Dipendente

Drops Like Stars - Rob Bell Australian Tour June 2010

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The tour kicked off March 27 in Royal Oak, with a second stop Friday at Interlochen. He will take a break for the birth of his third child, due in May, and resume the tour Aug. 19 in Chicago. Stops are scheduled into July 2010.

His third major speaking tour will involve props and audience participation as Bell uses artistic concepts to explore spiritual ideas.

One is that suffering strips people down to their basics, something like the way a record producer pares a song to its essentials or a sculptor chips away superfluous rock. What's left is the enduring human spirit, raw and hurting but open to new possibilities.

"It's interesting to meet somebody who's just found out they have cancer," Bell said. "They're rarely saying things like, 'Now I'm going to get that plastic surgery I've always wanted.' They say things like, 'I need to make amends. I need family, friends, relationships.' "

That deep re-assessment of what's important can lead to exciting new directions, he adds.

"There is a creative impulse that is birthed by suffering. So-and-so loses their job and it's awful and it's gut-wrenching. But, for the first time, a whole new future opens up. They begin to imagine things they never did before.

"Maybe, sometimes, it takes suffering to get the other stuff out of the way, so you can get at the greatness that's inside you."
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Through stories of tragedy and failure, Bell will examine the theory that people learn and grow the most during difficult times -- or as he puts it, when "everything got blown to pieces."

As in previous books and tours, Bell has an unorthodox take on traditional Christian themes. His concern is not why God allows terrible things to happen, but how God helps people get through terrible things.

"The Hebrew/Christian perspective has always been far less about why did God cause this and where was God, and much more about incarnation," he said. "Apparently, God's in this mess as well, up to something."

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Derren Brown Interview with Richard Dawkins

This is a really good and insightful interview, worth watching

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In the Balance #1-Do we put pen to paper to quickley??

I was talking to a good mate on Sunday night after church, and as I am known to do lamenting some things about not crafting the sermon early enough to make some of the things i wanted to say flow, and being rushed in my final write up of my text, and on thing he said just stuck with me. He said:

"Josh what i appreciate about your teaching is that you have obviously wrestled with the text, you have done your research but you don't just sit down with commentaries and just write it, you wrestle with it and live it and once you have done that your write. Too many other preachers and teachers sit down struggle with the text but don't wrestle with it in their lives and are way too fast in putting pen to paper"

Are we too fast in putting pen to paper in our preparation, over the past 10 years I have loved getting to know different preachers and different preparation styles, but one thing is common amongst all the preachers i love and respect, "the all live it before they teach it".

One thing a speaker said a conference just recently on preaching was "I find it easy to prepare exegetical sermons, it is easy impersonal and i just need to quote big words and terms to impress people and make them feel like they are being "fed" the real skill and the difficult part is living it yourself, experiencing it and knowing how it relates to life  other than evangelise and go to church"

I tend to agree with my friend in that too many sermons are prepared but not lived, and i know there have been times when it has been more about getting "it" written rather than letting God's word impact me.

I also know of some teacher who don't spend nearly enough time writing and crafting, i suppose it is once agian a thing about balance.

What are other peoples impressions of preaching in general, and personally. How do you avoid putting pen to paper too quickly??

Crongrat Jules, we love you and are so excited for you

Julia Boland

The Most asked question About BrokenChapel

The past 2 weeks have been an amazing roller coaster of excitement, fear and just asking myself "what on earth are you doing you madman?" and just trying to tie up all loose ends  with regards to SMAS and  make sure i  leave it nice and tidy for the next guy, trying to get things sorted for brokenchapel and trying to make sure i have a job to provide for my family which culminated in an 18 hour working day yesterday. (NOT VERY ADVISABLE!!!!)

amongst all that there seems to a question that i am being asked time and time again both from churchies and non-churchies.

"Where are you going to meet? have you got a building"

The answer is in rooms and no.

