Back - and Frozen
Well, on Sunday I was enjoying the wonder and warmth of the Florida sun. There was actually a heat wave and everything was just beautiful. But then one must always return to reality, whatever that may be in one's own situation....

Temp in Tampa when we left.... 75 degrees (F) (24 degrees C)
Temp in Twin Cities when we arrived... 5 degrees (F) (-15 degrees C)
Temp now... -6 degrees (F) (-21 degrees C) and it has not been above 0 F all day!

Remind me again why I still live up here?

Interesting
I noticed something on my email today. I was getting a slew of spam about new jobs, etc. Then I realized that this is what I posted on here the other day. I guess some of thos bots or whatever are out here searching for those key words to spam. Which makes me worry about posting about s*x- which could be sox, sax, or six.

Awe and Awe and More Awe
The Mars Rover Spirit is one awe-full and awe-some and awe-producing event! Can hardly wait for the good stuff to start downloading!

Speaking of Awesome!
Packers Advance With 33-27 OT Victory Over Seattle. The site stays Green and Gold for another week!

Trends
Thanks to Darryl Dash for copying and posting a list of trends from the Easum Bandy Advanced Forum.

Team ministries replacing charismatic leadership
Developing cultures of equipping where every level of the congregation is seens as potential leader

Church planting movements underway throughout the world and now in the US

Alternate styles of church configuration such as house church, cell church, cyber church

Emergence of multiple site churches and use of satellite video

Emergence of just plain evil spiritual warfare

Continual decline of mainline and most established sideline (example would be Brethern)

Continual decline of seminary education

Rise of bivocational pastors

The rapid rise of evangelical, supernatural, prayer filled fanatics (in the best sense of the word)

Like Darryl I am a member of the Easum Bandy Advanced Forum and have found it exciting and challenging to everything I used to think was church. This list of trends has a lot of excitement in it- unless you are committed to- and dependent on- the traditional established institution regardless of theology, politics, or label. Bill Easum and Tom Bandy are two of the most creative thinkers around today and I have been impressed by their insights- and willingness to grow as trends die and the real undergirding of what is happening begins to show through.

Bi-Vocational
Someone laughed when I used that phrase. They thought it sounded wierd. Being "bi-" anything gets that kind of reaction, I guess. In any case, as of today, that is what I now am. I do one thing for a living (something I enjoy- alcohol and drug counseling with adolescents) and another for my "church-work". Since this is only the first day, I have no idea what I am talking about yet. It is part of the exciting adventure that life is.

Yet in our ever-increasingly "secular" and pre-Christian world, there are a number of issues:
  ** the sensitivity to diverse spiritual beliefs,
  ** the potential of conflict of interest,
  ** the need- yes, the essential need- to be able to read the culture,
  ** the need respond in appropriate but non-judgemental ways.
These will make this a challenging journey. But isn't that what all Christians are supposed to be about? FOr the first time in 30 years, I am now a non-professional Christian.

I'm excited! I'll keep in touch!

Let's see what email I get from all these wierdly diverse posts.