URBANarmy

This popped up on a slide this week. I see it as quite a challenge rather than any pat on the back! "If the world despises a notorious sinner, the church will love her. If the world cuts off aid to the poor and the suffering, the church will offer food and healing. If the world oppresses, the church will raise up the oppressed. If the world shames a social outcast, the church will proclaim God’s reconciling love. If the world seeks profit and self-fulfillment, the church seeks sacrifice and service. If the world demands retribution, the church dispenses grace. If the world splinters into factions, the church joins together in unity. If the world destroys its enemies, the church loves them." Philip Yancey - So what's so amazing about grace

Nearly ten years on Hirsch and Frost have much to remind us of! "... by attractional, we mean that the traditional church plants itself within a particular community, neighborhood, or locale and expects that people will come to it to meet God and find fellowship with others.… By anticipating that if they get their internal features right, people will flock to the services, the church betrays its belief in attractionalism. … If we get our seating, our parking, our children's program, our preaching, and our music right, they will come. This assumes that we have a place in our society and that people didn't join our churches because, though they want to be Christians, they're unhappy with the product. The missional church recognizes that it does not hold a place of honor in its host community and that its missional imperative compels it to move out from itself into that host community as salt and light." (Hirsch and Frost 2004)

http://www.internet-promotions.co.uk/archives/caithness/tradition3.htm Just trying to establish a google presence to see if Alison Leslie who left a message on Forces Reunited googles this. 5th Seaforth Highlanders WW1 I’ve just found out the a didtant cousin was in the above battalion. Gordon Leed was killed on 15 June 1915. He was a drummer in the Seaforths. Can anyone help with information,especially on drummers(for example, would they be leading the troops into battle with the pipes?)

It was good yesterday to be reminded that central to all that we do as church is integrated mission, it was also challenging to be reminded how easy it is to forget and lose that sense of being. It reminded me of van Gelder's work and becomes #7 of my looking for 10! Thanks for an encouraging day IHQ Programme department! Van Gelder points out how important it is to maintain an understanding of the relationship of the 'nature - ministry and organisation' of church. The order has to be right when considering the development of a missiological ecclesiology. In other words it is important when considering who we are, that we don't get hooked up on what we look like and how organise ourselves before we understand first who we are and what we have been called to do! "In developing a more fully-orbed missiological ecclesiology, three aspects of church life must be defined and related to one another: what the church is - its nature; what the church does - its ministry...

If I were to recommend one book on Prayer for anyone remotely interested in discovering what on earth it is all about it would be this one! A couple of highlights... "God wants you to be the fullness of what you could be. You cannot become this if you do not allow Him to enter into you. You do your feeble search for Him, and He will do His mighty search for you. 'seek and ye shall find' The 'you' God seeks may not be the 'you' of whom you are aware. it is the essential you, the real you, the fullness of your potential. The transformation from one to the other, the realising of that potential you, may take a lifetime. Few of us will ever wholly achieve this complete surrender. But all God needs is your desire." pp 22 "Prayer is essential an attitude. We trust God, we believe in Him, we turn to Him. An attitude is something permanent. So how could prayer stop when we , as it were , stop praying? It would be as if your relationship with your pa...

This prayer of Ignatius has cropped up several times while away. Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labour and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will. A Prayer of St Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556)

I've listened to nothing but classical music while at the ICO. Listening to Vaughan Williams' Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus moved something deep within me this morning!

Looks like Coldplay beat Matt Spencer to a tune refit of this classic from 1664 My song is love unknown, My Savior's love to me; Love to the loveless shown, That they might lovely be. O who am I, That for my sake My Lord should take Frail flesh, and die? Samuel Crossman

I have been working my way through a self study retreat based on Gordon MacDonald's book 'Resilient Life'. The last few days have been defining the essence of what a resilient person looks like. Resilient people :: run free from the weight of the past :: understand the importance of repairing the past :: respect the power of memory :: practice repentance :: are quick to forgive :: overflow with gratitude :: squeeze the past for all it's wisdom The guiding questions are not without challenge and are humbling as I dig deeper into the core of who I am. As I sit in the 24/7 prayer room I find myself praying and asking what would a resilient church look like?

Ashbrook in his book Mansions of the Heart - points out Two dimensions of our community life that he says should become intentional as a minimum. :: We need to instill a 'climate' of openess, vulnerability and journey - requiring transparency from leadership :: We need to be intentional about helping people establish meaningful relationships. 241

A rehash from last week but on reconsideration these three points have stayed with me and so represent 10:3 :: a commitment to serving the whole person, to helping the marginalised, to fighting for justice :: a call to a lifestyle that counters the societal pressures of consumerism :: Holiness teaching as a lifeline to a generation that has become disillusioned by societal and moral failures. "We must find the words to articulate that teaching ... and the language of our lives must be spoken particularly loudly"