I find the question very interesting. I can understand non-churchies because their view of church is the building. but i find it amusing how fixated as churchies we have become with a building and owning buildings. (if we were less attached to buildings there would be a whole heap within the Anglican church that I would sell and put towards planting new churches communities rather than trying to keep these "historic" buildings. But i better not say this to loud, I might get into trouble...so i will just post it in a public forum)

Our theology of church has gone wrong somewhere (probably around the time we started to own huge buildings) and so even when we talk about planting a new church people immediately think building block, concrete and frames. I think this is very evident even in many church logos or emblems where it is an image of the building.

What is brokenchapel going to do about a building?

At the moment absolutely nothing, over the next 12-18months we are not even going to have a regular public gathering, we are going to start a few small groups, a few 12 step programs and do some stuff within the community. We want to be a church that is BUILT on small groups rather than just offering smal groups. The other major focus for the next 12-18 months is to serve the community of Queanbeyan, to build relationships and for people to know what BrokenChapel is, what we are doing and what drives us to want to serve and see a new kind of church established.

When we get to public services we will probably rent a property for whenever the public gathering will be, and won't be looking for a permanent building for some years or until we have a regular attendance of around 1500 :).

So If you were wondering "what is brokenchapel doing about a building?" the answer at the moment and for a while will be "Nothing"

Danzo como David

hey guys haven't posted in ages but will soon, things have kind of picked up pace drastically since we announced the church plant. And i just want to thank all of you guys who are praying and encouraging us in this venture.

When i was in Austin I got to stay with JJ their worship pastor ( he played for Six Pence none the Richer for all you 90's tweenies) but he shared this song that they are going to introduce at their Spanish speaking service by a band called Salvador. It is awesome and so much fun. There is an English version too but i like the spanish better. It sounds cooler and it makes me feel like i should be on a beach ni Cuba soking cigars, drinking Tequila and dancing. I have uploaded a fairly dodgy version but you can find the good one on itunes.

I really like their spanish stuff but not a big fan of their english songs. I think it is just the spanish edge that makes them stand out for me

Download 05 Danzo como David 1 http://www.salvadorlive.com/store

I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

I got to hang out with Vince in Austin. He is an amazing thinker and speaker. He has just left his church Forefront in Virginia beach  which he planted 10 years ago, and currently 75% of people who attend there were not beleivers before they came to Forefront. Vince is going to go to Los Vegas and plant a new church called the Verve. Am really looking forward to this read.

Recession ready churches - JR Briggs

J.R has a really good post on the topic click here

DNA and foundations rambling and thoughts

As i am sititng at my desk with the announcement made and the reality of leaving SMAS setting in, it is kind of a bit overwhelming to think about the journey we are about to set out on, especially as i start to think through the fact that at this time and over the next 12-24 months i wil be setting the underlying DNA for the church (the foundation is Christ, the DNA of the church are the underlying values). the DNA of as church is something that is set early on int eh piece and is something that basically stays with the church for the rest of its life and it is near impossible to change, break or redirect (if you don't beleive me check out some of Ed Stetzers research on this).

The latest research says that 2% of churches are continually reaching non-believers, the rest are reaching churched. We don’t need another church that just borrows people from other churches. We don't need another church to join the Christian shuffle.

And it all starts now. what i do, how i do it, how i share and teach will all impact on the DNA of Brokenchapel. It has to start with Evangelistic DNA in my DNA. If I am not, the church will not be. So there is no point even bothering.

Most writers agree that If you start a church with a core group of committed Christians you will have a church of committed Christians. If you start a church with non-believers you will have non-believers in your church. The first 100 people will set the course for the trajectory of your church. the problem is it is much easier to recruit Christians and attract them than to work with non-beleivers. but then i suppose it all has to do with "are we starting a church for believers or are we trying to start something differnet a church for non-beleivers"

I suppose we do want to start a steak restaurant for PETA activists (thanks Vince)
We are starting a church for people who don’t see the value of God and don’t like God

And this will shape  our whole thinking, how do you get someone who is against eating meat to come to our restaurant. What adds do we do, how does it look, what language do we use, cause our ultimate goal is for them to eat meat.

I assume that all churches want to reach lost people, but they don’t why don’t they?

The cost of reaching lost people

1. Hate
2. Criticised by other people
3. People will complain that they aren’t getting fed
4. Being labeled by other Christians

Are you willing to make the sacrifices that it takes to be part of a church that reaches un-churched people?