Facing November
November is traditionally a month of stewardship in the life of many churches. We are about to launch our giving campaign at East Dallas. I am looking ahead to a sermon on Nov. 15 that addresses different "voices of giving". It's always a little tough to make such a topic, that can be a little uncomfortable for some, fresh and interesting.
But I am going to pull out my little Flip Video camera and do some interviews of a few good givers in the church. Perhaps that is one way to get around the whole "tired-of-hearing-from-the-preacher-about-money" feeling. We will hear from other people in the congregation who have interesting and unique perspectives and experiences about being good stewards.
I remember, at a previous church, being told the story about a member who got up to give a call to offering during the Sunday morning service. He said, with a straight face - "God loves a cheerful giver." Then, he paused without a smile and said - "But God will take from a grumpy one too."
That's some good news.
Healing for the Nations
It's good to be back in Dallas, though I had a good time in Indianapolis. It doesn't get said enough, but thank you to the General Assembly team for its hard work planning and implementing the big Disciple family gathering. I know it was not easy.
Conversation continues from the assembly. You can find some of it at the new DisciplesWorld social networking site - disciplesworld.ning.com. I've seen and heard complaints about there being too much conservative theology and too much liberal theology. You can't please everyone.
I am just always encouraged to be around colleagues and friends and to see people come up with helpful spirits. I remember one pastor coming up to the NAPAD booth, offering her church as a nesting location for a new church start. I had some great conversation about evangelism, especially to multicultural neighborhoods, with an accomplished Church Extension staff member. I learned about environmental issues in a slightly different but very practical way. And I just feasted on positive energy overall.
God is good.
There are always things that can be improved at a General Assembly, but I admit I get a little tired of all the nitpicking that goes on. And hey, let me confess that I've done my fair share. It's hard work being church in a world of cynicism. I'm going to turn off my own cynicism and just focus on loving folks and seeking God's voice... for a while at least.
Exhaustion at GA.
So, it's no secret that life at the General Assembly is pretty exhausting.
You got to walk everywhere (not really a big deal). The schedule is packed to the brim with opportunities that you have little chance of making. You have to wake up early and stay up late to see all the folks you want to see. The food wavers between great to terrible. You can't engage in a conversation with someone for five minutes without being interrupted by someone else that you may not have seen for a few years.
It's just plain sensory overload.
I wouldn't mind it if GA toned down a schedule now and then to make things easier for folks.
But it may not be the GA folks who are stuffing the schedule anyway.
I'd propose a restructure of the GA into more of a praxis/info setup. I like the wholeness cafe - it's a great start. Workshops are fine too, because people obviously thirst for info. And some of the general units (like Church Extension) are on the right track with their booths anyway.
Think of it like this - an area where you can demo anything that our units and services have to offer. Want to learn about the new VBS resource from DHM? We are doing it together at 3 PM at Booth X. Want to see what a multicultural bible study might be like? Check out the Global Missions booth at Y at 8 AM and 8 PM each day. Then, you have another area that is just more info oriented - brochures, flyers, reps, and so on just to talk and give out info.
With something like this, we could take a step away from schedule glut and have more open time for folks to experiment and taste and see what is out there. Maybe not the best idea - but it's an idea.
A Movement for Wholeness
Day One of the General Assembly was a good strong kickoff.
Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale preached Wednesday night and in particular raised the point that when the Holy Spirit moves on a people, you get a movement.
What a refreshing reminder!
I think in my own ministry with young people and unchurched folks, most don't really care about denominational ideas or creeds or stances. Even telling them that all are welcome to partake communion at the table... well, it's just not the draw it used to be. I think welcome and inclusion ARE values that people respond to, but they respond to it in practice and thought more than just a position that a church adopts. So reclaiming language that we are a movement is a pretty cool way to speak about who we belong to and what we are about.
Thanks to Rev. Hale for a good first sermon. We also had great dance, music, and art that drew us in. So far, there is a strong and positive feel flowing through the folks I have met. Not much controversy yet.
I am going to try to do some video tweets later today.
Gearing up for General Assembly.
I am going to be working on the site in anticipation of General Assembly 2009. I will probably do a couple of short blogs from the site, as well as some twitter updates. I should include twitter on this blog too. Look for that fix.
In the meanwhile, you can find my twittering at http://twitter.com/nathanjhill
Looking Forward to General Assembly
General Assembly is coming up at the end of July. Yunkyong, Emily, and I are going. We are looking forward to being back in Indianapolis. We are especially looking forward to seeing old friends again.
The big question of General Assembly revolves around the entire "Sense-of-the-Assembly" resolutions. How as a church do we speak with authority on moral issues important to us? How do we respond to war? How do we respond to inequality, hunger, and poverty? Do we not address them? Do we just talk about them? Or do we act?
I'll be clear that I am not decided.
I do think in the time that we live in, a church speaking with authority on anything is kind of a funny idea. Maybe among some in my generation, we see too many churches already attempt to speak with authority, often resulting in plain ol' hypocrisy. I think action would be a more appropriate response to moral issues, but I suppose some of us don't know about our challenges until we talk about them or raise them up. And we do need space to figure out our best course of action, how we are called to respond. So does the current process allow that? Would getting rid of it allow something else to take its place? Or what?
We'll find out.
Inviting imagination
It is good to be a part of a church that embraces a child's imagination, even in a simple way.
What a day.
Great day at church.
Awesome music.
We had three people join.
Our sanctuary was setup in a different way because of the big Lauridsen festival we had going on in the afternoon. This meant elders and deacons had to be on their toes. But it was good.
I'm just thankful to be having so much fun.
Twitter: nathanjhill
- oh, and homemade taco soup plus cobbler tomorrow.
- about to hit the sack in prep for a day of meditation, learning, and spiritual direction tomorrow!
- Great praise team practice tonight. Oh man, music is fun.
- Had dinner tonight at bangkok city (on bryan st.) to celebrate a friend's birthday - beautiful night, darn good green curry. Yum!
- Imminent impact @MacHeist (151.7,174.4) Witness it and get DaisyDisk ($20) for FREE to reclaim GBs of space on your Mac! http://macheist.com
Recent Posts
- Facing November
- Healing for the Nations
- Exhaustion at GA.
- A Movement for Wholeness
- Gearing up for General Assembly.
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