odd report

http://www.wadeburleson.org/2014/06/the-odd-report-from-southwestern.html

No patience

I have a problem, deep problem with Christian leaders trying to transform the world from a computer keyboard, I have deep issues with Christians who's convictions do not go beyond cute pictures, well written blogs and good moral intentions. I do not have patience and I am a pharisee towards friends who knowing what their suppose to be are intentionally choosing to disobey a walk of faith by continue walking the easy path.

Opportunities

I got up this morning thinking about the opportunities that were presented to me for business, travel, ministry and to screw my life, I took some and I rejected others, some just didn't happen. For example, In 2012 I had the opportunity to become the VP for International Development for a well known company in the Chicago area, I really wanted to work for them but it just didn't work out for our family. 

So, when God presents an opportunity to follow Him, to trust Him, to increase our faith and stop trustin our idols, What do we do? It seems to me that when God wants to change our perspective, our stupidity about the way we know him, and he presents opportunities to trust him, most of us will rather continue trusting that a job behind our desk or inside our office where we can drink all the coffee that we want and "interact" with people is better than complete abandonment. When He presents an opportunity to give away everything we have because we need to know Him and following Him, the security and peace that our 401k, mutual funds and stocks give us speak louder than his sweet voice. Lets cut the BS, why we teach David Ramsey's seminars more often in our country club churches instead of Matthew 10? Because loving this world is fun! It's rewarding! We need our members to be financially sound for our own benefit! we don't trust him! we trust ourselves, let's cut the BS, we were indoctrinated and we teach people to love this world, to love sucess, to love what we see, that includes safety and security.

So when God presents us with an opportunity to depend on Him we simply say: "my love for my sucess doesn't allow me to follow you Jesus" we turn around and go back sad, with broken hearts, yet unchanged, we go back sad to continue missing the point, to continue misleading people, to carry on with our love for this world. We live sad lives full of idolatry for what we see, for what we rationalize and try to justify with altruism and false discipleship. When will we stop fooling ourselves and others? When would we understand that no one can truly follow Him from the comfort of a desk, behind a computer or attending church on Sundays. So how do I interpret opportunities?  The Jesus way? I'll follow you regardless the place, paycheck, health or 401k? Sure.

The price of simple church

Most leaders that I know are in agreement about the need that we have as Christian evangelicals to begin practicing a simple form of gospel, to live what we preach, most people who attend church on sunday morning and are involved in a leadership position with their church or they denomination feel the need to conquer the world for Jesus and to help Him establish his kingdom. Since the time I became involved with professional ministry (religion) I noticed several changes, in the late 90's we thought Rick Warren hold the key to all our solutions, our churches and denominations were declining and PDC represented a repacked way of doing church but at the core it was the same again, nothing changed, churches were still declining.
Some of us realize that things were basically the same, churches continue declining and a few years later, we decided to follow the new superhypercalvinisticespiralidocious leaders to the 1500's, we traveled back in time and revived in the name of revival and reformation a medieval religion that encompasses the Creator and His salvific work to 5 easy steps to not understand God, not different in my view from a 12 step recovery program for sinners. TULIP represented the answer to many of our prayers, we thought the diluted gospel presentations during PCD services should be attacked by a heavy dosage of indoctrination of medieval German Alpine theology. The most significant change that I observed was the creation of a new cast of super know it all arrogant young and old men and women who are in love with their theologians and their theology more than their God.

The newest trend that I witnessed is churches mega and small, and their leaders trying to become "missional", Please! Around 2006 I remember that some terminology became available among christian circles, emerging, emergent, organic, missional, and simple. Immediately some of us trying to solve our old problems began investigating and trying to embrace the change, specially since the terms suggested Christianity should happen outside the 4 walls of a building and not necessarily on Sundays. We adopted new titles, we changed labels, Sunday school became small groups, a few changes like that, but everything superficial, the core still the same, the heart still the same, leaders expecting exponential growth throughout insignificant changes. What is it the most of my friends in churches who are embracing missional principles understand? MIssional equals more altruism, few are willing to abandon their staff positions to pursue the kingdom way. I am not sure how can we justify missional principles ONLY from a pulpit, weather 20 or 20000 are listening, I am not sure that we understand the simplicity of the gospel if changes come only from our blogs and facebook pages.

This week as I battle my own desires, as I battle my own mind and depravity, as I dissect my own heart, world and those in it, I struggle with the idea of dear friends being disobedient to abandon what they know and follow He who they clam they know, this week I became frustrated once more, that all we do is read, talk and write. My conclusion is that nothing will change as long as we still hold on to what we know, as long as we still hold on to what we do. Reformation is not an option, revival is not an option, the only option is restart. Do we want to pay the price? Are we willing to leave our desk, computers, books, houses, boats, golf courses, children's programs, seminaries, auditoriums, and weekly checks for the sake of pursing the unknown? for the sake of knowing Him? No we are not.

Etnias e rolesinho gospel

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Um dos motivos pelos quais saí da organização missionaria para quem trabalhei por alguns anos (Convenção Batista do Sul e International Misison Board), além de ser tratado como figurinha que pode ser trocada por outra quando o álbum está completo, foi o etnocentrismo, fazer missões baseadas na separação étnica no mundo para justificar a realidade Norte Americana que as igrejas Brancas (anglo) não querem os “African American” (pessoas de raça negra que não tem vinculo nenhum com o continente africano, exceto a cor da pele) na suas igrejas, que as igrejas brancas não querem se misturar com “mexicanos” (hispânicos), os chineses (asiáticos) mais ou menos, mais menos do que mais dependendo da grana e do trabalho que tenham, nem muito menos com os terroristas representantes do Islã, seja qual seja o seu origem nacional, alias, quando algum deles se converte vira um troféu nos corredores aonde ele anda cada domingo de manhã,  símbolo do vitória do império ocidental sobre as forças diabólicas da politica dos países muçulmanos. Um pregador da prosperidade dos Estados Unidos,  Rod Parsley, dentro das milhares de babaquices que ele disse, falou um fato assustador mas certeiro: “a parte da sociedade com maior segregação racial na nossa cultura é Domingo de manhã nas igrejas cristãs evangélicas”.

Isso ai gente, é nós! Comprando ideias de fora mais uma vez, participando de segregação racial no nosso próprio “rolesinho” gospel que chamamos de missões mundiais ou nacionais, praticando o nosso altruísmo barato e eventual que se importa com as comunidades carentes mas esquece dos indivíduos das comunidades, que se preocupa com ir fazer um prosélito até o outro lado do mundo duas vezes por ano, sem se importar que aquele “discípulo” vire 1000 vezes pior filho do inferno do que nós. É nós queiros, fazendo o  nosso “rolesinho gospel”, entrando aonde não somos benvindos, levando a nossa ostentação de tênis Nike mas tentando ostentar também levando nosso suco de maracujá em pó que nunca beberíamos em casa, com bolachas sem recheio para alimentar as lombrigas daqueles coitados que acham que algum dia poderão ser, não como Cristo é, mas sim como nós e trocar as havaianas por Nike, Adidas e Lacoste.

http://rosanapinheiromachado.wordpress.com/2013/12/30/etngrafia-do-rolezinho/

S119:105

Sabado 11 Starbucks Haddock Lobo perto da Paulista.

Em resposta aos vários participantes do grupo da igreja orgânica Brasil em perguntas práticas como  aonde? Como? Quando participar dos encontros da igreja orgânica? O que falar? Estaremos batendo um papo no dia Sabado 11 de Janeiro no Sturbucks da Paulista na Haddock Lobo as 15hrs.  Estaremos falando de 4 cosas básicas:

-        COnselhos práticos de Como organizar/reunir?

-        As 4 relações do grupo

o   Eu e Deus

o   Nós e Deus

o   Nos e eles  transformando (Transformando a realidade politica do meio ambiente e social)

Não é palestra, é um papo prático e descontraído entre amigos que tentar amar a Deus e amar aqueles que Ele ama, um papo entre amigos para tentar orientar aqueles interessados em começar ou ser melhores nos seus grupos/igrejas.

Abraços, tamo juntos!

