Emerging into difference?

Dear Unknown Voyeur
I am an old guy in an emerging world. When I started planting churches it seemed like everything I did and said was emergent, even though I had never heard of the movement. Now that I am in an established church some in the emergent world have grinned at the thought that we are an emergent church.

With that said: I do agree that the whole emergent movement has been turned into Starbucks. Starbucks was a cool alternative in a landscape of mediocrity. Now they are lowering standards and have in essence become the proverbial corporate "MAN."The emergent church is heading in that direction at break neck speed. I think what we as Nazarenes need to realize is that from our inception we had the foundations of this movement engrained into our theological DNA.

Ol P. F Bresee said "In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things love." The main problem I see with the "Conversation" is the sacrifice of good theological discussion. I just thank God we don't burn people at the stake because allot of emergent want to be's would be crispy today. I think that ministry amerced in the reality of peoples lostness and disconnected theology, will give us enough ground to be emergent without ever really having to try or point it out to people.

There comes a time when we make the church more comfortable, but then there is a time when we have to make the church very uncomfortable. Well that is my 2 cents for now. I hope I am not uninvited and banned from the conversation. O, and I do know I can't spell my way out of a wet paper bag. Me and P. F have that in common.

I think they're on to something...

I've known of Allelon for a couple of years (I think) and have found it to be an invaluable resource for thinking and engaging missionally, and just what that means. But today, I listened to one of Roxburgh's Journal Netcast entries and was really moved by what Pete Atkins described. It's different. It's not what we're used to. But they are discerning where God is at work and orienting themselves, and those around them in their community, to the in-breaking Kingdom reign of God. I was arrested by the line Atkins said along the lines of, We're praying that God would reveal to us what he's doing, not that he'd bless what we're doing." Man--that's soooo right on.

May the LORD reveal to us here in West Texas where he's working and woo us to join him!

The Lord be with you!

Michael

COTN and World Vision

I read this article this morning and it really gave me a shot of hope. It is in and through this creative work where we see glimpses of the kingdom breaking in!

A groundbreaking partnership between one of America's high-profile denominations and World Vision will soon be providing desperately needed food assistance to thousands of poor families in southern Africa.

Church of the Nazarene is teaming up with World Vision to walk alongside those struggling to pull themselves out of poverty in Mutendere, a rural community in northern Malawi — one of the world's poorest nations. Through this partnership, Church of the Nazarene congregations are adopting World Vision's youth-focused 30 Hour Famine as their own. Now, Nazarene congregations will participate in the Nazarene 30 Hour Famine, powered by World Vision. Funds raised through the Nazarene 30 Hour Famine will support World Vision's ongoing work in Mutendere. Read more.

A Prayer from St Benedict

O gracious and holy Father,
Give us wisdom to perceive you,
intelligence to understand you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
eyes to see you,
a heart to meditate on you,
and a life to proclaim you,
through the power of the
spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord.
-- Saint Benedict

I think on these words and find them becoming my own. Perception and discernment of the in-breaking kingdom, the prevenient presence of God the Spirit enabling and empowering us to live and lean into the kingdom, and a holistic life that is shaped by the Father's mission in the Son.

A fad or the future?

I've talked with some and heard others discussing this emerging shift. It's interesting the range of discussion and agreement within the conversation, from those within and those outside of it. I heard some say it's a passing fancy, like the Jesus Movement of the sixties or the Seeker-Sensitive Movement of the 80s-90s.

With all this "newly" forming thought of doing and being church within a postmodern context, I've begun to hear people calling themselves post-postmodern or post-emergent....like they're already sporting the "been there done that and here's my t-shirt to prove it" attitude.

A friend of mine told me that they were starting a postmodern service at their church and he talked about it being really no different from their contemporary traditional "Nazarene" service. He said that the music is different but it's pretty much the same.

I have an idea but I'll refrain from giving it right now in attempts to spur some conversation on here. So, what do you think? Is it different, is it a fad or is it something that is going to be a round for a long while?

Peace.

What are you reading?

I like to read. Sometimes it takes me a while to get through a book. I've always been jealous of those who learned how to speed read. I tried to learn back years ago when I entered seminary...but I felt like I wasn't retaining what I read...anyway.

I'm curious what others are reading. What have you read in the last year, six months that was really insightful or has made an impact on your outlook, theology, thought processes, etc?

Irenaeus on Pentecost

From Against Heresies

This is why the Lord had promised to send the Advocate: he was to prepare us as an offering to God. Like dry flour, which cannot become one lump of dough, one loaf of bread, without moisture, we who are many could not become one in Christ Jesus without the water that comes down from heaven. And like parched ground, which yields no harvest unless it receives moisture, we who were once like a waterless tree could never have lived and borne fruit without this abundant rainfall from above. Through the baptism that liberates us from change and decay we have become one body; through the Spirit we have become one in soul.

"The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of God" came down upon the Lord, and the Lord in turn gave this Spirit to his Church, sending the Advocate from heaven into all the world in which, according to his own word, the devil too had been cast down like lightning.