Session Three: Brian MacLaren

So last year I was in a 2 hour session with Brian MacLaren who pretty much kicked me in the butt. I realized today... that a fire was lit during that session and I have allowed the pace of life and other "stuff" to quench this fire. Today Nancy interviewed him. The basic content is contained in the book "Everything Must Change"

He told a story to begin with of being young, maybe 20 years ago and speaking at a camp. He asked the campers to create a list of issues in the church. What would you put on this list? I live in this world.

Then, he asked them to create a list of the top global problems.

Then he had to wrestle with what does the message of Jesus say to address the second list? How often am I caught up with the first list and how much is that like the time that Jesus was born in to.

I am so challenged by this message I sincerely don't quite know what to do with myself. This has been building/burning in my spirit.

So many quotes from this session...

"Is the sole purpose of the gospel fire insurance? or shouldn't we be asking how God's kingdom can come, His will can be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
"Could it be that 'saved' could be meant as not wasting our lives before we die" "personal transformation is not the whole story."
"The church is not the end user of the Gospel. We are to be agents of healing and transformation."

Then, (thank you Nancy) Brian gave artists, leaders and pastors practical ways that we could uniquely make a difference.
1- Lead people in to integral worship, show them a more whole version of God, balance grace and mercy with a God of compassion, of justice who shows up and acts up throughout history.
2- Humanize the "other"; the forgotten insider, the perceived enemy and the depised others. See the human being.
3- Humanize ourselves. Use our art and teaching to stir human emotion, raise an inconvenient thought, spur us to merciful and just action.
4- Revalue (Redeem) Creation. Root people in the value of God's creation.

Preach it brotha!