I spend a great deal of my time engaging with people of very diverse theological and faith perspectives. From the most social justice oriented (activists for justice and social transformation) to some of the most mystical and spiritual (these include monks such as the Benedictine brothers and sisters, and the 24/7 prayer houses and 'boiler rooms' that are springing up across the world). Then there are the wonderful sisters and brothers whose approach to the scriptures and doctrine of the Christian faith are as varied as their spiritual practices - orthodox Christians in Africa, Europe and Asia, Catholics, Pentecostals, Evangelicals and members of the so called 'mainline' denominations.
This diversity is both refreshing and sobering! It is refreshing to see that people are finding creative and contextual ways in which to appropriate their faith and apply it courageously and effectively in their lives. However, it is also sobering since there seems to be such a lot of resentment, ignorance, and prejudice among many of these groupings.
One of the disciplines I practice is an attempt to find something good in every person or group that I have the privilege to spend time with, and believe me I meet many people and find many worthy things to celebrate and learn from their faith.
I guess that being a Wesleyan does allow me some measure of spiritual pragmatism - find what works and then integrate it! However, being a systematic theologian does also make me aware of the dangers of syncretism and the shallowness that can arise when we divorce our pragmatic faith from our doctrinal and historical heritage!
I have been so blessed to find many 'emerging' Christians rediscovering the depth and value of ancient spiritual traditions (such as my friend Aaron Walsh's Benedictine rule in their community of young adults in New Zealand, or the appreciation of liturgy among a group of charismatic Christians in Durban (their pastor even wears a prayer ring to give him discipline in saying his daily prayers!), then there are those Christians here in Stellenbosch who are making use of iconography, art and music to help them find new perspectives on the scriptures, their lives and God's will for their communities...)
One of the persons that I have been following for a while is Fr James Coles - I discovered him on Twitter (you can follow me on twitter @digitaldion and frequently read his great blog!
He posted this wonderful reminder of richness of one particular season in the Christian calendar, All Saints Day. Following the Christian Calendar is a great discipline for Christian individuals and Christian communities. Of course there is great freedom in preaching a series of topical messages, but there is nothing quite like following the lectionary together for a full year, sitting under the weight of scripture, each week listening for what God may want to say through the collection of scriptures from the Old Testament and New Testament... I don't know about you, but I have frequently found that when I do not submit myself to this kind of discipline I end up repeating my 'hobby horse' topics again and again in my preaching.
Well, here's Fr James' post. I'd love to hear your insights on All Saints day - do you agree with the commemoration of the saints? Is it consistent with Christian doctrine and the Scriptures? Is there anything that we can learn from this event in the Christian calendar in cultures such as those in certain parts of Africa and Asia where the ancestors are venerated?
Flannery O'Conner said, "What people don’t realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket, when of course it is a cross."
The first Sunday after Pentecost is dedicated to the commemoration of all the saints. The writer to the Hebrews lists all that the saints have gone through and the blood they shed and then says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." Our commemoration of All Saints teaches us at least two things:
1. We are called to be saints. Saintliness is not an abnormal or exceptional state: it is, on the contrary, the normal flowering of every Christian life. This call to holiness is address to each of us. Saint Paul addressed his letters to the faithful in Rome, Corinth, Ephesus, Phillipi and Collosae as saints. Do we have the will to follow Christ when it is costly? That’s why the Flannery O'Conner quote hits me. I want the electric blanket of doing what I want, when I want, with who I want. I read today (Matthew 5:42) "Give to him who begs from you..." I can almost 100% guarantee the Lord is bringing me my homeless today. Will I respond like a man who thinks faith is an electric blanket or like a man who believes that faith is a cross?
2. We don't believe that we are the Church without those who have gone before us. If those who have died are non-existent (as many describe death) than how is it that Moses and Elijah were speaking with Jesus on the mountain of transformation? Jesus has trampled down death by death and bestowed life to those in the tombs. Those who have died are alive in Christ. We remember the departed and they remember us.
1 Corinthians 1:2 To the Church of God, which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why remember all the saints? Because they are us, we are them.
