theology of forward movement

While living in Grand Rapids I heard a new saying. It is the mother of all sayings. Deeply philosophical. Profoundly theological. Three words, eight letters. Git R Done. We're going to Git R done. Let's Get R Done.

This saying brings up a few questions, like how does stuff get accomplished. But more interesting to me and others is how does God work? How does God get r done?

Patti and I have been talking about this a lot lately. And during this advent series we wondered how God brought the birth of His son, Jesus. How did God work, moving history towards a divinely appointed, prophetically predicted event?

We are learning about this. Instead of creating a definitive, distilled answer wouldn't it be better to study the idea more? How does God move? How does he create change in us and in history? How does he bring about his redemptive work? We came up a string of words that gets at heart this study: The Theology of Forward Movement.

And for this advent season it will be The Theology of Forward Movement towards the manger.

Helping People Who Suffer

Guiding Idea: You can’t heal everything; and some things are not ready to be healed yet.

We can build bridges of kindness.

We can empathize - imaginatively enter into the perception of another.

Community can heal - practical acts of love are more powerful than we’ll ever know. It can offer support and accountability in practical ways.

To intercede for others in prayer is a way we can alleviate suffering that we ignore to our peril.

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Advent Redemption at Heartland

I'm in my office at Heartland and preparing for the upcoming advent series. Advent season is one of those traditions that is handed to the current generation from the previous, and to them the previous. Advent is traditional. Something we do because we have done it before and have always have done it. For the most part it's not controversial, just accepted. Traditionally minded churches mark it into their worship planning calendar as a given. Church plants, emerging churches tend to evaluated everything and some of them may or may not back into Christmas via a run of four Sunday's of advent, colored candles and hope, peace, joy and love.

At Heartland, we've done advent in the past years. Even though we are only 10 years old as a church and began as a church plant, we have found advent as a way to focus on Jesus and his redemptive work in history -- a great excuse to dig into the historical movements towards Jesus and his work.

home

I'm home.

Arrived last night and the reunion with the family is wonderful. I can't wait to get into the routine with Heartland and the family again. I drove the kids to school this morning; visited my Dad for tea; picked up James from pre-school; put insurance on the Westy again; took James to McDonald -- no kidding, he ate 10 McNuggets!

I'm having lunch with a very dear friend tomorrow. He's been doing ministry in BC for over 18 years. We've been friends and have supported each other - we have been through alot together. It started as he being my pastor. He was my mentor when I was in seminary (93-96). Then friend since. He is moving to California in a couple of weeks to be pastoring in Redlands. It's hard for me to think that he will not be here.

I'm looking forward to meeting with Heartland leadership again. My reserves are full and I have so much to share with them.

More to come.

226benjamin sem community

The "226benjamin Sem Community" took our hosts out for dinner tonight - a way of thanking them. Bruce and Sue have opened their homes to the four of us as we lived in community with them for 11 weeks. Dan, Dale, Aaron and I are all going home this weekend. We've studied together, cried together, shared together and grew together. We are rounding the corner on this experience and we have just a few more assignments and exams left. We are just about done.

subversive humility

“He will not lift up his voice….” (from the pen of the prophet Isaiah)

When the Church can put aside glitz and glamor, and humbly meet the world on the terrain of shared suffering and inexhaustible love, then we will change the world for which we’ve been made.

We need more than just a strong moral code to live with that kind of humble power, but rather the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to enable the Church to love in this humanity-dignifying and others-elevating manner.

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home stretch

I have just over a week to go. Two big assignments and two final exams. Then I can go home.