Comments on: The Look of My Church [Part 3] http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41 fostering conversation, rambling on, occasionally ranting Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:57:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: jason http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4677 jason Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:57:23 +0000 http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4677 For sure, Emily! ps. sorry I'm so slow in replying here... For sure, Emily!

ps. sorry I’m so slow in replying here…

]]> By: Emily Cragg http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4676 Emily Cragg Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:58:54 +0000 http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4676 I hear you. It's my predicament too. I'm retired, live in San Jose where most people don't speak English. The local churches are Hispanic. I'd love to find a place to go be in community all the time. I used to run a health food store and cooperative. Now I'm writing books of meditations and cosmology. Let me know when something opens up, okay? Emily 408-259-9575 I hear you. It’s my predicament too. I’m retired, live in San Jose where most people don’t speak English. The local churches are Hispanic. I’d love to find a place to go be in community all the time. I used to run a health food store and cooperative. Now I’m writing books of meditations and cosmology. Let me know when something opens up, okay? Emily 408-259-9575

]]> By: jason http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4664 jason Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:26:19 +0000 http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4664 Kristy, I'm sorry to hear about how things have gone for you and your family. A friend of mine (who leads a newish neo-monastic community) sometimes says, ironically, "While you are at work, I'll be here 'living the dream.'" He's serious in the sense that he has a wonderful opportunity to live out the stuff folks like us dream of. And yet he also says it with a little wink, knowing that the-stuff-dreams-are-made-of sometimes amount to pain, uncertainty, and risk. Feel free to email or call (or something), if you feel discouraged or just need someone to remind you that the dreams are good. Kristy, I’m sorry to hear about how things have gone for you and your family. A friend of mine (who leads a newish neo-monastic community) sometimes says, ironically, “While you are at work, I’ll be here ‘living the dream.’” He’s serious in the sense that he has a wonderful opportunity to live out the stuff folks like us dream of. And yet he also says it with a little wink, knowing that the-stuff-dreams-are-made-of sometimes amount to pain, uncertainty, and risk. Feel free to email or call (or something), if you feel discouraged or just need someone to remind you that the dreams are good.

]]> By: Kristy http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4663 Kristy Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:48:01 +0000 http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4663 Jason, I just wanted to say that my husband and I have alot of the same ideas as you. We have been searching for a really long time for people who think this way and really haven't gotten anywhere. We have been to a few communities, but some of them were what most people (including us) would consider cults, the other one was a real Christian community, but when we got there they told us that we couldn't stay, after they originally said we could. And we have talked to some others, most of them want to have a head honcho who just gets to sit around while everyone else is worked like dogs, where is the equality? One of them said that we would have absolutely no authority and that they would be like our mum and dad, but then they expected us to raise our children soley on our own, how can we raise our children when we are being treated like children ourselves? I thought community ment sharing amongst ourselves and helping one another out. I would love to have it where if we needed someone to watch our children we could just go ask our brother and sister in the Lord if they could do it and then in exchange we would watch theirs or if we had any need we could just ask and it would be done and then we help someone else in exchange. It still baffles me as to why there aren't more Christians thinking on these lines. We would love to get connected with people who think like us and be able to live in and amongst other Christians on a daily basis, not just on Sunday and Wednesday night. I hope and pray that one day that may be a reality and one day soon. Jason,
I just wanted to say that my husband and I have alot of the same ideas as you. We have been searching for a really long time for people who think this way and really haven’t gotten anywhere. We have been to a few communities, but some of them were what most people (including us) would consider cults, the other one was a real Christian community, but when we got there they told us that we couldn’t stay, after they originally said we could. And we have talked to some others, most of them want to have a head honcho who just gets to sit around while everyone else is worked like dogs, where is the equality? One of them said that we would have absolutely no authority and that they would be like our mum and dad, but then they expected us to raise our children soley on our own, how can we raise our children when we are being treated like children ourselves? I thought community ment sharing amongst ourselves and helping one another out. I would love to have it where if we needed someone to watch our children we could just go ask our brother and sister in the Lord if they could do it and then in exchange we would watch theirs or if we had any need we could just ask and it would be done and then we help someone else in exchange. It still baffles me as to why there aren’t more Christians thinking on these lines. We would love to get connected with people who think like us and be able to live in and amongst other Christians on a daily basis, not just on Sunday and Wednesday night. I hope and pray that one day that may be a reality and one day soon.