All Saints Sunday readings in the Orthodox Church: Hebrews 11:33-12:2 and St. Matthew 10:32-33, 37-38; 19:27-30
In about 15 minutes we'll be leaving to fetch Megie from the airport. She left Korea 20 hours ago (stopping in Hong Kong and Johannesburg)... Then, the weekend begins!
Here's the 'official communication' to that fact... (filled in triplicate of course ;-)
This evening after I had put the kids to bed and done the dishes I sat down to scan through my the RSS feeds of my favourite blogs. I came across this very interesting post.
The lecture (which you will need broadband to watch) is quite superb! I don't agree entirely with everything that Dr Sapolsky says about the relationship between cognitive and social evolution, the biological functioning (and pathology) of certain brains and the relationship of these factors to religion. However, it is fascinating to see these concepts tied together in this manner. There is little doubt that persons with schizotypal personalities are more open to religious stimuli (whether they internally created or triggered by external factors). However, that such stimuli are indicators of a form of abnormality or pathology is a matter of some debate!
I find many things that are regarded as fairly normal to be quite absurd - and in many cases quite unhealthy and even indicative of some form of pathology... The general propensity towards transcendent belief is not one of these.
Anyway, here's the lecture. I'd love to hear your feedback.
Stanford's Robert Sapolsky, one of the most interesting anthropologists I've heard lecture, gives us 90 minutes on the evolutionary basis for literal religious belief, "metamagical thinking," schizotypal personality and so on, explaining how evolutionarily, the mild schizophrenic expression we called "schizotypal personality" have enjoyed increased reproductive opportunities.
I am frequently bemused at what I remember from my childhood. There are many things I have forgotten! But, there are a few strange things that I remember because they are so vivid (sometimes because they were very good experiences, at other times because they were bad experiences).
One thing I remember is my late dad teaching me to ride a bicycle. My mom and dad were divorced when I was 2 years old. We would visit my dad on certain holidays - this particular holiday must have been around Christmas and it was in Zimbabwe. I can remember that I got a bicycle for Christmas, one of those really little ones that small children get that you can remove the training wheels from. Since I had already been riding a cousin's bike for a week or two with training wheels my dad decided to teach me how to ride my new bike without training wheels. This was quite a feat! So, he first got on the bike and showed me how to do it. I can remember that he was large on the little bike, and that has he peddled his knees knocked against the handlebars and brakes. It was a good day.
Today Courtney, Liam and I put a swing in the tree in our back yard. I think it is important to build memories with your children. We bought the swing on the way back from dropping Megie at the airport - she is currently on a 20 hour flight to Korea.
The swing itself is quite simple, yet very effective for its purpose. It is simply two pieces of very strong rope (nylon if I am not mistaken), and a car tyre that has been cut so that it makes a seat.
We climbed into the tree, fastened the ropes and started swinging straight away (even though it was very cold and wet in Cape Town today!)
I love my kids, I give thanks to God for them each and every day! I'm sure we'll look back on this photo in years to come and laugh at the silly clothes we wore, but remember that swing with fondness.
I got back from Hong Kong yesterday (5 June). It was such an amazing trip to be at the international broadcast for the Global Day of Prayer and then to move on to the Call2All conference.
We flew back from Hong Kong at midnight and arrived in South Africa yesterday just before noon. Then it was a quick shower and off to a short meeting (Megie was at work and the kids were at school, so I thought I'd make the most of the spare time).
Today Megie left for Korea where she is attending the arrangements committee meetings for the Lausanne Congress on World evangelisation - we were almost there together, but I am here with the kids and have also got some other meetings here in Cape Town this week. I rejoice that she has the opportunity to travel (I frequently feel guilty that I get to see so much of the world while she keeps the home fires burning).
So, I am feeling a little bit pressed, having returned from just short of two weeks away, with quite a lot on my plate for this week, and missing Megie already! Courts and Liam are a great source of blessing and joy! However, I do pray that I am able to give them as much time and attention as they require this week!
So, the long and the short of it is that I will write some news on the Call2All and Global Day of Prayer trip as soon as I have some time - it may well be that I fit some time in tonight once the kids get to bed, but it may only be later in the week.
