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We are a small house-based community (not house "bound" but we meet in a home) and as I've mentioned before here, a part of our holisitc vision for building this thing is the inclusion of children. They have been pushed aside by the church for far too long and it's time to break down those walls no matter how uncomfortable it is for us "grown ups." Apparently, and not surprisingly, we're not the only ones with this concern. Just yesterday, a new blog was created as a public discussion of this matter. It's called What Do We Do With The Kids!?. Please check it out. right now in participation on the new blog are people who are doing church in a new way from California, Kentucky, Florida, Missouri, and New Zealand - more to be added soon. This is a very important part of this revolution we're all going through and worth spending some time on.
| posted by + Alan | 9:07 AM | |
Thursday, May 30, 2002
Yeeeaaaahhh Molly!!! You went and done it! Cool! I think you are right in your thinking about "doing what we can do now." I think we focus far too much on some "great" thing we think God wants to do through us. He is constantly doing one huge great thing through all of us and what we mostly need to be doing is just participating in that. As members of His Kingdom, everything we do communicates that to people - bad or good. Anyway, there's a balance of simply "being" and being intentional about expanding the Kingdom.
| posted by + Alan | 4:05 PM | |
Wha'd I tell ya? Yes, I figured out the trick. I was missing one step. Anyway, I will try to recreate what I did yesterday. Let me see if I can do a paragraph or if that is pushing my luck.
This is suppose to be a new paragraph. Right on to what Alan was saying about not just "being". Robert and I were talking about something similar about a week ago, how strange. We were asking ourselves what we were "doing" for God, other than preparing ourselves acedemically for the future as God has called us to do and "hanging out". I think we (Robert and I) spend way too much time thinking of what grand ordeal God wants us to do instead of spending that time doing little things that make a big difference. Something as simple as taking our adorable little dog to a children's hospital or a nursing home and visiting with people, God's children, our brothers and sisters in Christ. What would that take? Maybe two phone calls and an hour or two of time? Nothing compared to the joy that would come from it, not only for the visitees (is that a word?) but also for Robert and me (and our dog!). I have found that when you do something for the glory of God, no matter how reluctant you are, you are always blessed by it in some unexpected way. Not that anyone doesn't want to do these things but, you know, there is always something else that needs to be done. Somthing that has already waited a week or two and could wait another day, like organizing my closet or wiping out my cupboards. No, I don't do these things, they are just examples! Anyway, my point is that we can do little things all the time instead of waiting for a big sign from God to carry out some huge plan. Not that the big things aren't good but I think that God wants us to do what we can "right now" as well. Many of us are doing small things daily that we may be unaware of, smiling every morning at my neighbor watering her flowers as I go out the door to work, letting the person with two items in his hand in front of me and my cart of gorceries in the checkout line at the grocery store, these may seem meaningless, but people do notice and are touched by these small acts. We can almost always be doing more though. The small daily acts are just a start to other acts of kindness. I think that Robert and I should set a goal of how often we are going to do something (like take our dog to visit) on top of the daily acts that come almost naturally.
Well, there it is. Hopefully it was not a waste of your time to read. Later.
| posted by Molly | 11:26 AM | |
Hi, I am trying for the third time to post a blog. I am feeling very incompetent. Of course, this will end up being the one to post because it sounds ridiculous.
| posted by Molly | 10:58 AM | |
Wednesday, May 29, 2002
I've been thinking lately about our mission. What is it? Are we here to just be here and hang out with each other or are we supposed to be doing something else? Well, I think we're supposed to be doing something. Jesus did something. The apostles did something. People aren't called to start communities of faith or "churches" simply to "be there." I don't think they are anyway. What is Christianity about? OK, sort of a long answer... here's part of it - maybe the core: it's about God loving the people that He created, seeing that they had become something far from His original intention (which is not good, not healthy, harmful, etc.), and His doing what it took to bring us back to where we are supposed to be - that we, through what Jesus did, can be fully transformed into the kind of people God created us to be. That's basically what it's about.
Now, does God want that for some people and not for others? Big theological question. What do you think would make sense of a loving God? ... Yip, I thought so - that's what I think too - of course not! He wants us all to be what we're supposed to be. So, here's where the earlier question comes in. "What is our mission as a community?" I think, simply, it is this: to continually be and do what belongs to being a part of that transformational process - of being recreated in the image of God - AND to "invite" other people to walk this same journey of transformation with us.
