Thursday, November 6, 2008

Community, Passion and Intimacy; The Desire of A Generation


I'm currently reading "The Emerging Church" by Dan Kimball and I am loving it. The book is a guide to creating a service and a mind set geared towards the post-christian nation we now live in. It helps you to re-think the way you have thought about ministry and it helps you to re-learn what you have learned about the church; not in an un-biblical way, but in a way that challenges you and sparks excitement and creativity to serve God and others.

I think what I love most about this book is that it re-enforces these feelings that I have had about the church and ministry for some time now.

I have had this desire to connect with the Jewish roots of Christianity and discover what has led us to where we are. I have wanted to create a service that honors God and the sacred holiness of his presence rather than honoring the ideas of the contemporary mind. In no way am I upset with where the church has gone or what it is doing; I am just a man in need of something more, something deeper, something raw and real and mysterious. This book focuses on all of these ideas and affirms that God did not just make me different. He didn't just create this desire in me to feel like I am out of place. he has put this desire on the hearts of many people in my age group and beyond.

People desire to have the mystery and tradition found in the Bible. They want to know that God is the holiest of holys. They want to feel that they are a part of something that has been taking place for thousands of years. This is why it is important to bring a sense of intimacy and respect back into our services. I feel that God is leading a generation of leaders who will begin the first phase in a return to intimate services filled with community, passion and intimacy.

No comments: