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?
Friday, October 2, 2009
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.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Post-Holiday Update
Hello one and all, just a quick stop-by to let you know that we're all still well here in Webbtopia.
We've been in Dubbo for the past week, and I didn't have internet access so have been out of touch with the rest of the world. I felt like I'd lost a limb. It's funny how dependent you become on technology.
Anyway, here are a few photos for you to look at.
and that's it for now. Put it down to "Getting Back From Holiday" syndrome.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Some Thoughts on Personal Mission
In the past six months or so, I've been challenged to grow in sharing something of Jesus with the people that I meet and speak with. I mean, of course, sharing using my words. Sharing with my actions isn't really the point - it's been the silence that accompanied them that I'm not happy with. In the past I've justified my lack of willingness in this area with the phrase "evangelism isn't my gifting" but I've come to see that this isn't the issue. For me it's simply about the fact that I am really, really good at hiding the most important thing in my life. I was first challenged just by watching Laurie. Laurie is not someone who would describe himself as a natural evangelist. As a side note here, I don't think that the gifting of 'evangelist' as Paul describes it refers to an ability to share the gospel so much as an ability to equip others to share the gospel - so maybe Laurie is an evangelist in that regard. For ease of communication, I'm using the term 'evangelist' in its more commonly used and understood context.
Anyway, as I was saying. Laurie isn't an evangelist. He's just really passionate about Jesus and good at moving the conversation beyond sport and weather in a very natural way. I wanted to be like that. It wasn't about gifting. It was about my willingness to take a risk and overcome fear. It wasn't that I was looking to become a street evangelist (though at least you can tell that - to those guys - Jesus really matters) but rather that when I kept silent I wanted it to be because it was the right thing to do in that situation rather than because I was afraid. I was suffering from 'Spectatorism'. I was willing to sit back and criticise those who did it badly, but at least they were playing the game. I wasn't even on the field.
So this is something I've been thinking about and praying about recently. Something I've been trying to develop in myself. It's strange. This year marks the "I've officially been a Christian for half my life" stage, and God has done some amazing things over the years. I've grown in so many areas, but in the realm of sharing my faith I feel like I'm still very new to it. Sometime I wonder if I've actually gone backwards. As a new Christian I was full of zeal and willing to share things with my friends and teachers. I cringe a bit now at some of the things I used to say and do, but at least I was having a go. Nowadays I don't even try.
One of the things that I've thought about it is why I find it so hard; so frightening to share something that's so important to me and of significance to everyone who's ever lived. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I've come to realise that one of them is because I'm not sure that I really believed I had something worth sharing. I felt a bit like a traveling salesman who didn't really believe in his product.
One of the reasons for this is because, as a good Evangelical, although I called the gospel 'Good News', I didn't really feel like it was good news. Like a doctor who has to break the bad news before he can begin discussing treatments, I felt like genuinely sharing my faith couldn't really go in any direction other than convincing the recipient of my verbage that they were Sinners in need of a Saviour. Until we got to that point, there was nothing that could be done. That's even before we got on to the ramifications of seriously acknowledging Jesus as Lord (though that's the bit I could get excited about). However, my time in Cornerstone has introduced me to a different way of thinking about this.
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And from then on no-one dared ask him any more questions.
Mark 12:34
Peter and Paul, in Acts, take an interesting approach to sharing the gospel. They simply tell the history of the people that they're talking to, and show them where Jesus fits into their story. To the Jews, Jesus is the promised Messiah. To the Greeks, Jesus makes known what their own stories hint at. It's not a tall order to then have this approach with the people that we meet in our lives. Listen to and learn their personal stories and then show them where Jesus is at work in their lives. It's not easy. It requires real discernment and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, but if you can do it then mission simply becomes a case of making clear what God is already saying to someone.
So far, so good. But how can we do this? Well, that's why we need to listen to the Spirit. However, what it does mean is that sometimes "all our righteousness is like filthy rags" is not the right place to start. Maybe that's not what God is saying to that individual or group of individuals. Maybe, sometimes, you get to share some real, bona-fide good news. Rather than "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," you get to say "Well done. You're not far from the Kingdom of God".
In other words, sometimes the right thing to do is to encourage or congratulate someone on the good things that are happening in their life. But I'm not just talking about "Hey, that sounds good." or "Well done." I'm talking about "You're not far from the Kingdom of God." I'm talking about listening hard to the Spirit, and then sticking your neck out and not just offering your opinion on a situation, but God's. I'm talking about phrases like "I think that God would be really pleased with what you're doing." Neither Peter nor Paul seemed to embarrassed to interpret the stories of others in the context of Jesus, so why should I be? I had paid lip service to the notion that God was at work in the lives of myself and others, but I didn't believe it enough to attempt to try and voice that belief in my dealings with people. Whatever would people think of me if it became apparent that Christ was the focal point for all of my dealings with the world? Oh, the horror!
Sarcasm aside, I've tried this 'positive evangelism' a few times. I've suggested to non-Christians that God might respond positively to an action or a career choice. I've offered to pray there and then when something bad has been shared. It's not been easy, but it's been worthwhile. Not every response has been encouraging, but it's been real. Sometimes I wonder if I could have done it differently, but I've never regretted doing it.I know that I've missed opportunities to do this because I've been afraid at the moment of crisis, but I also know that when I've done it I've felt like I was living adventurously, as God intended me to live. In other words, I don't regret taking those risks and I don't believe that God would hold those stumbling errors against me. I'm absolutely convinced that He prefers people to have a go rather than keep quiet for fear of getting it wrong. After all, in the Parable of the Talents the guy who does nothing for fear of getting it wrong is given short shrift.