Being and inviting others to be as well. Inviting more by example, by living naturally our transformed lives around others, by loving as God loves, and yes, by talking about this new life that we have. I hope someone who is not a "Christian" sees this. I hope you get in touch and tell me why you have read this and what you think about it (positive or negative). That's it for now.
| posted by + Alan | 10:10 AM | |
Thursday, May 23, 2002
Last night's gathering was a good thing. Meaghan (she's an 11 year old member of our community - who happens to be my daughter) was our facilitator. She came up with the discussion and lead us through the questions. We had a great discussion time. I think we learned some helpful things about ourselves. I told you she wanted to do this - and she did. I look forward to telling more children of the kingdom exploits from vbcc.
Robert graduates from Seminary on Sunday! Woo hoo! Congratulations Robert. Congratulations to his wife Molly too here out in the open, for graduating with her Masters from UK (that's not England, it's the University of Kentucky) in Social Work. We're so glad they are a part of our community and do not look forward to their leaving.
| posted by + Alan | 9:25 AM | |
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
We're doing a blog lesson after our community meeting tonight. If you want to make a new paragraph, you must actually use html tags to tell it where that is supposed to happen. Like this...
This is the new paragraph. OK, now if you want to put a link in the middle - you'd do this - go look at this cool site I found today.
| posted by + Alan | 9:06 PM | |
Tuesday, May 21, 2002
Hi, everybody! It's been forever, it seems, since I've made any contributions in here, but I've had some ESO problems with my computer (ESO=Equipment Superior to Operator). I see now why Robert called it Netscrape--I thought that was just a typo. But now I'm on Explorer, and that should be much better. Large print for us mature types, too!
I tried the other night to share some insights that I had gotten while reviewing some teachings I did @ VBCC, but.....(refer to above). So, I'll try again. It may not be as good as the first time around, but we'll see.
I was going through my notes on a teaching I did about a month ago called "Worship Heals". I actually got a lot out of it, through the insights of the others participating in the discussion. Robert had made a comment that really stuck in my brain, which I'll share with you. We were talking about 1 Samuel 16:23, where David plays his harp to calm down Saul when the evil spirit came upon him, and the relationship between that verse and the part musical worship plays in the Christian's life, when Robert made the comment that Saul was like an immature Christian, who uses worship music as a sort of crutch, being either unable or unwilling to spend the time to commune with God on his own to upkeep his relationship with God. He relies more on the worship leader or team to get him "into the throne room". David, however, is like a more mature Christian, who spends lots of time alone with God, producing his own "worshp experience". This goes beyond whether a person is mucisally talented or not; it's an attitude thing. David took responisibility for his relationship with God and initiated contact, whereas Saul rode on the coattails of others. Anyway, I don't think Robert actually verbalized all that, but that's what God ministered to me through what he said. Good stuff, I think!
I have a prayer request for anyone out there reading this who believes that God is our healer, etc. I just found out that an uncle of mine has cancer and has been hiding it from the rest of the family for about 6 months. Please pray for him, his kids, his siblings; for healing, for comfort, for understanding, for faith (I'm not sure how dedicated a Christian he and his family are). I'll keep you all updated as I get more info and I know we'll be hearing good things soon! I've been praying a long time for salvations to come to that branch of the tree, as well, so the harvest is ripe!
| posted by #Debi | 8:10 PM | |
Back home from Search Party - glad to be back. It was a great time but I always miss my family when I'm gone somewhere like that. Looking forward to this week in our meeting time. My daughter Meaghan will be facilitating the meeting this Wednesday. She has it figured out what she wants us to talk about and everything - cool! That's all for now I guess.
| posted by + Alan | 1:37 PM | |
Saturday, May 18, 2002
Here I am again. Another full day at Search Party - Len Sweet, Andrew Jones, wTodd Hunter, Doug Paggit, more good music and conversations. I'll try to boil it down a little - Len Sweet and Andrew Jones started off with a discussion on glolocalization - things getting smaller because of the internet - talked about what "the church" is, etc. Here are some of the thoughts that I jotted down as I was listening:
If we are going to redefine what we call "church" then we need to redefine how we talk about church. So, in the accurate definition of church, is it still not a good thing? It seems to me, in this accurate view, that WE are the church - that we who are "in Him" are that new entity. And this, to me, is where I see that that term "the kingdom" and that term "the church" become synonomous. If we are "alive in the kingdom" then we are a "part of the church" and so in order to enter the life of God's kingdom, one must enter the church, and as we simply are the church where we are, we infect the cultures in which we live with the living kingdom of God."
