Its moments like this that I'm sure Rhett Snell still wishes he had a blog! Because he is more qualified to express wisdom and sound musical critique than I. He may well comment! But meantime for your viewing pleasure, the "Sonseeds" (courtesy of Imagine That [Rachel Nigro])
How could something so wrong be so wrong.
Fascinating post here from Scot McKnight following on from the anonymous jerk who posted on Out Of Ur (what really was his intent?) All about the Emerging Church continuing to define itself midst the great diversity of this 'movement'. Sounds interesting and if it helps focus EC evangelism then all good. EC is well positioned for evangelism it seems to me.
We've been having fun with our current series Hydroponic Christianity - looking at the book of Acts and the growth of the church. One fun feature (apart from the highly entertaining Troy Manure's "Dig This") has been the Kiwi Psalms. A good idea to use Chris Grantham's Kiwi Bible, became a great idea when we discovered there weren't that many Psalms in his new authoritative translation. So we started writing them ourselves. First up, was Rhett Snell, former blogger, currently having an extended period of RL existence - a champion effort which makes the blogging world's loss easier to bear (actually someone recently commented how much more time they have since Rhett paused in his blogging...) Here is his masterful Psalm 130:
When I’m not feeling that flash I call out to you, God
God, hear my voice
Listen up and help me out
I’m having a whinge; but I need your help!
If you, God, kept a record of my stuff-ups
I’d be up the creek without a paddle
But with you there is forgiveness
And so I respect you heaps
I hang out for God, I’d spend yonks waiting for him
His words are straight-up, aye (not like Winston)
Like I said, I hang out for God, I’d spend yonks waiting for him
More than Waikato waits for a quarter-final
More than Aucklanders wait in traffic
So, Israel, trust this God, eh?
He doesn’t pack a sad; he always loves us and that’s choice
With him there’s redemption; the full deal!
He’s gonna sort out Israel
And redeem them from all their stuff-ups.
This was followed up by Sarah Snell with her up-to-the-minute rendition of Psalm 47 - you can read her version here . Someone asked me whether I liked them and I said, "Yeah, No, It's pretty choice I reckon."
This week we're doing Psalm 89 and the quest is on for someone to write an excellent Kiwi paraphrase? Will it be you? If you want to have a go then email me bj@cession.org.nz - we aren't looking for the whole thing but key verses include - 1-8, 46-48...
Alright so I will happily admit I am biased, but my boy IS smart.
Last time he went to Plunket (he was 2ish) the Plunket Nurse tested his knowledge of shapes. "Oh yes he knows his shapes," says Kristen. So the nurse holds up a circle. "O" says Rhys. "I guess he doesn't know what a circle is," says the nurse who must have got her qualification in a cereal packet. "He told you it was an O," says Kristen. She gets the distinct impression that she is not believed.
So yesterday I take the boy off for an eye test again at Plunket. They give him a set of letters and the plan is that he looks at the letter on the test and then matches it to the one on the set of letters he is holding. So the nurse holds up the test. "Hmmm, an O" says Rhys as he matches it to the sheet. Next one. "I can't find the H", he says, "Oh there it is." From there the sheet is forgotten and he shouts out every letter. The nurses are visibly impressed - he is fast and accurate...and having a lot of fun.
So, then its time for the other eye. She holds up the "O". "We've already done the O", says Rhys, with just a faint disdain in his tone (not sure where he gets that from). Awesome. He nearly doesn't make it to the end of the test, as he is thoroughly bored by having to rattle off the same set of letters. "We don't see them again after 3 and 1/2 unless there are issues," says the nurse, "But he seems ready for school now." Pride from the Dad suffuses the room.
But I think he's ready for University actually. This morning he asked:
"Where did I come from?" I was a little worried at first - was I supposed to give the sex talk to the 3 year old? I was hoping to avoid that for a few more years. I found a more age appropriate answer. And then the next question:
"Why did you have Raegan?" His mother came up with the best answer: "Because we had so much fun with you, we thought we needed two!"
He pauses. "We need three," he says, "I need a brother as well."
Hilarious.
Is there a climate of discrimination in New Zealand as it relates to churches and church organisations playing their part in society?
Last week I heard a very respected lecturer describe a sustained assault on Christianity through misinformed, biased courses of study at Auckland University across a range of disciplines. I've heard accounts from students that back this view up.
I'm aware that a church group which operates in Auckland was recently savaged by an elected community official in a public forum, describing the operate of that church's social services through a community trust as "very Winston Peters". The gentleman is either misinformed about the widespread use of community trusts to deliver social services or he is malevolently inclined towards church organisations.
The Flat Bush area in the eastern suburbs of Auckland has no provision in its district plan for churches. It may be the first community of its kind: no churches. Some will say good job and maybe that proves the point.
Does the climate exist or am I imagining things? Cos the way I see it, misguided or not in their belief in a supreme being, many churches are holding the social fabric of the country together.
