Sunday, May 11, 2008
Stuff
Well, I decided it was about time I did some blogging, especially after a gentle reminder from a friend! At the moment I can't think of a title for today's blog, since it will probably be about a lot of things!
There's lots of reasons I don;t blog very often I guess. Maybe not knowing what to write, or forgetting, can;t be bothered, sometimes a bit fearful as I don't handle criticism/confrontation very well, and I know Andrew gets a lot at times!
______
It's Pentecost today, the birthday of the Church, and what has the Army managed to do? Designate it Candidates Sunday too! And Candidates Sunday is important, don't get me wrong. The Salvation Army needs Officers more than ever. But, which of those 2 subjects did 'The Salvationist' choose for its front cover and main focus this week? Yep, Candidates Sunday. I was interested in the 'strap line' for the front page - it said 'The Greatest Adventure' - there's a song in that Happiness and Harmony book, I think, that says 'Lord Jesus help me to discover you as the way, the truth and life, and to find for myself that following you is the greatest adventure of all'. And that kinda got me thinking about this whole clergy/laity- officer/soldier - 'two-tiered Christianity' conversation that's going on. Because I'm not quite sure whether officership is a higher calling than any other calling, debate! Surely anyone following the way that God has planned for them is on a great adventure, the greatest adventure.
We were out on our usual Saturday afternoon escape yesterday, and we went to a place called Falls of Shin, which is a little 'out-post' of Harrods about an hour and a half away (we measure everything up here by time rather than distance, which makes sense really, since Inverness is 100 miles away, but always takes 2 hours). As well as lovely visitor centre and shop there's a good play area, crazy golf bit, and long walks through the woods (so the information board informs me). Well why am I telling you all this? Well, yesterday there were some funnily-dressed people about, who looked rather like Druids to me, but my husband reassured me they were quite harmless. I understand they were conservationists. The lady who seemed to be organising things was calling people to 'an adventure to change the world, lasting an hour'. It seemed like a good invitation to me.
______________
I've been keeping up with my reading. I'm very proud of myself (if pride is allowed!?). At the moment I'm in the middle of reading Shame Claiborne's 'The Irresistible Revolution- living as an ordinary radical'. Shane was speaking at Roots last weekend, and it would take too long to explain fully who he is and where he's coming from, so google it and see what comes up, but he lives in community with other Christians, who...oh I don't know how to describe it without totally giving the wrong idea, or impression. They live as much like Acts 2 community as they've been able to, I guess, sharing with others who don't live with them, but are in need. You should read the book. After he'd spoken in an afternoon seminar session, as I was queueing for the evening session, someone said to me, 'but he doesn't live in the real world does he? You can't live like that really' Well, I guess you can because that's how he lives, and it's real for him.
I would say the book's the most radical I've ever read, but then you can't say that can you? Because all he, and many others are really doing is living like the New Testament tells us to. So, the Bible, that's the most radical book you'll ever read, if you read it all, and don't juts high-light the bits you like, or block out the bits you don't. The early Christian church had all sorts of splits over people taking parts out of the Bible, discrediting certain bits, and I think we all do it today, but not quite to openly! Anyway, I'll leave this first blog that i've actually managed to write in 3 months with a thought from Shane (paraphrased as the book's upstairs) - if you have 2 coats in your wardrobe you've stolen one, because it really belongs to the poor, someone without a coat. Think on it!
Hopefully it won't be 3 months til the next instalment!!
There's lots of reasons I don;t blog very often I guess. Maybe not knowing what to write, or forgetting, can;t be bothered, sometimes a bit fearful as I don't handle criticism/confrontation very well, and I know Andrew gets a lot at times!
______
It's Pentecost today, the birthday of the Church, and what has the Army managed to do? Designate it Candidates Sunday too! And Candidates Sunday is important, don't get me wrong. The Salvation Army needs Officers more than ever. But, which of those 2 subjects did 'The Salvationist' choose for its front cover and main focus this week? Yep, Candidates Sunday. I was interested in the 'strap line' for the front page - it said 'The Greatest Adventure' - there's a song in that Happiness and Harmony book, I think, that says 'Lord Jesus help me to discover you as the way, the truth and life, and to find for myself that following you is the greatest adventure of all'. And that kinda got me thinking about this whole clergy/laity- officer/soldier - 'two-tiered Christianity' conversation that's going on. Because I'm not quite sure whether officership is a higher calling than any other calling, debate! Surely anyone following the way that God has planned for them is on a great adventure, the greatest adventure.
We were out on our usual Saturday afternoon escape yesterday, and we went to a place called Falls of Shin, which is a little 'out-post' of Harrods about an hour and a half away (we measure everything up here by time rather than distance, which makes sense really, since Inverness is 100 miles away, but always takes 2 hours). As well as lovely visitor centre and shop there's a good play area, crazy golf bit, and long walks through the woods (so the information board informs me). Well why am I telling you all this? Well, yesterday there were some funnily-dressed people about, who looked rather like Druids to me, but my husband reassured me they were quite harmless. I understand they were conservationists. The lady who seemed to be organising things was calling people to 'an adventure to change the world, lasting an hour'. It seemed like a good invitation to me.
______________
I've been keeping up with my reading. I'm very proud of myself (if pride is allowed!?). At the moment I'm in the middle of reading Shame Claiborne's 'The Irresistible Revolution- living as an ordinary radical'. Shane was speaking at Roots last weekend, and it would take too long to explain fully who he is and where he's coming from, so google it and see what comes up, but he lives in community with other Christians, who...oh I don't know how to describe it without totally giving the wrong idea, or impression. They live as much like Acts 2 community as they've been able to, I guess, sharing with others who don't live with them, but are in need. You should read the book. After he'd spoken in an afternoon seminar session, as I was queueing for the evening session, someone said to me, 'but he doesn't live in the real world does he? You can't live like that really' Well, I guess you can because that's how he lives, and it's real for him.
I would say the book's the most radical I've ever read, but then you can't say that can you? Because all he, and many others are really doing is living like the New Testament tells us to. So, the Bible, that's the most radical book you'll ever read, if you read it all, and don't juts high-light the bits you like, or block out the bits you don't. The early Christian church had all sorts of splits over people taking parts out of the Bible, discrediting certain bits, and I think we all do it today, but not quite to openly! Anyway, I'll leave this first blog that i've actually managed to write in 3 months with a thought from Shane (paraphrased as the book's upstairs) - if you have 2 coats in your wardrobe you've stolen one, because it really belongs to the poor, someone without a coat. Think on it!
Hopefully it won't be 3 months til the next instalment!!
# posted by Tracy @ 4:50 pm 
