Family Trip to Big Bear

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Feb 12, 2005 in Church | 2 comments

We took our son to the snow for the first time. Bill Munson let us use their cabin for part of the week. We packed our bags and headed up there with the Fairchilds. Gideon sled down a hill, a couple times on his own. It was pretty amusing to see our almost 2-year-old son trying to figure out the snow. Picture Gallery >

Kingdom thoughts continued…

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Feb 12, 2005 in Church | 0 comments

Yesterday Mike Gunn, a good friend and pastor of Harambee came in to town. We got together for lunch and spoke about the Kingdom of God, evangelism and such. First we talked about evangelism not so much as a ‘convert to my thinking’ but more of a community of God bearing witness that non-believers could experience. How can we as a community be a people of redemption? What is the gospel of the Kingdom of God that Jesus spoke about that is here now. So often we Westerners see salvation about ‘saving our souls from hell’. We are saved and will reap our reward (heaven) when we die. We often don’t desire to live out this Kingdom (already) now in eager anticipation of Jesus return and establishing the not yet part.

We spoke further about this verse:

1 Cor. 6 9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

It is so easy for Pastors to go to a place of moralism from this place. Don’t do X or Y. These sins are the really bad ones. If I have lust in my heart, aren’t I an adulterer? Further, compare Christians with Buddhists, Mormons, even athiests and we lose the moral argument. It’s funny our pastor (David Fairchild) says his time preaching is a confessional. He’s been confessing his sin/struggle with the verses he preaches. I imagine a lot of people are uncomfortable with this. He said a book on preaching said that pastors should not confess sins in front of their people that the people need to respect the pastor. This doesn’t seem real.

These are some random thoughts put together…we’ll see where it goes.

Sheep & Goats : Emergent Conference

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Feb 10, 2005 in Church Technology, Sheep&Goats | 0 comments

Over 1350 pastors and church leaders from around the world attended a pastors convention in San Diego last week. The dual National Pastors Convention and the EmergentYS Convention were held at the Town & Country Resort in Fashion Valley. This year, nearly half of the attendees came to participate in the EmergentYS Convention focused on the growing emergent movement in the Christian church. Full Emergent Conference Article >

Emergent Interview #6

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Feb 10, 2005 in Church | 1 comment

Renee Altson is the author of Stumbling Toward Faith, an emergentYS book that was published in September 2004. Here is the soundbite from her on the emerging church movement:

“Here’s what I know about the kind of church I’m looking for. I’m looking for a church that honors story, that holds a big God, and that creates a safe place for people to be human with one another.

Kingdom Living

Posted by D. Goodmanson on Feb 9, 2005 in Church | 1 comment

A common theme of converstation with people who are part of the emergent movement is this idea of Kingdom living. Most Americans look at Christianity as an individual thing. I’m saved, that’s all I have to worry about. Often Christians view heaven as the goal of our faith. Many people I spoke to reacted to this. “Heaven is not a 401k plan where we cash out.” I just interviewed a guy who pastored a church called Anchor Pointe, he said the gospel is: