timbrellstar

Stuff that has happened, is happening, or may happen soon:

I went to Tunisia with my wife, we went, then a little while later, we came back

I went to Alton Towers theme park, with my wife, in the rain. We went, got wet, had some fun, and a little while later, we came back

I read Sex God, by Rob Bell.

I may buy a Apple Mac

I need a haircut. I will call it Haircut 100. Although, I have probably had my hair cut more than 100 times.

Interested?

It’s the weekend.

Make it a good one, people! Rest, laugh, go to church, enjoy God, enjoy each other, and watch less t.v. Eat well too, healthy like, right?

I have lots of things to do, many many things. You wouldn’t even believe it. Actually it’s probably not as bad as that, but I do have a few things I need to get done.

I’ve just updated my diary and stuck a bunch of post-it notes all over it, with all the things I need to do. Things tonight, things tomorrow, etc and so forth. I’ll let you know how that goes! I’m sure you’re very interested.

Anyway, I really should be getting off home to my lovely wife.

I was just sitting here, and then had the urge to blog. So I thought I’d do it before the moment passed.

They say that music is good for the soul. I think they say that, I’m not sure who, but I am pretty sure someone said it. Well, it seems pretty true to me, so I’ll run with it for now.

I just had deja vu while writting that, hmm, maybe I’ve written this post before! Maybe I’ve been here before, had these thoughts before, typed all this before. Maybe. Most likely not though. But I probably have.

So I was just listening to this cool christian female artist on MySpace Music called Erin Starnes. I really like her music. You should check her out. I was just listening to the song ‘How can I stand’. All the songs are great, but there’s something really cool about this one. It starts of saying;

How can I stand in the presence of the Holy King
Your radiant light, it shines on me shows everything
Why would you choose to use a sinner just like me
I deserve nothing, but still you set me free

You are Holy, full of Mercy
Your precious son, the righteous one
He died to make me clean…

Go and listen to the rest of the song, it’s good!

I’ve been feeling a little less inspired lately, and I dislike it when I’m in that state, but at the same time, it’s difficult to do anything about it. However, just when I think I’m a complete sinner, all dried up and cold as stone, and generally not in a very ‘Radical Spiritual Hotspot’ state, God in His mercy whispers something good and sweet into my soul. Today it was this song.

I have no idea why God has done all that He’s done, why He looked at me and said “You are mine, I know you’re no where near my perfection level, lets face it, you are full of sin and you stink..but I love you, and I’ve chosen you. Here’s perfect righteousness, it belongs to Jesus, He bought it for you, put this on and trust in me. I’ll sort the rest out, you need work, but I like a challenge and I never fail”.

The amazing thing is that I forget it so often. I’m glad God doesn’t.

Hark! a blog. Yes, tis true.

So after reading Dave’s post, I went to Blogmusik and searched for Sara Groves, but ended up listening to Tegan and Sara most of the day, and loving every song.

Then I was unable to ward of my MySpace addiction, and so discovered that my musical diva friend Miranda has uploaded some of her songs to her profile. Please go check them out, listen and enjoy! And most of all give her some comment love. When she’s a super-mega-star, you will be able to say you knew her in the beginning.

After a weekend of camping in the sun, I have a sunburned forehead.

There are a couple of new Podcasts over at *Pozdacazda. It was undeniably rubbish before, but it’s just got a lot better. Thanks Dave and Ashley

It’s my turn next. I have to make it good!

As Dave would tell me, “Don’t mess it up”.

While reading a church website this morning about how they planted a new church community I read the following wonderful words:

The rush for this adventurous community was in getting to be the Church – not just attend it. It was clear church was experienced best when we were in living it, not simply watching it happen. ROCKHARBOR had been marked by a heart of passionate involvement.

If you’re watching something happen, then you’re not really part of it. You’re not engaged in it, it’s not costing you anything.

I read something else yesterday about the 80/20 rule, which is about 80% of the work in a church being done by 20% of the people, or members. It’s a common problem. The article was saying that in many ways the way we structure church, the way we set it up actually results in this 80/20 situation. When the focal point of church is a Sunday meeting(s) where a smaller group of people are creating a time of ministry/worship/teaching, then it stands to reason that the rest of the people gathered are spectators to some degree.

I’m not sure how valid that is in every context. There are people in church who are there because they’re seeking, people who need healing and rest and teaching, but then there are a lot of Christians sitting in church each Sunday who come and go, and don’t actually take part in what church is about at all.

I think there’s room to think about how we are best to function as a church.  What is important is truth, and I’ll come back to that in a future post. Community is important.  Contextualising Gospel truth into the culture(s) we live in is important. Doing everything we do for King Jesus and His Glory is of uppermost importance.

I certainly want to be part of a local church where we can say ‘ The rush for this adventurous community was in getting to be the Church!‘.

Well, yesterday I was off sick with a cold, and achy body, and headache. Oh the joy of the man cold. Actually I really didn’t feel well, and I was super tired after not sleeping the previous night due to heinous phlegm.

Today I think I feel a bit better, so I am going to work. So, I need to get ready and go.

Welcome back from your holidays Dave!

We’re off to Spring Harvest!

Lots of posting when I get back. Promise.

In response to Dave’s question relating to my previous post; Does the Christian faith need “repainting”?

Well, I don’t know. Obviously the original masterpiece is painted in scripture isn’t it?

I think Rob Bell is saying that in every generation through the ages and continuing on, we can ask ourselves how what we read in scripture ‘looks like’ for us today.

I think you have to be careful because obviously truth is truth, and what is essential and unchangeable doesn’t alter with time, culture or anything else.

However taking worship as an example, at the core of it, worship of God is what goes on between us and our Father but the expression of that worship has been demonstrated differently throughout the ages. Actually, probably history repeats itself, and therefore, our expressions of worship might too, but that’s not the point.

So I suppose how we ‘do church’, including worship and everything else is up for question.

I know Rob Bell doesn’t like labels, and he wouldn’t necessarily call Mars Hill an emerging church, but whatever, they are asking the same questions ‘How do we do church?’, ‘what is church for us going to look like?’. They are going back to the scriptures and working out church from the ground up, relating it to their culture.

Thinking about it, isn’t that similar to how the bible, Christianity, God, the Church would need to be translated within a missionary context? Not taking how we do church and Christianity and bending a culture to do church and Christianity the same way, but helping them to work out (or letting them work out) how they are going to be Christians within the context of their culture?

I don’t have a problem with any of that as long as we don’t compromise on what is unchangeable, and what matters most.

For me the most important idea is getting back to what we see in Acts 4, where all the believers were together and with one mind, and no one was lacking because where someone was without, other Christians gave what they had. They were a loving supportive, sacrificial community full of the love of God, working out Grace in each other. A living letter to the world, demonstrating the love of God.

That’s the kind of church I want to belong to, and that’s what I find most exciting about it all.

It’s great to ask questions and to be relevant, whatever. I feel like there’s a point we need to stop asking how we ‘do’ church, and just ‘be the church’, which is very messy, but very ‘real’.

I am currently reading, or have lined up to read, in no particular order;

Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, Rob Bell
Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, John Piper
Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper
God is the Gospel, John Piper
Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
The God Chasers, Tommy Tenney
Seeing and Savouring Jesus Christ, John Piper
The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren

Ok, so there is a lot of John Piper! Any other suggestions are very welcome