More than a party, More than a social club
People gathered together for a night
Seeking to find a connection in this life
People trying to live in this mess together
In the simple and mundane
How do we love?
Outsiders looking in
Belonging to groups and tribes
This is the society in which we live
A place separated by roads and signs
Where you can go and when to arrive
There are only passers by
Who is your family?
They are the children
We are the Living Room
A space between you and me
God dwells in the naked eye
I see him in the mirror of you face
I see him as you lend a hand of grace
Be not afraid of an open heart
Don't be afraid...
A reflection after our community group "the LIving room" met
www.livingroomconversations.blogspot.com (under new construction, soon to be an online line conversation, an extension of the physical Living Room gathering on Sunday nights) Living Room is an expression of the Body of Believers...
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
What is the Open Hand Initiative?
A ground swell of interconnectivity on a global scale.
A dream of a father and Son quickly becoming a reality.
A focus on cultivating community and resourcing the under resourced.
We are going right to the root of the issues facing oppressed people groups.
We are providing a mission for people to join to raise awareness in the states.
We are forming partnerships with NGO's doing transformational development work in under developed parts of the world.
We are OHI.international
Coming soon to an online community near you...
A ground swell of interconnectivity on a global scale.
A dream of a father and Son quickly becoming a reality.
A focus on cultivating community and resourcing the under resourced.
We are going right to the root of the issues facing oppressed people groups.
We are providing a mission for people to join to raise awareness in the states.
We are forming partnerships with NGO's doing transformational development work in under developed parts of the world.
We are OHI.international
Coming soon to an online community near you...
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Unfolding of a Man
The beginning of a dream comes in waves. At first a glance out of the corner of my eye, than my head turns looking into the sound. I here it in the distance, and my heart begins to race. “I can see you, I know you are there in front of me,” my words go out into the space. My arm is shielding the light before me and I hold out my hand for the one who is there.
Can you feel it?
Can you taste the flavor of creation brushing against the pallet of your mind?
I know a heart that is heavy tonight; I hear his voice in the distance. After a lifetime of synthetic interactions responding to requests unanswered. “There is not enough energy in a nuclear bomb to explode this dream. There is not enough water to drown the flood I am in,” a voice cries in the night.
When I say flood I do not mean it in the typical metaphor of overwhelming emotion leading to the last gasp of air. I mean it the way a flood washes over a town with out warning a wipes out houses while children sleep in their beds.
And there he is, the man who new the flood was coming standing on a hill overlooking the town. He calls out for the people who are sleeping below to come and hurry for the waters quickly abound. In his last chance to save the village he leaves the hillside in and runs for the nearest dwelling.
The house is empty and filled with images of people who once believed. The dweller of this temple left long before the flood has come and he hears them in the distant, the voices of 10,000 angels coming for the ones who will never leave their house of sand.
A short story by S. Scott Hackman
The beginning of a dream comes in waves. At first a glance out of the corner of my eye, than my head turns looking into the sound. I here it in the distance, and my heart begins to race. “I can see you, I know you are there in front of me,” my words go out into the space. My arm is shielding the light before me and I hold out my hand for the one who is there.
Can you feel it?
Can you taste the flavor of creation brushing against the pallet of your mind?
I know a heart that is heavy tonight; I hear his voice in the distance. After a lifetime of synthetic interactions responding to requests unanswered. “There is not enough energy in a nuclear bomb to explode this dream. There is not enough water to drown the flood I am in,” a voice cries in the night.
When I say flood I do not mean it in the typical metaphor of overwhelming emotion leading to the last gasp of air. I mean it the way a flood washes over a town with out warning a wipes out houses while children sleep in their beds.
And there he is, the man who new the flood was coming standing on a hill overlooking the town. He calls out for the people who are sleeping below to come and hurry for the waters quickly abound. In his last chance to save the village he leaves the hillside in and runs for the nearest dwelling.
The house is empty and filled with images of people who once believed. The dweller of this temple left long before the flood has come and he hears them in the distant, the voices of 10,000 angels coming for the ones who will never leave their house of sand.
A short story by S. Scott Hackman
Monday, January 22, 2007
The way I pray
When tired of the mess
People want to stop,
Dreams seem so heavy
Minds about to pop.
Belief in more than humanity
Hope may never seem,
Beyond my own reality
With life and love to blame.
Understanding what is given,
A presence goes beyond,
Another man believing
Of the forsaken son.
Verge of a new model
Functioning on the wave.
Complexity never ceasing
And hope which will ever change.
A process always growing,
Eternal in the way
Leaving the platform of security
Chaos in this age.
Enter in the system,
Be weary of the cage.
The passengers are empty,
Way beyond their state.
The bus is always leaving,
Never to be late.
At the final destination,
With everyone in fate.
Stories of the followers,
As the travelers await.
People at every turning,
Trying to escape.
This life with out meaning,
A struggle and a pain.
Charting out a new paths,
Begins to look insane.
(It is the job of the messenger to tell the story of the one who came before us. The one who defied gravity, looking the dream stealer in the eyes and with humility in the voice saying, "this is my story...")
When tired of the mess
People want to stop,
Dreams seem so heavy
Minds about to pop.
Belief in more than humanity
Hope may never seem,
Beyond my own reality
With life and love to blame.
Understanding what is given,
A presence goes beyond,
Another man believing
Of the forsaken son.
Verge of a new model
Functioning on the wave.
Complexity never ceasing
And hope which will ever change.
A process always growing,
Eternal in the way
Leaving the platform of security
Chaos in this age.
Enter in the system,
Be weary of the cage.
The passengers are empty,
Way beyond their state.
