It is Friday evening and as I begin to write my reflection I honestly can’t believe a whole week has passed. It has gone so quickly, and I feel I have learnt so much. I do believe the work begins now, as I go back into my regular ministry setting, seeking to grapple and wrestle with the theory and practices we have engaged with this last week. The following are my reflections on the week, areas of growth and a picture into the future.
I have grown up in the post modern world, adapting to our changing world like a fish in water. As we watched the two versions of Romeo and Juliet, I sat there understanding the changes and being completed gripped by the fast pace and the stimulus variation of the 1996 version. However, my church upbringing was in a large, pragmatic church which was very much led by a top down approach. In some ways my church upbringing didn’t value diversity and I felt like I grew up trying to live in two tensions – in the changing world and in the staying church, with the two not really meeting. This week has given me space to name this and also be reminded, like we were with Leanne, to listen and this has been an incredibly helpful process for me.
Over the last week I do believe this week my ‘operating box’ of using the bible has been enlarged. As a trained PE/ Science teacher, I understood all of this theory from an educational perspective. I have been experimenting for about the last four years with some of these practices at church and had an intuitive hunch this was the best practice to engage people and foster growth. But with Steve bringing a theological framework to this process and providing us with copious examples and case studies, I feel like my hunch has been validated and also grounded in the text.
From a personal (John 1:1) perspective I have grown and been challenged by DJing and sampling. This gospel/ culture mix is so important and I feel I have grasped this concept and am really looking forward to trying it out next time it is appropriate when I speak. Seeing the contemporary example of Bono and U2 made this concept of sampling come alive to me and I am keen and committed to using juxtapositions, subvertions or amplifications into the future.
From an image based (Colossians 1:15) perspective I have been challenged how I ‘bring colour’ to the text. I have always been big on pictures, images, film clips and other forms of media, but I never really thought about how there was colour in the text. We bring more than our ears to church and I have been challenged in this area in how I present the text – to myself and others. I found the Kell’s book and the 40 CD reflection particularly helpful in showing me how powerful images can be. I am keen to spend time in the text, dwelling in it from an image perspective and seeing how God uses this process for me personally but also when I share the text with others. I am mindful of when Steve shared that we (the speakers/ facilitators) need to ‘open people up and not shut people down’ through this process.
From a community (Colossians 4:16) and a conversation (dialegomai) perspectives I feel that I have grown a lot in my understanding of connecting others with the living text. Jesus case study from Luke 24 really confirmed in me the importance of community and hospitality – I had never realised before how the disciples didn’t understand the ‘sermon’ on the road, but the insight occurred during an act of ‘hospitality’. This truth really confirmed in me to keep seeking to find ways to weave God’s truth through a variety of different methods and practices. I really enjoyed being exposed to Dwelling in the Word, Lectio Divina, Godly play, and other reflective practices – some which were new, others I already practice in but it was good to do this with others. I am looking forward to especially using Godly play with my youth leaders and seeing where this goes from a youth ministry perspective.
The concept of our culture being an ‘experience economy’ resonated with me and how we live in a ‘hands on’ culture. Entry points, take aways – both gathered and scattered are awesome – I do this a bit already, but I was thoroughly stimulated by the last session where we shared our ‘class projects’ and also by seeing some of Steve’s take away postcards from Opawa.
Perhaps the most engaging part of the week for me was the session on storytelling. The case study of ‘Vantage Point’ really unlocked something in my mind. I never thought of this before and it was like a light went on for me. So I really look forward to doing some work around this and telling stories along side other stories – bringing in different voices, especially those whose voice isn’t always easily heard. As a part of this I found the preaching helps good, but to be honest I was more interested in how Steve manages his time and gets the job done.
Some overarching growth points I experienced this week are: In the words of Winston Churchill – ‘never give up’. I am convinced God wants me to start working on these muscles he has identified this week and like I said at the beginning the work for me really starts now; I need to gather some like minded people around me to help the creativity and biblical framework conviction grow; taking appropriate risks at the right time for the right reasons is important; I need to take time – in preparation for a message so that I can have the space to develop the areas I have spoken about in this reflection.
So there you have it, my reflections on this last week. I look forward to engaging with you all and learning together
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
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