Neil Cole writes ::
We must transition from seeing church as a once-a-week worship event to an ongoing spiritual family on mission together. Then people will see church as something worth giving your life for. Honestly, people need one another more then they need another inspiring message. You would be surprised what people will do for Jesus, or for a brother or sister, that they will not do for a vision statement and a capital giving campaign.
(HT @emergentvillage)
Yup, that’s it. My month long challenge of writing a novel has come to an end – a full day early. M$ Word says I finished with a 50,737 word count. Nanowrimo says I finished with an official 50,849 word count and Google Docs says I finished with a 51,716 word count.
I’ll be honest, I like Google’s number better, but Nanowrimo is the official score, so I’ll stick with that for now.
At times it was much harder than I imagined (aka writers block) but at other times it was as if the words just jumped off pages. It was an enjoyable process none the less and depending on how the editing process goes, I may just do a followup next year – we’ll just see if Laurie lets me :-).
As for now, I’m putting my writing on hold and plan to spend the month of December catching up on sleep and enjoying some books I’ve been putting off.
Jan 2, 2009 I plan to start the horrible process of editing the book and then we’ll go from there. I’m looking to self-publish the book either with Lulu or CreateSpace and depending on the editing process, I’d love to have it ready to go by March? We’ll see how it goes.
(BTW if you’re glutton for punishment – I might be looking for some copy editors in 2009 :-))
I’ll end this post with another passage from the book. I haven’t decided if I absolutely love it, or if I’m scared of it yet (that probably makes no sense to anyone else) ::
“You know, I realize this week has been rough for various folks in our group,†Matt began. “But as I was reading this weekend and then talking with Julie about politics and other random malarkey, I began to think how different the Kingdom of God is, compared to the kingdom of man. It’s this upside down, twisted kingdom that I don’t know if we’ll ever really wrap our minds around.â€
Jimmy looked up from his plate and listened carefully as Matt continued.
“I hope that no matter what happens politically, no matter what happens in the world around us, it can be said that I serve the king of an upside down kingdom. A kingdom where the meek shall inherit the earth, where those who morn are comforted, where the last are first, where the oppressed shall be freed. Where rather than appearing in a palace to lead his kingdom with a sword, my king came and appeared in a lowly manager — surrounded by animals.â€
Matt continued strumming his guitar as Julie opened a Bible and began reading a passage that Jimmy was surprised sounded very familiar to him.
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat…â€
As Julie continued reading, Jimmy leaned over and whispered to Kim, “What is that she’s reading, it sounds familiar.â€
“It’s from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew’s Gospel,†Kim replied with a smile. “I think the beginning of the fifth chapter.â€
As Julie finished her reading, Matt continued telling his story.
“So as I’m thinking about this upside down kingdom and reading this passage in Scripture it brought me hope to know that when we’re at the end of our rope, that’s when God can really go to work. And when we lose what’s really dear to us, that’s when we’ll be embraced by God. Because God loves us all, especially those who suffer and mourn, in fact he says he will comfort them.â€
Matt continued strumming his guitar as he sat looking at the various faces in the room. Jimmy tried to focus on his food again, hoping not to make eye contact with anyone else in the room.
“And so for those of you who have had your kingdom and your world collapse recently, I want you to know that God offers a different kind of kingdom for us all,†Matt said. “And I want you each to know that not only does God suffer with you, but each of us suffer with you as well.â€
I serve the king of an upside down kingdom. A kingdom where the meek shall inherit the earth, where those who morn are comforted, where the last are first, where the oppressed shall be freed. Where rather than appearing in a palace to lead his kingdom with a sword, my king came and appeared in a lowly manager — surrounded by animals.
May we conspire to be an active part of this kingdom this advent season.
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
(embedded video)
As December approaches and we put up our traditional Christmas tree, I’ve been moving my thoughts away from writing #nanowrimo and towards the Advent Season.
As I child I remember lighting the Advent candles at church, and occasionally at home. But I don’t remember much behind the meaning or ideas of the Advent season vs the Christmas season. Is there a difference, does it matter? Advent is truly a word we don’t hear too often, but I’m planning to delve in and examine it more this month — even more so as I plan to speak at encounter on Dec. 7th (the 2nd Sunday of advent).
I found this explanation online helpful (that seemed to be repeated somewhat in the Wikipedia entry as well) ::
The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.
In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live “between the times” and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates God’s inbreaking into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a future consummation to that history for which “all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption,” it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to “love the Lord your God with all your heart” and to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
So Merry Advent to you and yours. May we continue to celebrate Christ’s first Incarnation and look forward to his second appearing.
Well, we’re 5-10 minutes away from leaving for Thanksgiving festivities. I thought I’d jot down a quick list of thanks before we head off and stuff our bellies full of Turkey and the trimmings.
I’m thankful for…
Sounds like its about time to pack up and leave. Happy Thanksgiving all.
Share your list on your blog or here as well.
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove writes ::
In the neighborhood where I live, people sometimes “flip†a house to make a quick buck. They buy it cheap because it’s in bad shape, but rather than fix the structural issues that compromise the house’s integrity, they just put some fresh paint on the walls, install a few flashy fixtures, and slap some new vinyl siding on the outside. The house often looks fantastic, but underneath the flash it’s still the same old shack.
For some time in North America, the church’s work has looked a lot like like house-flipping to many observers. Jesus easily becomes vinyl siding, a quick-fix for turning our lives around. Christianity becomes a way to clean up and make ourselves look respectable in the eyes of others, when all the while we’re still on the same path. Christians do business more or less like everyone else, but we do what we do “in God’s name.†If truly following God’s call to abundant life makes Christians into well-adjusted middle-class citizens, it makes you wonder how Jesus ever got himself executed.
Read the rest of Wilson-Hartgroves post.
He raises some excellent questions. Is Christianity all about becoming a well-adjusted middle-class citizen? My characters in #nanowrimo are struggling with some of these questions as well (and I’m struggling with giving them an answer ;-)).
What would you say? How does a person know they’re a Christian or my preferred terms – a Christ Follower or a Follower of The Way? What does it mean to be saved? Is it only a ticket to heaven when you die?
Look forward to your responses.