The bus is always leaving,
Never to be late.
At the final destination,
With everyone in fate.
Stories of the followers,
As the travelers await.
People at every turning,
Trying to escape.
This life with out meaning,
A struggle and a pain.
Charting out a new paths,
Begins to look insane.
(It is the job of the messenger to tell the story of the one who came before us. The one who defied gravity, looking the dream stealer in the eyes and with humility in the voice saying, "this is my story...")
Friday, January 19, 2007
A prayer after reflection
God, Abba, Spirit, Rabbi and Friend:
Teach me to slow down while you walk with me by the shoreline,
Reveal to me your Kingdom which has all ready come,
Hold me in your hands as they open up the space with in.
Keep me from running ahead of the waves,
When the water approaches my feet allow me to stay,
Wash the sand from between my toes.
I need to slow down and wait by the shoreline as your tide some in,
Sitting as the water pours over my sin,
Cleanse me from my unrighteousness.
The discipline to act appropriately, seems out of reach,
But when you come and sit with me along the beach,
I can hear you speak;
“You are my child and you are my son. I have you in my heart, I see you when you run. My guidance is steady and my teaching is strong, to hold you in the tension of my Kingdom to come.”
Your son
God, Abba, Spirit, Rabbi and Friend:
Teach me to slow down while you walk with me by the shoreline,
Reveal to me your Kingdom which has all ready come,
Hold me in your hands as they open up the space with in.
Keep me from running ahead of the waves,
When the water approaches my feet allow me to stay,
Wash the sand from between my toes.
I need to slow down and wait by the shoreline as your tide some in,
Sitting as the water pours over my sin,
Cleanse me from my unrighteousness.
The discipline to act appropriately, seems out of reach,
But when you come and sit with me along the beach,
I can hear you speak;
“You are my child and you are my son. I have you in my heart, I see you when you run. My guidance is steady and my teaching is strong, to hold you in the tension of my Kingdom to come.”
Your son
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Why I believe…
I believe in Jesus. He died as a sacrifice for all of human kind and the Spirit of God now interacts with all of creation, as the Teacher once interacted with His followers. The human spirit interacts with God through the Holy Spirit in a relational way. We must listen to the deep cry of our soul.
Are we listening?
Prayer is an example of how the human spirit interacts with God. Gods’ Spirit is revealed in Creation, community and prayer.
Even if we create our own reality, the Spirit is apart of the perspective we have been given, revealing God’s nature through Christ in our own subjectivity.
My mind can never comprehend fully why I believe in God. My heart can never express in words how I know God. Part of my belief is choice, part is feeling and the other is an unexplainable revelation. As the Spirit intercedes with the Father and the Son, so does He interact with creation drawing on all of humanity for the reconciliation to come and the kingdom which is upon us?
How can I express my belief in God?
I believe in Jesus. He died as a sacrifice for all of human kind and the Spirit of God now interacts with all of creation, as the Teacher once interacted with His followers. The human spirit interacts with God through the Holy Spirit in a relational way. We must listen to the deep cry of our soul.
Are we listening?
Prayer is an example of how the human spirit interacts with God. Gods’ Spirit is revealed in Creation, community and prayer.
Even if we create our own reality, the Spirit is apart of the perspective we have been given, revealing God’s nature through Christ in our own subjectivity.
My mind can never comprehend fully why I believe in God. My heart can never express in words how I know God. Part of my belief is choice, part is feeling and the other is an unexplainable revelation. As the Spirit intercedes with the Father and the Son, so does He interact with creation drawing on all of humanity for the reconciliation to come and the kingdom which is upon us?
How can I express my belief in God?
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
We are all different
Have you ever wondered what made you a certain type of person?
For example: I love theology because I am interested in how people think about God. And how what they think and believe forms who they are and the reality they see. Theology assists believers in living as a part of the mission of God.
I am not a theologian because I love theologian’s writings. What does that make me?
I used to feel bad that I did not fit a certain mold in society. For example: I was a youth pastor for about five years, but I went in a different direction after feeling un satisfied in the way I was using my skills and abilities I tried many different jobs after being a youth pastor.
For the past year and a half I have been apart of three different types of jobs. The only one I left early was a delivery job, because I wanted to go back to school. The camp job was only six months and the internship for THP was only four months.
Does that make me a quitter?
I have stayed faithful to my wife for four and a half years and I am still building a life with her. I have stayed committed to my faith in God through a relationship with Jesus, through the Spirit, the Church, faith practices, and a Christian Alternative community.
Understanding this life is complex and sometimes frustrating. My hope is that you will find solace in knowing you are not the only one starring at the sun.
Have you ever wondered what made you a certain type of person?
For example: I love theology because I am interested in how people think about God. And how what they think and believe forms who they are and the reality they see. Theology assists believers in living as a part of the mission of God.
I am not a theologian because I love theologian’s writings. What does that make me?
I used to feel bad that I did not fit a certain mold in society. For example: I was a youth pastor for about five years, but I went in a different direction after feeling un satisfied in the way I was using my skills and abilities I tried many different jobs after being a youth pastor.
For the past year and a half I have been apart of three different types of jobs. The only one I left early was a delivery job, because I wanted to go back to school. The camp job was only six months and the internship for THP was only four months.
Does that make me a quitter?
I have stayed faithful to my wife for four and a half years and I am still building a life with her. I have stayed committed to my faith in God through a relationship with Jesus, through the Spirit, the Church, faith practices, and a Christian Alternative community.
Understanding this life is complex and sometimes frustrating. My hope is that you will find solace in knowing you are not the only one starring at the sun.
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