the drum|rob fairbanks

missional life?

Sample dialogue for any conversation ever right now
Well-meaning person: well now, and what are you going to do after graduation? 
Me: *turns into a monster taco and eats them*
Okay, actually I mumble something about looking mainly for internships and a few jobs, mostly in churches. But inside that panic attack is kicking into high gear. I’m not making assumptions for the rest of the senior class, but I have no clue where I’m going to be after graduation. What I’m going to be doing. Where I’ll be living. 
Hello, terror. 
Worst of all is that feeling that I won’t end up in the right place, that I’ll suddenly discover I hate what I’m doing and now I’m stuck with it. for me, that confusion is compounded, because I’m about to switch to only a music ministry track and what if I suddenly decide music ministry is just not for me? or I’m really bad at it? I can barely stumble through the prayers of the church on Sundays, and I want to lead services? 
Okay, step back for a second, Anna’s just writing a post about general graduation freakout, we’re in a class called missional church, how do these connect? 
Well, they sort of do in my mind. When I track my terror to its source, it’s that I’m not sure I’m going to end up in the right place. And oh, God’s not going to guide me to the right place? God has no plans whatsoever? great. Once again, my anxiety is really just me pushing God away. No big deal, I got this, I’ll panic about it on my own thanks very much. 
Wherever I end up in four months, God’s going to have work for me to do there. And this is the big takeaway for me from this whole class: I’m on mission for God wherever I am. Whether I’m living in my parents’ basement or working at a megachurch (or both), I’m living out God’s mission. And as long as I spend a lot of time prayerfully asking for guidance, I can’t go too far wrong. 
Can I?

Anna

Thinking and Writing in Forward

It seems to me that until we move beyond the current theological and ecclesiological reactivity so present in today’s church (particuarly in the blogsphere), we will not be able to rise up into the cataclysmic need that is before us as the people of God.  It is incredibly easy to do deconstruction and to cast aspersions on what is currently going on in the church – it’s current structures and models.  This currently occupies, in my opinion, way too much of the center of what is being communicated.  There are some who communicate in forward like, “This is what the grand Kingdom is,” or “We can grow in our ability to follow Jesus by…”  But, there are also those that constantly communicate stuff like, “The church is disappearing from the landscape of western culture,” or “The church has failed in its______________ (fill in the blank).”  Duh!  Come on, how many time do we have to describe how bad things are in the west.  Really!  How many times do we have to do this?  If I hear someone trying to sell something by telling me how "shitty" the church's situation is again I’m gonna…I’m gonna pull out my hair (which is no easy task in my case). 

Why not put your “writing car” in forward for a day or so and attempt to describe what God is doing that’s “God like!”  Here’s where it might get tough though…do it without promoting your stuff or your tribe (I know, contrary to all the platform building advice out there).

Here’s even a scripture verse for those that need one.  It comes from Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi.  He writes;

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

See, it’s ok to speak the other direction.  It's in the Bible.  Try it.  It might even feel good.

Out.

r