Another update because I have to register my disgust at the run of incredibly hot days we've been having recently. The past three days haven't dropped below 40 degrees and I've had enough. We went to the swimming pool this morning, which was nice I suppose but it shouldn't be 41 degrees before MIDDAY.
Good news is that the air conditioning in my study is working in tip top condition.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Holiday Update
I've been feeling guilty about my lack of updates - so much for "little and often". We're heading off for a week-long holiday on Sunday so I thought I'd get something up before we vanish. We'll have limited internet connection while we're away which, these days, is pretty much the equivalent of doing a Lord Lucan. "I haven't had an e-mail from James in two days! CALL THE POLICE!!!!" Yes mum, I'm looking at you.
Actually, I wonder about the role of guilt in the life of the Christian sometimes. I knew a guy who said that guilt is a '...wasted emotion..." I think that he was trying to say that it served no purpose - it made you feel bad without changing anything. You might feel guilty for robbing a bank, but your pockets are still jingling with everyone else's loose change so why bother with guilt? Guilt as a "wasted emotion" is at least a fairly honest and reasonable assessment of what guilt actually is - at least it is if you have no intention of acting on it. I suppose that anthropologists might think that guilt is an emotional response to the breaking a social norm or participating in something that's considered taboo. In this case, guilt becomes about conformity rather than truth or falsehood.
So where does this leave the Christian? I currently think that guilt in itself is not an inherently Christian emotion. I would probably agree with the anthropologists in this case. As such, the role of guilt in my life is to force me to a state of theological reflection where I consider why I feel guilty and what the Christian response should be. For example, I feel a little bit guilty about poking fun at my mother above and on reflection I think that I shouldn't have done it - sorry mother (but I'm not going to delete it because it serves to illustrate my point). The Christian response to guilt is always action, even if the action is to dismiss false guilt.
What about when we do something that [u]is[/u] socially acceptable but we still feel bad about it? Well, one of two things is going on there, I reckon. Either it's guilt that finds its source in some other cultural context (e.g. there might be many things that are socially acceptable but your family disapprove of - hence the guilt) or it's the Holy Spirit. However, my experience is that the Holy Spirit doesn't make me feel guilty so much as just really uncomfortable. Is there any difference? Maybe not in practice, but I think that one comes from the breaking of an internal moral code and the other comes from the breaking of a relationship. I think that if I were able to clearly distinguish one from the other I'd be doing pretty well in terms of my relationship with the Father.
Where did all that come from? That was more like a vomit than a blog post, but still it stays. I don't feel guilty about leaving it up, you see?
Actually, I wonder about the role of guilt in the life of the Christian sometimes. I knew a guy who said that guilt is a '...wasted emotion..." I think that he was trying to say that it served no purpose - it made you feel bad without changing anything. You might feel guilty for robbing a bank, but your pockets are still jingling with everyone else's loose change so why bother with guilt? Guilt as a "wasted emotion" is at least a fairly honest and reasonable assessment of what guilt actually is - at least it is if you have no intention of acting on it. I suppose that anthropologists might think that guilt is an emotional response to the breaking a social norm or participating in something that's considered taboo. In this case, guilt becomes about conformity rather than truth or falsehood.
So where does this leave the Christian? I currently think that guilt in itself is not an inherently Christian emotion. I would probably agree with the anthropologists in this case. As such, the role of guilt in my life is to force me to a state of theological reflection where I consider why I feel guilty and what the Christian response should be. For example, I feel a little bit guilty about poking fun at my mother above and on reflection I think that I shouldn't have done it - sorry mother (but I'm not going to delete it because it serves to illustrate my point). The Christian response to guilt is always action, even if the action is to dismiss false guilt.
