Sorry if you recently got a stupid number of bizarre emails from me!

If you’re a subscriber or follower you will probably have been deluged.

I have been experimenting with a new template for our church and thought I’d test it on the blog. I used to be pretty tech savvy, but I’m not so up to speed with all things wordpress these days.

I imported a template and some dummy pages and I think you got sent all the dummy pages. Anyway – this one’s the real deal.

It’ll save you all emailing me, texting or phoning to let me know 🙂

And thanks to those who already have!

The title of this series is intentional. Its about mission in the local neighbourhood as distinct from going overseas or to a whole new sub-culture. It’s about being effective where we are.

Paradigm shifting was big in 2006. Part of helping people grasp a ‘missional imagination’ was deconstructing the heavily churched mindset that most of us had lived with for so long.

I remember saying things like ‘it’s not that God’s church has a mission, but that God’s mission has a church’. We spoke of Christology shaping missiology which in turn shaped ecclesiology (which in essence meant Jesus inspires us into mission and from there we allow our church communities to take shape). In that time paradigms did need busting, the church needed something of a kick up the bum to get back into the world and ‘revolution rather than evolution’ was the order of the day for the church. I loved that period and the energy that went with learning new things and being challenged to figure out how we do mission in this changing landscape.
But we’re not there any more. Pretty much everyone would sign off on the importance of the church getting back into the community and the importance of a tangible gospel rather than just a five minute spiel. We would agree on contextualisation and thoughtful interactions rather than just spewing a gospel message on people.

So my sense is that these days the issues are far more practical and pragmatic than philosophical. I imagine that’s why Mike Frost’s Surprise the World ‘workbook’ has been so successful – because people are convinced of the importance of mission but not sure where to start. Frosty offers a collection of practices that give shape to a missional lifestyle and I will be taking a similar approach with our crew.

I sense we need to more and more help people move into action and to form a missional lifestyle that is true to who they are. Not everyone is good at caring for the poor and needy, nor is everyone good at hosting parties. So helping people to play to their strengths and developing intentional missionary practices will be a part of what we do.

Our teaching series will only run for 7 weeks but it will be largely practical and each week will offer some tangible expressions of mission that people can pursue.

One of the things I have noticed in church leadership is that presenting people with a concept and allowing them to ‘join the dots’ and come up with their own missional idea rarely results in action – it seems to get filed in the ‘too hard basket’ but… plain old telling people what to do does get traction. Maybe that’s unfortunate but you also need to accept reality and play the hand you’re dealt.

It’s the difference between ‘think of a creative way to bless your street’ and ‘go knock on your neighbour’s door and invite them around for a meal’. Of course you have to cover that with a caveat that says you don’t HAVE to invite people around for a meal if hospitality isn’t your strength. But if we present enough clear practical alternatives then people will realise they can do stuff.

I get the sense we have come out of the dark ages of evangelism – think wacky door knocking and zany street preaching – but we aren’t sure what we are to move into, or how we are to do things in this context.

I’m all for discussing and reflecting on the higher level missiology stuff with those for whom it inspires and makes sense but I tend to think most folks just want some help to get practical and effective as the people of God

So reads the chapter title in my 1984 version of the NIV bible over 1 Corinthians 5. When I look the same chapter up on Bible Gateway it has been ‘re-titled’ as ‘Dealing with a case of incest.’ A subtle change, but perhaps one that reflects a bit of how we treat things these days.

It ain’t cool to ‘expel’ people from church… It sounds like the kind of thing cults do and chances are you could even leave yourself open to litigation… In these days when numbers are already in decline who wants to willingly lose another person or family?

But what do you do with Paul’s words in 1 Cor 5:13? Is there ever a time for showing someone the door? Or do we always in every situation seek to keep them in the fellowship? Paul seems pretty clear on the fact that there is a time to exclude someone from the community and he speaks of it more than once. In 1 Timothy we hear him speak this way of Alexander and Hymenaues and in Titus he says similar of divisive people.

If we just take Paul’s words at face value then it seems very strong, but somewhat understandable. Where it gets a little complicated is when we read Jesus’ words in Matthew 18, where the final stage in the ‘conflict resolution’ process is to treat the person as if they were a pagan or a tax collector. What does that look like?

