stories of the Story

Here is a good article from Christianity today reflecting on how different versions or faces of the gospel not only represent different salvation experiences but also represent Jesus' approach to spreading the Good News; rarely saying the same thing twice and using a world of metaphors and explanations to communicate the reality of the Kingdom of God.

I think my next pick up is going to be The Hauerwas Reader. I've been reading a little Hauerwas lately and I think I need some more. He is blunt and humble and those are two very difficult things to balance. Here is a quote of Hauerwas that I've been milling over for the past few days:

“I don’t have any faith in myself of living a virtuous life; but if I am surrounded by other people who are also formed by the same commitments, then we’ve got a better chance. We need one another to live up to the wonderful invitation we’ve been given to be other than we are.”

I've been thinking of a few commitments that I would like to make this next year as I plow through the ridiculous task of youth ministry.

1. Find ways to be invested in. I've been horrible at this so far. My church doesn't offer a young adult ministry and I have no idea where to go to learn and worship without having to lead something. I hope to spend the next few months praying about a mentor because I've never had one.
2. Communicate. I've fallen short here for two reasons: one, I am unorganized and two, I didn't know I wasn't doing it well until recently. I have a lot to learn in ministry but I think this would help me and those whom I work with in significant ways.

I'm not one for New Years Resolutions or anything like that so I thought I would make this list short and achievable. I just hope it is the latter.

Peace and good things to you all.....