The Spiritual Roots of the ECC - as "Mission Friends"

“Living as MISSION FRIENDS embodies:
(1) a commitment to the biblical narrative,
(2) the new life in Christ,
(3) missionary fervor, and
(4) covenantal relationships;
these have been the key values of the Covenant from its earliest days to the present.

This way of life also calls for a continuing missional imagination from which new denominational practices and structures might emerge.”

(from The Covenant Quarterly, May 2008, “The Evangelical Covenant Church as Mission Friends: Missional Imaginations for a Denominational Future” by Kurt Fredrickson – pg 18)

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I am intrigued by Kurt’s use of the words, “missional imagination”. I have come to perceive the United States, and certainly the western states, as a vast mission field.

Young parents who are now raising their children have themselves no memory of being in church or knowing/valuing Christian spiritual roots. Pastors and lay people need to think of themselves as missionaries and learn to use the creative imaginations that are the working tools of anyone who works cross culturally to reach others with the good news of salvation.

Can we learn from congregations led by pastors with missional imagination? Their stories need to be told.

- John C. Notehelfer

God's thinking about our Preoccupation with the "Priorities"

Greeting around the world --

There is a book that is making the rounds in our circles that is reaching a "tipping point" - people are saying, "have you read THE SHACK by William Young (Windblown Media). Eugene Peterson writes, "This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress did for his. It's that good!"

It is a book of fiction but introduces us to "experiencing the Trinity" in ways that both surprises and empowers us as we find ourselves embracing our triune God and taste first hand the beautiful intimacy between the three persons -- and their healing ministry in a human being trapped in our tragically broken world. As my son said to me, "Dad, you must read this book, it is transformational!!!!!"

I will not give it away. But on my flight back from Chicago I finished the book and marked out for myself one of the many, many biblical insights that is transformational --

"Mack (the main character in the story who has gone through terrible human tragedy) is in the process of being healed from all his pain/anger and finds himself asking the Godhead about the new life, "But don't you want us to set priorities. You know: God first, then whatever, followed by whatever?"

"The trouble of living by priorities," Sarayu (the third member of the Trinity -H.S) spoke, is that it sees everything as a hierarchy, a pyramid, and you and I have already had that discussion. If you put God at the top, what does that really mean and how much is enough? How much time do you give me before you can go on about the rest of the day, the part that interests you so much more?"

Papa again interrupted. "You see, Mackenzie, I don't just want a piece of you and a piece of your life. Even if you were able, which you are not, to give me the biggest piece, that is not what I want. I want all of you and all of every part of you and your day."

Jesus now spoke again. "Mack, I don't want to be the first among a list of values; I want to be the center of everything. When I live in you, then together we can live through everything that happens to you. Rather than a pyramid, I want to be the center of a mobile, where everything in your life--your friends, family, occupation, thoughts, activities--is connected to me but moves with the wind, in and out and back and forth, in an incredible dance of being."

"And I", concludes Sarayu, "I am the wind". She smiled hugely and bowed.

There was silence while Mack collected himself. He had been gripping the edge of the table with both hands as if to hold on to something tangible in the face of such an onslaught of ideas and images........"

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Think about it -- Our Lord (the head of the body) wants you/me privately/collectively to think of his indwelling presence/ministry as "the center of a mobile where everything in our lives is connected to him.....and moves with the wind!!!! May it be so.......
Prayerfully,

John N