There was a panel on "e-tools" - using the internet as the church. Interesting. Can we have "church" on the internet, in chat rooms, message boards, and on blogs? Good question. Can there be any real community built in these ways or is it merely a way to hide from real community? I think we put too much weight on "the internet" or "the tv" or some other thing. These things are not the problem. They just are what they are. The problems are in us. If we are trying to hide then that is our problem anywhere and it needs to be transformed out of us. blahhhhhh....
Todd Hunter on creating missional communities instead of "churches" that people "join." Good stuff. Rethinking what it means to be a pastor - back to ancient model of spiritual director - helping people toward transformation. He also encouraged us to not quench the work of the Holy Spirit. Yes, there are excesses and stupid things but we cannot live and do effectively in the kingdom what we need to do without Him. Here's the quote" You cannot do what you need to do while being suspicious of the Holy Spirit. Don't use the excesses of others as an excuse.
Doug Paggit's workshop on new ways to view leadership in the church was great. 6 metaphors on leadership: shepherd, military, chaplain, coach, ceo, entertainer. The new way: organic gardener - gooood stuuuff! This gardener thinks about all the things that naturally produces a good garden. They facilitate what causes good growth in the garden - soil, weather, time of year, what to pull out and what to add (natural). It's a balance between "letting" and intentionality. Very encouraging - very God I think.
Now we're here about to go to bed. It ends tomorrow - there is a party in a park with several things going on. Then we go home on Sunday. That's all for tonight.
| posted by + Alan | 2:15 AM | |
Friday, May 17, 2002
One mo time. I'm very tired so I probably won't write much. Today was a pretty good day. Chuck Smith Jr., Todd Hunter, Roundtable discussions, workshops, more very cool music from this group Madison Green - good stuff. I'm bringing a CD home - agressive acoustic afro celtic - sharp. Also was in a workshop with and met Andrew Jones today - that was pretty cool. We had e-mailed and blogged back and forth but only "met" today. More talk on this "apprenticeship to Jesus" kind of being a Chrisitan - seems to be the underlying theology going on. It's good but I still (and I mentioned this today) want to bring the mystical union thing back into the equation. I think we don't want to lose that - that, to me, is what it is. All flows from that - and yes, it's about full and holistic transformation of the person.
After the thing closed down a good bunch of us went out for a "beer night out." Yes, that's right folks - mature Christian leaders out drinking beer - wow - is that really still an issue? Let's get past that please. Had a good time of connection with Jason Evans of Matthew's House in San Diego. We had a good talk. I'm glad we met like this. Mark, Aaron, Sef and I ate lunch with Andrew Careaga - that was a good time. He's doing some workshop tomorrow on something - good guy. More tomorrow perhaps - night night for now.
| posted by + Alan | 2:13 AM | |
Thursday, May 16, 2002
OK, I'm here in St. Louis. We've been here all day. The conference started at 7pm tonight. We got there a little late without having a chance to eat before so we were all starving. We walked into a high liturgical mass type setting - celebrants wearing robes, incense, candles, eucharist. It was pretty good. I little weird. I had the distinct vibe that this was the liturgy of the host church (united church of Christ) "trying to play Catholic" - just saying that's how I felt. Anyway, it was OK. Brian McLaren spoke on changing how we view what a Christian is - we should, he says, rather become apprentices of Jesus - be on a journey - learn how by following the example of the Master. I think this is fine - IF we dont' loose the real notion (reality) of mystical union - of inner oneness with God by the Holy Spirit. I think we can't follow crap if we don't have that connection first. I won't get into all that right now, but I may later.