Family first!
As a little teaser here's a photo I took of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak with my little 'point and shoot' Sony Camera. Isn't it a lovely city?
We arrived in Hong Kong on the 28th of May to prepare the last few things before the Global Day of Prayer on Pentecost Sunday (31 May 2009).
This year is the first time in the 9 year history of this mementos event that every single one of the world's 220 nations registered events to form a part of the day of prayer. I feel that this is a truly historic and significant event in history - what humbles me most is the thought that this incredible movement that will involve well over 400 million people worldwide was started by a Methodist lay person (Graham Power) on the Southern tip of Africa - you can read the whole story of GDOP in Graham's book 'Not by Might, nor by Power'.
The first Global Day of Prayer event (then called Transformation Africa) was held at Newlands Rugby stadium in 2001 when Graham Power felt convicted by the Lord to call together all the Christians in that city for a day of repentance and prayer (in keeping with 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, pray, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land".
The events that take place across the globe started as the dateline hit 31 May (the start of Pentecost begins in Tonga and Fiji and then moves through the time zones to Hawaii - a total of about 20 hours of daylight). During this time people gather in events ranging in size and character. Some of the events are quite similar to the first Newlands event - they are large stadiums in which Christians gather to worship, pray around specific prayer pointers, and be inspired and united in cause to seek God's blessing and transforming power for their cities and nations. In other places where this may not be possible people meet in Churches, some meet in homes, and in some places in Africa and India there are massive open air gatherings (the largest reported gathering was in India where over 500 thousand persons are reported to have attended a single event). Most nations have numerous events taking place - for example in South Africa there are 347 towns and cities that have registered events of various sizes.
The only request from the Global Day of Prayer organisers is that the events are eccumenical in nature (i.e., that they represent a broad scope of Christian heritage). The reality is however that GDOP does take on a different character in each geographical region (in North America it tends to be predominantly supported by mainline evangelical Christians, in South Africa it is much the same, in North Africa it is predominantly Orthodox believers, in Latin America there is a mix of evangelical and Catholic Christians, in Asia it is the mainline and evangelical Churches etc.) Second, the organisers ask that the Prayer for the world be said at each event at some point during the proceedings (I have put a copy of the prayer below for your interest - I would encourage you to pray through it today so that even if you're not joining in a large event perhaps you and your family might join the hundreds of millions of Christians in praying for renewal and transformation of the earth?)
We have been anchoring the Global Day of Prayer from different geographical locations for the last few years (last year was in Israel, this year we're in Hong Kong and China, and in 2010 we shall be returning to Cape Town, South Africa, where it all began in 2001). We set up a studio at an event (such as the one in Hong Kong this afternoon) and then bring in live feed from events and gatherings across the world that gets broadcast on GodTV for a period of about 8-12 hours. It is wonderful to catch a glimpse of the Christian Church in its variety and uniqueness across the globe! This year the primary feeds will come from Brazil, Hong Kong and the Ivory Coast with other inputs from Russia, North America and South Africa.
Please join me in giving thanks to God for His grace and mercy, thank God for the many faithful believers who have been fasting and praying for the last 10 days, for the many millions that will gather to pray for the world today, and for the many hundreds of thousands that will participate in the '90 days of blessing' that follow today. Please also thank God for Graham, his faithfulness, courage and sacrifice in bringing to Global Day of Prayer to reality and for the impact that his courage and love has had on the lives of so many individuals and communities across the globe as they have sought and found God's blessing.
Here is the Prayer for the World:
"They lifted their voices to God with one accord..." - Acts 4:24
Almighty God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Together with believers all over the world, We gather today to glorify Your Name. You are the Creator of heaven and earth. There is no one like You, holy and righteous in all Your ways. We submit to Your authority as the King of the universe. We pray with one voice to enthrone You in our hearts and to honour You before the world.
Lord God, You alone are worthy of our praise and adoration.
Our Father in heaven, Thank You for loving the world so greatly. You gave Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins so that we could be reconciled to You. We are grateful to call You Father and to be called Your children. Nothing can separate us from Your love.
