Techno, Mission, Marriage and the Rhythms of God, part 1

and that is in no particular order.

I was listening to the Party Zone w/ DJ Mike B (podcast located via iTunes) on the bus last week...and thinking about mission and the many different ways christians seek to introduce others to Christ.

So much of what is called 'evangelism' seems so awkward and forced...and I don't think it needs to be. When I have heard about evangelism (or mission) in the past it has always led to questions like: 'What do I say if they say X?' or 'How do I start the conversation?' or 'What is the best rebuttal to argument Y?' The fact that these questions exist means that we are thinking about mission in terms that are separated from relationship in most cases.

(...though not in all, I understand and respect the need for people that can answer serious philosophical / theological questions offered by people that think a particular way. I also understand that not all interactions require a relationship beyond the casual encounter)

So - there is the context and content of my public transportation musings. It was during this time that a wonderful convergence ocurred. I was thinking about the rhythms of our lives and how we interact with others...and how our interests become mixed with those of our friends and it seemed perfectly natural to compare it to the remixed songs I was listening to.

Each song has its own identity and 'feel' (unless you hate techno, in which case it probably all sounds the same....you're so old!) but there is a common theme or beat found between 2 songs and then something happens: you go from one theme to another without any harsh or jarring (if the DJ is good) transition. I think that interests/passions in relationships are the same thing. There is a commonality experienced and then transition happens. The beat can move from one person to the next smoothly and without damaging the relationship...it can happen more violently of course, a sudden change in tempo - but this effects the overall feel and, though it might have the same end result, might do harm to the relationship.

Feel the Rhythm?

I think that this happens naturally as we get to know one another. Our interests and lifestyles begin to bump into one another...they either get accepted, rejected or modified and, slowly, a new beat emerges. And this is easily seen in our own interactions. A single, shared interest forges new acquaintances, and these can sometimes develop into friendships. I would assume that most everyone has at leat one friend that originated from something like this.

The point is, then, that to make these connections and open up your life to others requires a bit of intentionality (most movement does). But this is only the METHOD (and a very poor overview of method at that), it does not address the MOTIVATION; which has a very strong effect on the results - positive or negative.

but more on that in part 2

I think I know where I am and I think I know where I want to be

Its that middle part that is so hard. But I suppose that this is life, isn't it?

Here it is. Today is the first Sunday my family will spend at home (away from the worship service of the local church that we have previously associated with) after talking to the leadership about why I needed to resign as an Elder and why we would not be 'attending church' anymore, but are thinking about some different directions (MUCH more on that later). We have missed the worship service plenty of times (and have not really attended at all the past 5 weeks or so) but this feels so final now that we have had The Talk.

I am not sure how this blog will play into this journey that my family and I and a couple of friends are starting on: will this be the center for my own thoughts regarding this thing called church? A resource for friends we might meet along the way? An exercise in spiritual journaling? Narcissism?