Dream Awakener

Servant Leadership Part III

  feet washing 
  Originally uploaded by ღMøûñ†àíñwømãñღ

Continuing on the series John Ortberg brings up four tensions that we need to wrestle through as servant leaders.  I will mention two of them in this post and two in the next post.

1. Decisive Submissiveness – Leaders must make decisions, they have difficult calls to make, when leaders abdicate making decisions it can be disaster. That is one side. The danger is dominating people and making self-serving decisions.  Jesus made decisions but was submissive to his parents and His father in heaven.  He exercised decisive submissiveness.  He was not wishy-washy, nor did he had a defiant willfulness, but he had a decisive submissiveness.  Questions for you:  What people do you submit to?  Are you submissive to scripture?  Are you submissive to the Spirit?

2. Tough-minded Accountability and Tender-hearted Compassion – Leaders must give to the people that they serve what one guy who writes about leadership calls the gift of accountability. There is an aspect of fallen human nature that unless I have people in my life who challenge me and stretch me beyond myself and say, “Here’s the covenant that you agreed to live up to and your not doing it,” I’m not going to grow the way I could.  That is one side. The danger is if I’m always in the position of judging and evaluating other people, there’s the danger that I can become so obsessed with accomplishing tasks that people become a means to an end.  There just tools. There needs to be tender-hearted compassion as well, loving those on our staff, in our community.  Questions for you:  Would the people in your sphere of influence – your work, your home, your area of ministry – would they say that you love them?  Not just that you value them because they’re able to perform, but that you love them?

Top Posts and Top Cities from April

You can make a guess of what the picture represents on the left.  In today's post I am sharing the five most popular posts this past month, in case you missed one of them.  Also, I have found that some of you who follow this blog enjoy learning about the other people who visit this site, so I try to give a monthly report of the top 50 cities that have visited this blog in the past month.  So here are the top five posts and top 50 cities.

TOP FIVE POSTS IN APRIL
Is Conversion a Four-Letter Word? Series
Finding Truth in a Sound Bite Society
Why We're Not Emergent By Two Guys Who Should Be - Literary Review
Need Inspiration?
A Celtic Prayer

TOP 50 CITIES VISITING THIS BLOG IN APRIL
Richmond, VA
Los Angeles
Amsterdam
Herdon, VA
Vancouver, BC
New York
London
Atlanta
Dallas
Fayetteville, NC

Boston
Plano, TX
Chicago
Mt. Laurel, NJ
Ann Arbor, MI
San Francisco
Bronx, NY
Snohomish, WA
Irvine, CA
Grass Valley, CA

Blacksburg, VA
Bethpage, NY
Sydney, Australia
Tulsa, OK
Washington D.C.
Marysville, WA
Columbia, MO
Sanford, FL
San Jose, CA
Waterford, MI

Houston
Redmond, WA
Columbus, OH
Toronto, Canada
Austin
Portland
St. Louis
Seattle
West Palm Beach, FL
Phoenix

Roanoke, TX
Overland Park, KS
Media, PN
Minnipeg, Canada
Auckland, New Zealand
Singapore
Calgary, Canada
Bangkok, Thailand
Pasadena, CA
Miami, FL

Servant Leadership Part II

  feet washing 
  Originally uploaded by ღMøûñ†àíñwømãñღ

When it comes to understaning Servant Leadership, we can learn a lot from the One to whom we are call to imitate and follow. Here are some more thoughts from John Orberg.

“From the beginning of eternity to creation to the outworking of redemption after the Fall to the end of eternity, the end of time as we know it, the Father, Son and Spirit pour themselves out in humble service of each other and creation and even fallen creatures like you and me.

All who watch are amazed and filled with awe and wonder and bow their knees. Jesus is the greatest servant that ever lived for it is the nature of God to serve -- that's who God is. Paul says people can't see that without being awed and broken by it -- that God is a servant.

