fossils and evolution

i am not a great one for getting inot arguments about evolution vs creation. My standard answer is - i don't know i wasn't there and neither were you...
So i very sheepishly turned up at a church on Saunday morning where they were looking at the whole issue. Needless to say although i don't think any of the argument makes a difference to my faith - from what was said i could not see much evidence for evolution from one species to another. makes you wonder whether some of the conspiracy theories about evolution are true after all....

tough

life seems pretty tough at the moment, I am wrestling witha lot of stuff - physicaly and in prayer. several years ago i spent a long period of time meditating and praying Jesus's word about taking up your cross and following him. I got to a stage with that prayer that it became like breadth - and then one day i stopped. The funny thing was that in prayer it became action- the more i wrestled with it the more i relaise it was happenign in my life. As i have gone on in my ministry - which has not been an easy journey - it has becoem more and more true.
I was talking with my wife last night reminding her of this prayer and we both came to the stage of saying enough - we are tired we cannot carry this anymore....
We asked God to use us to open doors to him in others lives - i did not relaise that in doing that we would becoem door handles.

needless to say i am tired - but as always optimistic - our God is alive and still at work in us

Christ has no body but yours

Christ has no body now but yours
No hands, no feet on earth but yours
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
compassion on this world
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

St Theresa of Avila

and my prayer for today

Moped, Satellite, me and Darryl

As part of our Spring Camp 2005 we are again opening up our evening sessions for visitors.

On Friday Night (30th September) Moped will be playing http://www.bands.co.nz/band.php?bid=1071
With a message on MATES from the Youth Unit’s, Michael Treston

On Saturday night (1st October) Satellite will be playing http://www.eastercamp.org.nz/
With a message from Darryl Gardener National Director of Youth For Christ

Admission $2 start time about 7:30

Hope to see you there

Mates again

It's funny how the same experience can shape and change a person or people. I was reading a book on Tolkein soem time ago that talked about his expereinces of the trench warfare and how what he expereinced there formed his ideas for the Frodo and Sam Characters - amazing.

i need coffee

i have not had my morning cup of coffee yet - my Head is thumping and i cannot concentrate - i think i might be addicted - again

flat

i am feeling rather flat today - i have a back injury that keeps giving me grief - it's healing but it is very painful. Went to the movies this morning becuase i had to work on my day off - saw CRASH - which is an amazing story of how we effect each others lives for good and bad... cired a little during it whne a little girls gets shot tryinng to protect her father from a disgruntled client. Laughed when i realsied it was blanks - she was willing to save her dad from the bullet in doing that she saved the guy who fired the gun - he called her an angel - a very deep and significant piece of cinema....

MATES

i am talking at Nelson Boys college this Sunday at a borders service. My theme is MATES, and i found this photo a few years back on the net which i think sums up mates.
enjoy

silly season

at the moment i am writting 4 messages to be used in the next two weeks, trying to find a helpful nurse, organising lights and sound equipment, encouraging groups to send me registrations, writting and weritting to do lists and genraly feeling that my hea dis ready to explode. why the fuss??
well Spring camp is in less than two weeks - it's an exciting time, but i am aware of how excitment can turn into horror in seconds.

missiology and baptism

I'm a baptist minister right who finds himself working in an anglican context, and having to wrestle with anglican/baptist issues. a few weeks back i had a discussion with an Anglican theologian about Communion, our theoligcal understanding were almost identical - i was quite shocked - the more i chat with anglican's about this the more i becme aware that i might actualy be more anglican than i thought -
there is still one issue to overcome - infant Baptism. While i think biblicaly the jury is our over the practice, theologicaly and missiologicaly i have always had an issue with it, but the tide is turning.
The Baptist movement grew out of the Church of England during the age of Christendom, one of the missiolgical issues was over when is a person a Christian - clearly faith, and a decision must coem inot play soemwhere??? From my reading of things - and i have done quite a bit while at uni - the first baptist decided that adult baptim was the only appropriate way of seperating and identifying - while there are a lot of theological nuances behind that it very practicaly came down to we don't baptise infants because to do so would baptises a life style that may or may not be Chrisitan. I think for the time it was avery appropriate missiological stance
times do change we no longer live in Christendom, but i suspect that the baptism of infants my be a stronger witness to the world of the pressesnce of Christian community (firstly through the family secondly through the church), than Adult believers Baptism, and since baptism is an symbol of something that God does it may be more than appropriate to baptise the children of Christian families - and then confirm the vows as adults