Met a couple of people face to face that I have known via e-mail - Karen Ward quickly, and Jason Evens from California. That was cool. We went out to eat at Applebees and are now back in our room. Thank God for a laptop and internet connection. I'm going to join my comrades in the hot tub now and talk a little treason - have a good night.
| posted by + Alan | 1:31 AM | |
Tuesday, May 14, 2002
I'm going to Search Party tomorrow for 4 days of hanging out with a bunch of people who are trying to figure out how to do something similar to what we're doing here. Speakers, roundtable conversations, workshops, worship, serious networking with all kinds of cool people - and a big ole beer party - Guinness - good for your health!
I've already e-met a bunch of people who will be there and will have the opportunity to actually hang with them face to face. I'm exicited about it. Driving there with two guys from here (one actually from Seatle and one from Lex - new friend Ashley McGlone who is also in the process of starting something radical in this town). My comrades at Vine & Branches will be meeting without me tomorrw night - praying for me. Maybe I'll get to post some comments about the conference while I'm there! If can get online somewhere I will.
| posted by + Alan | 10:51 AM | |
Saturday, May 11, 2002
Alright, so now I'm bloggin'. This will make attempt #2, because NetScrape ate my last blog. Anyway, I suppose I should say something about something, or "weigh in on some important social issues" as the media hype on the logon screen says. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I want to talk about fly fishing. That's right, I said fly fishing.
The general consensus among southern fishermen--the best and most knowledgeable of the entire breed of fishermen in general--is that fly fishing is for yankees and people who don't have lakes in their state and are having to be happy with second best. There have even been numerous speculations among the great southern largemouth fishermen about the relative flexibility of the fly fisherman's wrist, which seems (to me) like something that would help them perform superior casting maneuvers. For some reason, this aforementioned superior wrist-agility seems to have been a humorous thing to regular fishermen. It even seems, I recall, to have been perceived as something derogatory, although I don't know why such a thing should be considered a shortcoming, especially provided that it would help perform fancy casting operations.
Anyway, it seems that perhaps, for once, the southern largemouth fishermen's wisdom may be mistaken. Yes, occasionally the planets align, water spins down the drain backwards, and the regular non-fly fisherman of the south makes a blunder. Alan has opened my eyes. Now I see that fly fishing is a serious sport, requiring hours of preparation, a rather large monetary investment, an impressive amount of equipment, and a graduate degree in entymology (provided one wants to tie realistic flies). Alan's wrist, oddly, doesn't seem abnormally limber, and he's from Kentucky so he's only a "borderline" yankee.
Now you tell me: what red-blooded American male wouldn't want to spend all his free cash on mountains of equipment, learn a skill that will absorb hours of time over the years, and have a perfect excuse to stand in the woods and drink beer? Pretty much every worthwhile hobby available to the American male, of which I am aware, requires those elements: 1. Shiny Equipment, 2. Absorb Time, 3. Stand in Woods, 4. Drink Beer. The more equipment it takes, the better.
Nobody will ever sell me on golf. Golf looks like it would be less fun than pulling out my bridgework by hand and then chewing tacks. It also looks about as interesting as... well, about as interesting as any game involving somebody wearing mismatched clothing and a beanie bludgeoning some tiny little ball around on the lawn until he finally coaxes the stupid thing into a tiny hole at the base of a plastic flag. The scary thing is that this is supposedly the game of choice among America's financial bigshots and the intelligensia. That fact alone tells me that America is in trouble.
When quizzed, golfers tell me they persist in playing their game of choice because it relaxes their mind. That's all very well, but I can relax my mind by smacking myself on the head with a mallot until I black out. What this game needs is some excitement. Lets play it in teams and only use one ball. We'll call it Rugby Golf. Now there's a game! Try to get the little ball into the hole on your side of the fairway while the other team tries to block. Everything's fair, so you get to high-stick and run around. It'd be great, and it would be more entertaining on TV. Watching Chi-Chi Rodriguez beat the ever-living crap out of Tyger Woods with a five iron while Jack Nicholas sinks a birdie on a par five just before catching a putter in the mouth and losing his dentures would be better than watching that hushed, docile little crowd huddled together timidly behind that little rope while some senior citizen calmly taps in a ball any day.
In any case, fly fishing sounds pretty cool. It's gotta be way better than golf no matter what.
End of Blog
| posted by Robert | 9:52 PM | |
Friday, May 10, 2002
Hey, everybody!! I tried this last night and couldn't remember how to get my entry posted, so I lost it. I see my error now, so let's try it again.
