one of my great wrestles over the last years has been the emergence of the “industry” around worship, liturgy and congregational music.

I am a huge believer of the development of the aritist as well as the “worship leader” and have a deep conviction that worship spills way beyond the constraints of liturgy and Sunday meetings. Yet, the intentional posture of inviting people to worship God has huge implications on the way we document and present this dynamic. It is “different” than other dimensions of artistic endeavour. I never want to be afraid of the hard questions that this brings to the surface, especially in regards to recording and the public/“stage” components of what leading people in a worship experience.

take a look at this provoking video ... I know that this little satire has stirred up some measure of controversy - but I for one appreciate the dialogue and process that it stirs.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=78419541877&h=BU1FV&u=EmU7Y&ref=nf

let me know what you think ...

well the journey here in LA continues.

the dreams for unlocking kingdom community here in this urban sprawl run deep and are definitely finding there way to the surface again. Seems a little daunting, and not sure how I “feel” about it all - it’s just that I do follow this God/man Christ Jesus and He is definitely speaking to us (Anita and me) about stepping out again. Don’t get me wrong - there is a definite sense of excitement and anticipation as we sort through what this next step would all look like again ... but significant apprehension as well.

one thing that keeps coming clearer and clearer as we wrestle this out - is the reality that any sustainable urban model that will retain and live out the values and theology we embrace, must be in the context of partnership beyond our current network. This definitely rattles the sense of establishing something under the “banner” of a movement or denomination - yet I feel totally connected to and committed to my Vineyard family. Being stretched yet once again ...

I would appreciate prayer for wisdom and the ability to sort through what this emerging community looks like. The guts are very clear ... just how it plays out is still taking shape. There are several churches and people that want to step into the process and fully get behind what is emerging. This is very encouraging - yet etremely challenging. It’s a “church” for sure ... but how is it defined?

definitely beyond the labels and defaults that I’ve been accustomed to - just not quite sure yet how it all fits together.

here’s to the journey ...

still in the afterburn of the re-entry from being in India and Nepal. It was a great trip as I had my son with me (Josiah - 17) and it was his first time over there. Pretty mind and heart bending. I’ll reflect more on the breadth of the trip in some later entries - but here’s a beginning.

the return home is hitting me a bit harder than usual. Not exactly sure why, but I had significant time just hanging with people - isn’t that the point anyway? On the Nepali side - it is quite challenging for the followers of Jesus over there. The intensity of persecution is definitely on the rise. I’ve been over there many times over the last 13 years and I’ve never quite felt it like this. Many of the disciples are feeling the pressure like never before, and quite frankly - many are “falling away”. That just sucks. I have no room for judgement as I have no idea what the pressure must be like to just walk it out daily. All I feel is sadness, and sort of this “oh crap” feeling ... as I seem to remember Jesus and other writers in the New Testament talking about this potential. Such a bummer that it is a reality. Seriously makes me wonder if in North America we even have anything of depth to actually “fall away” from ... hmmmmm.

on the India side - what an adventure. Chilled with an old friend who is living in Delhi, just above the “slum line”. Absolutely crazy. He and his family are very content and seeing a lot of people from the slum communities in Delhi finding Jesus and hope. He actually has a great piece of property and a decent house just outside of Katmandu, but feels he can’t leave these people. He, his wife and two kids are living in a pretty dire situation - but for them it is home, and they are totally content. What a challenge ... what a challenge ...

the kingdom is advancing in ways that are so inspiring in the Kat and India. I am truly blown away, and so humbled to be part of this journey with such great unsung heroes of the faith.

two things are hitting me the most as I return to life in the swirl of LA:

     1. I am engaging in a week long fast joining my prayers and heart with my friends particularly in the high altitude villages of Nepal where the persecution is quite intense currently. I am engaging from

         July 8 through to the 15th. Will you join me?

     2. I am in a deep wrestle with the injunction in 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 ... “that there might be equality - that those who have much don’t have too much and those who have little don’t have too little”. Wow

         ... do I have the courage to ask the question “what is too much?” and the guts to face the reality of those who have “too little”.

let the kingdom come ...

woke up this morning to this ... thought I would share it with you. My good friend Noel Isaacs (Sherab Bhutia is his Nepali name) is the one writing. We’ve partnered together in all kinds of community work in Nepal and North East India ... the villages that he is referring to are up in the Himalayan mountains northwest of Katmandu. They sit at about 12,000 feet and are quite remote.

if you feel compelled to help - drop me a line through the contact link and I’ll let you know what to do. I am in communication with Noel and a group of friends who are connected to that area of the world. Any help would be appreciated.

