The Aftermath - Poets, Prophets and Preachers

This was a very enjoyable Preaching Conference and quite timely for me. Throughout I was very grateful for the excellent grounding I was fortunate to have in this discipline, initially by osmosis from Melissa and subsequently from Paul Windsor direct. If you want to check out the live blog you can here. I am not going to summarise the content; I will simply note some of the things that stuck out for me.

Rob Bell

Bell was superb throughout. He is an excellent communicator live. Uses his body as well as his voice, all without a note in sight (uses powerpoint though). I've often wondered whether it is possible to learn from him because he is just so good - a natural if you like. But he did a great job of breaking down his approach including using previous sessions he had done as examples of his process. It not only reinforced the content but you got drawn into the process as much as the preaching. Some great moments for me:

• The idea of sub-version - the telling of stories that provoke and arrest


• The reinforcement of the importance of the metanarrative and the selection of beginning and end - does the story start in Genesis 1&2 or Genesis 3? A key choice to be made which affects the whole world view of the preacher and pastor


• Building on the beginning of Genesis 1/2 and the ending in Revelation 21 "If you were to remove sin from the Bible, you'd have a pamphlet" - priceless


• Drawing from Genesis, sin can be boiled down to (a) saying to God, "excuse me you're in my seat" or (b) looking to Creation for our wellbeing - elegant


• On heaven coming to earth, "I get concerned that there will be folks who are going up somewhere while God is coming down and they'll miss each other! And it will be like, 'But I read it in the novel'"


• The sermon is the continuing insistence concerning this larger story


• Texts are often built around moments, movements or mystery - knowing which one can help


• Everything in a sermon is related to every other part - name and know the parts


• No rules other than knowing what you're doing


• Tension is your friend - just know how your friend behaves!


• Sermons that help people to find themselves will be focused and yet open, said and yet unsaid, defining and yet imagining, resolute and yet unresolved


• Inviting people into a cathedral of words


• The sermon is always about what it means to be fully human (rather than fully Christian...)


• The chocolate covered turd - death by papercuts - the vulnerability of the preacher


• Your identity cannot be tied up in how you are received

Rob Bell was impressive throughout with his preparedness to be personally transparent and you sensed his pastoral heart for other pastors. They had counsellors available for anyone who needed to unload any burdens they were carrying in pastoral ministry. Nice thought. This was a conference unlike any other. You felt like you were being treated as a person and not just a student.

Peter Rollins

There is no way to describe this man. He was a force of nature. Maybe it was the Irish accent or the way he scattered his written notes all over the stage while delivering a message on how we should think of knowledge within the Christian worldview (beautifully done). He came across as all over the place, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Brain the size of a planet tied to a heart of real compassion. There is an interview online here which captures the heart of what he was on about. My responses:

• IKON's answer to "Alpha": OMEGA - How to exit Christianity Course (the toxic versions)


• Evangelism group - goes to other religions and asks them to evangelise the group (makes sense if you think about it...)


• Atheism For Lent - will only read the best critics of Christianity for Lent to be transformed by what they might say about (counterfeit) Christianity



• Transformance Art - rupture, provocation, transformation eg. One time they organised people to picket their own gathering - people experienced a sense of mockery and alienation as they entered - some even joined the protestors!


• When he discovered someone was writing a tract against him, he contacted the guy and met with him to help him write it!


• Structures and ministers can do your believing for you - like canned laughter is not there to tell you when to laugh, its to laugh for you...


• Transformation of the social self rather than the "head" self [he used a different term which I missed]


• A failure to engage real transformation leads to the ironic gestures of an anemic Christianity - people who give money to the poor, but make no effort to address those parts of their lives that contribute to poverty, people sitting around Starbucks drinking coffee and talking about the evils of global corporations


• The church needs to find the real site of resistance


• Religious experience is not an experience - God is not an object to be experienced - he is the lense through which we truly experience


• IKON is an equal offence community! We offend everyone to offend no one - I want to offend myself, to rupture myself


• Preaching is not giving water, but giving salt to make people thirsty - preaching is not the bread but the aroma of bread, so that people become hungry


• Christianity as violence - consider Mother Theresa whose pacifism ruptured the caste system - key = violence against systems not people


• God as trauma - God as excess - conversion is radical - the infinite coming into the finite


• Jesus is not a painter, he's an optician


• People's Gods like their dogs, look like them


• God is not the patch on our wound, he is the wound on which we try to stick our patches


• Jacob demands to know God's name while he wrestles and God renames him - God names


• God so loved the world he forsook heaven, he emptied himself - this is our path

I don't know how to explain my response to these sessions, other than to say, they ruptured me and I was left with a longing like never before for life with God.