On drinking

A few days ago I read something about drinking or not on this page:
http://www.nathanrouse.org/2014/01/01/a-caution-for-every-christian-that-drinks-alcohol/

Here is what I think about the article:

I don't drink, so I am not defending drinking and I do not personally know anyone related to this article, the issue is that the church experience that most of us live its lived through suburbia cultural and political presuppositions, we are ok with something and disagree with something else, but use the bible to justified our views cultural and political and our lack of compassion, because we think compassion means end of the year altruism. We are prompted to point out what we dont agree and cite the bible for that, like if the bible was a book not intended for the broken and for sinners. The problem with our church culture is not what happens in church, if we clap or not, if the music is fast or slow,  the problem is what happens right after church on Sundays and it starts right at Golden Corral, Furs Café and Lins' Garden Chinese buffet, we dont live and dont like what we preach. What if we were to change the sin/habit and use the word glutton. Any word on gluttony? Could we use your own questions and replace references to alcoholic beverages for gluttony and/or excess of food intake? or would that be insensitive and unchristian? Would it be preaching material in our church culture?

How would we react to:


Do you highlight or joke about your destructive eating habbits in person or on social media (posting pictures of your pizza hut grilled stuffed burrito super combo, 4 layer whoppers or Happy meal with extra 20k calories)? Do you eat in excess in public when there’s a good chance you might meet someone struggling with eating problems or eating disorders?

Like it or not, people hold Christians to a higher standard (as they should). Do you love eating so much that you’re willing to let your witness be tarnished? Do you love your “freedom” so much that you could
care less how it affects another brother or sister?

This isn’t about rules being broken. This is about loving our brother and sister enough to limit our freedom in Christ so as to not cause  them to stumble.
Would you consider this truth?

Encontro Sabado 11 de janeiro

Em resposta aos vários participantes do grupo da igreja orgânica Brasil em perguntas práticas como  aonde? Como? Quando participar dos encontros da igreja orgânica? O que falar? Estaremos batendo um papo no dia Sabado 11 de Janeiro no Sturbucks da Paulista na Haddock Lobo as 15hrs.  Estaremos falando de 4 cosas básicas:

-        COnselhos práticos de Como organizar/reunir?

-        As 4 relações do grupo

o   Eu e Deus

o   Nós e Deus

o   Nos e eles  transformando (Transformando a realidade politica do meio ambiente e social)

Não é palestra, é um papo prático e descontraído entre amigos que tentar amar a Deus e amar aqueles que Ele ama, um papo entre amigos para tentar orientar aqueles interessados em começar ou ser melhores nos seus grupos/igrejas.

Abraços, tamo juntos!

Immigration Issues - Saturday Night Live

Transformação e relevancia

Quando pensamos que um dos objetivos da vida como seguidor de Cristo é a transformação da realidade das consequências do pecado coletivo e individual no lugar aonde a vida acontece para cada um de nós, podemos pensar que a transformação da nossa realidade acontece quando vivemos que o Reino de Deus está entre nós como uma realidade, sem ser só uma teoria filosófica. Igual que Jesus teremos que ser objetivos e práticos quando pensamos em nos reunirmos como igreja, quando fazemos discípulos.

As reuniões que acontecem e aconteceram nas igrejas simples ou orgânicas são o resultado de fazer discípulos. Existimos para fazer discípulos não para ajuntar pessoas, o ajuntamento acontece como consequência de viver o evangelho.  Acredito as reuniões nunca serão um substituto da tarefa de fazer discípulos, as reuniões acontecem porque alguém fez algo com alguém de tal jeito que nasce a necessidade de estreitar laços de amor, amizade, serviço, comunhão, e aprendizado juntos. 

Que realidades precisam transformação aonde a vida acontece para mim? O meu lar, o meu lugar de trabalho, a minha sociedade, a minha cidade? Drogas? Prostituição? Corrupção? Corte sem fiscalização de arvores? Poluição exesiva? O evangelho pode transformar!

Primer post (talvez unico) de 2014

Mue 2014 (teologico) começou por um lado escutando a retorica fariseica de Ignacio de Loyola em potencial, tentando crucificar um individuo e o individuo tentando se defender com o ataque. Muita besteira foi dita, muita papo fora da graça e falta de amor. Assim que começei meu 2014.
Por outro lado começa o meu 2014 com a idea de ajudar ou direcionar (nao sei se vai servir par algo) aqueles que estão começando numa jornada sósinhos, sem o respaldo das denominaçoes, sem o respaldo de grandes teologos ou movimentos de plantação de igrejas.