Today is just the beginning...

So here I am, joining the blogging bandwagon. I have to admit, I can't tell you quite yet whether this is a good or bad decision. We'll see how well I do with it.

For today, I thought that I would share some of the things that I've been reading about God, life and the church. (Is anyone else feeling "mission statement" as you read these?)

"My conviction is that the church is the community that God has set at the center of the world to keep the world centered." (Eugene Peterson, Living the Resurrection, p.12)

"We are afraid of losing what we have, whether its our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were all written by the same hand." (Paulo Cohelo, The Alchemist, p.70)

"A faith in which I'm working together with Jesus needs me to see my story as part of His. It urges me to discover how my story reflects and connects with the overarching story of a just and gracious God, who throughout history has loved and sought after a rebellious humanity." (Eric Sanders, Buck Naked Faith, p. 35)

"We are real people who know and worship a real Jesus who helps us overcome real problems so we can become real testimonies of his love and faithfulness." (Eric Sanders, Buck Naked Faith, p. 111)

It makes me think about kingdom life and about kingdom prayers. It makes me think about myself - my life, my job, my faith - in light of the larger story that God is writing and in light of the community I find myself in. As I look forward to the adventure of the new church plant I'm a part of, Journey Church (www.journeychurch.ca), I can't help but think that all of these random thoughts, these spare parts, are building in me eye sight that that sees what's important. When I get to the end of my life, I want to be able to say that I was a real follower of the real Jesus and that I lived with real people facing real problems and real joys. I want to be able to know that I met them there and, because of that meeting and because Jesus is real in me, that they met Him.

So, hopefully this sets the tone for where I'm headed. Spare parts. Random thoughts and reflections. The good, the bad, and the ugly.