Faith and Community
At times in life it is impossible to have faith.
All one has to do is look at the world to chaos and calamity.
Governments full of greed and deceit.
Communities treating leaders like gods they fall morally.
Faith in an individual is futile and there is need for change from this perspective.
There is need for individuals believing in more than their abilities to see beyond their own paradigm.
There is need for churches that proclaim fanatical blessings and personal fulfillment to cease.
There is need for institutions who want your time but not your whole person to be brought low.
Society dangles the carrot as though a person can attain fulfillment with enough consumption.
A culture based on personal fulfillment and giving into any desires one might have as a way of life.
No need for faith is something greater than self, when self fulfillment is the greatest goal of mankind.
A contributor to the collective mass, who has ceased to think, ceased to dream other than for personal fulfillment.
Individualism is god and technology is the glue holding people together.
Faith is needed in a transformational community.
When a group of people believe in a greater Kingdom there is hope.
When a group of people believe for the overlooked and under resourced.
There is need for a group of people to see themselves on a mission.
There is need for people to place themselves in the care of a community.
We do not get to pick the people involved in this community.
Those who want to be involved are involved, those who want to believe, believe.
When a community of believers joins a community of unbelievers miracles can happen.
When one person dares to love another not for any personal gain, just because they are human, the Kingdom has come.
Where is such a community of faith?
We are intentionally involving ourselves in one another’s lives. Daring to believe we can create culture in a depraved world. Daring to believe the Kingdom will come on Earth as it is in Heaven.
If all we have is today, how will you live?
If life is the gift, how will you live?
If death is the future, how will you live?
This group is intentional because we get together on purpose.
This group is missional because we are doing this to provide a safe space to ask questions and belong to the Kingdom.
What consumes your thoughts?
What helps you sleep at night and get up in the morning?
What is the driving force in your life?
Who/what do you have faith in?
Questions for the formation time:
In this moment together review the poem.
What lines stuck out to you?
What questions would you like to ask the group?
What questions would you like to answer?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
A group response to the poem from Sunday nights formation time:
1. What consumes thoughts? Anxious, wanting to be a people pleaser. Always going, never resting.
"I hear God in the still small voice, (reflection) slowing down.
2. Leaders are put on a pedestal (politics). The focus has shifted from what we can get out of this world instead of what can we give to others.
Robbie Seay song: People/relationshiips
"If you never knew these people, how will your life be changed?"
3. Meeting everyones needs: Do we talk about our needs? How do we meet others' needs?
4. There is value in looking back at the accomplishments we have made. We are going in the right direction. A work in progress
A group response to the poem from Sunday nights formation time:
Heidegjest (sp)
"Authentic" - accept on your own
(deep inside of me) I am gonna see soon - would I live differently.
Start missions examples - hang out with a kid, pick up a hitchhiker, go to prison to visit people there.
"Don't build bridges over your community to do missions - start where you are."
"IF you are Christ focussed, everthing starts to look like Christ."
"Why does a church meet - around Christ: fellowship of like - minded people to grow not not nec. proselytize your life is missional you make disciples, not heed a pastor."
"This group - All (buddhist, etc) welcome."
"early church was missional."
"More often - faith in self, instead of God scariest when we must have fith in God."
A group response to the poem from Sunday night formations time:
Trends in Health/Wealth Gospel has personally effected someone who said, "I diddn't grow up wealthy".
One person talked about how they encounter people who put their faith in God healing them or making them wealthy. Then when what they want does not happen they loose faith.
Trends in spirituality and christian bashing. "Christians are trying, even though sometimes they look like idiots." Some stances look like a cop out such as "The Agnostic stance seems to easy."
Trend of feeling the need to apolagize for being a christian.
Driving forces in peoples lives:
-To work hard so not to have to work for the "Man".
-To see miracles happen.
-Affirmation.
-There is a God and he has something for me to be apart of and do.
-Need to get out of a rut
-Helping people
Dave shared a story of helping a guy a long the side of the road. Amazing, you should ask him to share it or blog it.
"People have stopped believing" "Institutions have dispassioned people"
We must believe for each other, encourage each other and affirm each other. If we don't no one else will.
I found this past week to be encouraging. It challenged me to think about how being in a relationship with everyone in the group changes me. How would I be different if I didn't know you? (Lisa B. raised this point in our group). That just got me thinking how relationships affect people whether you mean them too or not. So, I guess the question is, how are we affecting each other?
Scott-interesting site, thanks for thinking of me. Good questions too, catalysts for head-ache. Writing is the best way to sublimate cynicism to satire and skepticism, it's action, need to practice it more myself. Please keep me in the loop as I learn to navigate the blog world.
Post a Comment