At the same time, Jesus had the strongest character of anyone who ever lived. He was never intimidated. He defied those who held immense power without batting an eye. He threw full-grown men out of the temple area with a whip. He is a servant, but he had impact and led like no one else who ever walked the earth.

He calls us, calls his followers to be people of impact to leadership that is a form of servanthood, to what a guy named Rob Banks suggests what we might call "leading servanthood." We've heard about the idea of servant leaders. Really, servanthood is what will go on forever and ever. One form of servanthood is leading in the right way.”

In the next post in this series, we will look at some of the tension points when it comes to servant leadership.

Servant Leadership Part I

  feet washing 
  Originally uploaded by ღMøûñ†àíñwømãñღ

There was a talk that John Ortberg gave on servant leadership that I thought was really helpful for those who serve in some leadership capacity.  So I thought I would pass on a few quotes and a summary this coming week.

It was Jesus who said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles Lord it over them.  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:42b-45 TNIV

“Jesus says, "Not so with you." Now, because power and leadership can be abused and can be dark in the hands of fallen people -- because Jesus has warnings about it -- some people get distrustful about any form of leadership or the exercise of power. They don't initiate, they don't challenge, they don't stretch those who are around them.

They hold back from leading when they ought to lead, and they hold others back from leading. That is not a good thing. Their families, their churches, their organizations suffer because part of human nature in this world, unless there is leadership and people being envisioned and challenged and stretched to grow, people will suffer.

To lead is a good thing. At the very beginning, the Bible says that God created human beings to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, subdue it and have dominion. Jesus doesn't reject leadership or even the use of power or greatness for that matter, but he redefines it, he redeems it.

As he says here, Jesus himself is the ultimate example of redeemed leadership. He says, "I didn't come to be served," which is generally the measure of leadership in our world. How many people are underneath me serving me?

He says, "I came to serve." That's what servants do. Here's a real key point. In Jesus, to lead is to serve. In Jesus, leadership is simply one form of servanthood. In God, to lead is to serve those he leads.” - John Ortberg

In the next post on this series, we will take a look at how Jesus served, since we are called to imitate him.

This Week with Henri Nouwen - Losing and Gaining our Lives

The great paradox of life is that those who lose their lives will gain them. This paradox becomes visible in very ordinary situations. If we cling to our friends, we may lose them, but when we are nonpossessive in our relationships, we will make many friends. When fame is what we seek and desire, it often vanishes as soon as we acquire it, but when we have no need to be known, we might be remembered long after our deaths. When we want to be in the center, we easily end up on the margins, but when we are free enough to be wherever we must be, we find ourselves often in the center.

Giving away our lives for others is the greatest of all human arts.  This will gain us our lives.

Fire in the Church by Kurt Fredrickson - A Literary Review

  sunset church 
  Originally uploaded by Alex !

I am doing a number of literary reviews these days for some research that I am undergoing. While you won't be able to check some of the pages I reference, I think you will gain much from the many quotes I mention.   Let me share with you how I go about my literary review.

LITERARY REVIEW
I basically start with my sense of the author's thesis, followed by a general overview of the book, and then I focus on themes that are pertinent to my research. With that said, here is my review of this most excellent paper.

THESIS
Kurt Fredrickson’s thesis for Fire in the Church: Organic Structures for the Missional Congregation is that structure matters.  If the church moves from an old mechanistic model to a living systems model, she will be able to create better environments necessary for the missional church to thrive.

GENERAL OVERVIEW
The question that Fredrickson is addressing is: How do church leaders foster proper environments so that the Spirit of God can set the church on fire anew (5)? He address this question by taking a look at our current postmodern context, especially as it relates to the shift from classic science to new systems science.  This shift is from a mechanical approach to life to an organic approach.  After explaining the nature of living systems science, he considers how to apply living systems theory to the church.  He insists, “Only as the church has an adequate understanding of its identity and its core practices, is the church able to move forward in new shapes” (55).  He then concludes by exploring how to nurture an atmosphere of missional imagination in light of new understandings of organizational theory.

THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER
This research paper is rich in content, with seven helpful figures that summarize important concepts (Pgs. 19,20, 41, 44, 45 and 52).  The following are some statements that seemed vital to remember.   In section one: “This new systems understanding sees the world more as decentralized than centralized, more networked than hierarchical, more organic than fixed.  It is not random and disorganized; it is rather organized through an understanding of complexity and emergence.  This new understanding of structures offers new possibilities for ecclesial organization.” (10)  “Because we think and behave differently in this information based networked society, we must rethink the way our organizations are structured.” (14)  “Structure affects function. Structure is not neutral. The challenge for the church is to imagine new forms and structures for church that will be able to more vitally carry the message of the gospel affecting transformation in people and societies” (21).  One way to do this is through reverse assumptions (21).

Statements from section two include:  In regard to relational principles in living systems theory: All living things have innate intelligence (30); Life is profoundly interconnected (30); Information brings change (32); Systems interact with their environment leading to adaptive challenges and emergence of new forms of organization (33); and living systems continue to multiply or reproduce (34).  “We do not create new structures as much as we create environments and the possibilities of relational connections so that new structures might emerge” (36). “Our ecclesial practices (new ecclesial structures) must emerge from primary Christological and ecclesiological understanding always mindful of the environment in which is the church is located” (37).

In sections three and four: “Structures that are not suitable are stifling and deadening.  Structures that are appropriate bring life and vitality” (43).  The mental framework transitions necessary in the church: “Radical individualism – wanderers to pilgrim; Aimlessness – busyness to vocation; Consumption – consumers to practioners; Fragmentation – individuals to community; Forgetfulness – amnesia to memory (64).

Church Planting - Models and Approaches

I am preparing for a church planting conference with the Ecclesia Network entitled Allelos, where I will be sharing on three topics.  The Equipping Church, Leadership Skills for the Journey and Models and Approaches to church planting. 

When it comes to models and approaches, I am wanting to get some feedback from you on this.  I have a lot of material that I want to share, including personal stories and such.  But I was wanting to make sure that I gave the "church planters to be" a good overview in what they should consider as they think through how they will approach the structure of the church, or the model.  Here is an overview of some of the things that I have thought about.  I would love it if you have any thoughts you would like to add.  I need to finish my preparation by Wednesday, though if you comment afterwards, I may still be able to use it.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER

The Context
Global/National/Metropolitan/Local/Neighborhood
Ethnic Context
Neighborhood Context
Educational Context
Political/Structural/Geographical Context
Life Style Patterns
Economic Context
Historical Context

The Team
Relational Assessment
    a. Mutual Trust
    b. Mutual Refreshment
    c. Mutual Enjoyment
    d. Mutual Commitment
    e. Unity of Spirit

Ministry Assessment
    a. Spiritual Gifts
    b. Passions
    c. Abilities
    d. Personality
    e. Enneagram
    f.  Experiences

Resource Assessment  (Ammerman)
    a.  People
    b.  Money
    c.  Space
    d.  Reputation
    e.  Spiritual Energies
    f.   Connections in Community
    g.  History

Process Assessment (Ammerman)
    a. Leadership
    b. Decision-making
    c. Problem-solving
    d. Conflict-management

The Theology of the Church
The Essence of the Church
The Metaphors of the Church
The Functions of the Church
The Marks of the Church
The Multiplication of the Church
The Definition of Success for the Church

CONTINUUM'S TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A MODEL
Solid/Liquid   (Structure and Change)
Hierarchy/Charisms   (Leadership)
Programmer/Environmentalist   (Leadership)
Center/Margins   (Leadership)
Vertical/Networked   (Communication)
Attractional/Incarnational   (Evangelism) 
Relevant/Resistant   (Culture) - HT Jason 
Anti-Pop Culture/Engaging Pop Culture   (Culture)
Formal [Attendance]/Informal [Relationships]   (Community)
Bounded Set/Centered Set   (Membership)
Monocultural/Multicultural   (Community)
Internal/External   (Focus)
Past/Future   (Orientation)

Would you add or take away one of these continuum's?