Thank You Father, for adopting us into Your family because of Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Lord Jesus Christ, You alone are worthy to open the scrolls of history, for You were slain and have redeemed us to the Father by Your blood. We confess that You are Head of the Church and Lord of all heaven and earth. May people from every tribe and language become Your followers so that Your blessing brings transformation among all peoples. Let Your kingdom be established in every nation of the world so that governments will rule with righteousness and justice. And may Your Name be great, from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Jesus Christ, You are the Saviour of the world and the Lord of all.
Father of mercy and grace, We acknowledge that we have sinned and that our world is gripped by the power of sin. Our hearts are grieved by injustice, hatred and violence. We are shamed by oppression, racism and bloodshed in our land. We mourn all loss of life in murder, war and terrorism. Our homes are broken and our churches are divided by rebellion and pride. Our lives are polluted by selfishness, greed, idolatry and sexual sin. We have grieved Your heart and brought shame to Your Name. Have mercy on us as we repent with all our hearts.
God of mercy, forgive our sins.Pour out Your grace and heal our land.
Spirit of the living God, Apart from You, we can do nothing. Transform Your Church into the image of Jesus Christ. Release Your power to bring healing to the sick, freedom to the oppressed and comfort to those who mourn. Pour Your love into our hearts and fill us with compassion to answer the call of the homeless and the hungry and to enfold orphans, widows and the elderly in Your care. Give us wisdom and insight for the complex problems we face today. Help us to use the resources of the earth for the well-being of all.
Holy Spirit, we need Your comfort and guidance. Transform our hearts.
Lord Jesus Christ, Because You were dead, but are now risen, and the Father has given You a Name above all names, You will defeat all powers of evil. Tear down strongholds and ideologies that resist the knowledge of God. Remove the veil of darkness that covers the peoples. Restrain the evil that promotes violence and death. Bring deliverance from demonic oppression. Break the hold of slavery, tyranny and disease. Fill us with courage to preach Your word fearlessly, and to intercede for the lost faithfully.
Almighty God, deliver us from evil.
King of Glory, Come and finish Your work in our cities, our peoples and our nations. We lift our voices in unison with believers from Africa and Asia, from the Middle East and Europe, from North and South America, and from Australia and the Pacific Islands—together we cry:
Lift up your heads, O you gates!Be lifted up ancient doors so that the King of glory may come in!
As Your deeds increase throughout the earth, and as Your blessings abound to all the nations, they will seek You, asking, “Who is this King of glory?”
Together we will answer:
He is the Lord Almighty!Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
Come fill the earth with Your glory as the waters cover the sea. The Spirit and the Bride say:
Since we are created in the image of God, our nature will be most perfect when it reflects God's nature. The Bible tells us (and my experience bears out) that God is love - so, that means if we can learn to be loving in the way in which God is love we will be able to bless others, transform our sphere of influence and find personal fulfilment.
Have a blessed day! If you enjoy the show please consider dropping me a line here with some feedback or comment, and also please consider voting for the show on the radio pulpit website http://www.radiopulpit.co.za (you can find the link under the links on the left hand side of the page).
In the previous post I wrote about the great ride that I did this morning. It was a 40km ride in the Hottentots Holland and Helderberg Mountains (all on Lourensford farm). Here's a google image of the route (on the left). And if you have Google Earth installed on your machine you can open this file to see the exact route (and how slow I rode in most parts!)Lourensford_ride_05_Apr_09.kml
I enjoy these times - first, the exercise does me a world of good! I can feel my leg strengthening with each ride. And of course it also helps me to release a lot of stress. Second, it is an opportunity to bear a subtle and worthwhile witness to Christ among a group of guys who have not been in contact with Christianity or the Church in some time. Each time I ride I always seem to end up riding with a different person who opens up, shares some of their hopes, dreams, aspirations and struggles, and I have a chance to offer a listening ear, an open and affirming heart, and of course the hospitable love and hope of Christ. I have spoken (when I have breath!) with guys about their marriage relationships, we've talked about struggles at work, the death of loved ones, and in some instances just had a good laugh.
These are valuable opportunities for ministry, and their valuable times for me to grow and live out my calling to serve Christ and those whom Christ loves.
