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I use Wikepedia every day to look up most things. The BBC recently ran an article on how it was as accurate as the Encyclopedia Britannica.Well you can now get Wikipedia on your iPod. The interface is cumbersome (using a scroll wheel to enter characters), and it will need updating (especially given the open source nature of Wikipedia anyway) regularly. But for those times when you don’t have wifi and a laptop, and want to show off something cool and resourceful on your iPod, it’s great.
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I posted my final approved doctoral dissertation this week. Just my viva in March, then I print and bind it and it gets filed early April. One of the most important parts of the dissertation to me, yet the part that doesn’t need to be included, were my acknowledgments. Like so much of my life, as part of the body of christ, I owe so much to so many people, and I tried to name a few and why they were the reason I made it through to this stage in life, as well as this dissertation. And to so many of you who drop by and interact here, thank you, you have helped shape me and my thinking, and your in here too.
My acknowledgments are in the continuation section. I did enjoy putting the above icon at the end of them all :-)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This dissertation took about 2,000 hours of reading and writing, mostly in the early hours of the morning, over a 5-year period. It also took many years of interactions with people and hours beyond counting. As a Doctor of Ministry dissertation it took shape from many thousands of hours in planting and growing a church. Whilst this is my dissertation, it is the work of many other people who made it possible, and to them I give thanks and dedicate this work.
To Andy Hickford who introduced me to Jesus, not with a propositional sales pitch but an invitation into a life of meaning, purpose, and adventure. You were right; it has been that and much more. Thanks for being my mentor, friend, guide, and one who frequently calls out the things of God in my life including this journey into theology, teaching, and coaching.
To Nick Mercer, for being one of the main reasons I began to study theology so many years ago, for always making me uncomfortable with your questions in a way that caused me to grow, and for being the one person I could go to in safety to talk about my doubts and questions when things were their darkest.
To MaryKate Morse, for being the best doctoral supervisor I could ever have hoped and prayed for. You have been available, interested, supportive, and made my supervision like a process of spiritual direction.
To Jim and Edena Seaton, for all your love, support, and for showing me what parents should be, praying for me so often, and for letting me grow up.To Todd Hunter who introduced me to why theology was the way forward, introduced me to Stanley Grenz and Brian McLaren all those years ago, and gave me the heads up on this course at George Fox University.
To Stanley Grenz, for that one private conversation several years ago, where I asked if doing some more theological study would be helpful, and for your kindness and affirmation to do so. I wish I could thank you in person, and one day I will.
To Brian McLaren, for your friendship, for modeling so much of what I aspire to be, for making theology come alive for me, for being one of the most wonderful human beings who lives what he teaches, and for being broken, open, and vulnerable. Thank you for being my friend, supporter, mentor, coach, rabbi, and constant encourager.
To Antony Billington and Graham McFarlane for the first lunch in 1999 at which I picked your brains and asked for direction in exploring this further. Thanks for being great friends in this journey and setting me on the path of theological exploration. Graham McFarlane, thank you also for the subsequent endless hours of talking, conversation, and theological reflection over coffee in your office leading me in the theological direction that has been the basis for this dissertation.
To Len Sweet, who began as an author I admired and respected, and is now someone who has shaped my mind and thinking. Thank you for your generosity, inspiration, and embodiment of all you teach.
To Chuck Connery and staff at George Fox University for making this program available, for your personal interest and care of me, and for providing something so far beyond a doctorate: a life changing learning experience.
To Loren Kerns, a technological wizard, pedagogical genius, and above all , a sharp, insightful theologian. Thank you for all your support of the program.
To my fellow ‘co-hortians,’ Rick Bartlett, Tony Blair, Winn Griffin, Rick Hans, George Hemmingway, Nick Howard, Todd Hunter, Randy Jumper, Eric Keck, Mike McNichols, Ken Niles, Craig Oldenberg, Rob Seewald, Rick Shrout, Dwight Spotts, Dave Wollenberg. Thanks for making the trip so much fun, and life giving, and for all you kind words, and encouragements over my research.
To Jim and Hannah Dean whose editorial assistance was inestimable.
To Emergent people around the world, for your input on my blog, interactions at speaking events, e-mails, cyber and real relationships. Thanks for questioning my research and providing a readership and voice of support.
To those who have encouraged me to research and write as part of my life and future, in particular: Jim Henderson, Stephen Shields, Caroline Ramsey, Steve Gee, Graham Old, Alan Jamieson, Rob Leitch , Keith Judson, Dave Eaddie, Sivin Kit, Conrad Gempf, Joe Davies, Jon Harris, Steve Chalke, Mark and Faith Allpres, Duncan and Lorna Owen, Dan Barnard, Russell Powter, Simon Skinner, Wendy Sullivan, Scott Pedersen, Alan Mann, and Robin Parry. I know I have forgotten someone.