LEADING CONTEMPORARY ECCLESIOLOGIST (My overview of Kärkkäinen, Veli-Matti work)
John Zizioulas an Eastern Orthodox bishop with a communion ecclesiology.  The Eucharist is the foundational act of the church.   The church is “instituted by Christ and constituted by the Spirit”

Hans Küng a catholic with a charismatic ecclesiology sees the church as the people of God, on a pilgrimage.  He favors a charismatic structure where each person is gifted to edify, serve and unify the body of Christ.

Wolfhart Pannenberg a Lutheran with a universal ecclesiology sees the church as anticipation “and a sign of the unity of all people under one God."  The church is a sign and tool of the coming kingdom for all humanity.

Jürgen Moltmann with a messianic, eschatological, charismatic, trinitarian ecclesiology views the church as a communion of equals that exists for the world.  He advocates a broader view of the Spirits work, in all of creation. 

Miroslav Volf a free church theologian with a trinitarian, participatory ecclesiology. He has an emphasis on the priesthood of all believers and sees the sacraments as necessary, but ordained ministers helpful but unnecessary.

James McClendon Jr. a Baptist theologian calls the church a narrative community that is future oriented, gift-created and a people of peoples.  He emphasizes the rule of God, centrality of Christ and the fellowship of the Spirit.

Lesslie Newbigin an Anglican with a missionary ecclesiology emphasizes the visible witness of the church - bearing and witnessing the truth.  The embodiment of the good news in the church and the missio Dei reflected in the Trinity are key.

MODELS TO EVALUATE
Missional Church
Emerging Church
Simple Church
Organic Church
New Monasticism  - HT Jason
Liquid Church
House Church
Liturgical Church
Neighborhood Church
Multi-site Church
Clusters - Mid-sized Missional Communities
Purpose-driven Church
Seeker-sensitive Church
Mega Church

I realize that some of these overlap but what would you add to this list? 

I would appreciate any feedback that you might have.  I realize that this post will probably only make sense to some people.  If it doesn't make any sense to you, don't worry.  Tomorrow is another day.

A Celtic Prayer - Remember the Poor

  My Friends in Kenya 
  Originally uploaded by dream awakener

REMEMBERING THE POOR

Remember the poor when you look out on fields you own, on your plump cows grazing.

Remember the poor when you look into your barn, at the abundance of your harvest.

Remember the poor when you eat fine meat and drink fine ale, at your fine carved table.

The cows have grass to eat, the rabbits have borrows for shelter, the birds have warm nests.

But the poor have no food except what you feed them, no shelter except your house when you welcome them, no warmth except your glowing fire.

From Celtic Prayers by Robert Van De Weyer

Why Church Matters by Jonathan Wilson - A Literary Review

One of the differences between a literary review and a straight up book review is that literary reviews are written to help with future research. So I am writing with the idea that this will guide me to what I want to go back and study.  There are various approaches to literary reviews, but here will be mine.

LITERARY REVIEW
I basically start with my sense of the author's thesis, followed by a general overview of the book, and then I focus on themes that are pertinent to my research. With that said, here is my review.

THESIS    
Wilson in Why Church Matters contends that a healthy ecclesiology occurs when the church becomes a participant in God’s work (by God’s grace) by engaging in the practices that witness to the kingdom.

