Don’t expect too much yet, as this one could be a long one, but I have begun to write on Israel and her future destiny at (for those not registered): eschatology. This is somewhat complex and will take some time to complete, but at least I am having a good time in putting this together. I just ordered today a book by David Currie. He is a Catholic but came from a fundamentalist backround, being brought up on Hal Lindsay and the rapture…. Will make an interesting read. I also recommend Tom Wright’s (easy to read) Surprised by Hope.

Tomorrow I am off to Bradford for 2 days. It will be really good to revisit this city and see the changes that have taken place. I have a full month coming up and all the events I am looking forwad to.

Now something totally random….

I do not think as a follower of Jesus I could swear allegiance to a flag, and this is not making a comment on others who can, and this raises issues concerning citizenship of a nation. I was interested to read the other day a comment from a good friend that the Lord challenged him to be first: a citizen of heaven, then for his identity to be European and then thirdly British.

So how does this play out… what is nationhood? How does it overlap with the state? Is nationalism a perversion of national identity, and does it hinder a true stewarding of the land which should give place to the alien to come and steward the land too.

And is all war, civil war?

I arrived home this morning – it is so good to come home even if the washing machine has decided it is sick and not able to function.

So art… yes one of the gates, and God is an artist – check out why he made trees… and then that resurrection body, I think will be quite something. (I am about to start Tom Wright’s Surprised by Hope so look forward to that a lot.) Scot McKnight has been covering the book in his blogs – I was surprised by Scot’s comment that Wright does not respond to Peter: and this I take to be a lack of comment on everything burning up!!!! Come on… apocalyptic language is in play here.

Here are two artists to consider:

Peter Birch has been a good friend for many years and I was very taken by his latest comments and pictures of his own art… check them out here.

And Claire Hollywell. She says: My art is an expression of worship and the many facets of my relationship with God so it is quite varied! I sell note cards, greetings cards, prints and originals to support my work for Iris (the work of Roland and Heid Baker).

Heidi says of Claire: Claire is one of the new breed of laid down lovers who will take nations for Jesus through her passion for Him and compassion for the lost….Her life and work is a fragrance to Him. May her art draw you into His very heart, until you are lost in love (John 14 and 15).

Her work can be seen on her website: Claire Hollywell.

Machines will achieve human-level artificial intelligence by 2029… humanity is on the brink of advances that will see tiny robots implanted in people’s brains to make them more intelligent… Ray Kurzweil, the engineer, believes machines and humans will eventually merge through devices implanted in the body to boost intelligence and health.

“It’s really part of our civilisation,” Mr Kurzweil explained.

“But that’s not going to be an alien invasion of intelligent machines to displace us.”

Humans and machines would eventually merge, by means of devices embedded in people’s bodies to keep them healthy and improve their intelligence, predicted Mr Kurzweil.

Read the article on the BBC website here.

So where does this take us? Ethical issues or what? We have had in the past the pursuit of the super race, and this was of course criticised. But in the name of science and the future (gods worthy of following?) someone now will be able to decide who should be ‘improved’, and once this is tied to vested interest the journey ahead is most interesting.

So do you submit to having a nanobot implanted, and what if it is codenamed nanobot 666? And would such people be more human or less?

Well these will present major issues for the human race, and even greater ones for those who believe in the image of God being within us. Will there be a 666 implant? Well it is not too unlikely (although I am only playing with the number here), but this does not mean that only at some future date that we are going to have to resist the number and the mark. It has always been here. Economics and the world economic system is worked through such a mark at times, and at the more extreme times when the kingdom of darkness is manifesting in great measure there is a much more tangible expression of that mark. But the mark is always and has always been a threat (and how can it essentially be literal when there is the correponding sealing on the foreheads of the saints, and not with some number, but with a name).

Now if we are in a move of God that is taking down the empires of this world, and the church empires that have been modelled on the world system, perhaps we should be anticipating a shift in economics around us.

I had breakfast recently with a church leader who always impresses me as to his flexiblity and openness. The Spider and the Starfish is a favourite book of his. He said that in the next seven years he was looking to see all the mortgages paid of in the community that he is involved with. Now that is an alternative economic approach.

Michael Patton has an interesting discussion on ‘An Emerging Definition of “Emerging” here. A few points from his blog says:

• The emerging church is not a church

And by this he means that you are not able to go to an emerging church as it is more than an assembly, or a way of meeting. He is not denying that there are bodies of people who gather together who identify with the ethos of emerging, but that it is not essentially about church as defined congregationally.

• The emerging movement is not a movement

In the sense of having a unified and cohesive identity that seeks to bring change based on a set ideology. However, I suggest that it is a movement, or rather emerging expressions are representations of a movement taking place… or part of a move of God.

• The emerging church should not be associated with the seeker sensitive church

Seeker sensitive seeks to find common ground for the sake of evangelism, whereas the majority of emerging expressions would view the culture more positively. The distinction between SS and EC is a key one: I think he has overemphasised the divide over culture, and underestimated other aspects of church culture that separate: I suggest that emerging is less focused on (and perhaps even opposed to) front-led, presentational events. Again though many ec’s do express themselves congregationally and those ones might be as much ss as ec. (Just goes to show that the definitions don’t work too well.)

