Archives For MAGL

“…neither freedom alone nor control alone is working.  Neither a mixed system is working. A third path is needed. A paradigm shift is being called for.

Communism is dead. Capitalism is dying before our eyes. The answer…might be some compromise between socialism and capitalism that is able to integrate materialistic approaches with social consciousness.

But, since this new approach has not been born yet, new crises are unavoidable…What we do know is that currently we are fighting and solving only some consequences of some problems, but have not gotten to the roots of those problems.”

Ichak Adizes on “The Death of Capitalism”

Adizes’ On the Death of Capitalism

Posted by Chris on November 20, 2012 In Growth, Life ,
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MAGL Wrap Up

Chris —  November 13, 2012

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Today I finished the second and final week of the Fuller MAGL intensive.  Over our two very full weeks, I was able to experience some one-of-a-kind fellowship, and I learned a lot.  Here’s a few of my gleanings.

  1. Organizations succeed in accomplishing their vision and mission when their leaders are aware of themselves, their team, their setting, and their Lord.  This is the thesis statement for a capstone paper that will synthesize two years of study and reflection.  These courses have helped me  have grace for some of the flaws of the organizations I’ve been around.  It’s also made me aware that I, as an individual, am in desperate need of clarifying my own hopes, dreams, values and mission.
  2. There are huge, worldwide changes that will shape how we live our lives and full our ministries in the years to come.  Most people now live in cities.  The church is now strongest in the global south.  Technology makes things possible but society are not necessarily prepared. Pluralism is normal. What does it mean to follow Christ in this reality?
  3. The fall of Christendom will usher in a new understanding of ecumenicism.  I remember the first time I met a missionary and found out that in their context, they were much more willing and ready to partner with other denominations than we were back home.  I came to understand that when Christ-followers are a minority, and they view their life as a mission from God, they find fewer things to fight about. My cohort represented a diversity of denominations and mission agencies.  While we might not necessarily believe all the same things, it was incredible to learn from each other, and imagine how we could partner together.  As the West becomes even more of a mission field, learning to get along will be necessary.
  4. Missional theology is for everyone.  I was surprised to hear that missionaries who have devoted their lives to serving in places like  the rural Senegal and urban Indonesia were greatly moved by studying the concept of the Missio Dei and the missional church.  I heard one of them say “I moved across the world to be a missionary.  But now I realize all of life is a mission, and that everything I do is missional.”  The church does not have missionaries, The Mission has a Church made up of Missionaries.
  5. The Church is in good hands.  I’ve had the privilege of spending two years with men and women who desperately love God and have a posture of life-long learning.  With the church being lead by such servants, it is exciting to imagine what God will do.
In Church, God, Life , ,
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Yet there’s a sense in which if Christ is with me in the midst of the slum, the neighborhood is a slum no longer. For Christ lives in me, and his kingdom agendas confront the neighborhood.

Raymond J. Bakke. A Theology as Big as the City
Read as a part of the MAGL.

Jesus in the Slums

Posted by Chris on October 16, 2012 In God, Mission , , ,
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Bless. We will bless at least one other member of our community every day.

Eat. We will eat with other members of our community at least three times a week.

Listen. We will commit ourselves weekly to listening to the proptings of God in our lives.

Learn. We will read from the Gospels each week and remain diligent in learning more about Jesus.

Sent. We will see our daily life as an expression of our sent-ness by God into this world.

From Michael’s Frost’s Exiles

Learn more about smallboatbigsea. Read as a part of the MAGL.

smallboatbigsea’s Rule of Life

Posted by Chris on September 17, 2012 In Church, Growth, Life, Mission , , , , , ,
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Where is this Blog Going?

Chris —  August 25, 2012

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I’ve been thinking a lot about where I want this blog since the reformat a few weeks back. I have varied interests and varied responsibilities. But I believe that they are all important. Not in a “look at me, I’m important” kind of way, but more of a “everything is spiritual” kind of way.

I want this blog to talk about what I’m doing with my life, honestly, and how eternity is woven through it. My hope is, that by sharing my struggle to see beyond the mundane to the mystic and, more importantly, the mission, I’ll find some clarity, and maybe you will, too.

I want to step up my honesty in this blog. I’ve spent a lot of effort trying to get some important ideas across. That will continue, because that’s what I think about. But I also want to share about the things that make up my day to day, because that’s where we live, and that’s important, too. (My inspiration in this is blogger extraordinaire Penelope Trunk, who writes about helping people get jobs, but she also writes about living on a farm, having asperbergers and having a sex life.)

Here’s some things I’ll be writing about, not because they’re anything I think will help my SEO, but because they are what I do and think about:

– Being Missional. Everyday. I’ll be blogging through exactly what that means to me.
– Church life. (Specifically, my little community on the East side in Austin, Texas.)
– Social Media. It’s my job. It’s kind of fun. It’s not going away.
– What I’m reading. I’m a graduate student in the Fuller MAGL, so it takes up a lot of my thinking.
– Pop culture. More specifically science fiction and comic books. It’s what keeps me sane through grad school.

This is a scary step, because in the internet age, we’re always scared we’re sharing too much. What if that picture of that great beer I loved makes everyone think I’m a partier? What if my off the cuff tweet comes up in a job interview?

But maybe the opposite can be true. Maybe the more you share, the more you’ll have to think before you share it. Maybe the spector of having to be honest with the world will force me to be honest with myself.

I hope you’ll stick around.

In Life , , ,
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