AJS OPINION
Opinion: A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by knowledge or proof.

WOW, it might have taken them 40 years to get and organ and they have not got rid of it yet! but they can use the Internet!   

The Glen Waverley congregation waves to the Beeac parishioners. Photo: Pat Scala PDS

THE future for many small rural churches was unveiled at the tiny town of Beeac yesterday: a direct internet link with a large city church and a shared morning worship service.

New 3G technology and a communal ambition enabled the Glen Waverley Uniting Church to transmit its 11am family service onto a large screen in Beeac in an experiment that has sparked the interest and hopes of many country churches.

“It’s very exciting,” Beeac parishioner Dawn Missen said. “We hope it will strengthen relations between country and city. We’ve already met some lovely people from Glen Waverley. Although we are small in number, we can be stimulated by a strong, vibrant city congregation.”

Beeac, 20 minutes’ drive north of Colac, is typical of many small rural towns with shrinking economies and congregations and a shortage of priests.

The 1862 bluestone building where the Uniting Church congregation of about 20 meets is the town’s oldest building and last remaining church. The Catholics suspended services a few months ago and the Anglican church is now a private home.

Beeac’s is one of seven rural churches, from Forest to Rokeby, that have been tended by the Reverend Jen Pretty, but she is taking up a new post as mission and education officer for western Victoria, responsible for 107 churches rather than seven.

But it has an active congregation that refuses to see the church as “God’s waiting room”, a declining community of the elderly. Though they expect they will never again be able to find or afford their own minister, they see no reason why they cannot thrive and continue to be important to their community.

Glen Waverley Uniting church has a congregation of about 1000 and holds five services each weekend. If all goes well, it will “adopt” eight country churches and share one service a month with each, according to Glen Waverley parishioner Warren Greenwood, who is behind the project.

“Country congregations are finding it more difficult to have full-time ministers, so they are looking for other ways of continuing to worship. This is more personal than sitting down and watching Hymns of Praise because it’s current,” he said

Technology saves church that didn’t have a prayer | theage.com.au

Another good response to the sad issue with Mike Guglielmucci, from Stephen Said… Neurotribe

But the question I want to ask is, will those who consume and devour Christian celebrities repent of their idolatrous behaviour? Will we collectively bring our Christian idols (entertainment paraphernalia and all of our dysfunctional behaviours and desires that it represents) to the bonfire to be burnt? Will we publicly declare our destructive desires to be the centre of everyone’s attention and instead embrace a spirituality that dares to serve in obscurity?
If we don’t want this to happen again, stop looking! Refuse to be entertained. Choose the wisdom that comes to you over a cup of coffee from a *nobody* to the sound bytes that come to us through the microphone, refuse to be an adoring participant in the pagan celebrity worship game. Choose to listen to, and follow him who did not think that equality with God was something to be grasped, rather he made himself nothing, taking on the form of a servant, a humble obedient servant who followed his instructions, even knowing they would result in his death.

{neurotribe.net}

In light of the current conversations around churches in Australia about Mike Guglielmucci, this article on Truth is excellent.

half truths and hanging rocks August 25

Filed under Musings by colduthie | 1 comment

Hanging Rock is a tourist icon. The summit provides panoramic views of farming plains amidst a maze of rocks that form caves, crevasses, tunnels, arches, cliffs and walkways. Being a kid-friendly 20 minute walk to the top, it is little wonder it draws families and tourists from afar.

I was there on the weekend as part of our annual Ergo staff and families weekend away. In between some workshopping, eating, drinking, playing board games in front of the fire and watching some more Olympics, we loaded everyone up and convoyed across to spend the cold Saturday afternoon outside among the rosellas, kangaroos and the famous Rocks.

The other reason these Rocks attract so many people is the legendary story of The Picnic at Hanging Rock. The mysterious disappearance of three girls and teacher from a private school picnic, the subsequent discovering of one of the girls three days later with no recollection of events and the suicide of the headmistress by throwing herself off one of the cliffs at Hanging Rock … this is background conversation of every first time visitor to Hanging Rock.

