I started this blog on December 15, 2004. At the time, I was on staff at a large church and my goal in starting the blog was to shorten the distance between myself and the people that I served in my ministry — to allow them to see the “real” me as I struggled, laughed, learned, and figured life out, step by step. I thought, at the time, that blogging would be a great tool for helping you, the reader, to see that pastors — at least this one — struggle with normal stuff — and aren’t really that different from anyone else.

But over the last couple months, I haven’t felt the same. The blog has become something I write, not because I’m excited to post something but because I feel like I have to get something new up. More importantly, there has been a growing list of topics that I want to write about, but don’t feel like this is the best format.

God is really leading me on an exciting journey of emergence in my life — of leading me into new understandings of leadership, church, theology, culture & spirituality. And it’s all good, and so much of it is exciting and deserves hours of conversation. And yet, in the midst of emergence, things are sometimes a little sloppy — sometimes a little scary & undefined. I’m okay with the tensions, but at this time, feel like I’d just be sticking my face out to get my nose cut off.

So, this is my final post. On the way home from Kansas City on Saturday, I bounced this idea of some of my most trusted friends, and then on Sunday night, I trusted my small group to give some guidance. And we all think, that this is the best thing for Charlie for now.

I’ll probably start a new blog, just for family to share pictures and stories. And I’m going to do more writing for myself, and see where it leads.

Thank you for journeying with me. Thank you for all your comments. Thank you for all your encouragements.

Title: The Realities of a “post” world

Tim set up the rest of the lectures here by talking about how we orient ourselves and suggest three points of triangulation:

1. context/culture
2. gospel/theology
3. structure/system

He then talked about context/culture by illustrating how our culture is postmodern, post-enlightenment and post-Christiandome.  I didn’t take a lot of notes, because this is stuff that is pretty common to emergent writings and if you’re interested, you should just read the literature.

notes are very sketchy…but here they are: Intuitive Leadership Conference: Session 3

Session Title: Entering Narrative - Embracing the Power of Story

My biggest takeaway: Our modern understanding of what it means to be a pastor domesticates the imagination — it instead values control and safety and “doing ministry” instead of wild pursuit of God in one’s context that allows for unique expressions of what it means to be “God’s people.

The application to Imago Dei is HUGE!  It’s funny as we start out, how people want to define us and figure out which church model we’re copying.  Truth is…we’re not trying to copy anyone!  We’re trying to unleash our imaginations and in the process become something unique to Peoria, IL - and that does not mean simply copying something someone else is doing somewhere else.

Here’s a link to a .pdf of my notes. Intuitive Leadership Conference Session Two

Our last session for this conference is with Brian McLaren…he just put up a slide that I thought I’d share:

our contemporary gospel is primarily:

information on how to go to heaven after you die

with a large footnote about increasing your personal happiness and success through God

with a small footnote about character development

with a smaller footnote about spiritual experience

and with an almost unreadable footnote about social global transformation

Here’s a quotation from Henri Nouwen, written in the 1970’s about the modern pastorate.  Do you think he was right?

The first and most basic ask required of the minister of tomorrow therefore is to clarify the immense confusion which can arise when people enter this new internal world.  it is a painful fact indeed to realize how poorly prepared most Christian leaders prove to be when they are invited to be spiritual leaders in the true sense.  Most of them are used to thinking in terms of large-scale organizations, getting people together in churches, schools and hospitals, and running the show as a circus director.  they have become unfamiliar with, and even somewhat afraid of, the deep and significant movements of the Spirit.  i am afraid that in a few decades the Church will be accused of having failed in its most basic task: to offer men and women creative ways to communicate with the source of human life.

First, the setting:  We’re meeting at Jacob’s Well, which meets in an old church building that was built in the 20’s, I believe.  I had forgotten how hard pews are on the butt!

Anyway… here’s a link to a .pdf of my notes from session one:

Title: A World in Flux: Location, Navigation, and the Dynamics of Being “Lost”

intuitive-leadership-session-one

Okay, so in my last post I alluded to the fact that I found myself last night in Kansas City, MO.

The real reason I’m here is for The Intuitive Leadership Conference (Wed - Friday) followed by Brian McLaren’s Deep Shift Tour.

I’ll have a lot to post later on…Internet connectivity has been sketchy, so it may be next week, though

I’ll just say, so far it’s very engaging to me.  So much of what Tim has taught resonates with who we are becoming as a church, and so it’s all kinds of stimulation for us in how to think differently.  This is definatley not a “we’ll tell you what we do so you can go copy it” conference.  It’s much more of a “here’s how we think about things, and hopefully you’ll be inspired to radically engage with your world” conference.

Cool!

I’m sitting once again in the prayer room at IHOP during the night watch — with three great friends.  It’s been just over a year since I came here the first time.  (Here’s the first of a series of posts from my first visit.  By the way… check out the timestamp of that first post and then look at the time I wrote the title for this post.  Weird))

My experience tonight, walking into the room was that it is a place a rest for me.  A place where I don’t have a real agenda… a place I can just sit here and be the “Beloved.”  I’ve been feling a little ragged the last couple of weeks…so this is good.

My reflection tonight is centered around Psalm 61

(What am I doing in Kansas City anyway?  Stay tuned over the next couple of days and I’ll tell you more.)

And tonights quote, to get the ball rolling:

“could, maybe, but shorn’t….

….what part of shorn’t don’t you understand?”

(btw…I still predict that Jan is pregnant and that it’s not over)

This morning, I got an early start on Earth Day observances by heading out to Jubilee State Park and chaperoning a field trip.

The Brimfield 1st & 3rd graders planted almost 800 trees and numerous prarie grasses.  Here’s two pictures: one of my posse in the woods planting Burr Oaks and the other of all the parents and students: