October 2007 – Tall Skinny Kiwi

Spot The American

My Czech friend Sasa is spending time in Chicago, where this photo was just taken with John Stockman (American), who I also got to know in Prague. Can you spot the American? Did you guess it? Read on to see how culturally astute you are.

Reformation Sunday: Some Thoughts

“I believe that there is upon the earth a holy congregation and communion of pure saints ruled under one Head, Christ, called together by the Holy Spirit in one faith, in the same mind and understanding, furnished with multiple gifts yet one in love and in all respects harmonious, without sects or schisms.” Martin Luther,…

Catching Up

Back from a few days with the family in Aberdeen. The wife and some of the kids will come back later so that means I can catch up on some things at home. Heres some things that caught my eye. Brad Sargent has started blogging again as Futurist Guy. Maggie Dawn has thoughts about Christology…

OK . . THIS IS WEIRD!!!

Greetings from the Siberia Vodka bar which has a free Wifi signal. Aberdeen sure closes down at night. I snuck away from the hospital (which lacks internet) to catch up on some emails. They should release Abigail tomorrow. Things going well. We took all the kids out to see Ratatouille [Rat-a-too-ee] last night and even…

The UnConference

That rude Brother Maynard reflects on last week’s UnConference and accuses me (left) of looking tired from either carousing or praying. Ahhh . . more like flying across the world and screwing up my body clock.

Aberdeen for a few days.

We are all heading to Aberdeen today. Abigail, our diabetic daughter, needs to be in the hospital for 3 days of testing. Nothing to worry about – its just that she has been a little irregular and they want to watch her and figure out the correct dosages of insulin. Since its school holidays and…

Brian McLaren: Everything Must Change

This is a few weeks late. Sorry ’bout that. I received a preview copy a month ago and i should have written something earlier. I have actually been traveling a lot – only 2 days at home in the past few weeks and i didnt feel ready for feedback and questions at the time. But…

Liturgy: Set Sail

Some of you at last weeks Allelon conference on Mission Orders were asking about the liturgy I led. It was called Set Sail and it was originally written by Mark Berry of the Safe Space neo-monastic community in Telford, England. A PDF of Set Sail (thanks Mark) is available free of charge and it includes…

Some 2008 Events for Diary

Australia. Forge Grass-Roots Mission Festival, April 11-15, 2008 in Melbourne. Nice to see a conference morph into a festival – makes a lot of sense. I have confirmed on this one. See you there. Brazil. Every second year the Tribal Generation team in Brazil hosts a big gathering for the emerging church movements around Latin…

Seattle Reflections

Enjoyed one night in Seattle before my trip back home. The Green Tortoise Hostel is fantastic and i would easily stay there again. Its right next to Pike Brewery. Pike’s Tandem is a good porter but a little too sweet – I think they use too much sugar in some of their beers to push…

Emergent event in Austin

I almost went along to it, since i was in USA anyway, but i had to get back home to the family. A Zondervan sponsored Emerging Church Event event happened over the past few days at Gateway Church in Austin, Texas. Steve Knight has some reflections. Quite a few bloggers there but i am curious…

Loss

A lot of us are thinking of Dan Kimball who lost his father yesterday due to complications from a fall. Dan has been a good friend and a stable guide to those in the emerging church journey. Dan is author of The Emerging Church and They Like Jesus But Not The Church. Also Pernell and…

Its a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Conference is over. It was a blast! We spent many repeated times in Luke 10 and gave a lot of consideration to the kind of order that would allow us to plug back into what God is doing in the neighborhood. Getting church back to being LOCAL again and impacting the local neighborhood will be…

Bloggers at Allelon Conference on Monastic Orders

Conference on Mission Orders is going really well and there are some bloggers here that i have met in the blogosphere but never face to face. Talkin’ bout Blind Beggar, Brother Maynard (whose name is not really Maynard), Len Hjalmarson, Bill Kinnon and others. Fantastic to hang with them here. Oh . . Rob Robinson…

Reflections on Monastic Orders

I am sitting in Tom and Christine Sine’s living room in a meeting with people discussing monastic orders and their rules. Next to me is Eliacin from Puerto Rico who lives with his wife and child at the Mustard Seed House and whose blog Kingdom Praxis is quite well known. Others are here also and…

Tom and Christine Sine in Seattle

I am in Seattle right now and staying with Tom and Christine Sine. Tom is a teacher and author of some excellent books [new book coming soon related to their conference New Conspiritors 08]. Christine, an Aussie, is the doctor that helped get the medical programs going on the YWAM ship Anastasis. I was staying…

BBQ in Salem, Oregon

My mother in law gave me an apron to wear so I could cook the steak. Nice BBQ – the things got 6 burners! UPDATE: BBQ challenge by the Average Scrawny Limey on a much smaller grill. This is Alan Roxburgh whose sausages are no match for my steak. But I give him full points…

A mid life crisis: Just what this blog needs

I am writing this from Billygans Roadhouse in Vancouver Washington where they just served me a ridiculously large breakfast with some colon-clogging biscuits and gravy. Huge meal. I dont think I will need lunch. I haven’t done anything spontaneous for a long time. Sign of being in my early 40’s. And also going through transition.…

Seattle next.

Off again. Back home for 24 hours after a good trip – staying with cool people (the Lawheads and Jonny and Jenny Baker) and a youth hostel in Aberdeen that wasnt very cool. Esp. the vomit in the sink this morning. I am having a nice evening with the family so that they remember what…

Nothing much going on with me.

Same old stuff. Too boring to blog it all but heres the skinny. I am in Oxford for a few days. Having good meetings with Church Mission Society and the gang. Last night I stayed at Stephen and Alice Lawhead’s house – great hosts!! Stephen is an author of Celtic fiction and a book I…