Liminality and all that jazz...

Liminality does sound to me like something to do with the speed limit in a car. Maybe liminality is the speed at which you trigger speed cameras..If you want a better definition check out this article in resonate which describes it as "a place inbetween". Right now I do feel like I'm in an inbetween place and I don't want to stay here for that long, I have a nagging feeling that there are deeper, richer more real expressions of church and faith out there but they're still to be discovered.

I've enjoyed a recent dialogue with a new blog contact and one of his questions keeps coming back to me, he asked "I wonder how many other young\ish Christians there are who feel torn in some way between their roots in evangelical\charismatic churches & convictions but also need to question, try things out, make excursions, and are all too aware of the growing gulf between the church and the growing number of spiritual seekers who are turning elsewhere to meet their need."

It's a great question because I hope that there is a stirring taking place on a scale much bigger than any of us have imagined, rather than a few who talk a good talk.

I want to see more of the transformational power of the gospel working in the lives of individuals and their communities, I don't want to stay in an inbetween place.

Positive Influences

Having been away for a month, I've just spent some time trawling through some blogs. I'm really impressed with all of you guys who can put stuff out there on a regular basis, I've realised that just as I could never crack writing a regular diary/journal I'm never going to get too regular when it comes to blogging. (Apologies to the 14 of you who do subscribe through bloglines). I'm also concerned that I could waste a lot of time reading other people's blogs because they are fascinating and often very informative.

Thanks Andrew Jones for the link to Doug Pagitt's thoughts about emerging churches which are particularly positive in the face of some of the underlying tensions and criticisms towards the "emerging church". The last year has been interestingas I've had to deal with some misunderstanding about some of the "emerging church" things with which I was involved, as well as pray with and envision a group of people in their twenties and early thirties who want to plant a church. Most of them are not too interested in the debate they just want to get on and make a difference. It was good to read Doug's thoughts, because they certainly reflect our heart. Over the next month we're going to have some key times thinking and praying about what we should actually do, it's exciting but also a little frightening as we do won't to come up with good ideas, we want to be truly inspired. I'll let you know what we come up with...

A Slightly More Serious Post

Below is the frivolous picture and a few more can be seen if you click on the montage at the side (they are a taster if you're really interested let me know I'll send you all 500). We had an amazing time in Canada it was a wonderful month of beautiful scenery, lots of swimming in lakes and rivers, loads of barbecues and marshmallow roasting, great camping and the adrenaline highlight was definitely the white water rafting!

Now back to reality our eldest son started secondary/high school today - what a shocker how did I get old enough to have a kid at secondary school. I still feel the same as when I was 18, I don't think I look that different either maybe a bit greyer come to think of it. Well he was less traumatised than we were, so far so good he liked his teachers and made some new mates, although I think he'd be quite happy if he didn't have to go tomorrow.

While we were away the church plant team had loads of dreams and visions, I'm just trying to catch up now and am excited about the next couple of months as we start to work towards making some of the dreams reality. I have no doubt it is going to be hard work, but they are a great bunch of people and we're going to have some fun along the way.

It really was back to reality when within minutes of getting back to church I was asked to take the funeral of a young mother from the morning congregation. Tomorrow is Sandra's funeral please pray for her husband Ali and their family as they come to terms with their loss. Their faith at this really horrendous time has been staggering, and in their grief they do have incredible hope for the future and trust in God. It does put quite a lot of theorising into perspective...

A Church I Visited

A Great Church
Originally uploaded by Kirbs.

OK so it was a great holiday and this vineyard made me laugh big time, situated right next to the lake in one of many beautiful parts of British Columbia. The story of the name can be found at www.blastedchurch.com They sold a nice merlot as well. Although I wasn't too impressed when I told them I was a priest and they said I looked quite like the bloke in their cartoons!