So if emerging is not the above what is it… here is what Patton suggests:

In short, the emerging ethos represents a growing mindset which is, consciously or sub-consciously, willing to legitimize and take seriously anew the type of questions being asked, doubts being expressed, and the distrust and dissatisfaction that the a postmodern (emerging) culture has with the traditional church (and Christianity) because they identify with them.

And then he suggests that the ethos finds expression through conversations rather than the more classic church aspects of: church planting, renewal of existing churches, or the creation of denominations.

PHEW!!! So now you know what emerging is. Informative- yes. Defining – no. And I am pleased to see that it cannot be defined. I suggest we are in a move of God that is messy. It is about the freedom of God’s people to be free to be planted in God’s field. We can expect the future to be even more diverse.

He also has put together a diagram in the form of a map and you can see where he places those who have been given the label emerging.

I also picked up these statistics at Churchless Christianity – a move of God?

People are leaving organized churches in Biblical proportions; at a rate of 53,000 a week in Europe and North America combined (the U.S. lost 57,500 in the entire Vietnam War, to put that number in perspective). As a whole, Christians lose 7,600 a day to other religions or irreligion. I hear from these people all the time by eMail.

There is a crisis in the Western church. But I also believe that we are in the beginnings of something that will make a similar level of impact that the reformation made in its time. This does not mean everything will be tidy, and it certainly means that only a wholehearted commitment to the Gospel will suffice, where the Lord is both Protector and Provider will suffice.

BE ENCOURAGED… he did not tell us to plant church, but to make disciples; not to build church, but to seek his kingdom.

I am in Germany for this coming week. First in Vaihingen where I have been on some 5 or so previous occasions. This time they asked me to address the whole aspect of the church as organic. I am hoping to learn something as we look at this.

I am convinced that if we have a BIG vision of God at work we can then act small. Every small act contributing to the work  of God. Many times we have a small vision – how will this affect me, how will I develop a large ministry, etc. – and so try to compensate and act big. Small acts tied to a big vision will make an impact. That is a faith statement because as we do so we will not have the evidence around us.

When the cover for my first book addressing transformation came to me (Sowing seeds for revival) I was offered two designs. One was of a sower sowing seed from his seed bag and one of a dandelion with the seeds about to be blown by the wind. The first was my preference. Deliberate sowing in a chosen place… But I came to realise it had to be the second design. We would have to allow the wind of the Spirit to sow the seeds of our lives wherever he chose. We would not know the impact of our lives… we would lose control.

Talking of control, or at least of order. My main interest at this point of time is organisational change. The reason being that the Christian community is being forced to change. Practicalities are being forced upon us. Practicialities such as financial restraints, relevance and the like. But change is here because the Holy Spirit is calling for those changes. Enough is enough!! I was recently with someone who had been invovled with Richard Rohr (Catholic Franciscan) who spoke of the evidence of God at work, of there being a great future being the world-wide manifestation of ‘emerging church’. It has no headquarters, no leader, but is present everywhere.

How much of what is here can transition? How much is willing to embrace death, to gain a big vision and then be prepared to embrace obscurity?

Here are a few notes of my thoughts and a comment as to where we seem to be at this time.

Organisations will always move toward stability. There is nothing wrong with stability but when the stability resists necessary change then we are in problems. In the stable stage roles are easily understood, leadership is clear, but it often centres around everyone knowing their place, or being put into place. If they do not fit then they are out.

Change begins when somethings do not fit into the system. Those on the edges notice it first (those at the centre lose the ability to ‘see’ due to their alignment with the organisation). A few questions are raised… either those asking the questions come back into line, or are marginalised. This is the beginning though of change. Eventually though this destabilising continues as the questions will not go away (or perhaps God will not cease to shake what can be shaken). The change is seldom led by leaders due to their alignment. They also have to work much harder to keep everything in order and the inner tension produces burnout in many.

As the process continues there is an increasing manifestation of things coming apart. Individuality comes through – for good and for bad. New relationships form, people spin out, others solidify around current leaders. If there is no recognition of the process going on then leadership becomes even more centrist. This all marks though the beginning of a new beginning, for the process does not stop there – unless the organisation splits apart, the tensions being such that it cannot hold together.

Then comes the phase of the former mode of being has almost gone, but a new mode has not yet emerged. Desires to find somethign that works rises. Moving too quickly toward a solution must be resisted. In the chaos comes the space and environment for creativity. Painful and confusing but this is the birth canal.

I suggest this is where many people are at in the UK… The jury is out on whether there will be premature births, still  births, a retreating back… or a moving forward.

This is the day for courage and risk.

‘Aborigines open Canberra session’ so reads the BBC web site. Further moves of public reconciliation. There has been much prayer into this over years.

Here is a fun link: the guy is serious!!! He holds that the KJV of the Bible is the inerrant word of God:

click here but do not go in search of a wall!!