Of course, I great reminder about transparency, self-disclosure and the "Splagnhizomai glasses' (to switch the metaphor.
Sunday was amazing.. I will post on it later...Basically, the "sermon" preached by one became the "habitat" (someone...Ron Martoia? offered "habitat" as a name for the new "sermon")experienced by all. We split into seven groups with various projects.
But the point here was the groups were formed by the ice breaking game where somone has a sign on their back that they can't read..it has the name of a person or character (Jesus, Moses, Lois Lane, SpongeBob). The person must roam around the room and by merely asking 'yes or no' questions (Am I a TV character? Male or female?) of folks, discern who they are.
Paul Tournier ("Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets') suggests that we cannot know who we are except through the lens of...even asking questions of one another...and of God. "Known as we are known."
Note to self: explore intereelationships of Johari window/Myers-Briggs 
related to self-disclosure (as individuals and as community...Mark Artist speaks of "the interior like of a community'). I assume Len (fellow Myers-Briggs INFP) or Dream Factory Tom will beat me to the topic, but that's good.. I need to learn. And I know Moltmann is helpful on God's self-disclosure... Of course, in the meantime there is inevitably the Bono connection:
Bono: (Our manager Paul McGuinness) would sit me down and say, “You have what it takes. You must have more confidence in yourself and continue to dig deeper. And I don’t be upset or surprised when you pull something out of the depth that’s uncomfortable.”
Assayas: So you discovered things that, on first glance, you’d rather have kept hidden? What were those?
Bono: The gauche nature of awe, of worship, the wonderment at the world around you. Coolness might help in your negotiation with your world, maybe, but it is impossible to meet God with sunglasses on. It is impossible to meet God without abandon, without exposing yourself, being raw. That’s the connection with great music and art, and that’s the other reason you wanted to join a band: you wanted to do the cool thing. Trying to capture religious experiences on tape wasn’t what you had in mind when you signed up for the job.
Assayas: What about your own sunglasses, then? Do you wear them the same way a taxi driver would turn off his front light, so as to signal to God that this rock star is too full of himself and not to hire at the moment?
Bono: Yeah, my insincerity… I have learnt the importance of not being earnest at all times. You don’t know what’s going on behind those glasses, but God, I can assure you, does.
related to self-disclosure (as individuals and as community...Mark Artist speaks of "the interior like of a community'). I assume Len (fellow Myers-Briggs INFP) or Dream Factory Tom will beat me to the topic, but that's good.. I need to learn. And I know Moltmann is helpful on God's self-disclosure... Of course, in the meantime there is inevitably the Bono connection:Bono: (Our manager Paul McGuinness) would sit me down and say, “You have what it takes. You must have more confidence in yourself and continue to dig deeper. And I don’t be upset or surprised when you pull something out of the depth that’s uncomfortable.”
Assayas: So you discovered things that, on first glance, you’d rather have kept hidden? What were those?
Bono: The gauche nature of awe, of worship, the wonderment at the world around you. Coolness might help in your negotiation with your world, maybe, but it is impossible to meet God with sunglasses on. It is impossible to meet God without abandon, without exposing yourself, being raw. That’s the connection with great music and art, and that’s the other reason you wanted to join a band: you wanted to do the cool thing. Trying to capture religious experiences on tape wasn’t what you had in mind when you signed up for the job.
Assayas: What about your own sunglasses, then? Do you wear them the same way a taxi driver would turn off his front light, so as to signal to God that this rock star is too full of himself and not to hire at the moment?
Bono: Yeah, my insincerity… I have learnt the importance of not being earnest at all times. You don’t know what’s going on behind those glasses, but God, I can assure you, does.
Challenge noted and thought stimulation deeply appreciated! See my answer at http://pastortomsims.typepad.com/the_dream_factory/2007/02/locals_of_note.html
ReplyDeleteawesome, Tom. see my note on your blog.
ReplyDeletei see reggie mcneal is spending some time on thess issues Thurs at FPU...cool! Assume you...and everyone else local reading this will be there...www.fresno.edu (see Ministry Forum)
John Wimber: "Our worship therefore must be self-disclosing."
-Church Planning: The First Five Years p, 19