A little explanation
Just to offer a little explanation about the address for this blog. My junior year (almost 2 years ago) sitting in SYS I, the thought "When I am moderator of GA..." rolled through my head. Thought it was a little freaky, but what was worse is that the thought re-surfaced a couple more times. It is a thought that has continued to re-surface from time to time. I have several pages of writing on the subject. I have picked a few parts to share at this point. What follows are my thoughts on what we are called to as church.
This is about an awakening of the church. Focus on the local church and what the local churches are doing. How are we impacting people. How are equipping the saints for ministry? Time to defend the faith, but we have to know it first.
Christians must be the most active and positive force. The Bible speaks of caring for the poor. The Bible speaks of outrageous love Embrace the outrageous love and outrageous joy of Christianity. Our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are persecuted. How can we, the new empire of the world change this. We are called to have dominion, but not to rule over, we have charge of. We must stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. We must invite others to do this. It is time to look at that which unites us, not that which divides us.
All I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten – to hold hands and go out into the world together. It is time for us to grab hands, it is time for us to look to each other for support. It is time to let go of rampant individualism. We must form community. Community that lifts the weakest up. We are only as strong as the weakest link....
What happens when you throw a pebble into a pond? The ripples move out, gradually growing larger. We need people to be the pebble breaking the surface of the water. You know, if the water hadn’t been so calm, the Titanic might have missed the iceberg. When the waters are calm, we don’t always recognize the danger ahead. When the waves hit, they give us reference points to guide off of. There will be waves, but that is okay. We will have to navigate through them. Waves are not negative in and of themselves, we make them negative when we think that everyone must think and act as we do. We become intolerant....
There must be passion for what we do. If we lead through prayer and through our passion, the church can ignite. Enthusiasm is contagious. We must be the torch bearers for PC (USA) and we must pass on the flame. The fire can only truly be carried by our congregations. BUT we must continue to fuel the fire. Give the fire air through prayer and through spiritual discipline, through worship, through time for God, but we must also give the fire something to burn. We must provide scholarship to give the people spiritual nourishment for their own fire. We have the people to spark the fire here and now.
Those are some of my thoughts about the larger church. I have become more and more energized as the assembly approaches. I look forward to this grand adventure. Peace.
This is about an awakening of the church. Focus on the local church and what the local churches are doing. How are we impacting people. How are equipping the saints for ministry? Time to defend the faith, but we have to know it first.
Christians must be the most active and positive force. The Bible speaks of caring for the poor. The Bible speaks of outrageous love Embrace the outrageous love and outrageous joy of Christianity. Our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are persecuted. How can we, the new empire of the world change this. We are called to have dominion, but not to rule over, we have charge of. We must stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. We must invite others to do this. It is time to look at that which unites us, not that which divides us.
All I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten – to hold hands and go out into the world together. It is time for us to grab hands, it is time for us to look to each other for support. It is time to let go of rampant individualism. We must form community. Community that lifts the weakest up. We are only as strong as the weakest link....
What happens when you throw a pebble into a pond? The ripples move out, gradually growing larger. We need people to be the pebble breaking the surface of the water. You know, if the water hadn’t been so calm, the Titanic might have missed the iceberg. When the waters are calm, we don’t always recognize the danger ahead. When the waves hit, they give us reference points to guide off of. There will be waves, but that is okay. We will have to navigate through them. Waves are not negative in and of themselves, we make them negative when we think that everyone must think and act as we do. We become intolerant....
There must be passion for what we do. If we lead through prayer and through our passion, the church can ignite. Enthusiasm is contagious. We must be the torch bearers for PC (USA) and we must pass on the flame. The fire can only truly be carried by our congregations. BUT we must continue to fuel the fire. Give the fire air through prayer and through spiritual discipline, through worship, through time for God, but we must also give the fire something to burn. We must provide scholarship to give the people spiritual nourishment for their own fire. We have the people to spark the fire here and now.
Those are some of my thoughts about the larger church. I have become more and more energized as the assembly approaches. I look forward to this grand adventure. Peace.
posted by Karen Wagner | 8:39 PM
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