Need to think a lot more about this but i think my views may be shifting

More on provocative

Just been thinking about the provocative church idea again and it struck me - most evangelism is based on the assumption that if we can bring people closer to the 'magnet' so to speak that they will naturaly be drawn in. A provocative church surely works on the same priniciple - "boy that's differemt, lets take a closer look, oh no i am being drawn into some strange forcefield." and before you know it you have another convert - there is one problem with this it assumes that all people are basicaly "ferrous" in compostion to be drawn towards the strange attractor. Whil Augustine would probably agreew ith this and his thougths about a God shapped hole. my question is are people like that. in the bginning of his book Tomlin talks about a guy dying of cancer who just did not care about the Chrisitan God. Surely then any amount of provocative evangelsim would seek to attract a person who just does not care. While i agree that there should be soemthing inherrently attractive about the church - i don't think it is enough.
Maybe we should just forget about evangelsim all together and just start sharring the Good news - i think it is more than playing with words to suggest that we would be far beeter of as a church recognising that When Jesus said he is Good News for the world he did not just mean get converetd. I suspect he mena tit is good news for the world regardless of whether we choose to believe it or not. the church (as Christ's Body) then is called also to be good news. how often can people say that of us - that we are good news to a neighbourhood or a town. I suspect that given the sitation in the US at present many churches are being good news in the light of a disaster b- but what about being good news when everything is calm and normal. I guess it's not about converting people but rather being good neighbours - people who are a joy to live next too - maybe then people will enquire but that is a bonus - but in the mean time i am hopping to beceome good news where i am.
I think i am raving a bit - but then i am allowed too

Inspiration in the Strangest places

I have set my self a new discipline to read one book per week, So far this month i have made it through - The Hollywood Project - a look at movies, but also the people who have created them and why they have done that - it starts of with Mel Gibsons faith journey from Leathal Weapon to the PAssion. But for me one of the best chapters was on Ed Solomon - he has been writting comedy movies for years -the Bill and Ted's Adventures are his work (deffinatly in my top 20 favourite movies). but his most recent work LEVITY is a serious drama, that deals with the impossobility and reality of forgiving ourselves. It's a beautiful movie - RENT IT TODAY.
I have also Read Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. Rob is the man behind the NOOMA video series - which i hate, but he is a great story writer. In this book he looks at aspects of our faith - often froma different view point but with some very good Biblical insights - his picture of Doctine as a trampoline to throw us into a relationship with God is inspiring.
Finaly i also read a book the son of a preacher man which is the life story of Jay Barker son of Jim and Tammy Barker. it's a wondeful story of forgiveness and the other side of Chrisitians judging other Christians - great read

Christians against greed

yesterday i was sent a link to a photo essay in Australia and Anti-globalisation demonstration, Notable amongst the protestors was a group carrying a banner Christians against greed. the weird thing is that they tend not be word that many outside fo the Church would associate with Chritains. our local Christian Democrat party has reinforced this stereotype with an ellection policy announcement that would make a flat tax rate of 25% across the board - while i would be better of it means that those who currently earn under $20,000 a year would be paying about an extra 7% in tax a week. People like my next door neighbour a siungle mum with two kids- Christians Against greed - who are we trying to kid...

I think the prophets would have soemthing to say against a policy like this - aren't we supposed to care for the widows and orphans - or is it God helps those who help themselves..