Missional advent 5 – Risk

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Richard Passmore

Advent reminds us of the risk God took by entrusting Jesus to a people group, a place and a time. A time of upheaveal, of mixed group of people some of whom believed and some of whom didn’t but trusting that by Christ they might touch God. Our mission is also one of similar risks and that as WE go to be with people that we may learn, even through the upheaveal in our souls that going can cause, we can learn and the possibility to experience what it is to touch God.

Missional Advent 4 – Seeing

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Richard Passmore

As the wise men saw the star, it was their preparations and awareness that enabled them to see. In the mix of the stars the one they followed was brightest. Mission is the brightest star that lights up and enable worship and service, following the path of mission leads US to the Christ child.

Missional Advent 3 – Consistency

Posted on December 1, 2009 by Richard Passmore

A few years ago the children decided to hang stars in advent as a constant reminder of the direction we were heading in. Missional consistency isn’t just about regular contact or maintaining the relationship, it is about a consistency of movement and reflection. Stillness in the being and Stillness in the doing, so we can consistently try to keep step with what our father in heaven is doing, being open to see the Christ child whereever they may be in the stable or in the skatepark.

Missional Advent 2 – Focus

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Richard Passmore

The focus of advent is to orient ourselves towards Christ, yet in mission it is too easy to orient towards the people, or the task or the time available. The critical link is the need to orient ourselves to see Christ in the people, the task or the time.

Missional advent 1 – Awareness

Posted on November 29, 2009 by Richard Passmore

This season of advent each day (although advent always seems to be way to busy so no promises) I want to take a word that links mission and advent and reflect briefly.

Awareness in advent is obvious but the concept is critical in mission. How aware are we of our motives, our position, our power, and God? Advent is a season of preparation but what missional awareness preparations do we make. Practicing the presence of God in our lives and basic awareness exercises help us prepare. Yet in the bustle of mission as in the bustle of Christmas it is too easy allow this busyiness to cloud our awareness, and shadow our missional consciousness.

letter from god

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Richard Passmore

One of the yp found this for a service we are running in Novemeber

missional discipleship

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Richard Passmore

I cant make it to LICC where there is conversation on discipleship coming up. But Jason asked for few of my thoughts on the subject particlaurly around the shortfall between missional youth work and church i.e. Missional youth work hits a dead end if there isn’t a trully mission shaped community to feed young people into.

My main thought was that actually this is to avoid the real issue that a genuinely missional work would always seek to grow that community from the community it is serving. Whilst to an extent we are in an in between time (as christendom dies) the language of discipleship (into a mission shaped community) or even the notion that this is part of the answer reinforces a dualist divide that should not be present. If we do embrace a kingdom missional theology then we are already that community the moment we meet those young people. The way most seem to the use the word Discipleship reinforces this kind of dualism, as it usually refers to some sort of post decision idea. However if we are not about bounded sets and Christ centred (see Dave Andrews) and decision is more a willingness to journey together then the community can be formed and shaped together and then discipleship is far more reciprocal and I would argue real. I guess a key question in this would be; what are we (myself and the yp) being discipled towards? The old paradigm would put of primary the importance of orthodoxy where the missional community would be orthopraxis. In our experiences with the yp we see evidence of the fruit of the spirit and orthopraxis but none would call themselves Christians.

The gospel in less than ten words or a single picture

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Richard Passmore

TSK has a couple of posts on The Jesus Freaks and a post linking to here the gospel in less than 10 words. I was interested in the reponses that didnt use christian jargon which got me thinking about the gospel as a dynamic process that we are involved, so my 10 words would be “journeying together to rediscover, ourselves, the world and one another”. Then as visual thinker I couldnt get a TSK picture out of my head as a visual expression of my thoughts.

the gospel in a picture

Post modern mission

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Richard Passmore

This is a kind of reworking of an earlier post *batteries not included buy exploring how we can use post modern conditions (PMC) to aid the process of mission or if you like how can the charateristics of post modernity help us help the world and ourselves become fully human. They all inter relate but here are a few I have been thinking on.

PMC Truth is relative
– reinforces the need for missional humility countering the Christendom arrogance.
– reinforces that it is God’s mission not ours
PMC This is my truth
– mission is a dialogue and christianity is a faith that questions our answers so we can journey together
-we do not have a monopoly on truth but see through a glass dimly they may help liberate us
– if we listen thier truth they will listen to ours
– trust our story
PMC it is all one
– mission is worship which fuels our faith and gives time to engage with people
– is a response that goes beyond the categories of modernity so can itself be critiqued
– you will find God in that moment
PMC Individualist consumerism
– even here God is present, there is the echo of a memory that this may not fullfill
– the fleeting nature of the purchase and the God who plays hide and seek
PMC it is all relative
– opens dialogue and listening which in turns offers and reinforces the desire for relationships
– a good place to start a journey of discovery
PMC hyper criticism
– if a seeker seeks they will find, encourge the questions rather close down the dialogue by giving an answer
– the offer and possible discovery of the herectical imperative
– christ is beyond the propositional approachs and faith is not about assent to the particularBaja Beach Bums move