Brian D. Mclaren has made many resources available for download at his site. I was very much blessed by his Jesus Creed which I have copied into this entry for all to read an be challenged by it.
Month: May 2006
-
A nonviolent alternative
I have been reading a recent book by Brian D. McLaren called "The secret message of Jesus." I have bought several of his books and I have been browsing some of them, but this is the first book by him that I am reading through. I find the message of the book very fascinating and challenging. He has a chapter on the Peaceable Kingdom of God. I didn’t expect an American Christian to be in favour of the non violent alternative that Jesus was preaching. It was a pleasant surprise! He included in this chapter a very good quote of Martin Luther King Jr. after asking some good questions.
-
Eg drøymer om eit fellesskap kor alle samlingar er merka av Guds nærvær for dei er samlingar av lengtande menneske.
Eg drøymer om samlingar av menneske som kjem til kort, men veit kor det er hjelp å få.
Eg drøymer om samlingar av menneske som har smakt Guds nåde og har mista trua på alt menneskeleg strev.
Eg drøymer om samlingar av menneske som veit at dei skuldar han som gav seg sjølv for dei alt.
Eg drøymer om samlingar av menneske som trur at Gud lønner dei som med iver søkjer han.
Eg drøymer om enkle samvær av menneske som har lært å vera seg sjølv og som gjev rom for og oppmuntrar alle til å leva ut deira eigenart i frigjerande glede av å vera godteken av berre nåde.
Eg drøymer folk om som ser Guds nåde i kvarandre når dei må sanna synd og be om tilgjeving.
Eg drøymer om samlingar kor varme, kjærleik, tilgjeving, omtanke ikkje er noko ein snakkar om, men levd liv som syner seg i haldningar, ord og gjerningar.
-
Eg har ein draum om ein ny generasjon av radikale kristne
Eg drøymer om radikale kristne som har forstått at kristendommen ikkje er ei rekkje med religiøse møte eller aktivitetar, men eit nytt liv i fellesskap med Jesus Kristus og med andre menneske, – ein ny måte å leva heile livet sitt på 24-7!
Eg drøymer om radikale kristne som tek eit oppgjer med tradisjonelle møteformer, som har sitt opphav i gammaltestamentleg tempel- og synagogetenking og ikkje i den organiske tenkinga om forsamlinga som eit livsfellessap i Jesu Kristi kropp!
-
A relaxing and fulfilling time
We have been having a very relaxing and fulfilling time in Trondheim during the weekend. We have had a wonderful fellowship with people who are fully dedicated to the Lord. Saturday night we attended at gathering in the house of five students living together. After a light meal we continued to dialog. I had many questions and gave a few answers to provoke the young people to further considerations. A new Christian brought some refreshing comments and questions.
-
Being yourself
To be somebody is to be yourself,
Fully confident of whom you are,
Humbly fulfilling the purpose of your life,
Serving others in peace and harmony,
Living a holistic life,
Fully integrating meaning and purpose
In everything you do.
When you are accepting yourself
– created in the image of the Creator
You will be yourself in a creative way,
Confidently exploring the talents given to you,
Blessing and serving your neighbours,
Releasing them to develop their own unique gifts.
When you dare to be yourself
You help others to be free
– from the fear of men
– from the tyranny of accepted opinions
When you dare to be yourself
You prove to yourself that you are somebody
And people around you will look up to you
-
Ingen profet kan vera likesæl
Ingen profet kan vera ein kald istapp, ein tørrpinne, ein mumie, eit balsamert lik, som hektisk held fast på gårsdagen som om han skulle vera betre enn dagen i dag. Ein profet kan ikkje tala om Gud som om han hadde openberra seg som ”EG VAR” i staden for ”EG ER”. Anden frå den Allmektige lyftar han ut av fortida og det sjølviske mørkret og gjer han til ein føregangsmann for ei ny tid.
Ingen profet kan vera likesæl til tida og kulturen han lever i for han ser Guds finger i alt som hender.
-
Creating life
To be somebody is to create life
In dead material
– and among living persons
Giving dead material a new form that speaks.
Making imagination pregnant, exuberant, fruitful.
Generating new forms of life
By sowing dream-seeds and new thought patterns,
Releasing talents and empowering people.
To be somebody is to be full of life and joy
In such a way that you are contagious,
Rubbing of joy, optimism, faith and love
To all people you touch during the day.
When you live your dream you will create life
In people who is catching your joy
And starts dreaming their own dreams.
-
Fellowshipping
We have already arrived safely in Trondheim. Terje Dahle met us at the airport and took us to his new home in the Heimdal area. He prepared a nice lunch for us and we are having a wonderful time of eating and fellowshipping together. I am so happy to discover that he has a wireless Internet connection in his home enabling me to read my email and even post a short entry to my blog. In our discussion we have already been all around the world, but what I love most is that we have opened our Bibles to look at the Word of God together. The new phase of the covenant community of God will find fruitfulness only as it takes direction from the Word of God.
-
Visiting Trondheim
Solveig and I will be visiting an emerging church in Trondheim mid Norway for the weekend. We just plan to spend time with the saints in the growing covenant community led by three young couples. As far as I know I have no speaking appointment. I don’t even know if there will be any normal meetings at all. But I know we will have a wonderful time with the precious people of God. We are living in such exiting days and the Spirit is moving in unexpected ways. Therefore we are full of exiting expectations!