The Enyarts

from Defining Missional by Alan Hirsch

The word is everywhere, but where did it come from and what does it really mean?

It has become increasingly difficult to open a ministry book or attend a church conference and not be accosted by the word missional. A quick search on Google uncovers the presence of "missional communities," "missional leaders," "missional worship," even "missional seating," and "missional coffee." Today, everyone wants to be missional. Can you think of a single pastor who is proudly anti-missional?

But as church leaders continue to pile onto the missional bandwagon, the true meaning of the word may be getting buried under a pile of assumptions. Is it simply updated nomenclature for being purpose-driven or seeker-sensitive? Is missional a new, more mature strain of the emerging church movement?

It's time to pause and consider the origin and meaning of the word that is reframing our understanding of ministry and the church. This tree diagrams the roots of the word missional and how its reach has expanded into different areas of ministry. Alan Hirsch, a self-described "missional activist," also provides a concise definition of the ubiquitous term.

There are consequences when the meanings of words become confused. This is particularly true within a biblical worldview. The Hebrews were suspicious of images as conveyors of truth, so they guarded words and their meanings carefully. Part of theology, therefore, includes guarding the meaning of words to maintain truth within the community of faith.

This is why I am concerned about the confusion surrounding the meaning of the word missional. Maintaining the integrity of this word is critical, because recovering a missional understanding of God and the Church is essential not only for the advancement of our mission but, I believe, also for the survival of Christianity in the West.

Click here to read the rest of the article

Posted by jared at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Living amongst multi million dollar mansions, thousands of undocumented immigrants live in subhuman conditions without electricity, running water or sanitation. They all work to build and maintain the local neighborhood homes and businesses. Award winning filmmaker John Carlos Frey spends a year amongst Mexican laborers in the hidden shantytowns of wealthy San Diego, California.

Watch a clip here

The Invisible Mexicans of Deer Canyon is in depths look at what life is like for millions of undocumented immigrants living in the shadows of American society. The film portrays intimate details of several individual day laborers that live in sub-human conditions amongst multi-million dollar homes.

Raul, Jose and Jesus work general construction. Pedro works in the local tomato and strawberry fields as a farm worker while Carlos works as a groundskeeper at a world-famous five star resort. All of the men earn minimum wage and work part time or seasonally. Their meager weekly salaries are saved and sent to family members back home in Mexico. The men cut back on living expenses by living outdoors in shacks constructed of plastic tarps, cardboard and scrap lumber. Local neighborhood residents and land owners continue to push the migrants deeper into the canyon and further from civilization as housing developments spread throughout the area.

John Carlos Frey captures the daily struggles, triumphs and spirit of the undocumented Mexican immigrants living and working quietly amongst some of the wealthiest regions of America. The Invisible Mexicans of Deer Canyon is a never before seen expose of migrant life and the untold side of the immigration debate.

Posted by jared at 08:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since the 70's, Border Field State Park/Friendship Park has been a place where people could come to spend time with friends and family on the other side of the border.

Some friends of mine go to the fence every Sunday to share communion with our neighbors to the south, reminding us that God’s family isn’t contained by borders or nations.

The federal government is in the final stages of completing a triple border fence through this state park, in violation of the will of the people, the intent of the park, and the Environmental Protection Agency. This “fence” will eventually go all the way to the water with a large “no man’s land” (think DMZ) blocking any sort of contact between people on either side of the fence.

I went this past Sunday to participate in communion. A friend of mine took some great shots, see them here.

For info on the park go here

Posted by jared at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In his parting press conference today, President Bush says he sees nothing wrong with America's moral standing in the world.

from Faith in Public Life

Posted by jared at 04:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Jeromy Johnson, re-posted from A Mending Shift:

The War is Over.

That is what the leaflets dropped over the Philippines by the U.S. after WWII read. The War is Over. In other words, we, as the United States of America, were saying: We are no longer trying to kill you. As far as we are concerned, you are no longer our enemy.

But there were some who heard and read this good news and did not believe it. They thought these leaflets were lies and propaganda from the enemy. These people were known as “holdouts.” They hid in the Philippines believing that the U.S. and her allies were still fighting against them. They believed they were still at war with an enemy that, in truth, had declared peace on December 31, 1946.

One of these Japanese Solider Holdouts was named Onoda. He was the lone survivor of a group of four other holdouts. In fact, 14 years after the war ended he was (incorrectly) declared legally dead in Japan. But in 1974 he realized, through a series of circumstances, that the war was over:

“On March 9, 1974, intelligence Officer 2nd Lt. Hiroo Onoda emerged from the jungle of Lubang Island with his .25 caliber rifle, 500 rounds of ammunition and several hand grenades. He surrendered 29 years after Japan’s formal surrender. When he accepted that the war was over, he wept openly.” (read more)

Did you catch that? After he accepted — or believed — that the war was over, he wept openly.

The statement to Onoda was not, “The war is over IF you believe it.” The statement was, “The war is over, DO you believe it?” The war was over. Period.

But for 29 years he continued to hide and clutch his weapons and ration his ammo and clean his grenades. His belief that the war was still going on caused him to act accordingly.

A lot of us do the same thing.