GENERAL OVERVIEW
Wilson begins his book with an explanation of the notion of practice, as developed by Alasdair MacIntyre, and in the three sections of the book, he explains how the body of Christ best embodies these practices.  In the first section of this book, Wilson describes what he considers the foundational practice of the church – faithful worship.  In the second section, he addresses practices that he judges to be in need of renovation today – witness as kingdom words and deeds and discipleship as human flourishing.  And in section three he talks about practices that build on the foundations and renovations and form the church toward the kingdom.  These practices include baptism, the Eucharist, foot washing, confessing the creeds and suffering as the Power of the kingdom.  In describing each of these practices, Wilson helps the church to live as a faithful witness to the kingdom of God.

THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER      
One of the more beneficial chapters of this book occurs when Wilson summarizes MacIntyre’s often quoted book, After Virtue.  After MacIntyre analyzes how our culture has been shaped by the Enlightenment project, in his assessment, our culture has abandoned “most convictions about the telos (the “good,” the created purpose) of human life and human activities.  This abandonment of telos drains our actions of any real meaning and significance” (14). Wilson then describes MacIntyre’s five ways of understanding of practice, but recasts them in light of Christian tradition, which I outline in the next paragraph.  This idea of practice is what Wilson uses to build the rest of his book on.

1. Practices embody a concept of the good. Wilson understands the Christian telos to be that the church is to witness to the kingdom by being and making disciples.
2. Practices constitute a community.  In other words, “the church does not have an identity rooted in something other than its practices” (18). 
3. Practices are oriented to internal goods.  God is not to be followed for some “external” good, like material prosperity or security, rather the good is that the gospel of Christ be made known to those who have yet to hear and believe. 
4. Practices extend our conceptions of the good. The idea here is that the community of disciples’ conception of the good is transformed by its practices (20). 
5. Practices enable us to participate in the good. He veers from MacIntrye here, for MacIntrye says practices enable us to achieve the good, but Wilson points out that grace makes us participants in the good, not achievers.  Wilson then says that “Practices cannot be sustained apart from institutional structures” (22) and that “the institutions of the church are to serve the practices of the church” (23).   Practicing for Wilson is not like basketball practice, but rather like practicing medicine or practicing law. 

After fleshing out this idea of practice, he takes each of the practices aforementioned, and looks at them in light of the telos.  For example, when he talks about worship, the big question is not “Did I like it?”  But rather “Does this worship reflect God’s character and will?”  “Is it a foretaste of the coming Kingdom?”

One more note, in the appendix Wilson assesses the ecclesiology of Francis Schaeffer, Chuck Colson, Rick Warren and Brian McLaren.  He finds Rick Warren wanting. 

This Week with Henri Nouwen - Ordering Our Desires

Desire is often talked about as something we ought to overcome. Still, being is desiring: our bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our souls are full of desires. Some are unruly, turbulent, and very distracting; some make us think deep thoughts and see great visions; some teach us how to love; and some keep us searching for God. Our desire for God is the desire that should guide all other desires. Otherwise our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls become one another's enemies and our inner lives become chaotic, leading us to despair and self-destruction.

Spiritual disciplines are not ways to eradicate all our desires but ways to order them so that they can serve one another and together serve God. - Henri Nouwen

Developing a Rhythm of Life - Part 8

  Scenic* 
  Originally uploaded by imapix

We are continuing our series on developing a rhythm (rule) of life.  Debra Farrington says, "The point of a rule of life, for communities or individuals, is that life should be lived in balance, with God as the focal point. Perhaps that is what attracted me five years ago to the various rules of life. It is so easy for me to live a life that is out of balance, where work or some other aspect of my life takes over. And it is far too tempting for me to place myself at the center of my own universe. Living a rule of life helps me to keep striving for balance -- to be conscious of what I do and why -- and it reminds me to be open to God in all aspects of my daily life."

"When God is the center of our lives, when we know that we are God's beloved, we have the obligation and the great joy of sharing that treasure with others."  The Jerusalem Community Rule of Life states this very simply and beautifully: "In your heart God has excavated an immense space where he has placed a precious treasure.  From now on you have the twofold duty of receiving and giving: sharing the treasure of the kingdom you bear within you and stretching the area of your tent for those around you."

