Mission

So today New Zealand is going be called a "secular" country by our Prime Minster Helen Clark. Personally, it doesn't get me in an uproar as we have been a secular country for along time. Which more than anything goes to show why the Church must be involved in mission. I have been doing the Perspectives course over the last 10 weeks. It is a course on mission, starts covering the Bible, mission history and then moves to modern day. While the course very much centres around cross-cultural mission, and the going overseas (in my opinion, way to much), it is still challenging to read and hear the work that cross-cultural missionaries put into reaching out to others. Do we in New Zealand plan and attempt to reach out in the same way? Do Christians even view their life in terms of mission here in New Zealand? I mean the research, the focus and the work that cross-cultural missionaries put in, is something I believe we need to learn from in secular New Zealand.
Also been reading a very good book that talks about this at the mo. Exiles by a guy called Michael Frost. Frost has been thrown in with the emergent group which seems to me to be a little odd. As in the end, Frost is about Mission and reaching out. The sub-title to his book is "Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture". A shame because some of the people that are reacting to the emergent stuff still need to hear the missional stuff from guys like Frost. Anyhow, I will review the whole book when I finish it. For now I will mention just one thing and that is how Frost talks about the third place. In life he says that we have three main areas. The home, work and a third place, which may be a sport's club, hobby group, pub, coffee house etc. Frost argues that Jesus hang out in the third places and this is where mission happens. He also mentions how often for Christians the Church becomes their third place and how four places in someone life is simply to many. This makes sense to me. But as an employee of a Church, how easy it is for life to become surrounded by Christian activities and for mission to be something I talk about but never do.
Maybe the fact NZ is going to be called a "secular country" is actually good to the degree that it shows us the mission needed here on our own shores?
Maybe - or in fact I know - I need to work a third place into my life away from the Church?
Maybe we do need to learn from Cross-Cultural Missionaries their focus and determination to reach people is needed right here?
Maybe as Frost said at a recent conference - the reason we struggle with worship and community is because these things flow from mission and being on the edge and as a Church in New Zealand we haven't been the edge for a long time?

Til next time
D

GOD

I wonder what it would be like to believe in no God? I mean I'm serious - some of you reading this may fall into that catalogy, but for me all I can do is wonder.
I became a Christian when I was pretty young, so for me God is a reality. I can't imagine not believing in God. I don't know if that is a bad thing. I suspect it's not. I mean for me my whole way of viewing the world, life, faith involves God. I can't talk about anything much without the effect of God showing through. This may be invisible to many people cos it doesn't mean I go around preaching all the time. What it means is behind my view on just about everything is God, and that's just me - weak, feeble minided little Christian fella that I am. If someone was to ask me to come and speak or do something but leave God out of it - I don't know if I could. I mean, I could be careful not to mention God and that sort of thing, but God would still be there, behind the thoughts, expressions, and views. Me, God and the book all kind of go together now - I can't imagine life without them.
Anyway what got me thinking about this is I pushed the wrong link on an email today and ended up at teh Christianitytoday site. So looked over the site and found this debate happening between an atheist and Christian. You can read their posts here

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/mayweb-only/119-12.0.html

So anyhow thats what got me thinking. I wonder what its like being an atheists? Just started a group up in one of the local high schools called D.O.G - Discussions On God. Last week went pretty well - just a place for people to post questions and us to debate them a bit in regards to Christianity and God. In one of the Rob Bell Nooma Videos - called Breathe, Rob Bell mentions how some believe the name of God is breathing (based on how The Hebrew YHWH is pronounced). He also makes an interesting statement about Moses when he saw the burning bush. He says that in fact the land had always been holy - it was just that Moses just realised it.

Maybe as a Christian part of the reason I can't imagine life without God is because - in the Christian mindset there is none - life itself is a gift from God?

Maybe in reality to view the world, life, love, pleasure, laughing, crying, death, suffering without God is the ultimate in blindness?

Maybe I'm the deceived one - though I doubt it?

Til Next time

D

Camp Time....catch up

Long time no write really.....thought about time I put finger to keyboard....

Easter Camp - I'm pretty sure no one from the Easter Camp team reads this blog - but if they do they should be real happy with a great camp. About 30 youth from Taupo made the trip and all enjoyed it. Many were really challenged by Mic Duncan and the way he preached in such a manner as to call the youth to a Christian life lived - not simply one decision made. Was good stuff. So thanks Easter Camp team for a job well done - your camp really blessed our youth.
After that it was up to Auckland for my wife and I, caught up with family and an Aussie friend that we met in East Timor of all places. She was on her way to do a course in Brazil and dropped in to New Zealand to catch up. Our jokes to her about being a professional YWAMer were really just bad attempts to veil our jealousy at the fact she is always travelling around the world.
Then back to Taupo for another camp down at Lake Taupo Christian Camp. Was a another good time the highlight being a Cowboys and Indians Spaghetti battle. All the campers were the Indians and the cowboys were a group of older camp staff and people like me. Then it was straight war. Cans and cans of spaghetti - with spaghetti (not the cans) hurling through the air everywhere. The only problem was it was spaghetti and sausages - those sausages hurt. But yea another great camp.
Here at Branded my student leaders decided that the youth needed the "Sex" talk, and the slippery slope of doom (which an illustration I use about taking it slow physically so you don;t get into trouble later - the youth named it not me). We did it last night it was fun. We had 13 year girls turning up early really excited about the topic. But again it really struck me talking with my shelter group afterwards and they were saying how all they get school is "use protection" the thought of saying no or waiting according to them is not even mentioned. Now I'm way beyond expecting Biblical principles to be taught in secular New Zealand, but considering Taupo has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in NZ it seems odd that people can't see the connection.
Anyway on a personal note - went to the doctors the other day. All my glands have swelled up. Doctor was funny as he didn't seem to care about my swollen glands but was determined to find out what was wrong with my skin (I have dry and itchy skin - that drives me insane each night, and leaves sores up my arms). So after a blood test (as the doctor did in the end look at the glands), I'm back for a proper biopsy tomorrow and they might finally find out what's wrong with my crazy skin which would be awesome. Thanks God.
Anyway that's me nothing to deep this time around just a catch up.

Til next time
D