parables of a prodigal world

Congratualtions! You are now officially a "member" of the Emerging Church. You're sufficiently alienated from traditional concepts of "being church," from a rigid doctrinal point of view, from Evangelicalism as popularly construed. You're sufficiently versed in the Emerging Conversation to realize that it may not be able to articulate all the answers, but that may be just the point. You've come to value relationships over sermons, inclusion of each member’s experiences over dogma, conversation over conversion, living true to the life and teachings of Jesus over judging others who don’t look/act/think the same. So, now the big question. Do you leave the old, tired church behind and go off to emerge? Short answer first: For the love of God, NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please! Please! Don't do it!!! Let me tell you about an another emerging movement that began from within a similar religion, oh, some 2,000. years ago. You can call it Emerging Judais...

God gave me a sense of humor, I've tended to use it as a self-defense mechanism. God gave me intelligence, I've tended to use it as an excuse not to listen to others. God gave me courage, I've tended to be reckless. God gave me a yearning for truth, I've tended to gather information. God gave me a yearning to love, I've strived to possess others. God gave me rights and responsibilities, Responsibilities? God gave me the ability to discern, I've tended to locate the weakest aspects of people and ideas. God gave me a perfectly-designed machine in which to live, I smoke and eat too much fast food. God gave me His Spirit, I've sought to find myself. God gave me His Son, I'm not worthy of Him. Grace and Peace, Raffi

Jesus climbed into a boat and went back across the lake to his own town. Some people brought to him a paralyzed man on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "Take heart, son! Your sins are forgiven." "Blasphemy! This man talks like he is God!" some of the teachers of religious law said among themselves. Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, "Why are you thinking such evil thoughts? Is it easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven' or 'Get up and walk'? I will prove that I, the Son of Man, have the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, "Stand up, take your mat, and go on home, because you are healed!" And the man jumped up and went home! Fear swept through the crowd as they saw this happen right before their eyes. They praised God for sending a man with such great authority. - Matthew 9:1-8 Say the word "saved" today and most American Christ...

The 233rd Christian Carnival is up today at Diary of 1 , and I'm proud to say that one of my posts made the list. The Christian Carnival is a weekly collection of some of the best posts of the Christian blogosphere. It's open to Christians of Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic convictions. I think it's a great way to bring a sense of community to the blog world, to the extent that such a thing is possible. Grace and Peace, Raffi

I recently learned of a traditional Cherokee story. It goes like this: An elder was teaching his grandchildren about life... He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil -- he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego. The other is good---he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too." They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied: "The one you feed."

10. God is not a major topic of family discourse. 9. When words don't work, use the same words in a higher volume. 8. The amount of love you show others is directly proportional to your mood that day. 7. Don't try things that are too dangerous. 6. Daddy's "yes" is not always yes, nor his "no," no. 5. Jesus is not a major topic of family discourse. 4. Follow the rules without question. 3. Those who follow the rules are "good." Those who don't are "bad." 2. Material possessions are really, really important. 1. People outside the immediate family are to be tolerated at arm's length, if not feared. Be careful, moms and dads. Grace and Peace, Raffi