some things never change

watch this video... one of the most startling short presentations i've seen in sometime about the state of our world.
makes the truth of heb. 13.5, "God is the same yesterday, today, and forever" all the more comforting... yet it makes the challenge of contextualization the need of the hour in many respects. i'd love to hear your experience of this video
(just copy and past this address into your web browser, couldn't get my link function to work on blogger :(

http://release.theplatform.com/content.select?pid=x7aVOMrlfkkijQwcLllwk6WjB5JE0zrF

what is leadership?

What is leadership? I've been wrestling with this question most of my adult life. I've often occupied positions that have called me to exercise leadership over groups of people. I've always felt this internal pressure to be a superman of sorts, a heroic figure with cape flapping away in the breeze. A hyper-competent know it all that will show up to solve all of humanities problems.
What a 'sucky' paradigm.
Who can live up to this? I can't. I end up putting on a persona
I'm tired of trying.
So, when it comes to this idea of alternate atlanta, i think the following is a fair statement... i'd love to get your feedback.

Leadership is not getting the community to follow one great man's vision as much as this.. Leadership is getting the community to face its biggest problems.

I'm wrestling to lead in a way that my life serves as a mirror to help people understand themselves better... that my life serves as a sign post that points people to the kind of relationship with God and others that brings healing and health to our worlds... that my life will serve as a catalyst discover in community God's call to follow Him.

I need your help. I'm broken but feel called. Jesus keeps messing up my paradigms.

Counter::Cultural

I read this quote this afternoon and thought it related to the vision we have of becoming an Alternate Atlanta. It's from Shane Claiborne (don't think he's related to Liz--could be) and he's answering the question How do we Influence Culture without Being Consumed by It?

Part of what I think we have to do is not just figure out how we interact with the culture, but create a new culture where we bring one another to life and call each other to the best of who God wants us to be. So it's not "How much secularism can I get away with?" but "How can I be set apart in a way that celebrates the distinctiveness of who we are as people in this world who are resident aliens?"

The Amish [are] a beautiful example. I'm sure Amish kids say things like, "Why don't we get an XBox?" And their parents reply, "Well, that might be OK for other kids, but you're a little different. We build farms; we build barns." I love that. One of the biggest questions for the Church today is not "Are we culturally relevant?" but "Are we culturally perculiar?" Not just "Can we be relevant to culture?" but "Can we be nonconformist to culture; can we be people who do things differently?"

So can we? are we? What do you think??

on being an alternate atlanta

"What a wonderful open door God has placed before the church of today.
A pagan world, weary and sick, often distrusting its own modern gods.
A saving gospel strangely entrusted to us unworthy messengers.
A divine Book with unused resources of glory and power.
Ah, what a marvelous opportunity, my brethren!"

J. Gresham Machen, God Transcendent, page 154.

My heart has been continually wrestling with this calling God has given the gathering to become an alternate atlanta.
What does it mean?
How do we attempt it?

Jesus is in the process of making all things new.. of establishing His Kingdom here and now. We're not so much inventing a new society as we are allowing the reality of Jesus to tranform our inner lives and then allow ourselves to be conduits of that same transforming love into the lives of those we rub shoulders with everyday.

The opportunity is here.
God is working.
The world is hurting.
We are hungry.
May we know first hand what it means to 'taste and see that the Lord is good'
ps. 34.8

Will you join me in the journey?

wkly video update

after many false starts, gonna try to consistantly blog again!

great quote about following God and calling that I came accross this morning:

"Let us be very careful of thinking on the one hand, that we have no work assigned us to do, or, on the other hand, that what we have assigned to us is not the right thing for us..
If we can say in our hearts to God, in reference to any daily duty, "This is not my place; I would choose someting dearer; I am capable of someting higher"... we are guilty not only of rebellion, but of blasphemy. It is equivalent to saying, not only "My heart revolts against your commands", but "Your commands are unwise; your Almighty guidance is unskilful; your omniscient eye has mistaken the capacities of your creature; your infinite love is indifferent to the welfare of your child"
--- Elizabeth Charles