He received a standing ovation at the end.

This was an excellent Conference. A really worthwhile investment of time with some good people who I got to know better as well. People from all walks of life. Mainstream contemporary alongside vibrant emerging. Lots of grassroots ministry going on around the place. A great feel to the whole event. 5 stars.

Poets, Prophets and Preachers

Tonight is the opening of Poets, Prophets and Preachers: Reclaiming the Art of the Sermon in Grand Rapids, Michigan and I am going! Its a rare treat to be able to sit in a Conference setting for a couple of days. I'll be very interested to compare what there is to learn to the Kiwi-Made Preaching Conference that I was at earlier this year which was just outstanding for Kiwi preachers.

The keynote is Rob Bell and some of his topics look to be quite compelling:

Rob Bell – The Original Guerilla Theatre
throwing ourselves into this ancient, sacred art form with the absurd, naive, antiquated belief that the world needs inspiring, provocative, comforting, dangerous, healing, great sermons now more than ever

Rob Bell – The Story We're Telling
sin, salvation, business, art, justice and the importance of beginning in the beginning

Rob Bell – The Fig Tree and the Failure of Language
moment, movement, mystery, and the science of homiletical architecture (alternate title: why some sermons work and others don't)

Rob Bell – Fumbling Around with Your Radar
tools, questions, approaches, and everyday 5 minute disciplines that have helped me understand where sermons come from

Rob Bell – The One Thing I've Never Heard Someone Talk About That Has Changed Everything for Me

He's teaming up with Peter Rollins and Shane Hipps.

Peter Rollins is an emerging church Irish guy who is the coordinator of Ikon. Interested in the artsy angles here. Shane Hipps is pastor of Trinity Mennonite Church, an urban, Anabaptist congregation. He just wrote a book Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith - so I'm assuming this will flavour his stuff along the lines of the medium is the message.

Should be a blast and I will blog as I go!

Poop Patrol

Last night I went to work with the CIA. It was a follow up to my mission with them in December 07 This time I was really going to be up to my neck in it.

The plan? To infiltrate 9 Portaloos aka Portajohns into the Lansing Mall carpark aka parking lot. The reason? To provide spy platforms for the impending 4th of July fireworks display attended by thousands of locals.

The aptly named Ameri-cans had been delivered earlier. Our task was to turn them into counter espionage fortresses. There was all the usual - toilet paper, hand sanitiser - but we added the WMD - weapons of massive diversion - propaganda signs that said it all:

• This moment of relief has been brought to you by your friends at Lansing Faith


• The seats are much more comfortable at Lansing Faith


• You think you feel better now; imagine how much better you'll feel when you meet Jesus


• Sometimes life stinks; we're trying our best to make it better

To make sure the message got through we handed out 2000 bugs disguised as glo-sticks. Each glo stick was bugged with a lanyard branded with the Lansing Faith's website. They snapped them up.

The lines were long as person after person responded to the honey trap. Oh sweet relief.

The night finished around midnight as we returned the WMD (weapons of mass defecation) to their original status ready for pickup by the contractor. A job well done.

On the Run

It is a different world here in the US. I noticed a billboard while driving to Traverse City this week:

"Michigan's toughest job. Support Michigan Department of Corrections."

Complete with knuckleduster and switchblade illustrations. There's a PR campaign right there. Leaves the NZ Police "Get Better Work Stories" line in the dust. I wasn't sure of the point of it. Was it a joke?

Then later in the trip we're driving down a wooded back road area and there's another sign:

"Do not pick up hitchhikers: Prison Area".

Now, there's a sign to fill you with confidence and generate flashbacks of any number of B grade movies.

Apparently the Governor of Michigan has proposed a scheme designed to prop up the prison system in Michigan - there have been a number of closures. Now normally this would be a good thing right, getting the prison population down? But apparently, the economic issues are not so clear and I guess its jobs for some people. So the new scheme is to ship them in from California where they have too many criminals it seems. Arnie seems keen and added, "Now, none of dis 'I'll be back' crap OK?"

Won't be long until they rename it Australia.

On the Road

So today we head away for Traverse City, Michigan - the home of Kristen's Aunt and brother. Rhys and Raegan will enjoy seeing their Christmas cousins again - they have already become great friends in just a short time. We'll also check out Chris' new church - The Journey - and join them in house hunting escapades.

So you can follow where we are at, here is where Michigan is in red:

We are situated in Lansing and heading to Traverse City. We arrived in Detroit by plane. So you can see the various places - I will be at a Rob Bell Conference next week in Grand Rapids which is also where Kristen and I got married! For those that care, I have internet and am receiving email but can't get it to send - so am getting what you send but haven't been able to reply just yet.