In an earlier post (last week) I wrote about managing stress, struggle and hardship from the perspective of neuroscience (the science of the brain). You can read about that perspective here.
That post came from the recognition that I have a deep and significant need for an active, lived, spirituality - a relationship with Jesus that helps me to gain some control over myself, and some perspective on my life.
Today's ride was necessary - over the next two weeks we shall have quite a busy time in the Forster household!
Later this week I shall be leaving for Hong Kong for the Global Day of Prayer (which takes place on 31 May 2009 - this year EVERY SINGLE nation in the world will be involved! So do look out for us on GodTV where we will be anchoring our broadcast from the Hong Kong GDOP stadium event. It is estimated that approximately 400 million Christians from the world's 220 nations will participate on Pentecost Sunday! What a remarkable thing to think that a Methodist lay person, Graham Power, initiated the world's largest prayer gather. We hear so many wonderful stories of communites that have been united and transformed through their participation and preparation in the GDOP. Out of this have come millions of projects (mostly concentrated on the 90 days of blessing that follow Pentecost) which have built schools, fixed hospitals, created jobs, and done a host of other social transformation projects!) Indeed, I give thanks to God for this incredible event, and for the small part that I play as chaplain to the Global Day of Prayer.
So, do check back here (and also follow my twitter stream @digitaldion) for photos, news, and updates on GDOP and the Call2All conference from Hong Kong.
I will arrive back from Hong Kong on the 5th of June, and then Megie (my darling wife!) leaves for Korea for the central committee meetings of the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. It is an opportunity of a lifetime for her! We almost ended up there together since Graham Power (whom I serve as chaplain) and our team were to be there (Graham is the director of the arrangements committee for the next Lausanne Congress on World evangelization, and I serve on the Theological Working group). But, because of other pressures back in South Africa we decided not to go (it would have meant two weeks away from the office). But, Megie, who is the project manager, is going.
So, spare a prayer! From the 6th-13th of June I'll be flying solo with the kids. Fortunately I have no travelling to do during that week. And, I've managed to shift my evening meetings and find some good friends who'll help with fetching the kiddies from school.
It is important to create an environment for our children in which they feel (and know) that they are cared for, that their lives are a priority, and that their needs come first in our family. Yet, at the same time it is important for me as a husband to create every opportunity for Megan to show her full gifting and potential in the great work that she's doing!
So, this weekend has been almost entirely spent on family things. We've made sure to get as hands on as we can with our kids and their programme for the weekend. Megan and I have also made quality time to be together (something that is important when I travel so much). We watched two movies together and enjoyed each other's company on both Saturday and Sunday evening.
At the end of the day I have come to realise that the best joy in life comes from very good planning, and enough space for spontaneity and quality!
We love each other, we love our children, and we love the opportunity that we have to serve Christ in different ways!
PS. today we went to the 'Spur' for lunch, and who should we run into? Gus, Heather and Zach! Such special friends! This week Gus will be doing his final assessments for Ordination, so please do spare a prayer for him!
Have a great week, and remember that your work can be worship if you choose to do everything to the glory of Christ and the blessing of others.
This picture was taken about half way on the climb up to the neck between Stellenbosch and Somerset West. A perfect ride on a perfect day! -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by Pinpoint, and is believed to be clean.
Here are two quotes (one from an activist, one from the Bible) that have challenged me today!
If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large. - William Wilberforce,
(British abolitionist and social reformer. 1759-1833)
Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, "Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land." - Deuteronomy 15:11
Here's another post on the brain... Please don't give up reading this as soon as you see that it's about the brain!! In this post I have attempted to share some explanation for why you do some of the things you do, and why you feel some of the things you feel. And, I hope that when you understand how powerful your brain is in shaping your conscious mind that you will begin to take deliberate measures to manage your mind. It is possible, and it will make your life a lot better!
The inspiration for this post came from a hilarious skit by Bob Newhart... In the video Bob Newhart acts something like a Rogerian Gestalt therapist with a woman who suffers from claustrophobia. Each time she expresses her fear he simply yells at her to 'STOP IT' (i.e., stop being afraid). Of course that is not good psychotherapy practise! But, it did stimulate some thought about whether one is able to understand and control one's reactions to experiences and internal struggles that one may face?
