Check out this article that was written from a sermon that John Piper gave at Passion '07 - it used to be titled, "Missions and Masturbation".
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/october/38.72.html
It's premise is that in the sex saturated culture that we live in, so many would-be missionaries are unwilling to engage mission because of past failures with sexual issues. As a growing problem, is there a need to continue the battle and still give yourselves to the dreams that God has put into your heart. I think so...so read on and see what Dr. John has to say.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
A Word from Phyllis
The Future of the Emerging Church
Are we experiencing the next Reformation of Christianity?
Conversations about the future of the emerging church can be overheard at conferences, seminaries, chat rooms, or anywhere church leaders congregate. Does the movement have legs? Does it represent a passing trend or a new Reformation? Not long ago we sat down with author/scholar/editor Phyllis Tickle to discuss the subject. Tickle, a feisty Episcopalian from Tennessee with an intellect matched only by her sense of humor, has served as a religion editor for Publishers Weekly and has written over two dozen books. Her three-volume prayer manual, The Divine Hours, has renewed the discipline of fixed-hour prayer for Christians in many traditions.
What do you see happening to Christianity in the twenty-first century?
Many people have observed a five hundred year cycle in western history—a period of upheaval followed by a period of settling down, then codification, and then upheaval again because we do not like to be codified. So, about every five hundred years the church feels compelled to have a giant rummage sale, and we’re in one of those periods now.
The Reformation was about five hundred years ago. Five hundred before that you hit the Great Schism. Five hundred more was the fall of Rome and the beginning of monasticism. Five hundred before that you hit the Babylonian captivity of the Jews, and five hundred before that was the end of the age of judges and the beginning of the dynasty.
So, how is the current upheaval different from what the church has experienced before?
For the first time we’ve done it in an age of media where we are historically informed and we can perceive the pattern, and for the first time we’ve had the ability to talk to each other, to be self-conscious about what is happening, and be somewhat intentional. This is very exhilarating.
We have a huge responsibility because of what we know. We are seeing the start of a post-Protestant and post-denominational era. Just as Protestantism took the hegemony from Roman Catholicism and Roman Catholicism from the East at the Great Schism, so the emerging church is now taking hegemony from Protestantism.
But would you place the emerging church with Evangelicalism, or it is something else?
No, it’s not evangelicalism. American religion has four, pretty much equally divided, quadrants. Evangelicalism is one of them, charismatic Pentecostalism is another, the old mainline or social just Christians is a third quadrant, and then the liturgicals. And where the quadrants meet in the center there’s a vortex like a whirlpool and they are blending.
So, much of the political energy is evangelical. There’s no question about that. Much of the religious energy is Pentecostal, but that’s combined with the strong ballast of social consciousness and of applied gospel that comes out of the mainline. And into the mix comes the liturgical traditions with the great gifts of the heritage of the church.
And the emerging church is bringing these different elements of the church back together.
The problem has been that since the Reformation belief for most of the people has gone north to the head. The emergents, supposedly, are saying it needs to go south to the heart. I don’t think it needs to go south at all. I think it needs to meet somewhere in the strength of the life—mind, heart, spirit and strength. Belief needs to be incarnated.
The response for the emergents has been to incarnate their beliefs right in their own neighborhoods—and that’s wonderful. They want to live where they worship, that’s great. The problem is that the emerging church does not have enough organization within itself to get beyond the sound of its own voice. Each little cohort is very limited in its impact.
So, how can the emerging church expand its impact?
Right now we’re beginning to see it organizing. It is institutionalizing. We’re building the next model which in five hundred years will be thrown away. But nonetheless, the emerging church has got to find some way to reach out in a coherent and effective way beyond itself.
Starfish vs. the Spider
I just read this on a blog that I'm reading - very intruiging and some stuff that I've thought about more than once. Decentralized movements... OM was definitely one, let me know what you think. Here's the link to the book on Amazon,
http://www.amazon.com/Starfish-Spider-Unstoppable-Leaderless-Organizations/dp/1591841437/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195674364&sr=1-1
I'm reading a fascinating book that someone recently recommended to me. It is NOT a Christian book. It's a book about an emerging business model written by a couple of Stanford grads, which makes it all the more frustrating. Why is it that the world sometimes recognizes what God is up to far sooner than most believers do? Our religious institution were consistently on the wrong side of creation of democracy, the fight to abolish slavery, the struggle for civil rights and respecting the rights of women, and here's just another example of how they are caught in older forms the world is even reconsidering.
The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations describes almost exactly (with one major flaw to be discussed later) how I understand the nature of the early church and what I see to be true in the body of Christ as it functions today in the world. Now, I'm not talking about organized religion here, but people who really have a heart for God and his work in the world.
