Today I had a mystical experience. I bumped into my friend Horace (name changed to protect the innocent!) outside our church hall. Horace and a few of his friends like to hide behind the hall and drink sometimes, and he’s always passing through our property. Over the last year or two I’ve come to knowContinue reading “Horace, a hongi and the Holy Spirit”
Tag Archives: community
A fuller gospel
Scot McKnight has just started a series of posts on ‘the Kingdom Gospel.’ In the first of the series we read Many readers of the Bible read the whole Bible through the lens of the gospel they believe and this is what that gospel looks like: God loves you and has a wonderful plan forContinue reading “A fuller gospel”
Without Fear And Trembling
James McGrath of Exploring our Matrix has a few ideas that aren’t generally appreciated by some of the more conservative members of the evangelical church. One of the commenters on his blog recently dobbed him in to his pastor. McGrath doesn’t make much of the condescension implied (“If you don’t stop writing such silly things,Continue reading “Without Fear And Trembling”
Of stones and ants
Before I was an officer I went to a church in an area with many ‘halfway houses’ for people who had recently been released from psychiatric institutions. Given that a lot of those institutions had been closed down recently, and the residents just turned out on the street with little thought for their ongoing care,Continue reading “Of stones and ants”
Missional Tribe launches
I’ve been watching the buzz over the last few days about the new Missional Tribe network. It finally launched today, and there seems to be a bit going on. So what is it? Well, it’s hard to say exactly. Very broadly, it’s about being the disciples Jesus called us to be in the world heContinue reading “Missional Tribe launches”
If only…
Today I came across the wonderful story of a mega church that decided it was time to stop worrying about buildings and programmes and start concentrating on the people it wanted to serve. This has to be one of the most inspiring things I’ve read in ages. Hiam [the pastor] is now more aware ofContinue reading “If only…”
A New Christian Manifesto
Obery Hendricks has a fantastic post up over at God’s Politics called A New Christian Manifesto. It’s American, but it succinctly wraps up a lot of what I think the Church in Australia should really be on about. Jesus did not establish bureaucratic institutions, weekly social gatherings, or houses of religious entertainment. He started aContinue reading “A New Christian Manifesto”
Separated by a common language
Some time ago I had lunch with some pastors from local churches. The conversation turned to the difficulty we all had communicating with those outside the Church. One person bemoaned the fact that it is so hard to walk up to somebody and have a conversation about the ‘claims of Jesus on their life.’ AnotherContinue reading “Separated by a common language”
Spirit Cry 