If we’re looking at how Jesus treated tax collectors and pagans then we see him eating with them and showing them love and acceptance, yet at the same time calling them to repentance. So some would suggest that ‘treating as a pagan’ is this kind of relationship. Normally I’m a fan of reading difficult passages thru the ‘lens of Jesus’ and concluding that his insights are given priority, but my take on this issue is that there is a time to show someone the door and let them feel the absence of Christian community.

The issue Paul deals with in 1 Cor 5 is one where he says ‘even the pagans don’t tolerate it’, so for the church to allow and even boast about their practice of incest is bizarre and abhorrent. Clearly no one in Corinth has been able to sort the issue out, or has been able to exert authority over the people responsible so Paul has been called in to make a judgement.

And that he does… He doesn’t mince words.

His clear point is that we aren’t to be about the business of judging those who claim no faith alignment, but when people do, and are part of a faith community then there is an obligation on the church to call them to account. To allow unrestrained, wilful sin in any form (Paul mentions sexual immorality, greed, idolatry. lying and cheating) is to minimise the problem of sin and to sap the church of its distinctive character.

The point to make here is that this is repeated and unrepentant behaviour that is clearly out of line. It isn’t for an occasional moral failure, or for sin that is confessed and repented of. Its directed at a person who rejects Jesus’ authority and insists on doing their own thing to the detriment of the community. And that’s another key – we don’t seek first the welfare of the offending person – we seek the welfare of the community as a whole and if by their actions they they show that they don’t value the broader community then they will inevitably bring destruction to that community.

In that case then they need to be asked to leave or even sent away from the community to live as an unbeliever and to accept the consequences of that. My experience is that we rarely get to this point as most people who choose a path of wilful sin slowly ebb away from the community anyway, or those who need to be confronted often get ‘offended’ and feel ‘judged’ and then leave because they believe they have been badly treated. Maybe they have… We don’t always do confrontation well in church, but even where a perfect process has been followed, a person who doesn’t want correction can find a reason to baulk.

In these situations I think Paul would say ‘Yes. You have been judged. Your behaviour and character has been considered to be destructive to both you and the community and for that reason you aren’t allowed to stay.’

That’s pretty unPC and sure would cause a fair degree of angsty vibe within a church, but if we are going to be a distinctive and Christ flavoured community then there is a time to say ‘we have exhausted every avenue of seeking to help you see the light – now you’re on your own.’

Its a tragic place to get to, but if we never allow for it then we end up with a church where anything goes and there is no authority.

So that’s tomorrow’s sermon in a nutshell…

Ten days ago we spent a few nights on holidays in Koh Samui, a trip I won thru our business along with a whole bunch of others from around Oz. I enjoyed the time away, but meeting with other irrigation guys and talking business is always problematic for me, because it usually involves the discussion of strategies for growth and expansion. And my ‘old self’ starts to get discontent. My competitive nature gets poked and stirred as I listen to what my competitors are doing and ponder what I could do to be bigger and more profitable (than them).

The tension is that I don’t want to be a bigger more expansive business. Increased profitability is always a win, but my question is usually ‘at what cost?’

I never set out to start a business like I currently have. It was a hobby and a small income stream to supplement the 3 different Christian leadership roles than I held. However one day my work coaching Baptist youth pastors ended and I needed to fill the time and pay the bills.

So I spent more time in my business. And it grew… It was fun doing things to make it more profitable – and let’s face it – when you are starting out the only way is up. I wasn’t any kind of genius – it just worked. I tinkered for two years doing a day a week of odd retic jobs but with no real concern for growth or expansion. I didn’t need the work and I was just having fun (which incidentally is a great way to kick off a business.)

When we came back from our round Oz trip in 2009 having lost a heap of money in the GFC I shifted focus and got cranking, seeking to earn back the money we had lost. I worked very hard and did what I could to make the business grow – and it did. But there came a time a couple of years back where we had to make a choice – to grow and expand to next level or… well, what else do you do in business?…

While there is part of me that would like to provide employment for people and develop a sustainable and valuable asset, I know that my primary vocation is not to be a successful business person, as good as that may be. My focus is Christian leadership and my business is there to facilitate that – to give me freedom to serve as I am gifted and not have to try and ‘grow a church’ big enough to sustain my income needs.