The spider represents traditional organizations with CEOs, hierarchical structures and heavy top-down management. If you cut off the head of a spider it dies. The starfish, however, represents decentralized communities that are far more effective and resilient. If you cut off the leg of a starfish, it will just grow a new one, and the leg itself will grow into another starfish. The starfish has no centralized brain, it is a system of neural networks that work together.
Granted the subtitle is a bit misleading. The authors aren't really talking about leaderless organizations, but decentralized ones. Citing examples like Alcoholics Anonymous, Craigslist, Wikipedia, eMule, and others, they describe the power of individuals working together in ways that create incredible resources with surprising results:
This book is about what happens when on one is in charge. It's about what happens when there's no hierarchy. You'd think there would be disorder, even chaos. But in many arenas, alack of traditional leadership is giving rise to powerful groups that are turning industry and society upside down. (p. 5)
These starfish communities have tremendous power because they are not bogged down by the needs of an institution that compromise the values of the community itself. The contributions of the individuals who share a common passion are having far more impact than conventional institutional models. These communities prize relationship, engender trust, and pursue a purpose that transcends financial reward. One of the best discussions in this book is how leadership functions in these communities. They are not managers, but catalysts to ignite a passion in others and help them live it out. What the authors describe for a catalyst comes a close to the teachings of Jesus and the examples of the apostles in the New Testament as anything I've read before. They work behind the scenes, empower others, help people connect in circles of relationships, and never try to ensure that everything is orderly and certain. And what's best, they never want to be in charge themselves, knowing how to work themselves out of the picture as others flourish.
They are much better at being agents of change than guardians of tradition. Catalysts do well in situations that call for radical change and creative thinking. They bring innovation, but they are likely to create a certain amount of chaos and ambiguity. Put them in a structured environment and they might suffocate. But let them dream, and they will thrive. (p. 131)
The Starfish and the Spider discusses the unique power of the Internet to allow these kinds of starfish communities to flourish. And, yes, these people are motivated by their self-interest. Imagine these decentralized communities, however, where people are functioning in the interest of Jesus himself. What this business model leaves out, of course, is the place of Jesus as the sole Head of his church that can never be destroyed. Imagine how the body of Christ could arise in our day if we experienced the power of these decentralized communities as people who are all listening and responding to him.
The world is now discovering the power of decentralized organizations in a way that we could have been living for 2000 years. I'm sure many believers did in those past generations, but unfortunately the powers of religion have always gravitated toward heavily authoritarian, centralized models as a means to amass riches and power. I love that so many of us are now discovering a different approach to life as the body of Christ that liberates us from the repressive institutions that destroy people to the freedom to demonstrate who he truly is in the world.
If that's your passion, this book will show you just how powerfully it can happen. And if the business world can do it without Jesus, how much more powerful would it be for a community of people to live and work together like that who have surrendered their lives to Someone far greater than themselves. Maybe it’s time more of us embraced a new way of seeing the community of believers and how they can function in the world.
http://www.amazon.com/Starfish-Spider-Unstoppable-Leaderless-Organizations/dp/1591841437/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195674364&sr=1-1
I'm reading a fascinating book that someone recently recommended to me. It is NOT a Christian book. It's a book about an emerging business model written by a couple of Stanford grads, which makes it all the more frustrating. Why is it that the world sometimes recognizes what God is up to far sooner than most believers do? Our religious institution were consistently on the wrong side of creation of democracy, the fight to abolish slavery, the struggle for civil rights and respecting the rights of women, and here's just another example of how they are caught in older forms the world is even reconsidering.
The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations describes almost exactly (with one major flaw to be discussed later) how I understand the nature of the early church and what I see to be true in the body of Christ as it functions today in the world. Now, I'm not talking about organized religion here, but people who really have a heart for God and his work in the world.
The spider represents traditional organizations with CEOs, hierarchical structures and heavy top-down management. If you cut off the head of a spider it dies. The starfish, however, represents decentralized communities that are far more effective and resilient. If you cut off the leg of a starfish, it will just grow a new one, and the leg itself will grow into another starfish. The starfish has no centralized brain, it is a system of neural networks that work together.
