our dreams
living the story of god means:
-working together to create space where people can live in relationship with God and with one another by:
- being authentic (true and honest) with God, with others, and with ourselves
- integrating faith into every area of life - body, mind, soul, and spirit
- creating "places of possibility" - sacred spaces and times that are infused with meaning and purpose in which people can live out the dreams of God in accordance with the desires of their hearts and their unique gifting and ability
- engaging the challenge and the beauty that is found in diversity
- struggling with hard questions and difficult times in community; clinging to and communicating hope
- allowing love to be the force that moves people toward healing and wholeness
- belonging to a community that is determined to follow God into mission, living in the way of Jesus and turning outside of itself to be a redemptive blessing in all the world
- liberating the imagination by devaluing the currency of the empire and radically shifting images toward those more in line with the kingdom of God
- struggling for justice and peace; crying out against oppression - mourning it, condemning it, and calling for change
- forming dynamic (as opposed to static) structures and systems that do not get in the way of mission, but rather promote it
- promoting creativity, innovation, and risk-taking, not always taking the roads that are safe or familiar; not being afraid to abandon long-held patterns of predictability; making space where fresh life can spring forth
- learning from the history of our faith and of our world, remembering the tragedies and the failures as well as the triumphs and the successes
- honoring that which came before us, that which is now, and that which is to come
- remembering that we are a part of a greater story and looking for ways to bless one another
- being connected to, dependent on, and serving the global Church
- redefining the metrics of success by measuring not by numbers but by the depth of the stories that emerge from the community
This entry was posted by storynashville, on
Tuesday, May 02, 2006.
You can leave your response.
11:03 AM
Hey guys, Thomas McKenzie here. What a cool site and what a provocative statement!
One comment/question: Your statement doesnt' say anything about who is God, or who is Jesus. Is that because these questions are open to discussion, or because the answers are assumed? I'm not part of your group, but I do care about you guys and just want to know if being part of the greater story involves the Creeds or not. Thanks
9:22 PM
hello thomas. nice of you to stop by. we do think that the questions "who is God?" and "who is Jesus?" and i'll throw in "who is the Holy Spirit?" just to round things out ;) are open for discussion. what we dream of doing is living in a humble dialogue about these very things. and to that end, yes, the creeds are a part of the greater story.
this coming week (nov 19) we'll be considering the notion of learning from the history of our faith and of our world, both failures and successes. and we'll likely take a look at some of the creeds--why they developed, how they developed, how they functioned in years past, how they function today. we may from time to time incorporate some type of creed or confession into a gathering as part of worship or discussion.
5:12 PM
Thanks Lynnette. I am grateful for the answer. That is an interesting perspective. My tradition doesn't have the same answer, so it is good to hear another perspective.
I hope you have a good discussion. And, God bless your community!