tangible kingdom. week three.

there is very good discussion going on. this past week was the week that i wanted to push some conversation going but some other things got in the way. Had no power at my house for a few days and the church got flooded.

Continue on with the next 3 chapters and hopefully I'll be able to throw in some questions here and there. These next chapters were very intriguing and helped see our culture in a different light!

PREESH!

tangible kingdom. week two.

thoughts. opinions. ah-hah's. things you know already or agree with...

Chapter 4. U-Haul

What both excites you and scares you about the potential of a new spiritual road trip?

If Jesus were to trim down your Christian experience to his essentials, what would he remove? what would be left?

Chapter 5. Moving Violations

As you think about the church engaging the world with more than just tweaks, what expectations do you need to change, delete, or embrace?

Chapter 6. Posture

How are you willing to advocate for people while they live lives that are in opposition to the way of Christ?

If you you no longer use words to communicate the gospel, what would you do?

not to be biased about some great stuff but i believe "Posture" has the potential for some extra discussion. Let me hear your views.

tangible kingdom. week one. take two.

well i have talked with most of you and it seems as though the books don't travel quickly. so, for those of you who do have your books, i'd like to hear your thoughts. for those of you waiting we'll act as thought this is the first week and on Thursday of next week we'll go over chapters 4-6.

if you have any questions let me know.

one thing that seems to stick out in the book for me has been from the 3rd chapter. there was a guy who wrote a letter to Hugh and was telling about his struggles in the church. that he feels that an old pastor like him isn't relevant anymore and is trying to catch up with the times. Hugh's comment about the letter and many other places throughout the book is that they are all very well needed. They are the foundational pieces for the movements of change that have been happening in the church. They are the ones who have shown us Christ. They are the ones that have helped us the Kingdom.

tangible kingdom. week one.

thoughts. opinions. ah-hah's. things you already know but agree or don't agree with...

as you ponder the metaphor of the sailor, the village, the wreckage, and the people, reflect on your own experience from the church. What aspects have been meaningful, and which experiences do you hope to put behind you?

describe some times in your life when you've wanted to tap out on God and the activities of the church.

describe the last time your heart broke for someone.

Matthew 5:13 - what are some ways you believe we're losing our saltiness?

what do you think the increasing disinterest of the culture toward church means for the future of the church?

do you feel tensions about your faith?

have you noticed the Jerusalem and Galilean distinctions in your own church experience? How?

purpose with passion.

a few years back i picked up Blue Like Jazz and Through the Painted Deserts and Searching for God knows what by Donald Miller and was floored by the beauty of roaming the country in the journey of awakening. Not that there was any purpose behind it but a passion of the freedom that can be found in life. I fell in love with the Bohemian lifestyle. I never went to the extent to follow through with the way of living cause that would mean that i'd have to give up the luxury's i have gotten myself into. So it was a step that I never made. I do feel as though myself am on some wavelength there though.

A few months after reading the books by Don Miller I picked a book called On the Road by Jack Kerouac. If you haven't read it, you're missing out on some great entertainment. The similarities between those books are the searching and the enjoying of life. But both lead down different paths, maybe similar but the destination is not the same.

I've seen this journey also in the movie Into the Wild. The journey and experiences are the appealing part in it all. the freedom. love. people. Being a unique individual with knowing there are other people there to help you grow in and express your uniqueness. We're created for a purpose that is to express the glory and wonder of God.

There are a group of people who fit everything in together of this passion for life into a purpose that won't fade or come to an end with no fulfillment. I see this in the people who want to be apart of something big but don't want to be big themselves. I see this in people who long and hurt for one another. I see this in people who share each others burdens. Of all the prenotions these characters give in the books, they are all, for the most part hated by the world. or the american side of it that i know of. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says this: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

I see a journey of knowing the beauty God has revealed to us but it will take far beyond the time we have here on earth or in heaven. This is the journey i seek. The beauty of the Kingdom of Heaven.

the tangible kingdom.

as i have said before, the books that i've read in the past year have been the perfect series of books that I could of ever processed. Starting with Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne I have never been challenged in such a way to change the actions of my personal life in the world. Moving into the Kingdom of God I've read This Beautiful Mess by Rick McKinley, The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian Mclaren , Sex God by Rob Bell, Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and now just finished the Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay.

I don't think I would have finished any of them if they hadn't peeked my interest in some way. i did try to read the Kingdom of God is Within You by Leo Tolstoy but it failed in my understanding. There are still more books to read and thoughts to process but i do know i need to throw up at some point and bottle it in some way. All these views need to be organized into the heart of what God has called the church to me.

The Tangible Kingdom has been an inspiration to see the church in better light. I've seen the church in practice as to the definitions Halter and Smay bring. Such as attractional. Most of the churches in America say to anyone, follower or non-follower: come to us. The missional church says: just look. If you are truly living in the Kingdom of God, loving and caring for one another with a transparent and unashamed attitude the gospel will be lived out in your life thus showing everyone Jesus. An all inviting attitude that will show people who Jesus is and revealing to them a way in which they can come and know Jesus too.

Halter and Smay also help get a better understanding on the culture in America and the different contexts people are in with their beliefs. This is all too important because of the generations that have morphed into one another, like a homeschooler that is actually cool. is that possible? it is my friend! so, very important to see the differences. Western, Eastern, PostModern and Gospel Response.

After all this input I really don't know if I can fully puke it out in comprehension. It just doesn't make sense when I try to describe. I know it's beautiful. I know it's the Kingdom of God here on Earth. I know it's hope for all who have lost hope. All i ask is for wisdom. I have feared and  revered the Lord, because I know this is way over my head. Give me wisdom.

christian Vs. disciple - what's the difference?

A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, "If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
"But don't begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, 'There's the person who started that building and couldn't afford to finish it!'

"Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can't, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

"Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand! - Luke 14:25-35