What about when we do something that [u]is[/u] socially acceptable but we still feel bad about it? Well, one of two things is going on there, I reckon. Either it's guilt that finds its source in some other cultural context (e.g. there might be many things that are socially acceptable but your family disapprove of - hence the guilt) or it's the Holy Spirit. However, my experience is that the Holy Spirit doesn't make me feel guilty so much as just really uncomfortable. Is there any difference? Maybe not in practice, but I think that one comes from the breaking of an internal moral code and the other comes from the breaking of a relationship. I think that if I were able to clearly distinguish one from the other I'd be doing pretty well in terms of my relationship with the Father.
Where did all that come from? That was more like a vomit than a blog post, but still it stays. I don't feel guilty about leaving it up, you see?
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Update
This is just a quick update to let you know that Ruth and I recently acquired New South Wales driving licenses. We can no longer hide behind our UK licenses when it comes to traffic crimes.
It's been a very hectic past few weeks here, but the students have gone on holidays and a mission trip for a couple of weeks so I'm hoping to catch up on lesson preparation and marking. Maybe I'll get a chance to write a decent update for this blog as well.
It's been a very hectic past few weeks here, but the students have gone on holidays and a mission trip for a couple of weeks so I'm hoping to catch up on lesson preparation and marking. Maybe I'll get a chance to write a decent update for this blog as well.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Resident Good
Just a little update to let you know that we have been granted a Permanent Residence visa from the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship. We may now stay in the country for as long as we want - or rather, as long as God wants.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Something to Think About
Continuing my current blog theme of random musings, I was reminded this morning of something that I read about in The Shaping of Things To Come that sparked my interest.
Having experienced the highs and lows of leadership in both a church and the monastic/mission order hybrid that is Cornerstone, I have formulated a few opinions on the structures of authority that we Christians tend to regard as normative. It goes without saying, of course, that my opinions have been shaped by my experiences as much as my theological reflection. In fact, my theological reflection will no doubt have been a response to my experiences. Anyway...
In The Shaping of Things to Come you'll come across a chapter entitled "The Genius of APEPT". In this chapter, a leadership structure is suggested that builds on the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher gifts that Paul refers to in Ephesians 4. The suggestion is, putting it simply, that a church be led by a team consisting of individuals who are each gifted in one of these areas. In other words, a leadership team consists of one Apostle, one Prophet, one Evangelist, one Pastor and one Teacher.
There are various other things to consider, such as where does the buck really stop (every team needs a leader within it); what about individuals who are gifted in more than one area; what about churches where an individual with one of the giftings seems to be lacking; what is an Apostle anyway and so on. These are details that would need to be worked out, but as a principle I think it is sound - even more so if we understand the giftings (as Paul surely does in Ephesians 4) to be about equipping and enabling the congregation in these areas as well as 'doing' them. I think that a church or Christian group that had a leadership structure like this would be in a healthy place.
Many evangelical churches tend towards a structure that has one (or two or three) 'full-time elders' with a supporting cast of 'tent-maker elders'. It would be a rare church that could afford to support five 'full-time elders', each with one of the APEPT giftings. Of course, this presumes that church leadership should be done as a full-time profession. This need not be the case. at least not as we understand full-time ministry. I would not be surprised, for example, if an individual with the gifting of Evangelist or Pastor actually wanted to support themselves in the workplace as an expression of and opportunity for the outworking of their giftings.
In essence, all the APEPT method is is a recognition of the superiority of team-based leadership when each part of the team brings a different ability to the table. In reality, what makes this interesting is the use of Ephesians 4 to define what aspects a healthy leadership structure should contain.
Having experienced the highs and lows of leadership in both a church and the monastic/mission order hybrid that is Cornerstone, I have formulated a few opinions on the structures of authority that we Christians tend to regard as normative. It goes without saying, of course, that my opinions have been shaped by my experiences as much as my theological reflection. In fact, my theological reflection will no doubt have been a response to my experiences. Anyway...