I was surfing the net last night (also a new thang for me), and came across a very encouraging site for IFES Ireland, or the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students--Ireland, to go the long way 'round. It apparently is an organization of students ministering to other students in Ireland, which is way cool. I, of course, had to e-mail them and tell them how cool they were, and that I'd be praying for them. I have an idea that God is going to use the Internet to help me get over there and get my vision (OK, God's vision for me) up and running. It's all so exciting! I have the that feeling that there's something way cooler than I ever imagined just around the corner, but also that feeling that I have no idea what in the world it is. For a control freak like myself, that's a very scary feeling, but also surprisingly exhilarating. Pray for me that I recognize the way cool thing when I see it, and that I don't, "Run away!", like ol' Sir Robin of Holy Grail fame.
| posted by #Debi | 7:31 PM | |
Thursday, May 09, 2002
We've been doing this lately - we rotate monthly who in our community facilitates the meetings we have. For a long time as the pastor, I was doing them all - doing way too much, even in this small simple setting. It got to me and I started realizing it was making me not want to do this and it was doing the others no good to not be "trained" by doing. So, we now rotate. It's been a very good experience and I think we are already richer because of it.
Now, in relation to that, yesterday, after I picked her up from the horse barn from her lesson, my daughter Meaghan (11) asked me for the second time, "Daddy, when do I get to do church?" I mean, she was serious, and we talked about it, and she had real ideas about what to talk about and what to sing, etc. I said, yes she could facilitate the meeting. We'll do that soon. Later that night, some of us were talking about the vbcc website - we have people profiles of all of us (or so I thought) - and she asked if I told about her on the site - "I'm a part of the church too you know" she said. Wow! I've been talking a better show than I've been living on this "include the children" business. This week I will be putting photos and bios on the "who" page of our site for all of the children - they are a part of the church too you know!
| posted by + Alan | 11:56 AM | |
Yeeeee Haaaaaw! Debi is among us! Well, she was among us already in the physical world but cyberly speaking (new term?) it's cool that one more community member is able to post to this thing and put out there who we are. We are branches connected to the Vine - one more branch now on "the vine."
As a "church" we consider ourselves an extended "family." And like any family, we have conflict from time to time - i.e., we get on each other's flippin' nerves. That doesn't feel good, but it's normal and we are committed to dealing with it - with one another - and working through it. We open up about vulnerable things and try to keep the air clear. Some of that "air clearing" went on last night, and although it wan't the most comfortable thing, it was a very good thing. I think the Holy Spirit really "inhabits" times when we open ourselves and just lay it out there. God help us to keep being that way! We are one as a body of believers, and God is working in and through all of us toward the transformation of everyone in the community. We can't hide from this process. If we do, we won't get very far down the path.
| posted by + Alan | 10:57 AM | |
Wednesday, May 08, 2002
Hey, everybody!!! As Alan said, I'm connected to "the net" now, so I must, I must, I must POST!!! Just got home from VBCC--a great time as usual. I say that in faith this time...I left early to go hang out with some neat people from Bulgaria who live here in KY now (for 6 months so far). I work with one of them and am really having fun getting to know them better. As anyone who knows me for more than say, five minutes or so can tell you, I love anything that smacks of the "global community" (heavy on community); anything of the outside world at large. It's just so cool to me that a "country girl" who grew up in central and eastern KY gets to end up knowing people from several different continents! I haven't read all of the postings so far (sorry, Alan), so I don't know how much Alan has told you all about all of us. My dream is to travel to Ireland, live there, and work at art, music, and young people (hopefully combining the three). I get frustrated sometimes, thinking I'm spinning my wheels here in Lexington and not doing much about getting over there, but I have to trust God and know that He knows what He's doing, and that He's working on the vision, both for VBCC and for my personal dream. I'll get there in His time. OK, it's late and I don't want to write the whole book in one sitting, so I'll sign off for now.
| posted by #Debi | 11:34 PM | |
Moving right along trying to get everyone on board here and posting to this thing. Debi just got connected to the internet - yeaahh!! Hopefully she'll be joining us here soon. Brian's next - we're still working on him.
