Today's Input

Today I did some reading here and there..between this and that. The this and that was mostly related to time over in Dalton helping my mom move into elderly housing. The big move day is this Saturday.

Here are a few samples of my reading feast:

Neil Cole- author of Organic Church (which I recently ordered) was interviewed by Next Wave this month.
http://www.the-next-wave-ezine.info/issue83/index.cfm?id=6&ref=COVERSTORY

In this interview he says many thought inspiring things. Here is just one part:

I think we are making a shift from the day of the ordained to the day of the ordinary. A day when common Christians are empowered to do extraordinary things for God and they are no longer going to wait for their pastors to say, “Go.”
I think the layers and layers of decision-makers between God’s people and God will be removed, so that God can have direct communication with His people without any filters, without any middlemen to interpret. When we reach that state we will see massive global implications.
I think God is setting us up that way. Some of the trends that are happening today are global in scale. They are not just regional or national, but all across the world people are saying and discovering these things. That has never happened in history, except maybe in the first century. We are on the verge of seeing something akin to the Book of Acts happening in our day, if we are faithful to God’s voice.

AND
Darrell Gruder - big missional church guy from Columbia Theological in GA - book I'm reading is called Missional Church.

In Chapter 7 he discusses - Leadership: Equipping God's people for Mission. Therein he provides a pretty heavy critique of modern seminaries and what they prepare pastors for. He proposes a complete overhaul of the pastoral education process including an extensive period as a novice, living in community and practicing the spiritual disciplines. He describes the church today as being on the margins, in exile ... which he says we should embrace and stop trying to reassert ourselves as the ones on top. He says we need to get past the solo pastor mode and rediscover the laity, teams and apostolic leadership which he says focuses on creating more leaders and on leading the way... actually practicing the mission... doing the service.... (not simply teaching and preaching to the converted and the interested). He describes church as a community... as a group of pilgrims, a journeying people. Well, as you can see.... in that one chapter alone he says more than I can possibly summarize here but, that gives you just a taste.

THEN
Tonight at Josh and Carrie's we listened to a sermon by Tim Keller (Redeemer Church, NYC) on Serving. That was powerful too. Too much to write but..worth listening to:

http://www.redeemer3.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=11
See heading: Serving. Title of sermon: Blueprint for Revival - Social Concern

That's all for today folks!

ttfn