I had a Pastor from a church which is currently considering me for a job write to me saying that, after reading some of my material, it would seem that I am of "The Emerging Church" movement. He then asked if he were making the correct assumption about me. I thought that it might be helpful to post my response to that question here on my blog in case there are any other potential employers (or casual readers) wondering that very same thing.
Here's my response:
Pastor,
As for your question, you've challenged my thinking with this.
The short answer is simply no. I've never before called myself emergent, nor have I tried to identify myself with anyone who does. It's just not a label that I use for myself.
The long answer would be to say that, of all the labels that we throw around in Christianity, "Emerging" is one that is quite vague to me. Though some of my thoughts and writing about "the organized church" could be seen to be in line with the emerging church folks, I assure you that my comments are not intended to be received as an effort to align myself with a movement of ideology but rather a deep desire to do the very best I can to live into a Christianity which grows, loves, and serves in the most Biblical manner possible. To be frank, I hesitate to ever use the "Emerging" label with myself, as well as others, due to all of the doctrinal pluralism that gets associated with it. But I'm not at all hesitant to spell out my own commitment to the whole of Scripture, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and my calling to serve the church who lives out the teachings of her King.
Grace and Peace
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
A requested re-post
I was asked to re-post some questions I have for the this generation's church. Here it is...
Why is it that we call ourselves "evangelical" when we aren't all that deeply committed to evangelism?
Why do we meet for ministry inside of our churches when Jesus did the bulk of His ministry on the streets and in people's homes?
If God is who we believe Him to be, and His call on our lives is what we know that it is, what are we waiting for?
If the Gospel really is good news, why aren't we excited about it?
When was it that Jesus stopped caring about the people who are so lost, so broken, so misled, so caught up in the world that they make their dwelling on the fringe of society?
When did God become so tame?
When did Jesus become an American citizen?
Why do preachers have to tone-down their sermons for fear of offending someone?
Why can't the "salvation message" find its way into everything we do?
If we're supposed to care for the widow and the orphan, why don't I know many of them by name? And why am I not cooking breakfast for them right now?
With so many people talking about their desire to change the world, who will be so crazy as to actually do it. Lord make me crazy...
Why do we teach grace when we aren't willing to live it?
What are we so afraid of?
Can we re-institute the Jubilee?
When did "God bless America" become a more popular phrase than "love thy neighbor as thyself"?
What kind of church are we building for our children?
What are we doing?
Grace and Peace
Why is it that we call ourselves "evangelical" when we aren't all that deeply committed to evangelism?
Why do we meet for ministry inside of our churches when Jesus did the bulk of His ministry on the streets and in people's homes?
If God is who we believe Him to be, and His call on our lives is what we know that it is, what are we waiting for?
If the Gospel really is good news, why aren't we excited about it?
When was it that Jesus stopped caring about the people who are so lost, so broken, so misled, so caught up in the world that they make their dwelling on the fringe of society?
When did God become so tame?
When did Jesus become an American citizen?
Why do preachers have to tone-down their sermons for fear of offending someone?
Why can't the "salvation message" find its way into everything we do?
If we're supposed to care for the widow and the orphan, why don't I know many of them by name? And why am I not cooking breakfast for them right now?
With so many people talking about their desire to change the world, who will be so crazy as to actually do it. Lord make me crazy...
Why do we teach grace when we aren't willing to live it?
What are we so afraid of?
Can we re-institute the Jubilee?
When did "God bless America" become a more popular phrase than "love thy neighbor as thyself"?
What kind of church are we building for our children?
What are we doing?
Grace and Peace
Random thoughts
The last 2 weeks of my life have flown by. I've put almost 1500 miles on my truck traveling. I've taken 16 job interviews, filled out 5 in-depth questionnaires, read 2 books, and rediscovered the importance of laughter...especially laughing at myself...It's been a period of lessons and laments, but here is a random sampling of my thoughts today:
- Marley and I have finally had enough quality time together that she is riding her bike without training wheels. Talk about unemployment benefits!
- I'm preaching this weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, to a very racially diverse crowd who shouts "amen" and "preach it" when they hear the Truth. It's gonna be fun!
- Chris Williams once told me, "Interviewing is an unnatural act between two consenting adults." Boy was he right about that.
- Jesus loves me. And Jesus loves you. I've never been more aware of that.
- Anger is tiring. Replaying painful memories is unproductive. Grace is enough.
- Somebody should tell the preacher that preached to me at church last Sunday that I got that second opinion he was talking about. And it's good.
- Jean and I had a meeting with some guys in Ohio yesterday who are so tired of merely talking about reaching people that they've actually started doing things to reach people...risky things...dangerous things...things that are guaranteed to fail if God doesn't show up in a big way. What a joy it was to chat with them.
- Blues and I are about to start building his tree house. And, if we end up moving, the tree house will move with us.
- What would happen if we moved our focus from practicing Christianity to falling hopelessly in love with the Christ of our faith?
- My neighbor's dog is a poop factory. Seriously, I'm beginning to wonder what they feed that thing.
- I've become convinced that what has been missing from my prayer life over the past several years was a sense of desperation. Over the last two weeks I've stopped "praying to God" and started "begging God" on a couple of issues. What a world of difference this has made.
That will do for now.
Grace and Peace
- Marley and I have finally had enough quality time together that she is riding her bike without training wheels. Talk about unemployment benefits!
- I'm preaching this weekend in Cleveland, Ohio, to a very racially diverse crowd who shouts "amen" and "preach it" when they hear the Truth. It's gonna be fun!
- Chris Williams once told me, "Interviewing is an unnatural act between two consenting adults." Boy was he right about that.
- Jesus loves me. And Jesus loves you. I've never been more aware of that.