Even though it is just a story, there are clearly benefits of perpetuating the ambiguity about the line between fact and fiction. Apart from forming part of Australian Folk Lore, the revenue from tourism in the vicinity is significantly enhanced. The author of the book, Joan Lindsay, refused to say whether there was any basis in real history, but the total absence of any newspaper or other records of such events speak for themselves. It got me wondering about how we can unconsciously (or consciously) perpetuate stories that are not true because of the apparent benefits.

For example, there was a time in our business when we believed we could do anything for anyone. It allowed for innovation and confidence to work across a variety of industries offering diverse solutions. Even though it delivered some benefits, it was healthy for us to identify the belief as a myth and reassess our self understanding of who we were and our associated competencies.

I wrote recently about a senior executive who believes he understands where his staff are at. Unfortunately he is misguided, but he believes his own rhetoric. He is not alone. We tell ourselves stories about ourselves, our family, our colleagues, our workplaces and our world everyday. The stories make sense to us, but they may or may not be truthful. Yes, they will have dimensions of truth. But often the pieces of truth we base our stories on are a very narrow perspectives. Yet it serves us well to hang on to the stories. “I am competent”, “I am hopeless”, “Melbourne is the most liveable city”, “We are better than our competitors”, “We are weaker than our competitors.” Etc etc.

You often hear people described as ‘calling a spade a spade’ as a way of describing their forthright manner. That’s not necessarily what i am talking about here. I am talking about the wisdom that says, “I can see a spade, but I wonder why? Do others see a shovel?” “How does it serve my self interest to call it a spade?” We may end up agreeing that it is indeed a spade, but let’s keep in mind that the worm perceives it very differently.

If all that is too esoteric, just think about the Picnic at Hanging Rock. Who benefits from perpetuating the ambiguity of history? Is that OK?

What are the stories that you believe about yourself, your family and your colleagues? Do they need a re-examination? At the end of the day, even though there may be real or perceived value in cultivating half-truths, my view is that searching for a fuller appreciation of truth is a more secure route. It liberates us to face things that might be difficult but ultimately allow us to navigate life with confidence and grace.

half truths and hanging rocks | ergo consulting

Mark Sayers has some good thoughts on the whole Mike Guglielmucci scandal…

Strangely not long ago I watched a re-run of Seinfeld where Jerry and George’s friend Gary pretends to have Cancer. When I watched the episode, I thought to myself “Who would pretend to have cancer?’ It seemed implausible, it seemed too bad taste” Little did I know that such an episode would break into real life.

When things like this happen it is important to react in compassion and grace and I encourage you to read Mark Conner’s response to the situation here. However when situations like this occur we must also turn bad into good by asking what do we need to learn from this, we must as the people of God ask ‘Is there something that God might be teaching us here?’.

On one level this is a very personal sin, yet as I have prayed and meditated on this there is also a systematic and cultural failure occurring here. There are too many cultural idols in this sad tale to leave unnamed. My fear is that this kind of ’success at all cost’s’ moral failure, could be a kind of new fall that other young leaders may face (albiet less publically) if left unwarned. The world into which young leaders are emerging contains a number of traps which we must be aware of.

What can we learn from the Mike Guglielmucci scandal? « Mark Sayers

This is cool. for kids of all ages!

I want one!

This is a great response to the sad situation with Michael Gugliemucci by Scott Vawser at No Guarantees

