What We Talk About When We Talk About God {VIDEO}

Earlier tonight I tuned into a live speaking engagement from Rob Bell, discussing his newest book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God.  It's brilliant and refreshing and much needed in a faithless landscape, filled with boxes and black and white thought - both inside and outside of anything resembling "church."

I encourage you to take the time and watch this!


Video streaming by Ustream

Peace,
Ross

Book Excerpt #10 (Replace Yourself)

Here's another weekly excerpt-installment from my upcoming book, Outsourcing God. Enjoy!

© 2010 Ross Christopher Donaldson.

I was on staff at a church a few years ago that had the mantra, “replace yourself!” At first, you’ll agree that this is crazy-talk. No one settles job-security nervousness with that phrase. But the staff had it 100% correct. The act of replacing yourself works on many levels.

First, it tells you that the Church is bigger than you are as an individual. And even though you add your own unique gifts, abilities, and character, should you disappear from the scene, the Church will remain. This isn’t said to slap you in the face and take away your worth and purpose. It does keep you humble though. It is you and me that get to join the ride, the conversation, and the beauty of the Church. The Church was here before us, and will certainly sustain once we’re dead and gone.

Book Excerpt #9 (Leading Out of the Gray)

Here's another quick look inside my upcoming book, Outsourcing God. Enjoy!

©2010 Ross Christopher Donaldson.

To those of us that currently call ourselves leaders…here’s permission to not always having the answer. If you don’t feel permission to leave things a bit unhinged and untidy, I’m sorry. It’s the nature of the beast – plus it feels good when we/I have all of the (right) answers. I quickly gain public persona and become the _________ answer man (you fill in the blank).

I tend to believe however, that Christ came to demonstrate a new type of leadership. His new leadership is completely counter-cultural that it leads people to scoff terms like radical, crazy, otherworldly, revolutionary, and un-realistic. But what we know of Christ is that he rarely did things in the assumed way.

When He should have ridden a stallion, He rides the colt of a donkey. When He can raise a legion of furious militant angels, He turns His cheek and remains silent. When He has the power to assemble the most just and righteous government known to man, He instead compels young fisherman to take up His cause. Jesus does little in the likeness of your standard leadership self-help books and gurus, but Jesus taught a better and holy way.

Jesus, our model leader, was asked a slew of questions throughout his three-year ministry, and from the four gospels, he responded over 50 times with questions – not answers. Jesus spoke often through the use of parables: quick, pithy, succinct questions or stories that strengthened the community by fostering deeper thought and conversation. Perhaps our response should be similar...

...It seems like in a world where people gravitate to either black or white; Jesus poses a question to blend the two. We all know our friends that see the world in total black and white. There’s no middle ground. It escapes nothing. Not politics. Not sports. Not foods. Not entertainment. Not religion. And in this world that is painted in stark contrast, Jesus is leading out of the gray.

Book Excerpt #5 (Belief)

Here's another little excerpt from my book, Outsourcing God.
This time we'll discuss the implication of BELIEF...

Belief encompasses a large spectrum of ideas, thoughts, history, and forward momentum. Belief is not something to be taken lightly. Belief is defining. And by saying belief; unbelief, and doubt, is also part of the equation. The amount of doubt one carries, the wrestling soul, the questions of the mind, all play into one's belief. But what I'm finding all too often is that our belief has been hijacked - not by conflicting faiths or organizations, but by ourselves. Rather than growing, binding and loosing, sharpening us in seeking true transformation, our belief has become stagnant, status quo, and eventually fades.

The misnomer of this conundrum is that my belief is predicated on the belief of a single leader, or staff of leaders; but in truth, I choose to listen to and follow. And even though that leadership position (person and/or position) should be respected, should teach, should form, and should sharpen, it should not be the single determinant of the state of my belief.


Belief (should be) the result of the collective of a community that gathers, a community that serves, a community that listens, that grieves, and that rejoices together. In the book of Acts, the Bible tells us how to live together in true community. It describes people gathering together, unique on their own, but working together towards a common purpose. If for one minute we believe that our belief isn't affected by this community experience, we begin to kid ourselves. The community where each individual is authentically pouring over one another with grace, mercy, and love, has profound effects on what and how we believe.


Sadly though, we’ve entered a time where the hired leader of our community, the leader of our congregation, our small group, etc have named our beliefs. We've quietly squelched our ability to doubt, wrestle, and believe. Because the gods of convenience have for too long said, "do what you're told,” “act a certain way,” “behave like this or that," we have essentially given up our freedom and understanding of belief.