I think you can (to some extent at least!)
The human brain is the most complex of all of the organs of the human person. We understand very little about its actual functioning, although we are able to understand some of the more basic electrical and chemical processes that can be related to certain actions and feelings. In some senses we're able to understand the processes of the brain without truly have a handle on the brain itself.
The simplest explanation for explaining how the brain functions is to say that it is an organ that is designed to ensure survival. The brain is a in fact a fairly primitive organ that has evolved in complexity throughout the ages - yet at its very base it has the same basic purpose - ensuring that you (and we as a species) continue to survive. In order to to this the brain has three basic functions.
1) The brain receives input from the senses (we see things, hear things, feel things, smell things and taste things). 2) The brain processes the input that it gets from the senses and then decides what to do with it. 3) The brain sends messages and instructions to different parts of the body to respond to the exogenous and endogenous inputs it has received.
The receptive part of the brain is a complex science all of its own. Each of the senses is routed primarily to a certain area of the brain where it fires up the dendrites and we can measure electromagnetic activity in that particular area (or at least we can measure a dominance of magnetic activity in a particular area). For example sight is directly connected to the lower brain - interestingly the eyes are the only part of the brain that is visible to other persons! The nerves in the eyes are directly connected to the brain and in fact form a direct primitive function of the brain. The right eye is connected to the left hemisphere and vice versa. I chose vision as the example for input stimuli since vision takes up to 1/3 to 1/2 of brain function. When I share the few points about the primal functioning of the brain it will become clear why this is the case. However, it will suffice to say at this point that vision is not a function of the eyes, rather it is fundamentally a function of the brain!
The simplest way to explain this is to say that we don't 'see' everything that our eyes take in. There is common experiment that brain science lecturers us to show this to their students. It is known as the pictorial superiority effect. The students are shown a video of a group of persons standing in a circle throwing a ball to one another. They are then asked to count the number of times the ball is passed between two (or more) of the participants. What happens in the brain of the observer is that their reticular activation sensor is activated to only process the persons they're watching and the movement of the ball. In the video a person dressed in a guerilla suit walks into frame, walks between the persons and then moves out of frame. When one asks the viewers what they saw almost none of them will report seeing the guerilla! Surely a guerilla among a group of people playing with a ball should be something noticeable? Well, in this case it is not. The brain has 'tuned out' that particular stimulus input because it either does not fit the frame of reference for what the brain expects to see, or simply because it is not necessary to complete the task that was set (counting how many times particular persons pass the ball to one another).
So, how does vision work?
Stimulus received through the retina and is transduced (i.e., turned into an electrical pulse so that it can pass along the nerves into the brain)
From the retina it is sent to the Lateral Gerniculate nuclease in the middle brain, there it is sorted before it is processed.
Next the signal is passed on to an area that is known as Broadman 17 version 1 (in the back of the brain in the occipital lobe to be precise) where it is parsed out (i.e. sent to shapes, faces, objects area of the brain…) There is, for example, a section in the brain that detects horizontal lines, a section that detects colours, another that detects faces and so on…
Finally it is sent to the area of the brain where it is judged, edited and sent as a response for action or emotion.
We must remember that the brain does not deal with reality! It deals with survival as I said earlier. It will take an input, edit it and then rework it to cause the rest of the brain and body to process it towards survival.
So, what are these 'survival' instincts in the brain that I have been referring to?
Well, once again as with all aspects of the brain they are fairly complex, but they can be roughly explained using some analogous examples. In this case the example refers to primitive life - in days of yore (and here I'm not talking about before the advent of cell phones or microwaves... I'm talking even before the advent of the wheel!) the primary concern of very human person was mere survival.
Sometimes my daughter, who is 9, is rather surprised to discover things such as the fact that eggs don't come from grocery stores, and that there is a direct genetic link between the hamburger she's eating and the cows we saw grazing in the fields... Survival was tough! And so the brain was designed (if one could use that word without causing too much of a storm) to help humans survive.
