Invitation to a Journey
A good friend of mine asked me to blog about some of the highlights of a conference I recently attended and how these BIG ideas interface with our denominational context, the Brethren Church, and the life of the community of faith with whom I journey. So, I shall start my rambling and see where the Spirit takes me, the writer, and you, the reader.
My hope over the next couple weeks is to invite you onto a journey with me. Though you could not attend the conference with me, unless you’re Wende Lance or Doug Cooper, I hope that you can glean some beneficial thoughts from the big ideas that I hope to share over the next couple weeks.
Here is my line-up for the next couple weeks:
Blog 1 – Alan Hirsch – “Post-Christendom Mission”
Blog 2 – David Goetz – “Suburban Addictions”
Blog 3 – Andy Crouch – “Power, Privilege and Risk”
Blog 4 – Shane Hipps – “The Spirituality of the Cell Phone”
Blog 5 – Gregory Berns – “Iconoclast Thinking”
Blog 6 – Tim Keel – “The Gospel Revisited”
Blog 7 – Ted & Gayle Haggard – “People of a Second Chance”
Blog 8 – Chris Seay – “The Irony of Church Marketing”
Blog 9 – Gabe Lyons – “Being Countercultural”
Blog 10 – Rick McKinley – “Culture Shaping”
It is not my attempt to tell you every detail of their presentation but rather to type out the thought processes that are running through my little brain. Basically, whenever I hear a great idea it goes through a series of thought levels a little something like this:
First Level: Oh my, that is an amazing idea! This person is brilliant!
Second Level: Who does this person sound like? How is this confirming?
Third Level: [Just being honest!] Man, I wish I could think like that person and have those unique perspectives.
Fourth Level: Get over yourself, start thinking about how this idea will influence your context.
Fifth Level: [Imagination kicks in] What does this idea look like lived out in Ashland, OH [my context]?
Sixth Level: Who can I talk to about this? Who will be receptive?
Seventh Level: [Kick-in excitement] I cannot wait to bring this back to Ashland!
Eighth Level: Say something really sarcastic to Doug Cooper and get his response.
There, you have my process of thinking. No wonder I remain so tired. Keep checking back for the blog posts to begin appearing. I invite you on this journey with me and I look forward to the conversation!
Tags:
As one of my responses to Jason on the Eighth Level, I had to apologize to him for the 400 years of silence between Malachi’s time and Jesus appearance.
How can u work with that guy?!