, and whether the kids would engage with the conversation topics that I, and my housemate Gab, were going to present. I was so pleased with the vigorous chatter on all of the tables around the church and the wonderfully thoughtful responses that the kids gave when they were asked. The night, whilst it may have been confronting in some ways, was an excellent space for the kids to talk through these issues and see that older people (ie youth leaders) can struggle with these issues too. More importantly it helped to show the kids that it's good to discuss these issues with people who they can trust and rely on. It was such a high for me, as the Youth Minister, because I really felt like the night assisted in building a great deal of trust and rapport with the kids and the leaders.

What is Church?

I've just read this article on five transitions that the "Emerging Church" is currently moving through and I felt that they were really relevant to my own church context. Basically the transitions were described as:

1. Seeker to missional mindset. "Come to us" to "Let's go to them"
2. From salvation as life after death to salvation as life. Living with authenticity
3. From hierarchy to network. Collaborative ministry process, joint decisions, consensus
4. From presentation to participation. Actions of community genuinely alter the outcome of worship, and the community's faith expression and praxis.
5. Can modern and emerging ministry get along? Emergent opportunities within the local church context.

I think that these five transitions are ones that my own community could benefit from engaging with on several levels. In particular, point 4 raises a number of questions for me in ministry as I am constantly seeking for people to participate. However, this is sometimes a struggle when the church community employs me to be "the minister" which can translate into me being the vicarious vessel through which the congregants ministry occurs. Rather than each individual congregant fulfilling their own God given vocational and missional acts.

I really believe that one of the best discussions that the Emerging Church brings to the theological debate upon Ecclesial(gathered community of faith) life is surrounding participating (not just attending stuff!!). Generally speaking, the Emerging Church encourages a thoroughly active life within and without the gathered community, missionally, spiritually, and communally, and this is something that I believe every person of faith needs to wrestle with.

So, what is Church? I didn't really answer it, but there are quite a few questions that need to be pondered, and responded to for each community of faith with honesty, humility, and God's grace.

Thoughts on Beauty

At the moment I am doing some work on Body Image for an upcoming youth group night. I've got so many thoughts swelling around in my head about beauty, and what it means to be beautiful. You've all probably heard the comments about how screwed up the media is when they present what it means to be beautiful; airbrushing, fake boobs, nose jobs, ear jobs, tummy tucks. And I know that you've probably been told that beauty is only skin deep, and that there is an inner beauty. Those words are not always comforting. Don't get me wrong, I am happy with who I am and don't allow myself to be too self indulgent about the way I look. However, if I am honest, of course I care about the stuff I wear, and how my hair looks, otherwise I'd be walking around in a sack with bread bags for shoes. Perhaps, it's all about balance. You know, not getting things out of perspective. It's okay to wear nice clothes, but don't let that stuff define who you are.

Hmmm, still, there is so much negative talk going around about what it means to be happy, and what people who look 'good' appear.

Here is an activity for you (untried and untested). Go to a mirror and say to yourself "The best thing about me is..." (non body related thing). After doing that say "I love you!"

The world clock

This is terrifying, but worth having a look. Click here for the world clock. It calculates, as an estimation, the events that are occurring in our world.

Humbling to see. Take a look and let the stats soak in.
Peace
Sime

Wasted days?

I've been thinking a lot about song lyrics lately, well the reality is that I'm almost always thinking/singing/humming some sort of tune in my head. As you may have noticed, my last two posts featured song lyrics in some way (it was subtle in the most recent). Anyway, I've got the words to a song stuck in my head at the moment, a song called Frantic by Metallica. The lyrics pose a really interesting question:

"If I could have my wasted days back,
Would I use them to get back on track?"

And so I wonder, if I could have the time in my life that I have wasted, neglected, or missed out on opportunities, would I actually use that time in a better way? Or, is my current state of being a consequence of my choices, and if I am happy in my state of being, would I want to change the things I am not proud of? Maybe it is more helpful to look ahead than look at the past? But, the past shapes me in so many ways. Hmmm, interesting conundrum.

Why stand on a silent platform?

It's an interesting question to ask yourself. Standing upon a platform in silence. Picture it in your mind. You're on a platform, or a stage, or perhaps behind a pulpit in a church, and you're simply standing there. The audience is waiting for you to speak, and yet you say nothing; you simply stand there silent. Soon the crowd gets a little restless and begins to ask themselves "Why did we bother coming here? This guy's got nothing to say." And yet they still wait, anxious, expectant, hopeful, desperately wanting to hear some words of hope, wisdom, challenge, comfort. But, soon enough they file out, one by one; they realise you've got nothing to say. And you're left there alone, on your platform with nothing to say.

I reckon we have many 'platforms' in our life that we get a chance to stand upon and let our voice be heard. Sometimes, life is so much easier when we are just simply coasting; you know what I'm saying. Life just passes you by and you're just 'living'-not a care in the world. Yet there are times when we get uncomfortable with life, and the things that we experience. Perhaps we see disturbing images from overseas that encourage us to wonder, does the destruction of lives and infrastructure really bring about peace? We may sit in a church congregation and hear sermons about a whole host of topics and feel so challenged at one moment, and then feel lost in the monotony of life once the 'worship' experience is over. Maybe we're moved by the apathetic culture we live in and wonder where is God in all of this consumption, isolation, and fear?

And so, I encourage you to get upon your platform and speak. I don't know what your platform may look like, or how you can use your voice but I'd encourage you to pause, reflect, seek guidance, and then open your vocal chords and speak. Speak love. Speak grace. Speak anger. Speak hope. Speak transformation. Once you've spoke, take the time to listen, and listen hard to the responses of those around you. You have a voice, but so too do the people around you, so give them a little respect and listen (you may just learn something about yourself).

Sorry if I sound angry. I'm not really, I'm just disturbed at the moment, a malcontent if you like.

Peace
Sime