The three basic survival instincts (that are a link between the functioning of the brain and primitive human life) are:
Can what I am sensing eat me? OR can I eat what I am sensing? This has to do with short term survival of the individual or family unit and naturally has to do with sustenance and safety.
Can I mate with what I am sensing? OR does what I am sensing want to mate with me? Don't start laughing (or blushing) now! The brain is hard wired to find a mate in order to procreate to sustain the species in the longer term.
Do I recognize what I am sensing? This is a slightly more complex phenomenon, but it has to do with learning. For example, if I have been burned by fire I my brain will recognize it and make the link with pain and so caution me to stay away from it. But, this is also just a basic function of spatial recognition (i.e., I can remember where I live, I know where to find water and food, and I know the difference between humans and other life forms...)
Now amazingly these simplistic analogies can help us to understand quite a lot about human behavior. These primal urges are hard wired into the very primitive parts of our brain (over which we have very little conscious control) and so a great deal of joy and pain can be associated with trying to work out these simple things in a much more complex contemporary world. For example, the loss of one's job can be directly related to the need to survive through having the means to gain sustenance (even if it is a McDonalds burger that you're buying at the Mall!) Or, it explains why contemporary advertising and action movies always seems to have three common elements... Fear of death (survival), beautiful people (the intrinsic urge to mate), and simplistic repetition of concepts to enforce behaviour (i.e., a catchy slogan or jingle that the brain can recognize and process without much conscious effort).
So, if you took some time to consider what some of the elements of your life are that are making you unhappy I'm sure you would find that they stem either of an external (exogenous) circumstance or event that enters through your senses, or some endogenous (internal) struggle within yourself that gets sent to the brain (such as a 'hunger' for something, or the 'fear' of something, or the inability to recognize meaning or a discernible direction or pattern to your life).
The simple answer to most of these struggles is to begin by changing either the context or the content of your life.
If you live in a threatening relationship, find yourself under unmanageable stress, or are not having your most basic needs adequately met it is probably an indicator that you should plan to find some other context in which to exist. That's context stuff.
If that is not possible then you need to get more of what I have devoted my life to, spirituality and faith, the content of one's life (what regulates and consciously engages our senses and shapes our minds, thus managing our responses) is a valid and necessary aspect of every human life! I don't know a single person who is free from fear, hunger (even in it's subtler forms), the need for survival and a longing for some sense of higher order and purpose. Do you? This is the content stuff.
What do you think? Can spiritual exercises like meditation, prayer, regulated disciplines like exercise, fasting, service of others, etc., help to overcome the 'primal' struggles that we face in our brains? If you have an example to share that would be wonderful!
I love Jesus! I love the ways of Jesus! I have experienced the transforming and liberating power of the person and way of Christ in my own life and I have seen how it transforms persons and communities.
The Jesus I know is loving, just, inclusive, caring, affirming, understanding, compassionate and life giving! I long for more people (and systems) to be transformed by the truth and power of Christ!
Sadly, however, Christians have not done too well when it comes to exposing people to the love of Christ. We have tended to be overbearing, judgemental, 'holier than thou' and sometimes just plane weird about our faith!
One of the other HUGE problems with traditional evangelism is that it tends to be more interested in 'souls' than it in people - pretty much like the high school boy who makes notches on his bedpost for all the girls he's kissed. Jesus is not that way. Jesus longs to engage whole persons, and to find ways of transforming all of who they are. Jesus brings life, life that heals bodies, creates justice and establishes news ways of living with others.
A further problem with conventional evangelism is that it operates on the principles of propositional truths - in other words, it says things ABOUT the person, nature and character of Christ and then challenges people to make a decision to accept or reject these truths without having experienced them. The postmodern mindset does not deal all that well with 'absolute' truths that have not been experienced. There are simply too many things, people and powers that try to convince us of their competing truths.
Ed Silvoso once summed up these two notions in this way:
Preaching the truth without love is like giving someone a good kiss when you have bad breath. No matter how good your kiss is, all they will remember is your bad breath!