Made It!

So we made it...just...I think its a bit like childbirth...everyone hates it, but a couple of years goes by and all you can think of is how cute it would be to have a little newborn.

The LA leg was OK. At some point, kids all slept - rare that all three slept at the same time. Beginnings and endings of flights were the worst bits for the kids - waiting on the tarmac...

Managed to watch "Watchmen" which was a dark, violent experience made more manic by the constant use of the Pause button while I attended to one of the kids...Qantas did a pretty good job of the food and stuff for the kids.

Going direct to Detroit was a good call, but it was the longest 4 hours of my life with Ryleigh unsettled and Raegan wanting her Momma. Trying to keep Rae entertained involved every parental trick available.

I hadn't been feeling that well since LA. Just a low level nausea. Maybe dehydrated? Anyways the turbulence on the descent into Detroit almost caused an emergency evacuation! Every shred of willpower went into not barfing! Not so lucky on the car trip from Detroit to Lansing. Fortunately, a gift bag and rest area ensured the car stayed clean...

So then we have to deal with these hyped up, over tired kids who are having a party with their cousins with me getting the chills. An interesting night of which Kristen took the brunt. What a good mother :) Eventually, sleep arrived for all.

So here we are in a house filled with kids, and more family expected as the day goes on. Nice.

Dear Graham

I am leaving the country for the start of the Tri-nations and wanted to give you my team before you go. These last 3 weeks have been a bit frustrating as players have been out with injury, but I hope you have learned something from it. There are some players who haven't made the grade and others who need to stay ahead of returning "incumbents". Anyways, I have organised the AB's team for you before I go, making some assumptions regarding injury. Here it is:

1. Tony Woodcock
2. Keven Mealamu
3. John Afoa
4. Brad Thorn
5. Isaac Ross
6. Jerome Kaino
7. Ritchie McCaw
8. Kieran Read
9. Brendan Leonard
10. Luke McAlister
11. Lelia Masaga
12. Ma'a Nonu
13. Isaia Toeava
14. Joe Rockocoko
15. Mils Muliaina

16. Neemia Tialata
17. Aled De Malmanche
18. Whichever no-name appeals to you this week
19. George Whitelock
20. Liam Messam
21. Piri Weepu
22. Corey Jane

I've gone for extra cover in the loosies because I think we'll need it against the Japies and Aussies. That leaves us lighter on the bench in the backs, but with Mils able to cover midfield and Piri a handy first V, you'll be OK. Its the forwards who risk getting munched in this series. You need to persevere with Toeava seeing as you set him up in the first place as a 19 year old. He's solid on defence and just needs to know you back him. Joe gets the chance for more work which he needs for top form and I liked the way he got involved on Saturday. You were wrong about Masaga - he will do just fine on attack and defence. You need to let Conrad, Stephen and Rodney down lightly. They are good guys but they don't have what it takes right now. I wish you'd given some older and wiser locks a bit more of a chance - with Ali gone now, we look real thin - so I'll let you have a go with that selection. But maybe its time for someone who might bring some impact off the bench? Jason Eaton would be my pick out of the Junior AB's - he has experience to go with mobility and attitude.

Best of luck.

AB or A "B" Team?

Shame on you Cantabs for not snapping up the AB v Italy tickets this weekend! All I hear on the radio are whinging sheep shaggers complaining about the quality of the AB team for Italy and the 7 changes being rotation. Really? I don't think so:

Williams in for Ross - the incumbent returning from injury
Afoa in for Tialata - the reserve covering an injured player (and arguably a better player)
Leonard in for Cowan - the incumbent prior to a long term injury (and a lot better player)
McAllister in for what his name? - the reserve covering an injured player and about time too...
Toeava in for Smith - the reserve covering an injured player (and arguably a better player)
Masaga in for Jane - OK so the reserve gets a shot and he's a specialist replacing a utility
Crocket in for Woodcock - OK so its rotation here...

Isn't this AB team a better team on paper? Many have argued for Afoa (a specialist tighthead) to replace Tialata (a converted loosehead). Donald is gone, please Jesus, forever...the players coming in for injured players are not too bad eh?

Grace Anatomy

So we started this new series on Sunday walking through the high points of Paul's letter to the Galatians. I've enjoyed the experience although admit to a little frustration with the whole industry of publication and speculation around some of the core concepts. Anyways, this post is not about that.