Ok, so I guess like every other website in the Christian and not so Christian world, I thought I too would make a comment on the big news - Mike Gugliemucci does not have terminal cancer, rather he has another kind of illness (my take) - a mental illness that seems to have resulted in him faking this cancer, deceiving probably hundreds of thousands (could it be more than a million??) people via his live ‘performances’ and testimonies and powerful song, ‘healer’. Hillsong have gone into bunker mode (again) and are battening down their hatches, making legal claims toward Youtube, media statements, and probably saying swear words quietly behind closed doors!
Blogs are screaming for answers, newspapers (even The Australian), are loving the fodder for their juicy stories.
But I wonder if the real problem is not Mike and his deceit but the very system he became a victim of. A church that loves to make heroes and stars out of ordinary people…in fact does this not sound like the very worldy system that we live in? Think Paris Hilton, think up and coming teen hero Miley Cyrus, think any kind of super star…or not so super star (Bindi Irwin?), ordinary people longing for attention, love and recognition, they show some flare, and pop culture instantly elevates them higher and higher until there is no way they could ever display their true selves, their broken nature, because if they did - we would crucify them! (And we do!)
Mike has been exposed as a fake.
Oh how I wish some of my fakeness would get exposed sometimes, but the pain, the risk it might cause to me and others.
But, then imagine the healing that may also come, imagine finally being able to walk down the street knowing that your ugliness is exposed and you have nothing to hide. The road to healing I would say is found in here.
So again, I suggest that we as a Church may just have missed the point.
AA on the other hand my look more like a church I would like to attend.
At Church we say, “all is fine, I am healed and victorious!”
In fact some may even invent sicknesses to be able to make that victorious claim. “Glory to God I can still preach and write songs and be your hero!”
But at an AA meeting people come in broken, “my name is Jack, I am sick, I am an alcoholic”. Jack is welcomed and embraced as a broken man, no chance of making him out a hero, he is just like one of us, but together as a egalitarian group of people, we can make a difference in one another’s lives.
So to Mike I say, congratulations my friend (I am not really a friend, although I have met Mike on a few occasions), finally your healing has begun, you have been set free from this lie and can now really begin to come to terms with your inner self, the pain and sickness that in one way, shape, or another - all of us carry.
To myself, I guess I take the challenge to not be afraid of the dark sides of me, but rather expose them. Also, I need to be wary as I like to be the hero, be in the limelight, let the Church make me out to be a hero or let people think more of me than I really am.
To the Church - stop sticking people up on those pedastools! Stop making Kings and Queens and CEO’s out of people who some call “Pastor”.
Who was it who said if you want to be great then you must be the servant of all?
Our journey into into Christ, as I understand it, is a downward one, not an upward one.
Think Mother Theresa as a model?
Think Billy Graeme as a pretty fair example of one who was ‘up front’ yet seemed to resist being made a hero.
Who else? Or am I just making these anti-hero’s into heros?
Anyway - Continue to pray for Mike’s healing…and mine…and your own

No Guarantees: Michael Guglielmucci On Road To Recovery

The news hit today that Michael Guglielmucci has admitted to falsely claiming to have cancer.  The executive of the Australian Christian Churches made this statement:

Representatives of the National Executive recently met with Michael Guglielmucci.  At this meeting he read a statement indicating that his claim to have cancer was untrue.  His credential with the ACC was immediately suspended.

The National Executive is taking this matter very seriously and is awaiting the results of medical tests before determining the full extent of the discipline that will be imposed upon him.

We are very concerned for the many people who have been or will be hurt by Michael’s actions and we encourage all of our churches to pray for all those affected.

Yours sincerely,

Alun Davies
National Vice President

20 August 2008

This situation creates a raft of questions, How does a person get so caught up with the affirmation of people that they lose the passion and drive to pursue the affirmation of Christ?  Why does God let it get this far?  What must his family be feeling, how must his church feel, what about those who have cancer and were trusting in the God who was healing Michael?  But the question I want to ask is this:  Is God glorified, through those led to worship through this fraud?  or is the God of all truth appalled at the fraud and poor character?  Hmm that is something to ponder.

Then there are those who came to faith through Michael’s ministry.  For those, it is God who saved you, it is Christ’s blood that cleanses sin, it is not Michael!  Keep heading towards God, keep reading the Word it is here that you will find truth and authenticity.

Today’s events make me wonder about Saul and his kingship from 1 Samuel.  Saul chosen as king, quickly finds that he wants to take control, when he should have waited on God.  we see it through his kingship, he is deeply concerned by what people think, that people would follow him.

1 Samuel 13:9-14 (The Message) says this:

So Saul took charge: “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” He went ahead and sacrificed the burnt offering. No sooner had he done it than Samuel showed up! Saul greeted him.

Samuel said, “What on earth are you doing?”

Saul answered, “When I saw I was losing my army from under me, and that you hadn’t come when you said you would, and that the Philistines were poised at Micmash, I said, ‘The Philistines are about to come down on me in Gilgal, and I haven’t yet come before God asking for his help.’ So I took things into my own hands, and sacrificed the burnt offering.”