Dear friends
Greetings and it was really great to meet all of you and thank you for
your strength and encouragement.
I got home yesterday and still in a jet lag. but i needed to ask you
for your prayer and help.
Shyam and I started getting phone calls from Nessing and Gadlang today because
last night and today in the morning a strong cyclone and heavy wind
swept through those villages and most of the houses been destroyed by
the heavy wind. In Gadlang we lost the whole roof of the church and
Prem the over seer there also lost parts of his house roof and same in
Nessing too. Many of our believers lost 60 % of their home. some
caught fire and still burning in smoke. The misery goes on and on.

Our pastoral staff team had a meeting today and Shyam as an APC made a
request so that we can send a team immediately for providing support
and stand with them. We request you to join in with us to help our
vineyard family have some relief.

Thank you and do let me know how you want to respond.

Thank you
Noel isaacs

at the very least engage in some prayer for these guys. These kind of situations create amazing opportunity, but also especially in the more rural contexts of Asia, open a door to significant spiritual warfare. The buddhists in the area have already been giving us significant grief after the recent death of Kamatashi’s wife to cancer (the community leader in the village of Nessing), and who knows how they will now try to lay this tragedy at the doorstep of the believers. Please mobilize significant prayer for the people in that area and pray that Noel and Shyam have great wisdom in not only dealing with our community in the hills, but in how to engage with the village people and the other religious leaders there. Having said this, we must be thinking about how to help beyond our Vineyard relationships and into the Hindu and Buddhist communities as well.

from as far back as I can remember in my Christian experience - the book of Revelation has been at the center of controversy.

I was raised in a very staunch conservative stream of the church which embraced a hard core “pre-millenial” view eschatologically, and in fact many of the local churches in this denomination required that church members sign on the dotted line that they believed in “pre-trib, pre-millenial” or membership was forfeit. Later, as I stumbled into more of the charismatic church expressions, Revelation again was very much in the forefront - largely because of the roots of the Jesus People movement coming out of the 70’s which placed a heavy emphasis on the end times.

again ... there is definitely a resurgence of teaching and thought surrounding this NT book.

I find it all quite intriguing. As someone who embraces a pretty orthodox view in regards to Scripture, I certainly don’t want to loose any of the import of this book and it’s relevance to unpacking what the Christian faith is to look like - both practically and theologically.

Here’s a few thoughts of mine that “guide” me as I wrestle with the place and impact of the book of Revelation:

1. we need not fear a sense of mystery

so much of our faith has a mystique about it ... that does not frighten me in the slightest. I think it is important to retain this posture when we approach books like Revelation. In fact ... mystery seems to be part of the point. I am all for figuring out as much as we can - but want to embrace the “wonder” of it all as well.

2. the book must be seen within the larger context of kingdom theology

this book - as is all the writings of the NT - is written within a larger framework of understanding. For me, so much of the book takes shape as I embrace it within the larger understanding of the theology of the Kingdom of God. It just makes more sense to me as part of the larger kingdom narrative - and the story is much larger than just the last bit. It is not a door way into something bizarre and disconnected from the rest of my faith, nor is it disengaged from the rest of the church’s (historical) journey reserved for some elite group of end time Christians ... it is the natural conclusion to an incredible kingdom story of which I am a part.

3. spiritual warfare is REAL and does bleed into the natural time line, international affairs and events of human history

where ever my hermeneutic and/or theology takes me into the crazy maze of images, creatures and intrigue of Revelation ... one thing is clear - we are caught in a cosmic struggle which impacts all of us in an ever increasing way until the full consummation of the Kingdom of Heaven. This battle is real and I will know it’s impact at all levels of my life.

4. the call to the simplicity of faithfulness and obedience to Christ is the safest way to live - in all times

the more complicated we make things, the farther away we will find ourselves from the heart of our faith. Of course, I am not advocating a Christianity that is devoid of intellect or theological wrestling ... but to loose the “simplicity” of what it means to be a follower of Jesus is a dangerous thing that opens us to aspects of gnositcism and elitism in the church - that quite frankly frightens me. As Wimber used to say, “the way in is the way on” rings truer and truer to me, especially as the end of times is upon us.

5. any interaction with the prophetic elements of the faith requires a posture of humility and meekness

enough said

come Lord Jesus