I think that statement is quite true for many attempts at evangelism I have heard about - we expect people to that Jesus is love, when they do not experience that love, or even see it in the Church. We tell people that Christ is merciful and just, and sadly they are exposed to judgmental and unjust Christian communities... The list could go on and on.
Well, I have recently come across a model of facilitating an encounter with the person and nature of Christ that is transforming my ministry! This is a method that does not require an extensive knowledge of the Bible. Neither does it manipulate people or simply try to reach their 'souls' - rather it seriously attempts to encounter them with the love and grace of Christ!
It is called 'L10T' (Luke 10 Transformation). Here's a great video that explains this approach to 'evangelism'. I have been involved in developing the model and the videos for it. There is a great DVD series that one can do with one's Church, cell groups, or even just watch by yourself. (The quality is not great - I tried to keep the video file size to 6 MB, so please do contact me if you require a higher quality version).
Here's a summary of the model.
Here’s a link to download the powerpoint slides that have the headings, scripture verses, and they also have sections on the ‘Luke 10’ transformation principles.
Briefly stated, the Luke 10 paradigm shift is significant. One of the mistakes that we make in the contemporary Church is that we tend to approach persons in the following manner:
Preach to them, if they respond,
Minister to them, then once they respond to our ministry,
we become their friends (i.e., fellowship with them, get them into 'small groups'), and finally,
if they respond appropriately to all of the above we then we ‘bless’ them (e.g., make them members of our Church, baptise them or their Children, do their marriage ceremony, offer them financial support, allow them to hold ministry positions in the Church etc.).
The reality is though, that in our contemporary post-modern culture, very few people respond to being 'preached at'. Amazingly, when you read Luke 10 (where Jesus sent out the 72 disciples to do ministry he took exactly the opposite strategy)...
Jesus said when you enter into a city, find a person of peace and bless him - so blessing comes first.... If we can find tangible and real ways to share God's love and blessing with people by addressing their felt needs, this is a much more effective witness than 'preaching'. So, for example, in South Africa we feed people (without preaching), we simply feed them because God would not want them to be hungry, and they feel 'blessed' when people feed them.
Then Jesus said when you've blessed the person of peace, stay in his house and eat with him - that’s fellowship. We need to find ways to engage with people on their level and in their primary location (e.g., instead of trying to first bring people into Churches, lets get to know them and love them where they are. Whether that be in a school, or an office building or their home). Relationships are key to facilitating faith, after all, what God gives us in Christ is not 'doctrine', but the truth of transforming love in the Person of Jesus Christ.
Then having fellowshipped with persons we minister to them, this is where we pray for persons to be healed, for them to find wholeness, for the marriages and children to be whole etc. Ministry flows out of a relationship of trust (point 2 above) and an experience of God’s blessing (point 1 above). People are open to being ministered to, and to receiving God's grace, when they trust us, and they have already experienced God’s blessing.
Finally, as a last step one will ‘preach’ - this is the discipleship phase, not the evangelism phase. I have experienced that this is much more in keeping with 1 Peter 3:15 (give an account of the hope that lives within you...) than it is 'preaching'. In Luke 10 Jesus instructed the disciples to share the truth only once people had been blessed, included into a community, and experienced God’s healing, love, and provision.
Anyway, this is the methodology of ministry that I apply in my ministry. So, I operate according to 5 ‘new’ paradigms of being Church and being a Christian, but my functional methodology is the Luke 10 methodology (Bless, fellowship, minister, then preach)... This has been quite a change for me since as a Pastor I was accustomed to always preaching first. However, I have come to recognise that the ‘old Church’ methodology is no longer as effective in the post-modern context.
If you would like to read more about the theology and biblical perspective that shapes this form of ministry you can see the following link that I wrote on my blog about a year ago...
I would encourage you to watch the video above, download it (you can use 'kissyoutube') and share it! If you're interested in getting the DVD material to run it with your group, or in your Church then please email me. I'll gladly put you in touch with the folks who are distributing it.
So, what do you think? Is this a tool that could be useful in your setting? Can you spot any problems we may not be aware of? Any advice or help you could offer would be very much appreciated!
Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 7:15PM 
Flannery O'Conner said, "What people don’t realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket, when of course it is a cross."
