Shhh! You can’t say that.

shutmouth.jpgI stumbled upon a very interesting blog post recently. It was at Anne Jackson’s blog, FlowerDust.net.

The post, Keeping Your Mouth Shut, simply asked people to share some of the things that they don’t feel they can say in church or to other Christians.

At last check there’s around 180 responses from people with everything from plain old whinging to some revealing comments about the fear of being vulnerable.

I think it’s essential reading for anyone in church leadership. I don’t care how wonderful you think your church is, there will always be people who feel they just don’t measure up and they feel powerless to express their doubts. Anyone who thinks that no one in their pews is thinking some of these things is kidding themselves.

Surely the church should be a place where we can be open and honest in sharing the highs and lows of our journey.

There are humorous comments like this:

That comb-over really does need to go. Someone might lose an eye on a windy day!

And this:

That sometimes when there is a dramatic pause in my message, and I look like I’m waiting on God to give me something really powerful to say, I’m not. In reality I’m just wondering if I zipped up my zipper before I went up on stage.

To heartfelt messages like this:

I currently feel NO connection to God when I pray or read the Bible.

And this:

When I say “I’ll pray for you.” I don’t usually mean it. I have been a Christian for 27 years and I still don’t understand the point of praying.

My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and current President of the Baptist Union of Australia. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

Today we took a closer look at the things we don’t say in church and discussed some of the reasons we’re not as open as we should be.

You can hear our discussion by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

Are there things you feel you can’t say in church or to other Christians?



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The New Conspirators

the_new_conspirators_cover.jpgThere’s an old book on my bookshelf that was second hand when I bought it many years ago. The cover was already beginning to part company with the pages when I snapped it up for the bargain price of just three dollars. It was an early catalyst in helping me to see faith in a different light to the understanding I’d developed while being brought up in a conservative, traditional church.

That book is The Mustard Seed Conspiracy by Tome Sine.

Tom Sine has worked as a social worker, educator and headed up a community development project in Haiti for World Concern. These days he spends a lot of time trying to learn what God is doing through a new generation of innovators.

His interest in new innovations in expressions of faith have led him to write his latest book, The New Conspirators.

Tom also teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary in Seattle, and is part of Mustard Seed Associates.

Tom Sine joined me on my morning radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM along with Jarrod McKenna from Peace Tree Community. While Tom’s book talks about the many ways that people are re-imagining church, Jarrod is part of a community that is living out faith in simple ways in the Perth suburb of Lockridge.

You can hear our discussion by clicking on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

If you’re in the Perth area you have a couple of opportunities to hear Tom Sine speaking at Vose Seminary in Bentley tomorrow.

Living on Purpose in Uncertain Times

1:00pm-3:30pm

Aimed at Christian leaders

Cost: $20

Join Tom Sine for some eye-opening excursions into our new global neighbourhood. You will identify the growing pressures on time and money facing people in your church. They will also show you how you can enable people to live on purpose, creating less stressed, more festive lives; and discovering imaginative ways God can use their lives to make a difference in their communities and God’s world.

Confronting the Powers: The New Conspirators

7:00pm-9:30pm

Aimed at all Christians

Cost: $10

God is doing something new through a new generation of innovators, risk takers and entrepreneurs. These new conspirato rs can be found in at least four streams: emerging, missional, mosaic and monastic.

Some are creating innovative missional expressions of church, some are creating sustainable communities that work with the poor. Others are using the arts to create imaginative forms of environmental advocacy. Still others are creating new ways to celebrate the in-breaking of God’s new order. These young conspirators are all imagining new ways, in these uncertain times, to give creative expression to that new world the Jesus told us is already here.

You can find out more about Tom Sine and the rest of the team at Mustard Seed Associates at the Mustard Seed Associates Website.



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Miracles

HE_IS_RISEN.jpgPeople have been debating miracles for years. Are they real? Can they still happen today?

I’m sure there are good points for both sides of the argument but it’s not something I can debate. I’ve experienced a miracle of healing myself so I have no option but to believe.

My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and current President of the Baptist Union of Australia. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

Last week, in the lead up to Good Friday, we discussed the trials of Jesus and the injustice of those trials. This week it was time to look at the miracle of the empty tomb.

Do you believe the miracles of the Bible actually happened? Did Jesus truly rise from the dead?

Yesterday we discussed miracles from the scriptures and then moved to modern day miracles.

If we believe in the miracles in the Bible do we still have faith that miracles can happen today?

Ross and I discussed some modern day miracles and the experiences that we’ve both had.

My experience happened in 1987 on my first ever bicycle ride across Australia. I’d never done any long distance riding before that and so I had set my saddle too low. The added strain of days of riding between 160 and 200 kilometres a day took its toll a week or so into the ride. My knees were severely damaged.

We adjusted the saddle but the damage had already been done.

The pain got worse every day. It was excruciating.

As we rode into one town halfway across the country I was in tears with pain in both knees. I knew that I couldn’t ride any further with that level of pain.

That night I prayed that God would ease back the pain just enough for me to continue riding the next day. I was now totally dependent on him. If the pain was still as intense the next day I would be able to take no further part in the fundraising ride I was on.

When I woke up I started preparing for the day. Then it hit me. The pain hadn’t reduced just a little … it was gone. My knees were working perfectly normally with not even a hint of pain. This had been an all-consuming pain that was getting increasingly worse. Things like that don’t just disappear.

If you want to hear my discussion with Ross just click play on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

I’d be interested to read your thoughts on miracles and of any miracles that you’ve experienced.



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Is Faith a Crutch for the Weak?

crutch.jpgIs faith simply an invention to help the weak? Is God just a projection of our own needs? Do we simply create the god we need in our own minds?

Many people would suggest that the whole concept of God is a projection of what we feel we lack in life. If we didn’t have a loving father as we grew up we project that into the creation of a ‘loving father god’

We’ve all heard people say the ‘religion is just a crutch for the weak’ but is that really the case?

My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and current President of the Baptist Union of Australia. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

Yesterday we looked at where the concept of faith being for the weak began and asked whether there is any validity to the argument. We also talked about whether some Christians have misinterpreted the Bible to create a ‘god’ that doesn’t line up with the God of the Bible at all.

Have a listen to our discussion by clicking the play button on the Audio Player at the bottom of this post.



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Evil in the Church

bad_apple.jpgThere are bad apples in any kind of work or social organisation and most of the time we understand that while those bad apples can tend to cast a shadow over others, they are not indicative of the wider group.

Paedophiles, bullies, thieves, fraudsters and others like them can be found at all levels of society but should we be able to expect a higher standard of conduct from those within the church? Many of us know that people of faith often struggle with the same issues that those outside the church are facing but surely of God is real, faith in him should make a difference.

Many people claim that they can’t accept God or faith because they see so much evil within churches. Does their claim hold water?

My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and current President of the Baptist Union of Australia. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

Last week we looked at the problem of evil within the church and whether people are right to avoid a church that seems to preach one thing then do another.

We looked at the record of the Christian church and found that overall the story is certainly not all about people failing to live up to their beliefs but one of many great triumphs. However, the point remains that there are people who have done some terrible things in the name of God or while claiming to follow him. What can we do about it?

Listen to what Ross has to say by clicking the play button on the Audio Player at the bottom of this post.



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