TallSkinnyKiwi

Oxygen dependent mother dies after power is turned off.

A 44 year old woman in New Zealand, dependent on an oxygen pump, couldn't pay her electrical bill and died only hours after her power was turned off . Muliaga was a school teacher with four kids aged between 5 and 20. She owed $122. Its a terrible tragedy. Fingers are being pointed. It was on the news here in Scotland and people around the UK were offering their thoughts.
Our thoughts are also with the family. The situation totally sucks. But its hard to blame anyone. I wish she had a back up power supply. I wish there was clearer notice from the company. I wish she had been in a community that was more aware.
Story here and on CBS but i imagine there will be much more tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: new zealand, puppy

Kraemer on church

"The only true church is not the hotel Church, where guests rather avoid than meet each other, but the family church, life under one roof in communion, a church that can stand tensions and quarrels."
Hendrik Kraemer, Dutch missiologist, 1888 - 1965

Emerging Church Leader on Tour

Everyone should meet Ian Mobsby from Moot Community in UK. He is quiet and reserved, unassuming and profound, somewhat balding, and one of the most thoughtful leaders of the emerging church in the UK. Next week he will start his Emerging & Fresh Expressions Speaking Tour of the USA to release his book and share insights with Americans. He has a lot of cities already lined up but has room for some more. Aaron Kennedy will be traveling with him.
Ian's book is called Emerging and Fresh Expressions of Church: How are they authentically church and Anglican? but while you're waiting for his book, you can whet your appetite with Ian Mobsby on a distinctive approach to theologizing for the emerging church.

Also, Mean Dean Peters, known for his Blogs4God metablog and HealYourChurchWebsite.com, tells me he will be in Malaysia for the next few weeks. The Malaysian crowd are already organizing something.

Technorati Tags: emerging church

Truth War: Is the EC really the New Skid on the Jock?

So my book arrived. The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception, by John Macarthur. Just curious - did anyone receive copies for review? I sure didn't. But no regrets in purchasing it. I said i was going to discuss the book but it probably deserves a few more posts because it tackles so many topics. And if you cant afford the book, then order John's interview called "Whats So Dangerous About the Emerging Church" which contains some of the same arguments. And they will send it to you free if it is your first time ordering from Grace to You - which is nice of them. Start here.

Before I say anything, I have a lot of respect for John Macarthur. I have benefitted from many of his books over the years. He is a man of integrity. So just because i dont agree with him on his appraisal of the emerging church doesnt mean I dont think highly of him. Because I do.

In a nutshell, John Macarthur brings the harshest criticism that has ever been delivered to the emerging church. Much harsher than I expected and blogged about some months ago. Much harsher than Don Carson, who took the time and effort to mention the positive contributions of the emerging church. Unlike Carson, Macarthur offers no positives at all. He sees the movement as heretical, an assault on the certainty of Scripture, inherently flawed, riddled with gnosticism, and equivalent to a poopslide on the garment of Christ.

Its that poopslide thing thats stuck in my mind. One could argue that he doesn't use the phrase "poopslide" or its equivalent, and "emerging church" in the same paragraph but the connection seems intentional to me. John Macarthur appeals to the letter of Jude in dealing with heretics. On Jude's advice to ministering to the committed, he
"employs his strongest and most vivid language: "On some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh" (v. 23 NASB) . . .
. . . The expression Jude employs is shocking. It is as course as any expression in the Scripture. Jude uses a Greek word for "garment" that signifies underwear and a word for "polluted" that means "stained in a filthy manner; spotted and stained by bodily functions". He is comparing the defilement of false teaching to soiled underwear." (Truth War, page 181)

Now thats great! You mean there is a word in the Bible for an 'underwear skid'? A POOPSLIDE?

Why didnt anyone tell us? This is the stuff that inspires one to study Greek in seminary. This is the stuff that inspires bloggers to study the Bible for themselves. This is the stuff that creates youth pastors and gives them material for Friday night.