Last week around the other guys I found myself listening to their progress and it set me dreaming again of expansion, of possibilities and strategies for gradually developing a significant business. It is tempting and it is a possibility – I can see how it could be done… But the cost is still too high.

Maybe one day I will need to rethink the model but for now my focus is still ‘simplicity, autonomy and flexibility’ and whatever funds are generated have to fit within that frame. The choice has been to ‘compact’ the business rather than expand – a lifestyle choice rather than a financial choice. Ironically last year was our most profitable ever and I was pretty disciplined with only working locally.

The competitive urge is still alive and well in me, but these days it is tempered by the knowledge of the cost involved in pursuing that focus. I’m not getting any younger so perhaps one day I will be managing a younger guy or two… or three… But for now I will keep rolling solo, doing the grunt work myself and keeping the weight off in the process.

I imagine a sedentary version of me would be considerably weightier than the active version. So – the choice appears yet again – as it does every so often – to grow and develop or to take a different path. I remember the words of Robert Frost ‘I took the road less travelled by…’ and hopefully that will make all the difference

Ok some quick reviews of what I’ve been reading and watching when I haven’t been fixing stuff…

Books

Apehouse by Sara Gruen – Mmmmm… Not terrible but barely inspiring. The story of bonobo chimps who learn to communicate with humans and then get stolen and used in a reality TV show… Skip it I suggest…

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand –  the biography of Louie Zemperini – a pretty inspiring and gritty story of a runner, soldier, POW, alcoholic and Jesus follower. Worth a read – easy reading but pretty gut wrenching at times and perhaps a bit drawn out in places.

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo – a crime thriller and I’ve forgotten the storyline already… I enjoy Nesbo and his Harry Hole character, but find his stories a bit complicated to follow at times.

Nemesis by Jo Nesbo – as above, but a bit harder to follow the story… I actually enjoy the diversion these books bring, but they are far from top shelf.

The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul by Deborah Rodrigeuz – pretty easy reading, I’m half way thru and enjoying the less complex storyline after Nesbo.

Movies

Selma – a bit disappointing. I had hoped for more, but it lacked some of the punch and inspiration I was thinking would be there. 5/10

Wild – one woman’s personal journey both physically as she treks a long trail in the USA and as she seeks to deal with her demons following her mums death and her subsequent melt down. It was engaging but the moral didn’t resonate with me at all. It seemed that the message of the film was that all the crap and messed up stuff we do in our lives isn’t actually negative, but it’s what shapes us into who we are. Hmmm… Maybe but perhaps we’d be better off not getting into dodgy stuff in the first place?… 5/10

71 – wow this one took me back. Set on the streets of Belfast in 1971, a British soldier gets left behind by his platoon in the middle of the battle zone. The complexity and messiness of the situation makes his recovery difficult. This is a gritty movie that can be brutal in places – but then that makes it all the more real. 8/10

The down side of taking off with a van that is an unknown quantity is that you aren’t too sure quite what works and what doesn’t.

So I’ve been amateur caravan repair man for most of this trip as I’ve discovered what does and doesn’t work, or what did work when we left but has since come unstuck!

First there was the smelly toilet incident… where we discovered that wee was leaking into the compartments below. Ech… After a couple of false starts thinking it was just the toilet overflowing (and where I spent a lot of time cleaning), I discovered it was the seal that had gone and the local caravan guy had one in stock so I attempted a fix. All good now and $200 saved.

Then there was the exterior light that wouldn’t work so I was about to replace it. I found one of the right size, but in the fiddling with it trying to get it off it started working again. Loose connection?… It works fine now so I didn’t buy the new one.

Then we arrived at our site to discover water leaking out of our main water input. Weird… It meant that when in 12v power the water pump would kick in for a second or two every few minutes to replenish what was being lost. Annoying…. Eventually I traced it back to a leaking non return valve by the water pump. So my knowledge of solenoids suggested it may need a bit of jiggling – technical term I know…Again a bit of fiddling – opening and shutting it – sorted it out – for now at least. It may need replacing in the future but one less issue for now.