| posted by + Alan | 9:21 AM | |
Tuesday, May 07, 2002
Plans are coming together for the booster shot retreat - that's what I'm calling it. Our good friends and siblings from Vineyard Central are coming down to do a retreat for us at the end of this month. I think that's when it will happen. I think this will be a very good thing - a spiritual booster shot - encouragement - confirmation - wisdom. Our whole community (all 6 of us) and 8 of those guys will be together for the better part of 2 days. Eating, worship, prayer, talking, ministry, more food, more of the rest. I'll write about it when it happens.
| posted by + Alan | 9:52 AM | |
Monday, May 06, 2002
We celebrated with Molly and her family last night. She gratuated from U.K. They invited us over for a cookout and the food was great. Alan and I both ate too much. I like hanging out with them. I got to talk to Molly's mom a lot. Too bad they don't live closer. I think her mom and I would get along great and maybe even start a catering business together. We have a lot of the same interests.
| posted by liz | 12:18 PM | |
Saturday, May 04, 2002
OK - it's official now - I can tell. Dave Nixon, abbot of Community House in Cincinnati - Vineyard Central founding pastor, poet, marathon runner, amateur chef, etc. - has agreed to serve on our advisory council. I respect him highly and am greatful that he has agreed to be a part of what we're doing - of what I'm doing - in this way. I look forward to crying and whining to Father Dave on a regular basis - hopefully not too much. Thanks Dave!
Had a good Greenhouse meeting today. We talked a good deal about hospitality - how our culture is not built on this principle and in fact helps us not be that way. We have to, as ambassadors of the King, go counter in this - to open our homes, open our lives to people. I'm challenged to do this more than I do - to make time to be hospitable.
| posted by + Alan | 7:22 PM | |
Friday, May 03, 2002
I've aked my friend Kevin Rains and one other (whom I will say later when and if he accepts) to serve on the vbcc advisory council (board). He has graciously agreed. I'm very glad of that. I think he will be a great addition to that group to whom I make myself accountable in this church plant. Thanks Kevin! Thanks too, to the guys who have been serving in that role for the past two years - thanks for your prayer and advice and support.
I feel like this is the cusp of a "next step" for us as a community. I'm not totally sure what's in the next step. I think I sense some of it, but God knows and the Holy Spirit will lead us there if we open ourselves to be lead. I do - I open myself as the leader of this bunch - lead us Holy Spirit, into Your will for us.
| posted by + Alan | 12:01 PM | |
Wednesday, May 01, 2002
We had a great meeting tonight. It is Brian's turn to facilitate for the month of May - good job tonight. We talked about having trouble in life - that it WILL happen, and that we can have hope through it because HE has overcome the world. We talked about the responses and choices we make in the midst of trouble or trial. It was a good talk - many life experiences shared - very practical. We also had fun. Molly's family was in and her mother and brother and nephew came - good to have them. I think they had a good time - probably a different experience for them, meeting in a house, but they seemed to have had a good experience.
I go to the Greenhouse gathering on Saturday. Brian may go with me. It will be good for more of us to be there. It's a good thing to be connected with this network of planters.
| posted by + Alan | 10:42 PM | |
I have to tell you God is glorious. I especially think that when I see how beautiful nature is.
Some times I just take God and Him being in my life for granted. I don't think to think about it. Maybe doing this will help me to focus more on Him. I had entered some thoughts in my own blog and I was thinking how I didn't mention God much or even at all and I was kind of feeling guilty. So I figured that I would at least try to be more concious of that. Have I totally confused you? I have confused myself. I am awful at putting into words what I feel.
It is a glorious morning and I have a lot to do today. The house is a mess and there are errands to run and we have our Community meeting tonight. I always love having people over. I feel God has blessed me with the gift of hospitality. I just wish I could get the mess under control so that when an opportunity arrives I don't have to freek out and work for days to get an area ready. I truly envy those people who have 6 kids, a perfectly neat house, work a little outside the home and make lots of money for what they do, homeschool and still have time and energy to have intimate times with their spouse. And belive me I know they are out there. Shame on me! Shame on me! I should be happy and grateful for what I have and I have A LOT! Great children and a wonderful husband, a nice house and food to eat, and clothes on my back. Shame on me!
I pray that God bless you all and the you to realize that you are.
| posted by liz | 8:54 AM | |