What captured me most, was the genius of grace. God is really quite perverse when it comes right down to it. He undermines those core human defaults that drive us to negotiate/mediate Him through ultimately dysfunctional lenses. I think if I'd remained an atheist I would nevertheless have retained a grudging admiration for the elegance of the properly understood Christian paradigm. A bit like Antony Flews (former atheist and now deist) has expressed admiration for NT Wright's work in describing the resurrection.

Its so counter intuitive to express this kind of view. Grace. Unmerited favour. God's elegant solution for the problem of human pride (read independence, bloodymindedness, the Fall, legalism etc etc). No Karma. No coming back as a slug.

Some of things that stuck out for me from the first chunk of Galatians:

• Paul in his zeal for persecuting the church wasn't looking for a change in job description when God showed up on the road to Damascus - underlines the initiating activity of grace


• Paul's gospel, like Jesus', was fundamentally one of inclusion - the definition of "the people of God" had changed to reflect the fullest expression of the Abrahamic covenant


• I know people like to get tangled up in whether "faith in Christ" = the "faithfulness of Christ" and its a good discussion to have in the (w)right context. But whatever the reading, I don't think there is any doubt that Christ's faithfulness is expressed through His death and resurrection. It takes just a little faith from us to believe and trust in the fact of Christ's death; it took a whole lot more faith for Jesus to go along with that...


• Abraham's faith - belief and trust in God was credited to him as righteousness - I've never wondered before what Jesus faith meant? I suppose he didn't need any extra credit.


• It doesn't really matter what the nuance of the justification picture is as to whether its "not guilty" or "innocent", the key is that we walk free. Which is the whole point of Galatians. Walk free.

Anyways, it was good to dip into this letter and I only wish I was able to be more involved in this series than my leave will allow!

Post-Bureaucratic

"Bureaucracy is the art of making the possible impossible"

There are days where I despair of ever achieving the simplest things in life. 2 years of fighting (successfully) the Auckland DHB and the Ministry of Health over $6,000 (oh and my rights as a NZ citizen] convinced me that we are the most overregulated and least sensible country on this earth.

Today this was confirmed in a myriad of small ways.

WOF#1

4 years ago a small triangular window in a rear car door was smashed by car thieves. I patched it up with duct tape and its been sweet ever since. Passed 7-8 warrants. Until today. The conversation went something like this:

"It's failed the warrant on the small window"
"Why?"
"Well, it doesn't meet the standard"
"What does the standard require?"
"That it has the approved glassmark on it"
"Well, yes, thats if it has glass in it. Why does it have to have glass?"
"Its a safety issue"
"So, whats the safety issue?"
"Well its like if your bumper is hanging off someone could catch themselves on it, so it needs to be fixed"
"But this is a window, not a bumper, whats the safety issue?"
"Its the law"
"So why did you and every other WOF place give me a warrant these past years?"
"I don't know why they would do that. Who gave you your last warrant?"
"You did"
"I'll check our records"
"So what does it say?"
"We gave you the last WOF"

At this point a former version of me offered a next sentence:

"So you have a choice: either you give me the WOF or I report you for giving me the last one."

Unfortunately the comment was censored before it got from brain to lips and I left without my warrant.

WOF #2

Hours later with car #2 now going through its paces.

"It failed the WOF"
"On what?"
"The SRS light won't go off"
"Is that a problem?"
"Its a safety issue"
"Whats the safety issue?"
"Its to do with the airbag"
"Is there something wrong with the airbag?"
"No"
"It doesn't seem to have deployed does it?"
"No"
"How much?"
"$780"
"To turn a light off?"

So we have 2 cars, no WOFs. For $780 thats 4 fines. I'm thinking of having WOF's every 6 months, failing it on the light but having everything else fixed so at least I can say, "its a safe care, but for this very dangerous light!"

IRD #1

Finally, I went to get an IRD number for Ryleigh. I carefully checked the requirements. One piece of ID from list A. One from list B. Birth Certificate and Drivers License. I even have photocopies as well. I head into the Post Shop.

"ID?"
"Here we go - Birth Certificate and Drivers License"
"You'll need a second ID for yourself?"
"Hang on, its one from List A and one from List B right?"
"Yes, sir"
"And I have one from list A and one from List B correct?"
"Yes"
"And thats whats required right?"
"You need 2 from List A."
"But it doesn't say that does it?"
"You need 2 from list A" [translation: you are right but I am being perverse today]

I left without the IRD number because like an idiot I don't carry my passport around with me in my own country.

Anyways, I settled for going home and spanking my children...oh crap, I forgot.