Then… Yep more…

Danelle announced one morning that ‘this piece of metal just came off in my hand’… as they do… It was the handle to a small ‘scupper’ roof vent. It was a piece of cast aluminum that had cracked and the caravan guy wanted over $200 to replace the whole vent. Fortunately I had my cordless drill and was able to duck down to Repco to pick up some suitable fixings to repair it. I don’t think we will need a replacement as this has got it sorted.

This caravan came with a slide out bbq – which was really useful until the gas burner stopped working. I don’t know how these things work and the screw holding it together had been damaged so I ended up drilling it out and disassembling it. Once I cleaned out the crap it flamed up beautifully.

And then there was the planned and intended repair of the kitchen wall. The previous owner had taped up a vent only to discover when he pulled it off that the material around it wasn’t laminate after all… So it left an ugly mess and I managed to get the van cheaper because of it. One morning in Broome while the kids were schooling I spent the time painting over the mess and now it looks great – better than the rest of the van in fact!

There was the faulty 12v outlets which turned out to be a blown fuse caused by a dodgy 12v appliance. The fuse looked intact so I spent an hour tracing wires only to go back to my starting point.

The upside is that I know the van pretty well now and reckon I can fix most stuff that goes wrong.

The car has run really well, except when punching into the wind but as we left Broome we discovered the air line to the Poly air bags had come loose and the bag had been squashed between the springs. I removed the wheel and reattached the line while getting mauled by sandflies out at Port Smith. After pumping it up I discovered it had a slow leak so once we got to Exmouth I pulled it all down and immersed it in water. It turned out the leak was a dodgy connection right at the nipple. That was a relief as the air bags have really helped balance the load on the old girl.

I’m not sure if it’s Jayco quality control that is the issue or just that it’s an 8 year old van, but I do seem to have done a lot of fix-ups while away. Either way it’s all good until the next problem 🙂

Last year as we travelled Ireland and Spain I found myself missing the regular trek north and the wonderful ruggedness of the country up here. So we have come back to enjoy it yet again.

Our first week was spent with our good friends the Wesleys in Exmouth, staying at the Exmouth Caravan Park in town. Its always a challenge to know where to stay in Exmouth. Town is convenient but busy, while the other campsites out of town are cheaper and more remote, but a bugger if you forget the milk…

We spent the first week surfing, fishing and hanging with friends, but I find caravan parks hard when you are packed in tight and there is a lot of noise. Still, it was a good week and then we began the trek further north. Originally we spoke of the possibility of Darwin and even coming back thru the middle, but with a realistic top speed of 100ks/hr and a more regular speed of 90 the driving felt slow and we quickly ditched that idea.

As the rain fell we drove out of Exmouth with the plan of simply driving until we saw blue sky. Our first stop was a freebie overnight at Robe River – we drove a fair way in and tucked ourselves away at the back of the ‘main drag’. What was a quiet night turned very windy around 4am and ended up being noisy as the bed ends I had simply draped over the tent section of the van, flapped around. It was nice to be back in the more remote camping – even if there were 50 other vans of grey nomads.

We stopped in at Karratha for supplies and then cruised thru to Point Samson where we booked in at the Cove Caravan Park – really nice and good value for a family ($51.00). We fished a bit, chilled and read and enjoyed some walks on the beach. Two nights was plenty and the kids wanted to get thru to Broome before the school holidays ended and they had to get back into the school-work.

We went from here to Hedland for lunch and a refuel and then decided to drive until we had had enough. That happened about 20km past Sandfire in a small gravel carpark where we pulled up for the night. Aside from the occasional car passing, it was beautifully silent and the night sky was spectacular. We got there just before dusk and got set up. It had been hard driving as we were smashing into a strong easterly headwind the whole way and the old cruiser was struggling to stay at 80kph. I did flog it in 3^rd gear for a while doing 2700 revs but the fuel economy went from 18/100 to 25/100 and we didn’t gain that much.

That section made me rethink my car. Maybe we need a more grunty beast for future trips?… That said, when you only tow a caravan a few times a year and rarely for these distances it may not be justified. It lurks as a possibility… But my preferred option is to wait until Ellie gets her license and then pass it on to her as a daily driver. I can then get a late market dual cab. Danelle thinks the car won’t suit a 17 year old P Plate girl, but I think its just the sort of thing to unnerve any blokes who may be after her!