So those are my thoughts. I've still got a long way to go before I think that I'm competent or even obedient in this area, but I'm also excited about where I could end up. For me, it's a way of letting God know that I'm expecting Him to work. A kind of "OK God, if You claim to be at work in the hearts of men, then I'm going to hold you to that..." challenge. It's also a way of making my faith an adventure to be lived rather than an opinion to be protected. As I said, I'm still an infant in this field but everyone's got to start somewhere.
Maybe I'll share some more thoughts on this later in the year, but for now I'd be interested in any feedback. It'll help me in my reflections on how to improve in this area.
Anyway, as I was saying. Laurie isn't an evangelist. He's just really passionate about Jesus and good at moving the conversation beyond sport and weather in a very natural way. I wanted to be like that. It wasn't about gifting. It was about my willingness to take a risk and overcome fear. It wasn't that I was looking to become a street evangelist (though at least you can tell that - to those guys - Jesus really matters) but rather that when I kept silent I wanted it to be because it was the right thing to do in that situation rather than because I was afraid. I was suffering from 'Spectatorism'. I was willing to sit back and criticise those who did it badly, but at least they were playing the game. I wasn't even on the field.
So this is something I've been thinking about and praying about recently. Something I've been trying to develop in myself. It's strange. This year marks the "I've officially been a Christian for half my life" stage, and God has done some amazing things over the years. I've grown in so many areas, but in the realm of sharing my faith I feel like I'm still very new to it. Sometime I wonder if I've actually gone backwards. As a new Christian I was full of zeal and willing to share things with my friends and teachers. I cringe a bit now at some of the things I used to say and do, but at least I was having a go. Nowadays I don't even try.
One of the things that I've thought about it is why I find it so hard; so frightening to share something that's so important to me and of significance to everyone who's ever lived. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I've come to realise that one of them is because I'm not sure that I really believed I had something worth sharing. I felt a bit like a traveling salesman who didn't really believe in his product.
One of the reasons for this is because, as a good Evangelical, although I called the gospel 'Good News', I didn't really feel like it was good news. Like a doctor who has to break the bad news before he can begin discussing treatments, I felt like genuinely sharing my faith couldn't really go in any direction other than convincing the recipient of my verbage that they were Sinners in need of a Saviour. Until we got to that point, there was nothing that could be done. That's even before we got on to the ramifications of seriously acknowledging Jesus as Lord (though that's the bit I could get excited about). However, my time in Cornerstone has introduced me to a different way of thinking about this.
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And from then on no-one dared ask him any more questions.
Mark 12:34
Peter and Paul, in Acts, take an interesting approach to sharing the gospel. They simply tell the history of the people that they're talking to, and show them where Jesus fits into their story. To the Jews, Jesus is the promised Messiah. To the Greeks, Jesus makes known what their own stories hint at. It's not a tall order to then have this approach with the people that we meet in our lives. Listen to and learn their personal stories and then show them where Jesus is at work in their lives. It's not easy. It requires real discernment and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, but if you can do it then mission simply becomes a case of making clear what God is already saying to someone.
So far, so good. But how can we do this? Well, that's why we need to listen to the Spirit. However, what it does mean is that sometimes "all our righteousness is like filthy rags" is not the right place to start. Maybe that's not what God is saying to that individual or group of individuals. Maybe, sometimes, you get to share some real, bona-fide good news. Rather than "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," you get to say "Well done. You're not far from the Kingdom of God".
In other words, sometimes the right thing to do is to encourage or congratulate someone on the good things that are happening in their life. But I'm not just talking about "Hey, that sounds good." or "Well done." I'm talking about "You're not far from the Kingdom of God." I'm talking about listening hard to the Spirit, and then sticking your neck out and not just offering your opinion on a situation, but God's. I'm talking about phrases like "I think that God would be really pleased with what you're doing." Neither Peter nor Paul seemed to embarrassed to interpret the stories of others in the context of Jesus, so why should I be? I had paid lip service to the notion that God was at work in the lives of myself and others, but I didn't believe it enough to attempt to try and voice that belief in my dealings with people. Whatever would people think of me if it became apparent that Christ was the focal point for all of my dealings with the world? Oh, the horror!
Sarcasm aside, I've tried this 'positive evangelism' a few times. I've suggested to non-Christians that God might respond positively to an action or a career choice. I've offered to pray there and then when something bad has been shared. It's not been easy, but it's been worthwhile. Not every response has been encouraging, but it's been real. Sometimes I wonder if I could have done it differently, but I've never regretted doing it.I know that I've missed opportunities to do this because I've been afraid at the moment of crisis, but I also know that when I've done it I've felt like I was living adventurously, as God intended me to live. In other words, I don't regret taking those risks and I don't believe that God would hold those stumbling errors against me. I'm absolutely convinced that He prefers people to have a go rather than keep quiet for fear of getting it wrong. After all, in the Parable of the Talents the guy who does nothing for fear of getting it wrong is given short shrift.
So those are my thoughts. I've still got a long way to go before I think that I'm competent or even obedient in this area, but I'm also excited about where I could end up. For me, it's a way of letting God know that I'm expecting Him to work. A kind of "OK God, if You claim to be at work in the hearts of men, then I'm going to hold you to that..." challenge. It's also a way of making my faith an adventure to be lived rather than an opinion to be protected. As I said, I'm still an infant in this field but everyone's got to start somewhere.
Maybe I'll share some more thoughts on this later in the year, but for now I'd be interested in any feedback. It'll help me in my reflections on how to improve in this area.
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