URBANarmy

This isn't particularly my story but it is a real issue for others. My daily dose of Nouwen was worth bookmarking here. When we have been wounded by the Church, our temptation is to reject it. But when we reject the Church it becomes very hard for us to keep in touch with the living Christ. When we say, "I love Jesus, but I hate the Church," we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the Church seldom asks us for forgiveness, at least not officially. But the Church as an often fallible human organization needs our forgiveness, while the Church as the living Christ among us continues to offer us forgiveness. It is important to think about the Church not as "over there" but as a community of struggling, weak people of whom we are part and in whom we meet our Lord and Redeemer.

I'm really missing FH at the moment, I haven't been able to go for a few weeks, namely with Kate being away in South Africa. Above all I am missing the impact of Rob Bell who makes an appearance each week at the end of the session courtesy of his Nooma series of video shorts. A few weeks back we watch 003 Trees , I loved it, setting the whole concept of mission in its context of God's dream for his creation, a non platonic eschatology dominated by New Creation off set by Rob Bell planting two trees to signify the trees of life in Genesis and Revelation. As Rob Bell planted one tree followed by another cars drove past as he unpacked the two trees from the back of a pickup he unpacked for us and then planted strong themes of Life, Significance, Meaning, Eternity, Redemption. The thing is there is nothing that would convince me that Rob as he planned, wrote and produced his video had the clientele in mind that make up FH. I would love to see him debriefing following the 1...

I saw a conference advertised at the Royal Ballet when picking up Eryn. The conference was about Ninette de Valois founder of the Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet school it was entitled 'Ninette de Valois - Adventurous Traditionalist'. Adventurous Traditionalism is a concept I like the idea of!

The next level for Kierkegaard is called Ethical Stage: Here the individual begins to get some real direction in life, and becomes aware of and personally responsible for good and evil, and begins to form lasting commitment to oneself and others. The realization of enduring values – justice, freedom, peace, love, and respect for the moral law within, propel the ethical self forward into a life of responsibility, of caring beyond one’s own immediate interests. By breaking away from enslaving hedonism and conventionalism, life at this level develops a consistency and coherence that it lacked in the previous sphere of existence. Simply put, one discovers that "there’s something more to life than pleasure or being ridiculously good-looking. But there is a catch; there is more to life than ethics and moral duty, and to get stuck here means one risks becoming the judgemental moralist that we all despise. In other words, no one will want to go on vacation with you. In fact moralism is ...

I saw this article from The Independent and thought it might be of interest to you Think slavery is a thing of the past? Think again William Wilberforce said future generations of Britons would see slavery as "a disgrace and dishonour to this country", yet, more than 200 years since its abolition, the shaming trade and exploitation of human beings still thrives. © 2009 Independent News and Media Sent from my iPod

Frederick Buechner is an author that I am introducing myself to. You often see him quoted and I am beginning to understand why! It is out of the whirlwind that Job first hears God say "who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?" job 42:3. It is out of the absence of God that God makes himself present,... God is not an answer that man can give. Buechner, F. (1977:43). Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy, and Fairy Tale