This part of our rhythm of life deals with reaching out, simplifying our needs, realizing that all we have is from God and belongs to God, and that we are to give according to what we have, and take action against injustice. Here are my rhythm of life in the area of reaching out or outward.  As you read through this, take some time to consider your rhythm of life in the outward area.

OUTWARD

• Take some time each month to consider how to live a life of simply beauty by reading as well as taking inventory of what I have and what I can give away

• Be generous with what God has given me, by giving and serving in secret as well as using my gifts and talents to help those in need by allowing air time in my schedule

• Continue to be actively involved with the Solis Foundation, growing in my understanding of Kenya and her people, micro-loans and grants and raising resources to meet the needs of those who are without

• Watch films and listen to music that inspires and provokes me to think and care more about justice issues

The last area we will look at in this series is the area of hospitality.

Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be - A Literary Review

Over the next few weeks you will probably see a number of literary reviews. One of the differences between a literary review and a straight up book review is that literary reviews are written to help with future research. So I am writing with the idea that this will guide me to what I want to go back and study.  There are various approaches to literary reviews, but here will be mine.

LITERARY REVIEW
I basically start with my sense of the author's thesis, followed by a general overview of the book, and then I focus on themes that are pertinent to my research. With that said, here is my review.

THESIS
DeYoung and Kluck in Why We're Not Emegent: By Two Guys Who Should Be contend that the Emerging Church needs to have a vision for the church that not only speaks about the kingdom of God, but also one that addresses the problems of over-tolerance and under-defined doctrines.

GENERAL OVERVIEW   
Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck team up to address the Emerging Church in specific areas with different approaches.  DeYoung approaches each of his chapters as a theologian and pastor who is concerned about what is true.  He addresses emerging church authors in areas that he has deep questions and concerns about.  His chapter titles, which are quite clever, reveal his concerns: Journey: Are the Pilgrims Still Making Progress?; Bible: Why I Love the Person and Propositions of Jesus; Doctrine: The Drama Is in the Dogma; Modernism: The Boogeyman Cometh; Jesus: Bringer of Peace, Bearer of Wrath; and Listening to All the Churches of Revelation.  Kluck gains his understanding of the emerging church through conversations, books, conferences and church visits, and then shares his opinion as if you were sitting with him at a sports bar.  DeYoung calls for some in the emerging church to repent of false doctrines and others to step up and clarify what they believe.

THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER 
I get the sense that both DeYoung and Kluck have a genuine and loving concern about what they are seeing and hearing in emerging church world. Kluck shares his perspective as a fellow traveler while DeYoung is much more forceful, speaking as a teacher who confidently confronts specific statements that have been written by emerging authors. His critique is more severe for some than others.  If I had to list the people he critique's from those who received the most severe critique to the least it would go something like this: Spencer Burke and Barry Taylor, Peter Rollins, Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Rob Bell, Tony Jones, Erwin McManus, Dave Tomlinson, Donald Miller, Dwight Friesen and Dan Kimball.  DeYoung focuses on authors who flow in the stream of the Emerging church, whether or not they self-identify with the movement.  DeYoung had no critique for Scot McKnight, a self-identified emerging author.  In fact, he praises McKnight for critiquing those in the movement and quotes McKnight’s critique on a number of occasions.

These guys approached their critique with a loving attitude.  They are forceful on doctrines that they consider more vital, and ask for clarification where questions remain.  Many times I joined them in their critique.  At other times I felt that DeYoung would pull out a passage from someone’s writing, analyze and critique it, without understanding the nature of what was said nor the context in which it was stated.  DeYoung critiques the movement for being on a journey without wanting to arrive at a destination.  I don’t think that is accurate for a number of these authors.  I also think a number of emerging authors have sparked some much needed theological discussion that is causing us to reflect more deeply on how modernity has shaped our epistemology and in turn our hermeneutics.   