From the roadside stop we cruised into Broome, looking forward to warm days and light winds. We pulled into the Seventh Day Adventist overflow park, where we had stayed 3 years previous. We had really fond memories of that trip, partly from the friends we made, but also because it was such a fun time.

This week in Broome felt a bit ‘meh’. I hadn’t realised we were in the dodgy part of town last time, but on this occasion we noticed it. The first night we heard music pounding thru the suburb and we figured it must have been a pub or outdoor concert. (Its that time of year right?…) The next night (a Saturday) it happened again and kept going until 5am. It would fade away and the suddenly pump again. I began to think it wasn’t a concert… On Sunday night I went looking for the source and found a rundown house 4 streets away with a few blokes on the patio. It didn’t look like a place you’d go and say ‘hey – can you dial it down a bit’, so I rang the cops who shut it down pretty fast. This happened on another couple of occasions and in the end we left a few days earlier than planned as it became annoying.

In Broome the kids were back at school so morning were spent in the library with afternoons for fishing or beaching. Its still hard to beat a Broome sunset and we enjoyed a few of them on Cable. While there I met up with a bloke off the 60 Series Facebook Forum – that felt odd – he initiated it and was a really nice bloke, but it did seem a little weird to be meeting someone on the basis of a shared vehicle interest!

While in the van park I also met a bloke called Kevin, who was clearly a person of faith (from the signs on his van) and a man with quite a story. He is an itinerant evangelist, living on the smell of an oily rag and traveling where the wind and spirit take him and his wife. We chatted for a bit and it was good to make a connection as I was needing some human contact outside of the family.

We drove out of Broome with the intention of heading to Port Smith. We had heard it was a beautiful place and although there were some sandflies it would be worth the visit. At the turn off from the highway we stopped to get something out of the boot and discovered the airhose to the Poly airs had come loose which meant we were dragging the bag end somewhat. We drove the 20ks into the caravan park and set up – discovering quickly that we were being mauled by sandflies.

Danelle and kids took refuge in the van while I took the wheel off the car and tried to fix the airbag. It seemed fixed so we went for a drive down to the beach where there didn’t seem to be such a high population of midgies. On return I dscoverd the airbag had a leak so it was going to need some more attention. Not until we hit Exmouth again though… Four days later I am still scratching around 60 sandlfy bites and wishing we had never turned in!

We had hoped to spend two nights in Port Smith, but after 15 minutes we revised that to one and got moving early that morning bound for De Grey River about 90 ks north of Hedland. Now we had a strong tailwind and the old girl was sitting easily on 95-100 and doing 16/100 which was much nicer. We pulled in at DeGrey and enjoyed a beautiful peaceful night there. From DeGrey it was back to Robe as our final stop before tracking back to Exmouth. By now we are very good at the set up and pack up routine and having two teenagers makes the process fast and easy. Each time we stop at a remote spot Danelle and I come alive, but we need to balance that with the kids who wonder ‘what we are going to do?’

We left Robe and trundled on thru to Exmouth again where the sun was shining and the surf was flat. Bummer…

We pulled back into the same van park for 5 nights and now that’s its not school holidays the crazy factor has gone. Its mostly grey nomads and travellers. We have noticed that since hitting the road we have heard virtually no British or South African accents! Not so many of that crew in the northwest. But plenty of Aussies and Euros on the road.

We managed to snaffle the final spot in the Caravan park – which seems kinda weird – but it really is that popular up here. We are here until Saturday, when we will head out to Cape Range and try to score a national park site for a few days. From there we will cruise slowly back home. While the weather at home is ugly there is no rush, as up here it is magic every day.

Once home Danelle and I take off to Koh Samui for a few days (Aug 12-16) and then we will hit the road again and head south. We’ll take the van and use it when we can, with some nights in chalets if its really cold and wet. Small confined spaces like caravans aren’t much fun in pouring rain.

So far the van is working out well and we think it’s a keeper for a few years at least, and while the car didn’t do so well into the wind I’m going to do some mods when I get home to give it some more grunt. A boost controller under the bonnet and some tinkering with the fuel ought to bring out the best in it.

Anyway – that’s a bit of a trip update for anyone who cares to read…