justice & mercy

A few of us from my church met up with 3 inspiring ladies on thursday night who are reaching out into their local communities via a ministry (connected with their churches) called Besom in east belfast and ballynahinch. Very thought provoking... and challenging. We are just trying to think about ideas of ways we, as a church, could maybe help meet the needs of the community around us.... it's one thing to know we want to 'do justice and love mercy' but how exactly to put that into practice as a church is more difficult.

"If justice is the heart of God's vision for his redemptive work, we are bound to see the ecclesia as the alternative society in which those who are 'called out' of oppressive societies live that vision out." Scot McKnight, A Community Called Atonement p130

"Mercy is a command of God, yet it cannot simply be a response to a demand. It must arise out of hearts made generous and gracious by an understanding and experience of God's mercy. It is the hearts of the congregation that must be melted until they ask, 'where is my neighbour?'" Tim Keller, Ministries of Mercy p135

exact places

Reading about church planting in belfast and portadown and trying to get in touch with another friend who has recently moved to start a galway church plant has made me think about a quote I read last summer...

Driscoll, referring to John 17:15–18 says: “Jesus prayed that we would not leave the sick and dying world and huddle into a safe subcultural ghetto of Christian nicety, but that we would stay in the world.” (from The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World)

I’m still trying to figure out what that looks like for me. In the next year, I’ll have to figure out where I’m heading... what continent, never mind what city, town, or 'ghetto'... At this point in my life it will be largely influenced by where I can find a job. But I hope having a vision for the community where I choose to live will be part that decision...

‘...he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him...’ acts 17:26-27

In the meantime, I still don't really know my neighbours...

belfast city

I'm feeling hopeful tonight...



My church has a new pastor and he wanted this song played for his induction service tonight. My God is the God of this city that I've come to love... this song just resonated with new beginnings as a church and also with advent - to be able to look forward with expectation...

shared lives

“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” 1 Thess 2:8

I love this verse. Surely this is at the heart of everything: a life of love for each other that is reflected in mission and community. It's just figuring out what that looks like that's sometimes complicated...

AND, not just either / or

I’ve just finished a book called Why We’re Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be). Having read a few books recently by authors in the emergent movement, I felt like I wanted a different perspective on some of the things I was reading. (This book is more about emergent than emerging.) I think this book tried to give an honest critique of key issues - while commenting on many positives they are honest about some problems they see. Some things they discuss include: the idea of a journey without a destination, if doubt and uncertainty should really be seen as humility, the emergent view of modernism, the need for propositions, boundaries, and recognition of theological error, problems with “give me Jesus, not doctrine” perspective, an over-realised eschatology, the emergent view of scripture, the place of preaching, penal substitution, God’s wrath and much more. But I think they manage to join the ‘conversation’ in an often humorous, but humble way. You can check out part of the book on their website here. And here are a few reviews from various sides: Tim Challies, Dan Kimball and theooze.com.

In the last chapter (the best I think), one of the authors reflects on the churches in Revelation and highlights the need for emergent and non-emergent churches to be careful not to be lopsided churches; learning the beauty of AND, not just either / or:

“...my hope is that [the church] could be marked by grace and truth, logical precision and warmhearted passion, careful thinking and compassionate feeling, strong theology and tender love, Christian liberty and spiritual discipline, congregational care and committed outreach, diversity without doctrinal infidelity, ambition without arrogance, and contentment without complacency...I believe this is God’s vision for the church.” p257