I am finally finished with school. So this summer maybe I will have more time to blog. I am going to study Greek this summer to get ready for my semester of Greek this fall. I really want to go beyond the cursory learning of this language that most "pastor" trainees do in seminary. I want to really learn the language and master it - even after I have finished my classes - which I know two years will not even get close.
I have numerous books going now - the one that is stimulating me the most is Call to Commitment by Elizabeth O'Connor. It is the story about the Church of the Savior in Washington D.C. I know us postmodern folks don't like models or anything like that - etc. but I would love to see churches like that that do three things.
1) Make it tough to be a member - discipleship required - and not our Americanized version of a "six-week study" discipleship. All on the "altar" to use revivalism langauge.
2) A real burden and concern for the poor, the oppressed and the fringe. And not just a burden - but really doing something about it.
3) Small healthy churches planted that cultivate community around common Kingdom purposes and take serious the call to wholistic evangelism.
Oh Lord - to be apart and to have our fellowship do those three things - for that I do pray
I believe that this is what I am seeing pop up throughout the emerging church and I believe that it is a wave of the Holy Spirit to ge us back to the basics.