Jesus declared peace with humanity 2,000 years ago through his blood and declared, It is finished. He officially signed the cease-fire papers. He sent leaflets to all of us saying. The War is Over.

But some of us are Holdouts. There are some who have heard and read this good news and do not believe it. They are hiding, clutching their familiar and well-used weapons (both religious and secular) thinking that God is hunting them, trying to kill and punish them.

In fact, there are some Holdouts who continue to propagate to the world that the War is NOT Over. They think the message of God’s gracious and universal good news is nothing but lies and propaganda from the enemy. They tell people that the war CAN be over IF they believe it, almost as if God’s declaration of peace is somehow dependent on us.

But they misunderstand the role of our belief. Our belief is simply for us, because how we believe is how we act. If we believe God is still against us and looking to eternally punish us, then we will behave like enemies towards God. Much like Onoda and the other WWII Holdouts, this enemy status is all in OUR mind.

And when we hear and believe the truth that God is no longer against us, that we are no longer enemies in God’s mind, that God has declared peace and the war is over, that, in fact, we are his children and he loves us, then that belief changes OUR view of God’s reality. Our belief causes us to repent and change our enemy-stance against God and each other.

Perhaps, like Onoda, after we accept — or believe — that the war is over, we will openly weep.

And then we can begin to live in and share the embrace of God. Then, because we believe the good news, we can now spread it. And the news is this simple:

The War is Over.

With love,
God

Posted by jared at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Over the past few weeks, the situation with the LRA has worsened again. A military operation aimed at defeating the rebel group went horribly wrong, and the LRA retaliated by abducting over two hundred children and killing hundreds of innocent civilians. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes so far.

What are now being called the "Christmas Massacres" made international headlines over the holidays and are some of the worst attacks in the history of this conflict. They mark an alarming new chapter in a long war.

What we do right now can make a difference for the children caught in the crossfire of this war.

The new Congress is just getting to work this week, and it's crucial that this violence is one of the first things they hear about. The action of our leaders is necessary to protect these children, and what they do depends on us.

Email your Member of Congress and ask them to take immediate action to end this violence.

In the midst of such disheartening news, our action becomes even more important. So today, we're also launching a new tool to help you be an even more effective advocate for these kids. You can now use our Congressional Scorecards to find out what your Members of Congress have done (or not done) to end this crisis.

Click here to see the grades of your Members of Congress.

By contacting your leaders, you'll also be sending a message to children under siege half a world away. Your action can let them know that not only do you care about what's happening to them, you're doing something to secure their rescue. Click here to send an email to your leaders and ask them to help.

Thanks for taking action at this crucial moment.

Posted by jared at 07:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a village on the shores of the largest man-made lake on the surface of the earth lies a major hub for trafficked children amidst Ghana's fishing industry. Children as young as three are seen as favorable workers because their nimble fingers are able to release small fish from the masses of nets. Often they are put at great risk when forced to untangle nets below the water's surface. Many of these children are given only one meal a day, consisting of a single bowl of gari soaked in the lake water, resulting in undernourishment and serious health-related concerns.

THE SITUATION:

Because of cultural values in Ghana, children frequently grow up in the homes of family members or friends in the community whom their parents view as financially better off. Unfortunately, this custom and ideology provide the basis for the exploitation of children in the Lake Volta region, and traffickers take advantage of the cheap labor offered by these vulnerable kids. Moreover, the dire economic situation forces both parents and traffickers to see only the immediate benefits of forcing these children to work in the fishing industry. They become valued as a source of income and are robbed of the opportunity to receive an education for their future.

THE CRISIS:

Ghana is a source, transit and destination country for children and women trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Trafficking within the country is more prevalent than transnational trafficking and the majority of victims are children. Both boys and girls are trafficked within Ghana for forced labor in the fishing industry, agriculture, mines, quarries, and as porters, street hawkers and truck pushers. - U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons Report, June 2007

HOPE FOR GHANA'S CHILDREN:

Not For Sale seeks to improve the lives of all children forced to work under such harsh conditions, offering them opportunities for development and education. As a part of these efforts, a safe house will be built in order to educate, protect, and provide community for rescued children trafficked to Lake Volta. In order to ensure the emancipation of the children, micro-loans will be provided to parents or those enslaving the children to compensate for the lost source of income. This will aid in alleviating the economic situation forcing demand for child laborers in the first place, and create a level or sustainability for the children's future. The aftercare and rehabilitation of these trafficked children will involve extensive medical care, basic necessities, and education. The cost of the first twelve months of operation, running at a full capacity of 24 children, will total $60,000. A small price to pay for the lives of these precious kids.

JOIN TODAY!

Your donation will support...
* Construction of a safe house
* Modes of transportation for children to and from the safe house
* Clothing, shoes, toiletries and food
* Education at a nearby private school
* School fees for books, uniforms and school supplies

Click HERE to Take Action in Africa!

Posted by jared at 08:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apparently and for some not-very-clear reason, it is incumbent upon the faithful in every new epoch or changing era of Christian history to re-define what we mean when we use the words “church” and/or “Church.”

Read the whole weblog from emergentvillage here

Posted by jared at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)