Granted the subtitle is a bit misleading. The authors aren't really talking about leaderless organizations, but decentralized ones. Citing examples like Alcoholics Anonymous, Craigslist, Wikipedia, eMule, and others, they describe the power of individuals working together in ways that create incredible resources with surprising results:
This book is about what happens when on one is in charge. It's about what happens when there's no hierarchy. You'd think there would be disorder, even chaos. But in many arenas, alack of traditional leadership is giving rise to powerful groups that are turning industry and society upside down. (p. 5)
These starfish communities have tremendous power because they are not bogged down by the needs of an institution that compromise the values of the community itself. The contributions of the individuals who share a common passion are having far more impact than conventional institutional models. These communities prize relationship, engender trust, and pursue a purpose that transcends financial reward. One of the best discussions in this book is how leadership functions in these communities. They are not managers, but catalysts to ignite a passion in others and help them live it out. What the authors describe for a catalyst comes a close to the teachings of Jesus and the examples of the apostles in the New Testament as anything I've read before. They work behind the scenes, empower others, help people connect in circles of relationships, and never try to ensure that everything is orderly and certain. And what's best, they never want to be in charge themselves, knowing how to work themselves out of the picture as others flourish.
They are much better at being agents of change than guardians of tradition. Catalysts do well in situations that call for radical change and creative thinking. They bring innovation, but they are likely to create a certain amount of chaos and ambiguity. Put them in a structured environment and they might suffocate. But let them dream, and they will thrive. (p. 131)
The Starfish and the Spider discusses the unique power of the Internet to allow these kinds of starfish communities to flourish. And, yes, these people are motivated by their self-interest. Imagine these decentralized communities, however, where people are functioning in the interest of Jesus himself. What this business model leaves out, of course, is the place of Jesus as the sole Head of his church that can never be destroyed. Imagine how the body of Christ could arise in our day if we experienced the power of these decentralized communities as people who are all listening and responding to him.
The world is now discovering the power of decentralized organizations in a way that we could have been living for 2000 years. I'm sure many believers did in those past generations, but unfortunately the powers of religion have always gravitated toward heavily authoritarian, centralized models as a means to amass riches and power. I love that so many of us are now discovering a different approach to life as the body of Christ that liberates us from the repressive institutions that destroy people to the freedom to demonstrate who he truly is in the world.
If that's your passion, this book will show you just how powerfully it can happen. And if the business world can do it without Jesus, how much more powerful would it be for a community of people to live and work together like that who have surrendered their lives to Someone far greater than themselves. Maybe it’s time more of us embraced a new way of seeing the community of believers and how they can function in the world.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Laptop for Every Child
Check out this link for a gift to give to the world. www.laptopgiving.org If you donate before November 26th you not only give one to a child in a developing nation but you will also receive one for your own child. We are blessed to be a blessing!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
The Muslim diaspora
If you want to go, many don't!
If you think you should go, many won't
If you have to go, many can't
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Ex Cathedra
You said go, and I say no
You said believe and I just don't know
You said come and I just want to stay
I feel so stuck in this space today.
Speak Ex Cathedra over my soul
Speak all you want to into my whole
Speak Ex Cathedra into my me
Speak as you can do without bound'ry
I'm stuck here today
I just want to stay
but you're building a bridge
Over my bay
And my tears will stop on the day we walk
You'll Speak Ex Cathedra; I'll listen, I won't talk
Sunday, November 04, 2007
www.nathanbsmith.blogspot.com
Greetings from Chicago! I have been out of touch lately because of some problems with my blog. I have named it www.nathanbsmith.blogspot.com and no longer www.nathanbarrett7.blogspot.com. I am sorry with the delay but there was something wrong with the forwarding configuration so I've had to revise. The other address that will bring you to this page is www.nathanbsmith.com. I will be posting much more often now that I have fixed the problem but it won't be because of travel since I am in Chicago now and will be here for some time. Currently I am again at school studying for my Master's of Divinity and working on my second year. I look forward to this next 2 1/2 years to finish and am incredibly thankful for how God has provided as I have come back in faith and have not spent a single dime of my own on books or tuition and the LORD has provided a living situation with my aunt and uncle for free as long as I am in school. He again provides faithfully. I am tentatively involved very heavily in my studies and will be going home for Christmas after not being home for 1 1/2 years. My nieces and nephew will be there with Darrell and Kelsie, sister and brother-in-law. I will get to see all of my friends from home and will also spend some time with Phil and Ruth Nellis in Seattle when I fly in as well as be able to connect with T.J. and Heidi Hahn who are ministering in Oregon. I look forward to what's ahead and am thankful to the LORD for this time of slowing down and refueling for the journey with my studies. Blessings!
Be my everything...
Be a mentor with selflessness
Be my famous friend
Be my idolatry
Be my closest most genuine perfectly loyal and gracious companion
Be my never wrong parent of perfection
Be my other half that takes responsibility for my faults
Be my lover without consequences
Be my immediacy
Be my depth and longing for authenticity
Be the one who I fantasize would die for me
Be on time
Be mine
Be my eulogy
Be my everything
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