Thursday 27 August 2009

take every thought

'take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ'

From my evangelical background I have always read that in the richness of a devotional tradition that taught me to use this to banish the sinful desires of the flesh. It's a great hook to meditate on when temptation strikes and you need the spirit to bring the focus onto what is good and true and noble etc.

I am thinking now though that there is more to it. Who usually keeps our thoughts and mindset 'captive'. Perhaps it is also a reference to the powerful imperial theology of Rome the was so ubiquitous for these early Christ followers. How easy to forsake 'the way' and be led like a captive in the victory parade of another ideology....for me now as I am captivated by the idea that my value is bound to my consumption, that my own freedom to choose / consume is just and my right, when really it is paid for by the sweat and blood of another.

Its seems now that this is not just about my own 'thoughtlife' (especially the sexual) ie separate from my actions in society but about my mindset in engaging the whole world and the systems of domination that surround us.

So then, I pray the thoughts of my heart may be brought captive, may follow the train and walk to the beat of the liberating love and life of Christ, and enable me to follow the way of transformation, for me and for the world.

Wednesday 26 August 2009

selling...buying?


You may be selling but I ain't buying
You make out it's true but I know your lying
What good it stuff when your crying
What good is consumption when the world is dying
I don't know if I can live up to this
but I'am up for trying

I am mostly thinking...and you?

Apologies for posting being so infrequent.

At the moment I am most thinking....

Guilt / retributive Justice is not transformational, Grace and distributive Justice is. Not just at systemic level but personal level - walking 'in Christ' in the spirit' is transformational in every 'now'.

How to interpret the poss pseudo Paul bits on the NT where we encounter not the radical Paul but the conservative and anti Paul's

About the wonderful possibility of being 'Called Again' by God in a desert/post-critical place

Revisiting Hosea teaching I did a few years ago and poss sharing it at new Church to inform need to 'green' our big list maintenance work

I am mostly reading/sucking up podcasts on bizarre array! -

John Stott, Process Theology, Bent down Jesus, Paul Riccour, Alan Jamieson, Rita Brock on prostitution (gee arn't I the proud/sad pomo eclectic), Fresh Expressions in Sacramental tradition

Also digging the Israeli funk of The Apples (inc their sweeeet cover of 'Killing in the name of') who are playing...

Greenbelt - really looking foreword to it and catching up with folk over beer & hymns. Also won't miss hasidicish magic of UK's finest, as feat here in 2007 Dan le Sac & Scroobius Pip

Whats going on for you?

Maybe see you at GB

Tuesday 4 August 2009

Rediscover Bible in Community

Check out great interview with Tim Conder on Homebrewed Christianity about 'Rediscovering the Bible in Community' and some stories from his church.
Felt big echo of my own dream of church - an open and authentic, contemplative and sacramental community of grace and peace in action.
Love the stuff around on:
Place of christ/spirit/text in community (u know we love respecting the text (God of) round here)
Provisional humility and providing space for faith not control to coerce
Church as transformative organism

Shape and form of Emmaus Way similar to lots of my experience but also combines open ethos, self aware deep church and human diversity and sacramental patterning of life - all of which are kids I would chose to hang with (tooooo.....many.....y...ank....podcasts..lea....ding to 'impiremergant' hegemony....and....use ...of...strreee...t...talk!)

So hey, big up Tripp and Chad (must get us deconsied soon) for continued interstellar blue snowball goodness (just listen a bit) and peace to Emmaus Way. Go buy the book - the angels of amazon are winging mine to me as I type (click book above for link).

Shalom