AB Team Named

It took me all day to find out the AB team, as I was out and about and always just missing the sports news. So here it is, alongside the differences from [my team] selected a couple of weeks back:

1. Tony Woodcock
2. Andrew Hore
3. Neemia Tialata
4. Brad Thorn
5. Isaac Ross
6. Kieran Read [Liam Messum]
7. Adam Thompson [Richie McCaw] - comes off the bench to cover McCaw's injury
8. Liam Messam - I had Liam at 6 with Kaino at 8 - with Kaino injured the excellent Read comes in at 6 and Messum shifts to 8
9. Jimmy Cowan [Piri Weepu] - my 2 halfbacks swap places
10. Stephen Donald
11. Joe Rokocoko
12. Ma’a Nonu
13. Isaia Toeava [Richard Kahui] with Kahui injured the versatile Toeva gets a chance at centre - he has international experience in this position and won't let us down - if he plays well, can he make this position his own when Smith is fit?
14. Rudi Wulf [Isaia Toeva]- comes in to cover Toeva's shift to centre but I have to say he wasn't on my bench - he does have a better kick defence than Masaga
15. Mils Muliaina (c)

16. John Afoa
17. Keven Mealamu
18. Bryn Evans [Kevin O’Neill] - the most surprised rugby player in NZ
19. Tanerau Latimer [Adam Thompson] comes onto the bench to cover Thompson moving to the starting lineup
20. Piri Weepu [Jimmy Cowan] I guess they see Piri as the impacy guy
21. Luke McAllister
22. Corey Jane [Lelia Masaga] clearly they rate Wulf ahead of Masaga, but Wulf wouldn't have made my bench as he is not an impact player - Corey Jane won't let anyone down.

Not a bad lineup really. A good blend of experience and newbies - of course any team without McCaw, Carter and Williams is not going to be there. But when you look at it - we have 4 out of our first string tight 5 with a rookie of some potential locking the scrum with his Super 14 partner. Our loosies are good players and frankly I think its a good blend of flair, solidity and bloody mindedness! Donald has stepped up this Super 14 and is head and shoulders above the other 1st V's in NZ. The rest of the backline is either first choice or experienced contenders.

For me, the points of interest are:

• How will Thompson go? I rate him (being a former loosie myself)
• Could Nonu and Toeva be the surprise package? With Nonu's strength and step with Toeva's speed and swerve - if they can get it right on defence it could be interesting
• How will McAllister go and will he replace Nonu or Donald?
  

Two Heavyweight Comebacks

It warms my heart on a cold winter's day to learn that Georgie Pie may be making a comeback! I long remember post Sunday service Georgie Pie debrief sessions discussing deep and meaningful truths...Well MacDonalds say they're interested...what will it be? MacGeorgie?

Speaking of comebacks, John Hopoate is facing former heavyweight champ Oliver McCall in a boxing bout this week. While McCall wasn't a great champion, he will surely be a test for a newcomer like Hopoate. That said, Hopoate probably has the better track record with ring work...

Arrived!

Ryleigh Jeanne Carys Jones arrived on 18 May @ 2.26am weighing 9lb 9 ounces. All well.

Rhys meets his newest little sister:

Raegan finally has someone smaller than her:

I sense trouble in the future:

Still Waiting

My wife woke me at 6.15am this morning and said, "Shall we have this baby today?" Contractions seemed to be progressing and it looked like we'd have another 17th of the month baby. Many hours later, we're still waiting. Maybe tonight/tomorrow. Frustrating. Still with Raegan keeping me awake till 3.15am and work all covered today, I was able to sleep in anticipation of a long night tonight.

Iron Man

For most of this year I have had a nagging feeling that this year will be a year of transition. Not just because a 3rd child will join us. Nor because there are obvious and "immediate" changes afoot at cessioncommunity. But more that there is a new season coming and that somehow involves a change for me. I am slowly grasping the implications of these changes and the imperatives for this new season. I am kind of amazed at what I'm discovering in me - not so much "me" per se, but more that God might be into some audacious things that I have not given myself permission to speak aloud.

Which is not really the point of this post! The point is this:

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17)

I am finding this to be a very true principle for me in the process. And even in the past week there's been an acceleration. For some months now I've been processing this unease with my ministerial supervisor which has been good. Also talking about some things at cession that seem key to me with original cession collaborator Melissa. This overflowed in a conversation with a new friend more recently. Then this past week a random conversation with someone who I had kinda assumed was "just passing through" my life really lit something up in me. There was another conversation with another person that got me answering some questions I was asked - it got me speaking out loud some of these things gestating in me. I read this post and recognised the raw hunger for knowing God's purposes that was flowing in me. Then yet another conversation this morning with a very wise and learned friend stimulated me to start putting some stuff down on paper.

I'm sure I'm still duller than I need to be. But sharper for the voices that speak life into me.