]]> By: jason http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4550 jason Sun, 17 May 2009 20:06:56 +0000 http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4550 Thanks for the encouragement, Faith. It's means a lot to know you were reading and identifying with the content. By the way, the organization you work with looks/sounds great (I browsed the website). I had never heard of it, but I'm glad you pointed me there to take a look. Thanks for the encouragement, Faith. It’s means a lot to know you were reading and identifying with the content. By the way, the organization you work with looks/sounds great (I browsed the website). I had never heard of it, but I’m glad you pointed me there to take a look.

]]> By: Faith http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4549 Faith Fri, 15 May 2009 10:20:53 +0000 http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-4549 Jason I've just read this post and I want to encourage you that you aren't the only one with this dream of church renewed, my husband and I share it too, as do some of our friends and family. This post gave me a lot of hope that we're not the only ones, it brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat as i sit here, we share so many of these dreams of yours. I live and work in a really deprived part of a northern English city, as part of an organisation that is trying to live some of those ideas you've been writing down. It's called the eden project, have you heard of it? Here's a link: http://www.message.org.uk/ We're a series of intentional communities of christians that commit to living in and becoming living parts of a particular deprived area of our city (there's no shortage of them) and being salt and light there. It's great!..and so so hard. Thanks for writing all this stuff, and keep going! Jason
I’ve just read this post and I want to encourage you that you aren’t the only one with this dream of church renewed, my husband and I share it too, as do some of our friends and family. This post gave me a lot of hope that we’re not the only ones, it brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat as i sit here, we share so many of these dreams of yours.

I live and work in a really deprived part of a northern English city, as part of an organisation that is trying to live some of those ideas you’ve been writing down. It’s called the eden project, have you heard of it? Here’s a link: http://www.message.org.uk/

We’re a series of intentional communities of christians that commit to living in and becoming living parts of a particular deprived area of our city (there’s no shortage of them) and being salt and light there. It’s great!..and so so hard.

Thanks for writing all this stuff, and keep going!

]]> By: jason http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-3149 jason Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:49:04 +0000 http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-3149 I would actually love to learn how to put cute pictures onto my posts. Alas, I am a technological idiot. I will check out Wilber's book. I need some good ol' postmodern integral theory to put my head on straight/crooked. One part of my essay that didn't make the final cut was the part with more details/ideas about what to do with the buildings. For example, I think they could be <i>re</i>missioned into places and spaces of life, art, revolution, and family. Perhaps, then, the large gatherings could become something folks do every once in a while, like going to a concert, the theater or attending symphony. Perhaps those meetings become the rallying call (for moments in time, not regular/weekly gatherings) of an alternative society whose mission and rhythm is God's mercy. Or...we could just let it all go and take our plans elsewhere! :) I would actually love to learn how to put cute pictures onto my posts. Alas, I am a technological idiot.

I will check out Wilber’s book. I need some good ol’ postmodern integral theory to put my head on straight/crooked.

One part of my essay that didn’t make the final cut was the part with more details/ideas about what to do with the buildings. For example, I think they could be remissioned into places and spaces of life, art, revolution, and family. Perhaps, then, the large gatherings could become something folks do every once in a while, like going to a concert, the theater or attending symphony. Perhaps those meetings become the rallying call (for moments in time, not regular/weekly gatherings) of an alternative society whose mission and rhythm is God’s mercy.

Or…we could just let it all go and take our plans elsewhere! :)

]]> By: Patrick Boatman http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-3148 Patrick Boatman Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:47:12 +0000 http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-3148 I think I would have followed it better had you made a few pictures in nice primary colors. ;-) You really should read A Theory of Everything by Ken Wilber. It won't really inject a great deal of new info into what you're thinking, but it may reorganize the data in some interesting ways. Yep, I think we need to be redeemed in all domains, on all levels. Sharing the castles might work. I'd find tearing them all down a bit more satisfying, but sharing might be enough. I think I would have followed it better had you made a few pictures in nice primary colors. ;-)

You really should read A Theory of Everything by Ken Wilber. It won’t really inject a great deal of new info into what you’re thinking, but it may reorganize the data in some interesting ways. Yep, I think we need to be redeemed in all domains, on all levels.

Sharing the castles might work. I’d find tearing them all down a bit more satisfying, but sharing might be enough.

]]> By: jason http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-3147 jason Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:43:30 +0000 http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-3147 I agree. Most of the time, anyway. But I'm not quite sure how <i>you</i> mean it? I agree. Most of the time, anyway. But I’m not quite sure how you mean it?

]]> By: anonymous http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-3141 anonymous Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:15:34 +0000 http://www.waysofresistance.com/the-look-of-my-church-part-3/41#comment-3141 you're silly ;-) you’re silly ;-)

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