Hey, did you hear John MacArthur attacked the Emerging Church?
Really?
Yeah, he called them a poopslide!
Poopslide? Did he mean a Hersheys Kiss or a Cadbury Swirl?
He didn't say.
They must be pretty back-slidden for him to say that?
Oh yeah, splattered over Skid Row.
I guess you could say the Emerging Church is the New Skid on the Jock?
Yeah, thats why he BLASTED them in his brief!

Well, you wont find such frivilous chatter on this blog, in fact, I try to avoid such things. But the question remains. Is the emerging church even remotely related to the heretics of Judes warning. Are we the soiled garments?

Read on.

Technorati Tags: emergent, emerging church, john macarthur, truth war

Relaunch of Anglican Cell Church UK

Its looks great. Anglican Cell Church UK has totally updated the web site [and blog] and is back in action for popping up small cells and connecting networks all over UK. Richard White has been working on this, along with Phil Potter and others. My handsome face appears in the list of consultants and they have posted the photo I submitted - its me fixing the roof on our back shed, with a dirty face and unkept hair and looking NOTHING AT ALL like what a consultant normally looks like.

Inside I am smiling!

Technorati Tags: anglican, cell church

Crystal, Heaven and the Mind Body Spirit Festival

I was invited to help out with the dekhomai stand at the 2007 Mind Body Spirit Festival last week but couldnt make it because i was in Germany. Pity!! Jonny Baker has photos and story of what the Jesus followers did there. I heard that Steve Hollinghurst, who is becoming a veteran of these Festivals,  made an appearance on The Psychic Show. The Shiny Headed Prophet also made it. The team used prayer, massage and the Jesus Deck as communication tools and it sounded like people were really receptive to getting prayer and advise.

Hey, speaking of New Age and crystals and what not . . . . heres  a question for you related to Revelation 21.

Are those stones in Heaven real?

And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. (Rev 21:19-20)

Below is a poll. When you have voted, go to the next related poll here.

Frankfurt Hostel

The Frankfurt Hostel was great. and we would totally stay there again. Free wifi and free breakfast. And great people from all over the world . . . like . .

Herr Müller from the North, Kiwis Steve and Damien, and the Polish guy who gave us a free tour of Frankfurt.

Life is Beautiful - Leben ist Schön

Out of all the cards Kerstin showed me, this one with five gummy bears stuck out. There is no English version but Kerstin has a translation of what it says on the back:

"The ones that show four colorful standing jelly bears and one pale one that is knocked out. On the back they say...

"Life is beautiful: Breathing, laughing, loving, fighting, dancing...life is beautiful. Since 1975 in Germany 8 Million kids had no chance to live. Even before they could take their first breath they were aborted. Life is beautiful."

These are given out for free...and people put them in pubs, clubs, wherever... And we created a web page that contains a lot of info and offers of help for women / couples who are pregnant and are looking for help."

Song for Madeleine

Countless children are taken all the time but sometimes one catches our attention. Like Madeleine McCann who was taken in Portugal earlier this month. My friend Paul Vieira (author of Jesus has Left the Building) wrote a song today for Madeleine and uploaded it to YouTube. When you listen, ask the just and righteous God to do something today.

Technorati Tags: madeleine, youtube

Today

Sam and I went to the St Bartholomaus Dom (Cathedral) in Frankfurt and took this photo of the statues in the nave. The light was coming through the window at just the right angle to land on the thief on the cross. It reminded me of when he asked Jesus to remember him when he came into his Kingdom and Jesus replied, "Today, you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). It made me think of the immediacy of the day . . . of today .. . this day (not tomorrow) is the day to get sorted with God. Tomorrow may never come. It also speaks to me of the efficiency of God - He can get things sorted immediately, quickly, swifly. He does not procrastinate, unlike myself.
This is a thumbnail so click it if you want a bigger version. As a desktop image, it might be a reminder to make the most of the day, "seize the day" and that God is interested in what will happen to us TODAY. Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us TODAY, our daily bread." and told us to " not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6).

Heres a big and wide version (1800x1200) to download for your desktop.