Shane Claiborne was here a few weeks ago, and I went to Knox Church on Edmonton St. to hear him, along with a whole bunch of other Winnipeggers.If you don't know who Shane is, check out the simple way, or the site for a book he co-wrote with Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Enuma Okoro, common prayer.
anyway, it was pretty inspiring being there and seeing just how many church type people were interested in things like what Shane would talk about.
heres a little snapshot of how I've continued to mull over some of the ideas that were shared. There's been a whole lot of stuff continuing to rattle around in my head. (don't worry, i wont share ALL of it here...!!)
- how can I (me, our family, Flats, the church) get right into the thick of the struggles around us? What creative involvements have we overlooked or felt too shy/tired/ill equipped to engage in? CREATIVE engagement, this phrase has permeated my prayers.
- did you know that the church has an image crisis? I knew, but I didn't know that there was research to support it! according to barna research, Christianity is known for being three things above all others.. anti-gay, hypocritical, and judgmental. ouch. lord, help me to recognize all the things i need to confess.
- doctrines should be much harder to love than they apparently are. and people should be much easier to love than they apparently are. I've been praying to learn new things about loving well.
Apparently Shane is coming to Winnipeg again in a couple of weeks... if you hear about it, you should go!
I read "The Irresistable Revolution" a few years back and it was like a bunch it the gut. I want the courage to live my faith like that. Instead, I do it in a more controlled (read lame and disconnected) fashion. Oy.
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, Shane is amazing. I would love to hear him speak! And I'm shocked and saddened to hear about the image of the church in the larger culture. We really do need to get out there more and shine, shine, shine.