Throughout the book DeYoung de-emphasizes the epistemological affects of the cultural changes that we are undergoing.  And while he rightly points out how some overly accommodate to postmodernity or ultra-modernity, my sense is that he under-contextualizes the good news, or overly accommodates to modernity. With that said, I am glad that these guys have joined the conversation. I believe that they raise important issues that we need to continue to discuss in a spirit of love and unity.

I'd encourage you to read the book and join the conversation as well.  You can download chapter one for free.  DeYoung's description of the Emerging Church in this chapter is great.  He's a clever writer.

A Working Definition of Missional Church

  Looking for Vision... 
  Originally uploaded by J.H.C.

Alan Hirsch and I were sitting at his house talking one afternoon and the topic of the missional church came up.  He was telling me that Alan Roxborough's classic approach when someone says, "Give me a definition of missional" is "You give me a definition of the kingdom of God in one sentence and I will give you the definition of missional." I had a good laugh. 

It can be difficult to define.  With that said, let me jump in with my working definition, with the recognition that while it is difficult to define, it is important to firm up a kind of understanding of the missional church, especially at a time where it has become such common jargon. 

THE MISSIONAL CHURCH IS... the people of God living with a self-understanding that we are a sent people called to be a faithful sign, foretaste and herald of the kingdom of our missional God, a people who engage in the task of bilingual theological reflection (recognizing the grammar of the dominant culture as well as the grammar of God) so that we can better embody the good news in the context in which we find ourselves.

How would you define the missional church?

The Great Giveaway by David Fitch - A Literary Review

Over the next few weeks you will probably see a number of literary reviews. One of the differences between a literary review and a straight up book review is that literary reviews are written to help with future research. So I am writing with the idea that this will guide me to what I want to go back and study.  There are various approaches to literary reviews, but here will be mine.

LITERARY REVIEW
I basically start with my sense of the author's thesis, followed by a general overview of the book, and then I focus on themes that are pertinent to my research. With that said, here is my review.

THESIS
Fitch in The Great Giveaway contends that the evangelical church under the spell of modernity has given her various callings (functions) away; he is calling the church to be the church in our current context of postmodernity.

GENERAL OVERVIEW
Fitch works out his thesis first by redefining success and looking at the various practices of the church - Evangelism, Leadership, Worship, Preaching, Justice, Spiritual Formation and Moral Education.  He addresses how the evangelical church has given away each of these callings due to her marriage to modernity.   He makes the case that the church has structured herself out of meaningful existence. In each chapter of the book he takes one of these core callings of the church and describes how the church has given it away to  “the experts” or over to certain techniques.  He then proposes some practices for the church to engage in that are rooted in the history of church, so that the church might faithfully live out her calling again, in our postmodern context.

THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER
Fitch takes the first chapter to redefine success.  He makes the point that the American business culture and individualism has caused the church to be concerned about numbers and size, but the real question should be: “What kind of organization facilitates the inner workings of a local body of Christ that are necessary to properly nurture new believers into followers of Christ and participants in his salvation through the body of Christ?”(38) I found Fitch’s diagnosis of the church brilliant.  For the sake of memory, I want to (a) list out each practice he evaluates, (b) describe how the church practiced it in modernity and (c) summarize Fitch’s advice on how the church can reclaim that approach by a different set of practices that are true to the scriptures and our current context of ministry.  As a note of caution, this outline does not do justice to the rich insights that Fitch gives us in each chapter.  Nor does this chart list all of the advice he gives for each practice.  For example, in the practice of evangelism, Fitch talks about the practice of hospitality, prayer, mercy, justice, third space ministry and other things.  This chart I developed gives a simple look at how the evangelical church thought about this practice under the spell of modernity, and how she ought to think about this practice in postmodern times.  (Click  to make larger.)

The explanations and detailed understanding of what Fitch has written is worth reading again and again.  I highly recommend this thoughtful book.

Virginia Tech: Remembering the Massacre One Year Later

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Virginia Tech Massacre.  To remember this horrible event I will be wearing maroon, orange and white. This tragedy hit my heart deeply because the first church that God had me plant was [nlcf] at Virginia Tech.  I spent over thirteen years of my life on this campus.  I just "so happened" to be in Washington D.C. when I heard the news, so my friend Chris Backert and I drove down that Monday night, to be there for the students.

While I was there that week I made a series of posts to to share what was going on in my heart and what I was seeing first hand.  As a way to remember this tragedy, I have put together a collection of the posts that I had posted a year ago.  If you click through on anything, take a moment to listen to the song Forever Changed and the slide show that I link to under  Virginia Tech: A Journey Toward Healing.  After my posts, I have three other important links to help us remember.

Forever Changed
Here is a link to a band called The Season.  This band has two graduates of Virginia Tech in it - Kurtis Parks and Josh Kim, who were members of the worship band at the church I founded.  They saw this time as a way to use their gifts and wrote a song entitled Forever Changed.  Take a moment to listen to the song, as a way to remember.

From Virginia Tech: The In-between Day
Having just arrived in Blacksburg, I gave an update on what was happening as well as shared some thoughts about a day that didn't make the Christian Calendar, the day in-between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  On Good Friday we see the reality of evil, when God took all of the evil upon Himself and in return gave a blessing.  Then there is Easter that speaks of the hope of a whole new world.  We live on Saturday, this in-between time.

From Virginia Tech: The Ministry of Presence
This is another person update with some thoughts on one of the best ways we can help people during tragedies - a ministry of presence.

From Virginia Tech: Prayer and Ministry
I shared some of my experiences at the campus-wide prayer meeting.

From Virginia Tech: The One Thing We Need
I share my heartfelt words to all affected by this tragedy.

Virginia Tech: A Journey Toward Healing
I put the photo's that I took at Va Tech in a slide show with some music.  A journey of the healing events that took place on the campus in the aftermath of the tragedy. This is a must watch to remember.

Remembering Virginia Tech - One Year Later
This is an honest post written by Eugene E. Cho today, reflecting on why this tragedy means so much to his life as a Korean.

When Answers Aren't Enough: Experiencing God as Good When Life Isn't
This is a book by my friend Matt Rodgers.  He is one of the current pastors of the [nlcf].  This book just came out at the beginning of this month, it's about the Virginia Tech Massacre.  Philip Yancey writes about this book, "Tempered by tragedy, Matt Rodgers explores both doubt and hope, and emerges with compassionate wisdom."  It might be a good read for you as a way to remember.

A Day of Remembrance
This is the site at Virginia Tech that shares the names of each of the Hokies that were victims, along with events that are taking place to remember.

Invisible Children Roadies This Saturday at Artist @ the Fountain

This Saturday, April 19th at 7:30 p.m.  Artist @ the Fountain presents a screening of Black is for Sunday.  There is no cover.
 

A four person road crew from Invisible Children will be hosting this event.  They will be giving updates on what is happening with Invisible Children as well as showing the film. If you are in the LA area and want to come to this film screening, the Fountain Room is located at 4903 Fountain Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90029.

ABOUT "BLACK IS FOR SUNDAY"
Invisible Children's filmmaker Bobby Bailey went back to northern Uganda in March 2007 to spend 10 days living among and like the people displaced for 10 years in one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time.  His adventure took him to the heart of the longest running war in Africa and into the life of a child that would change his life forever.

In this film, you will meet Sunday.  Only 15 years old, there isn't a part of his life that hasn't been affected by the war.  Orphaned at a young age, he lives in a displacement camp and struggles to survive amid the affects of poverty, disease, and malnutrition.  Having no family left to depend on, he must try to provide for himself.

But without enough time to work and go to class, Sunday can't make the money needed to pay his fees and is asked to leave school.  The war that has already taken so much from him now threatens to take the most valuable thing he has left: a future.

Come check out the scre