“That was a fool thing to do,” Samuel said to Saul. “If you had kept the appointment that your God commanded, by now God would have set a firm and lasting foundation under your kingly rule over Israel. As it is, your kingly rule is already falling to pieces. God is out looking for your replacement right now. This time he’ll do the choosing. When he finds him, he’ll appoint him leader of his people. And all because you didn’t keep your appointment with God!”

Saul could not wait for God to do what God wanted to do and so he hijacked his reign but taking things into his own hands.  Who knows what would have happened had Saul trusted God and waited, who knows if Saul may have become a hero of faith rather than an object lesson in self centred living.  What could God have done through Michael he was obviously talented and capable.

So what can come from this?  May we all be made aware of our frailty and our ability to sin!  May we open up our lives to the light of Christ, may our deception be made clear.  May we see justice, and accountability, may grace abound appropriately in response to absolute repentance.  Finally I pray that churches would pull down the pedestals we place leaders on, may leaders step down from them and walk together as a faithful priesthood of all, so that God is glorified and praised!

I read this today it is very interesting.  We live in a world where there is alwyas more going on that just the one thing…  Music, ads, posters, radio, work, sport, conversations.  How well are we really doing in this multi tasking world?

Christine Rosen has written an intriguing article about multi-tasking for The Toronto Star. The article, “Can You Finish This Story Without Being Interrupted?”, says multi-tasking is undermining our ability to concentrate, pay attention and decide whether or not information is worthy of our undivided focus. Rosen marshals the findings of scientific analysis to build her case against multi-tasking. Among the research she cites:

• A study in the UK showed people constantly interrupted by e-mails and instant messages did worse in a controlled test than those intoxicated by marijuana. The author said: “The IQ loss…is temporary. Remove the multi-tasking requirement, and test scores jump back to normal.”
• Rene Marois of Vanderbilt University has explored the consequences of multi-tasking on the efficiency of the brain. Marois’ research suggests that the more we jump from task to task, the more energy our brains waste.
• The research of Professor Russell Poldrack of UCLA indicates that distraction causes a physiological learning deficiency. When multi-tasking, the part of our brains used for storing and recalling information slows down.

Leaders should be aware of the perils of multi-tasking. For the human mind, more is less. Focus and concentration have immense value and are essential for a person to think clearly and work efficiently.
Multi-tasking will continue to be a temptation in the craze of today’s workplace, but leaders doing too much at once will drain their brains and drag down productivity. Perhaps it’s time for single-tasking to come back in vogue.

From this mailing list.

Good post from my Nephew Geoff.  Just how much of what we do is truly authentic?  Much of what we do is slick or the result of clever spin.

The Dead Zone of Slick

Some good thoughts from Seth Godin.  He’s talking about the dead zone between something being
REAL and something being SLICK.  Both are good, but it’s the dead zone in the middle where things really suck.

You can send me a hand-written note (but don’t write it in crayon with words spelled wrong) and I’ll read it. And you can send me a beautifully typeset Fedex package. But if you send me mass-produced junk with a dot matrix printer, out it goes. The dead zone again.

That’s why really well done HTML email works, as does unique, hand-typed text email. It’s the banal stuff in the middle that people don’t read. And yet, 95% of what I see is precisely in the dead spot of the middle zone.

The Blair Witch Project and Pi both felt authentic. The Matrix was perfectly slick. The new Star Wars cartoon is just dumb.

I suppose the same is true of church services.  Real and Authentic is fantastic.  Slick and Perfected is impressive.  99% of church services fall in the dead zone in the middle. The real stuff is faked.  The slick stuff is pathetic.
Does it matter?  I think it does.  What should we do about it?

I think if we’re good at being super slick, go for it (but don’t lose the real-ness of relationship outside of the service).
I think if we’re not good at being super-slick (most of us aren’t), then let’s just stick to being real.

Reflections of a Snook: The Dead Zone of Slick

This made me laugh!!!

Since the Emerging Church doesn’t seem to like definitions, and they do seem to like images, I offer the following.*
You Might Be Emerging if…

purgatorio: You Might Be Emerging If…

How true it can be…