Dumb Guy's PRAYER verses PRAYER

I was tempted to make one of the prayer words smaller than the other as if to give one of them seniority over the other, but that would be misleading and from personal bias.

So - im doing a lot of prayer stuff, a lot of gathering points / connecting points for change seems to be prayer contexts.
This week i realised that while we are all speaking the same language of desiring to see prayer movements occur, and for those prayer movements to create a fresh culture of prayer in Gods saints, that there are several sides to the coin.
I had (being a muppet) taken for granted that the present enthusiasm for people to pray, was about changing things, in particular the church. My reason for this is that i cannot separate Prayer from Reformation. Now of couse there is the 'pray at all time and in all ways' scenario - but to be honest, most folks chat with God about stuff most of the day, so i dont see that we need to create something fresh there. The absense in 'prayer' has been the prayer that puts our lives back into context in Gods purpouses. So for instance> We come before God, He VERY BIG....we very small, so we see ourselves in context of Gods greatness, then we see ourselves as integral to His purposes.....AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS - heck..All Heaven Breaks Loose.

But ive realised that some folks are really into the 'developing a culture of prayer' thing because Prayer Is Good....
So.... poooh! I have begun to see that prayer is seen by some as an end in and of itself - a good discipline for well rounded believers, and not particularly a means or vehicle or agent of change.

When we stop praying what we are praying - We can start Saying what God is Saying.

So Whats He Saying? What needs building - what needs tearing down - what needs to be made subject to the inbreaking of His kingdom on this earth.

mmhhh

Gosh

We Need A New Language

I was in a regional leaders setting this week, with folks who are running with stuff in terms of seeing the church as a whole re emerge, so from new community contexts to city leadership seeking to bring a 'one body changing territory' type scenario - really good chats.

One guy has managed to get all the city leaders who are working together - to agree that for 3 weeks every year, their folks are freed up from any 'congregational' obligations, to attend anything which is about establishing kingdom in their work settings. So there are several day set asside such as - healthcare! they bring people in to input, and create space for story sharing and people to find one another.

I would personally take that further (although i appreciate it is a step, but a step that exposes how much congregation usually require our centralised loyalty - loyalty to the alter over calling to life settings). My thought was how useful it could be to get those congregations to not just release people during those three weeks, but that they themselves focus all their resources on WORK AND LIFE SETTINGS.
Personally - im not convinced they could relinquish that much control, for fear that people might actually put more emphasis on life context mission than centralised submission.
BUT - we start with what weve got, and commit to transitioning steps, whilst at the same time not being subject to the long haul yourself and being free to get on with stuff - someone has to, otherwise we dont know what we are working towards, or that is sound and safe.

~OH YEAH - LANGUAGE

People are saying we need a new language for a new landscape - which i totally agree with, for instance, i am trying really hard to say congregation or construct instead of 'church', and keeping church as the word that describes Gods people on much wider macro multiple levels. I no longer see congregation as The Church - at best it is an organised meeting of some tribes who make up the church in a given place. ( we really do need to get Gods glasses back on again in this regard)

BUT - It made me realise that i am also seeking out a language for the OLD.
I see the organised religious institutions as a place which needs to be evangelised - into a fuller revelation of Jesus - but also into a FULLER LIFE which He came to bring (which some / most constructs have become a constraint to).
So i need to be able to speak their langauge and communicate from their reference points - not mine. Its the basis of all cross cultural mission - just never figured we'd be using it within the existing church. Something like that anyways......

Ha!
g unit

ONE SIZE

ONE SIZE
fits one

Dialogue V Debate

I guess its a post modernity issue again as they seem to be looking to engage and communicate in a way that we are not perhaps used to.
Someone buzzed me an e mail, and said that people tend to get very positional and defensive in their replies to him when he is looking to debate something.
I pointed out that the reason for this might be - that to engage in debate - we already have a position and are both offensive and defensive. So i might like to talk about something with you in a modern way - here is my position on something until you defend your point so well that my position changes - or it becomes re enforced.
Dialogue however is - we come with two differeing opinions, with a desire to learn from the other and perhaps even an openness to walk away with a different worldview or understanding on something - perhaps a point arrived at with a sharing of those two views.

I know this great theologian who is very approachable, he is also aware that theology on one level is still unfolding for us. When you ask 'what do you think about this or that - he says 'what do yuo think?'. So many of us cant wait to give our polished view on something - eager to give someone our developed view point, even if we are right, it is just a layering of our opinion onto another - its does not enable them to seek search learn for themselves.

Gosh - i meet so many people who believes stuff because theyw ere told it was truth. The trouble is, they beleive that until the next persons convincing defence of a position.

I wonder how we coudl communicate differently.
Post modernism ask why we do something a certain way......... modernism replies 'because you should'............. and rather wonderully that just doesnt work any more. Much of emerging church developments come from the post modern ability to question something - looking for what still stands the test of time substance and reality.

Dont Follow Anyone Who Says They Know The Way

Dont follow anyone who says they know the way in this hour, as Joshua said 'we have need of God - we have never been this way before' (comment by Dr Sharon Stone 03)

Great comments coming through.

The wonderful thing about this stuff, is that while someone somewhere is going to produce a book which says A New Model Of Church - A Blueprint For Europe.....it wont be. God will not allow us to reproduce 'model and market' syndrome..or ..... actually....He might, so we need to know that isnt Gods Way.
As Michael says...... 'it will be a story of values and principles', and this time it will have to be values outworked, not held hostage to a set of spoken beliefs where the rubber never hits the road.
The Question WAS.. Where do you Go to church
The Question IS... How are you being Church

The question was... where is your place of worship..... the answer is.... Where Isnt?

I offended a lady last wednesday night, never met her before, had a bubbly smile, looked like a pretty safe person to say 'Hello' to. She did say 'hello' but then 'where do you Go to church', i said I dont Go anywhere, i have some people who i am walking out church with. She said 'but what do you do for worship, how do you worship if you dont go to church - why dont you come here - youll like it' (i avoided statements with the words 'need and like and hole and head').
I said, that while i have sung less songs, i have found myself worshipping as a lifestyle constant more. I like singing songs, but its no longer central to my worship.
She said....." i feel really offended - i feel you are telling me not to sing songs, and im not going to listen to you, ill still be singing songs when i die'. YOU KNOW THE LOOK - ITS IN A MONTY PYTHON SKETCH WHERE THEY HIT EACH OTHER ROUND THE FACE WITH A LARGE WET FISH
Good for her!! I said - " you asked me, im dangerous cause i tell you what i think - but dont listen to me, im not telling you to do anything - im a nobody love'.

How nice - A dependant who probably wont get to grow up - lovely lovely person, but only getting to see just 10% of Gods worldview.

So were meeting up for coffee this week!!!...................... Yeah right - what marvel comic do you read!

Yeah......... So its great. God is getting to build church with us.

FAMILY????
I still think it all boils down to principles of biological family, as there is meant to be 'God Revealed' through that. Families have marriages to one another, they produce children, they get 'grown' , the proof of the pudding... is when they have children of their own, we take a less central role, get to visit, play a part, but less hands on...... and it ALL Spreads Wonderfully Sideways.............. ALSO - IT IS TOTALLY CULTURALLY RELEVANT EVERY TIME, IT IS ALWAYS A NEW SKIN UNTO EACH GENERATION, ACROSS TRIBES AND CULTURES.