To my wife Beverley and our children, Anna, Cameron and Leah, for supporting me being up so early, and for traveling so much as I share these ideas. You are the embodiment of the healing God has brought in my life, my sign of the Kingdom, and my hope for eternity.
To Tim Keel, the best friend a man could ever have, thanks for your love, support, and encouragement in every area of my life.
To my staff colleagues, Becky, Murray, Bev, Jon, and Joy, for believing in me and for understanding why this was important.
To John and Ele Mumford, for giving us room and the encouragement to plant a church and do some things differently. Your support is something I will always treasure.And lastly to Vineyard Church Sutton. You embody this research, without you it would not exist. Thank you for being a church I love being part of, a community that does life together in all its pain and messiness. For letting me learn, grow, and make so many mistakes.
And lastly to my Nan, for always letting me know you are proud of me.
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So maybe you’ve heard of del.icio.us (and that Yahoo bought them recently), social tagging/bookmarking, but are still wondering what on earth it is and how to use it. You may have heard of Flickr, and that yahoo bought them too. You may have heard that they are a big part of Web 2.0. And if you are like me your still trying to get your head around it, and wondering where to begin.
1. What is social bookmarking/tagging?:Short explanation here.
2. How to get tagging: Great list of 7 tips for getting into tagging, here.
3. Blog your tags: And if you are on typepad and want to have your tags posted daily as a blog post try this.
4. Use Spotlight: And if you are on a mac, you can use this plug into to allow spotlight to search tagged sites for you (it’s amazing).How are you getting into tagging, any tips, hints, plug ins, links to share?
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The Gospel and Culture Network are holding a one day conference in Birmingham, Saturday 17th June, with Bishop N.T.Wright, on the theme of ‘Christian Mission in a Pagan Culture’. Given the post-christian nature of the UK, the links with Lesslie Newbigin, and N.T.Wright is speaking, I will be making sure I attend.
—-“Is British culture Christian, secular – or pagan? How is paganism understood in the New Testament? What is a Christian and a pagan worldview? Is it constructive to talk, or think, of our culture as pagan? How should this affect Christian living, church life and mission today? ” from the advert for the event.
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This film and research caught my attention (thanks to Purple Pastor for heads up), as I am part of Vineyard churches. Lonnie was someone I had heard about, and saw in 1990, at a conference at the London Docklands Arena. He was just a delegate, and looked decidedly un-hippy like.
It’s a fascinating study in gifting and character, and how denominations struggle with it’s heros when then they fall.
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I just got ClustrMaps up and running on my blog and the Lenten Blog. The basic version is free and provides a map that shows where in the world people are visiting your site from.
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Our lenten blog Inspired by Miroslav Volf (with his book ‘Free of Charge” that Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote the foreword to, and recommends as Lenten preparation) is up and running at http://freeofcharge.ws. We have several people involved with Emergent internationally who have volunteered to read Free of Charge and blog about it. If you want to join in please do. If you want to read the book and author posts as well as comment please let me know too.
A great chance for your lent preparation, and for us to get to know each other better in conversation.
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Illusions of Grandeur by Vicky Calver
UK – £8.61
USA – $10.19I had breakfast today Vicky Calver this morning, who is the Strategic Development Manager for Global Connections, a UK Evangelical network for world mission amongst other things. In the course of our conversation I found out that she has just had a booked published (above), that sounded so interesting I just ordered a copy. Sounds like a book that deals with the need for ordinary christians and not the over promising and over claiming hype that we so often have on the topic of vision and ministry.
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We baptised 10 people last night. Their stories of brokeness, doubt, searching, and finding Jesus were so moving, and inspiring to us all. Standing in the water and baptising people into Christ, is always one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and provides moments when Jesus is so alive and real, and I really know that my redeemer lives.
In our context, none of these people talked about praying a prayer to accept christ (if they had that wouldn’t have been a bad thing), but of how they oriented their lives over time, and through interaction with Jesus and our church. Baptism was for many of them the beginning of a declaration that they were christians, and followers with us all of Jesus into his mission.
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The ship of fools, have a section on their site where they send mystery worshippers, like mystery shoppers to churches sunday services.
I guess we all evaluate church services when we visit them, whether on a sunday or in the most fluid/liquid, non congregational place. In most of the reviews people are charitable, but the process still bothers me.
1. Focus: Why the focus on a sunday service. If we want to know about a church, why is the sunday service visit the place to let us know an asessment of the church? What about the larger life of the church visited?
2. Consuming: The connotations of the mystery worshipper are of the shopper, consuming a church service. Is that really how christians should approach finding a local church community?
3. Relevancy: And the focus is still on how much the church made me feel, was it relevant to me for the assessment.I’d rather read a site that had mystery servants, people who went undercover to churches, to see what happened when they served, gave, prayed for people. But that takes a lot more effor than turning up and telling others whether we enjoyed it, and is at the heart of the western consumer obsession of church meetng my needs, rather than churches being places to engage in mission to others.
