I have really enjoyed coming across some new blogs the last couple of weeks; at least they are new to me. And there is one blogger that I have been resonating with recently. Thy Grace Is Sufficient has been posting some great stuff. Today, he has another great post from Henri Nouwen. Go check out his post for today to read the entire thing, but my favorite part of the quote from Nouwen is this:
“Often we hear the remark that we have to live in the world without being of the world. But it may be more difficult to be in the Church without being of the Church……”
Whoa! I don’t know how many people can resonate with that, but I sure can. As a pastor, I sometimes wonder which is more dangerous to my spiritual life. Being in the World, or being in the Church. If you do not read Nouwen, then you must. Any book by him is amazing, but I would start with “In The Name of Jesus” which I have linked in my left column. Unbelievable book. Nouwen seems to recognize, clarify, and bring to the light, so many things that we struggle with as Christians….with being human.
Thy Grace Is Sufficient has another stellar post, What If It’s Not Like I Think It’s Supposed To Be? Good question. What if what we think, or what we perceive, is not really as it is? This is not a statement asserting there is no Truth, or that anything goes, or that everything is relative. Rather, what if how you perceive or understand things isn’t necessarily the right way? Steve deals with his own thoughts on Emergent, and what if they have some of the right perception on some issues.
I think we all need to wrestle with some of our questions, and understanding on things. That is the only way that we truly come to Truth. And as Steve has noted, Emergent transcends that 20-30 age demographic, with cool, tattoo wearing, hipsters. To me, that’s just a classification that others have put upon them, because labeling and classifying is an easier way to get control of things. And when those who oppose you, don’t understand you, labeling is then in order.