In The Shaping of Things to Come you'll come across a chapter entitled "The Genius of APEPT". In this chapter, a leadership structure is suggested that builds on the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher gifts that Paul refers to in Ephesians 4. The suggestion is, putting it simply, that a church be led by a team consisting of individuals who are each gifted in one of these areas. In other words, a leadership team consists of one Apostle, one Prophet, one Evangelist, one Pastor and one Teacher.
There are various other things to consider, such as where does the buck really stop (every team needs a leader within it); what about individuals who are gifted in more than one area; what about churches where an individual with one of the giftings seems to be lacking; what is an Apostle anyway and so on. These are details that would need to be worked out, but as a principle I think it is sound - even more so if we understand the giftings (as Paul surely does in Ephesians 4) to be about equipping and enabling the congregation in these areas as well as 'doing' them. I think that a church or Christian group that had a leadership structure like this would be in a healthy place.
Many evangelical churches tend towards a structure that has one (or two or three) 'full-time elders' with a supporting cast of 'tent-maker elders'. It would be a rare church that could afford to support five 'full-time elders', each with one of the APEPT giftings. Of course, this presumes that church leadership should be done as a full-time profession. This need not be the case. at least not as we understand full-time ministry. I would not be surprised, for example, if an individual with the gifting of Evangelist or Pastor actually wanted to support themselves in the workplace as an expression of and opportunity for the outworking of their giftings.
In essence, all the APEPT method is is a recognition of the superiority of team-based leadership when each part of the team brings a different ability to the table. In reality, what makes this interesting is the use of Ephesians 4 to define what aspects a healthy leadership structure should contain.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
More Thoughts...
At the moment I'm thinking a lot about listening to God. I'm of the opinion that a key part of walking in the Spirit, and therefore living the Christian adventure as God wants, is about being able to recognise the voice of God in the day-to-day moments of life. This also ties in with my thoughts about mission below. Getting a sense of what God is doing in someone else's life revolves around being able to hear God when He's at work.
I've been reading Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, which is helping me to think through the value of meditation in terms of shaping a Christ-like character and learning to hear God. I've taken to spending some time in silence every day to just give God the opportunity to speak to me, with the grand aim of becoming better at hearing the still, small voice amongst the trash and white noise of my life. I didn't realise until I started doing this how hard it is to really stop and be still. Maybe it's just me, but my mind is extremely active and jumps around like a gibbon on an electrified floor. I don't think that I can tame it by sheer force of will at this stage, so I'm just concentrating on being with God. I think that's enough for the moment, as I certainly come away from those times with a greater sense of peace than I entered with. I think that maybe by being silent and waiting on God I am simply allowing the Holy Spirit to attune Himself to my spirit and as a consequence I have more faith in my faith as the day goes on.
The grand goal is, of course, to become more confident in recognising what God is saying to me (and to others through me) both in the mundane and in those krisis moments in life. I am convinced that, for me, this will be crucial in helping me to grow in both discipling and mission. Maybe it will also give me that otherworldly aura and glowing halo that I've been after.
I've been reading Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, which is helping me to think through the value of meditation in terms of shaping a Christ-like character and learning to hear God. I've taken to spending some time in silence every day to just give God the opportunity to speak to me, with the grand aim of becoming better at hearing the still, small voice amongst the trash and white noise of my life. I didn't realise until I started doing this how hard it is to really stop and be still. Maybe it's just me, but my mind is extremely active and jumps around like a gibbon on an electrified floor. I don't think that I can tame it by sheer force of will at this stage, so I'm just concentrating on being with God. I think that's enough for the moment, as I certainly come away from those times with a greater sense of peace than I entered with. I think that maybe by being silent and waiting on God I am simply allowing the Holy Spirit to attune Himself to my spirit and as a consequence I have more faith in my faith as the day goes on.
The grand goal is, of course, to become more confident in recognising what God is saying to me (and to others through me) both in the mundane and in those krisis moments in life. I am convinced that, for me, this will be crucial in helping me to grow in both discipling and mission. Maybe it will also give me that otherworldly aura and glowing halo that I've been after.
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