Prayer Breakfast

I recently attended the Governor's Prayer Breakfast. It probably didn’t help that at the time I was reading “The Family’ by Jeff Sharlet. It’s a book that looks at somewhat secret fundamentalist Xn organisation who, behind the scenes, seek to influence people of in positions of power. There only public activity is to organise America’s National Prayer Breakfast gathering.

Any way trying to put that out of my mind I sat at my table surrounded by a thousand other guests all dressed in suits ties. I'm kind of used to singing being something that you no longer do in church but rather something where you get to quietly mumble along while the professionals do it loudly and slickly for us, I'm not sure I'm ready for prayer to go the same way. But, there was more to my discomfort that just this. Exactly what I just couldn't put my finger on. I felt like I was observing another religious tradition rather than my own, for some reason so much of it felt foreign to me, whilst being vaguely familiar. Exactly what this was I still cannot pin point it'll have to remain just a vibe. I've waited a couple of weeks hoping this vibe would become more concrete but it hasn't . If any one has any ideas please let me know your thoughts.

Traditional Service Vs Contemporary Service

I was listening to the Wired Jesus podcast recently and hearing Tom reflect over the battle that often emerges in churches between doing the Sunday service in a traditional way or a contemporary way. A battle that for most mainline denominations always falls in the traditional way camp, with the occasional groovy service pitched so perfectly in the middle that both traditionalists and contemporaries walk away feeling like the service just wasn’t for them. As someone who has worked for a mainline church, attends a mainline church and has a lot of respect for the traditions of church I was thinking if I had a group of over 50’s wanting to do church one way and group of under 20’s wanting to do it another way which would I choose?

I’d choose the under 20’s way, which will most likely be nothing like either the over 50’s ideal or even my own mid 30s ideal. Why? Well it’s simple if I had two groups of people one who was very mature and strong in their faith and one who was younger and more fragile in their faith I would choose a service that would best minister to those who were younger and more fragile – which would almost always be the under 20 crowd. Those who were over 50 I would encourage to live a more churchless faith. To look back on the life’s well of resources and draw on that, this maybe just by them selves but more likely it would be joining together to help each other. The Sunday morning service would then become a time of mission where they would immerse themselves in a new culture and serve those in need there. There will be those who say that “this is not the way we do things in this denomination”. I’m not sure how I would maturely respond to that the temptation would be to get on my high horse and say that church has to connect with those on the fringes. Before anyone says so I should say that yes I do realise that church is more than the Sunday service, but the reailty is that for some in the church and most out of the church this is the flagship event of the church that says to others “this is what we are about”.

It’s Been A While

It’s been a while since I have done any serious blogging. Life has just got busy and when the choice is play with the kids, spend time with the wife or Blog, blogging will loose every time. As well as all the regular life stuff I've been doing the Uniting Church's Period Of Discernment program. A time to work out where God is calling me. It has been a great process and I have been blessed with a great mentor who has really been flexible in pitching the process at where I am at so to speak. I haven't blogged my way through the process as I felt like I hasn't generated much of any interest for any one but me. None the less I'll be posting some more soon. I hope.

Critical Child Rearing Mistake No. 12 - Dancing

Both my beautiful children love music. The other day I caught my son inside rocking out to Rage Against The Machine (unfortunately it took me a while to get the camera out and I only got the tail end of his dancing). But I loved it so much I had to post it.

While this was going on my daughter was outside with the chickens listening to the music on the outside speakers. You have no idea how difficult it is to discipline your daughter saying "No dancing with the chickens!" without smiling. So later that day before bed time we all got together for a dance inside without the chickens. Me on guitar, Scarlett on lead dancing and vocals and Elijah on bemusement.