- Anger is tiring. Replaying painful memories is unproductive. Grace is enough.
- Somebody should tell the preacher that preached to me at church last Sunday that I got that second opinion he was talking about. And it's good.
- Jean and I had a meeting with some guys in Ohio yesterday who are so tired of merely talking about reaching people that they've actually started doing things to reach people...risky things...dangerous things...things that are guaranteed to fail if God doesn't show up in a big way. What a joy it was to chat with them.
- Blues and I are about to start building his tree house. And, if we end up moving, the tree house will move with us.
- What would happen if we moved our focus from practicing Christianity to falling hopelessly in love with the Christ of our faith?
- My neighbor's dog is a poop factory. Seriously, I'm beginning to wonder what they feed that thing.
- I've become convinced that what has been missing from my prayer life over the past several years was a sense of desperation. Over the last two weeks I've stopped "praying to God" and started "begging God" on a couple of issues. What a world of difference this has made.
That will do for now.
Grace and Peace
Monday, June 15, 2009
To my students
I love you more than words can express. These last 4 years of ministry were a true joy for me. I want you to know that. I'm just as confused, surprised, and hurt by this as you are, but nothing of any great importance has changed...and by that I mean that Sunday is still coming. And until Sunday comes, you and I have a great work to do here. This is NOT a time for you to take a season off from church, and this is NOT a time for you to play the blame game. Though I am heartbroken that I will no longer be ministering to you at Charter Oak Church, you need to know that I EXPECT YOU to honor our history together by plugging in to the ministry this summer.
Get your butts to ABS.
Go to Revolution.
Go to Powered Up.
Go to prayer and Cocoa Puffs.
Our Student Ministry was never about me. It was about Jesus and His relentless love for us all. And that hasn't changed. It is my prayer that you will take this announcement of my employment ending as a call to "lean in" instead of a time to "walk out".
I love you. I love you. I love you.
You can hit me on facebook anytime, or you can reach me at my new email address:
markmcmahon58@yahoo.com
Grace and Peace
Get your butts to ABS.
Go to Revolution.
Go to Powered Up.
Go to prayer and Cocoa Puffs.
Our Student Ministry was never about me. It was about Jesus and His relentless love for us all. And that hasn't changed. It is my prayer that you will take this announcement of my employment ending as a call to "lean in" instead of a time to "walk out".
I love you. I love you. I love you.
You can hit me on facebook anytime, or you can reach me at my new email address:
markmcmahon58@yahoo.com
Grace and Peace
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Hunger Garden Update
A group from our Student Ministry answered Lyn Hunter's call last week to provide assistance at The Hunger Garden. Here's what Lyn had to say about it:
Hi All,
What can I say about last Monday evening at the Hunger Garden? "Divine Intervention" comes to mind. The weatherman called for storms in the evening - there were none. It was a beautiful evening in the country. I had groups unable to make it at the last minute...I was panicking - other groups came without being called upon for the evening. There were no less than six large groups of people show up, as well as countless individuals. There were so many new faces and so many of the familiar "regulars" - all of whom are the backbone of our efforts. There were well over a hundred people. We could not even count them all with so many people going in every direction.
I did tell you that we had 6,000 plants to get in the ground. That is an impossible number to plant in one evening, right? That would be wrong. Last night's group did just that!! They planted the last of the cabbages, bell peppers, sweet banana peppers, and tomatoes......6,000 plants in all! It was just getting dark when the last volunteers left the farm.
We had a system going: One man, John, came with six dibble sticks (They are pointed sticks that are about 2" wide that have a handle...about the height of a cane.). We were able to use the tools to make holes through the plastic just at the right distances that were deep enough to just drop in the plants and cover the roots with dirt...minimal digging...minimal bending. (This is not to imply that bending and kneeling were eliminated. That never happens, as any gardener knows.) These wonderful volunteers were moving in all directions, looking for how to spread out, not bunch up, and keep the process moving.
At the same time, Dick was putting down more plastic, and he had men working on the connections from the 2" main water line to the drip hoses under the plastic strips. The irrigation system is up and running. They also repositioned the gates in the electric fence so we will be better able to maneuver the quads and trailers at harvest time. Dick had a new pond dug to provide additional water for the nearly doubled garden. The plastic-laying machine makes for a better utilization of the garden area. That's why we could double the number of plants.
Next week we will be planting seeds...cucumber, zucchini, and beans. We will also be starting to put in the stakes for the tomatoes. If you can do that, please bring a mallet or hammer. I'm hoping to be able to start stringing the twine to tie up the tomatoes.
Now we only have to pray that the weather and the bugs are kind to us. If so, we could have a truly wonderful harvest to help feed our food dependent neighbors in Westmoreland County. Come again if you can. We are there on Monday evenings. However, even one evening contributes to the whole. Each person doing what he or she can do, large or small, all hopefully adds up to a major contribution to the Westmoreland County Food Bank to help those in need, especially in these economic times. Thanks again for a job well done.
Blessings,
Lyn Hunter
Praise God! Thanks to all who helped out.
Grace and Peace
Hi All,
What can I say about last Monday evening at the Hunger Garden? "Divine Intervention" comes to mind. The weatherman called for storms in the evening - there were none. It was a beautiful evening in the country. I had groups unable to make it at the last minute...I was panicking - other groups came without being called upon for the evening. There were no less than six large groups of people show up, as well as countless individuals. There were so many new faces and so many of the familiar "regulars" - all of whom are the backbone of our efforts. There were well over a hundred people. We could not even count them all with so many people going in every direction.
I did tell you that we had 6,000 plants to get in the ground. That is an impossible number to plant in one evening, right? That would be wrong. Last night's group did just that!! They planted the last of the cabbages, bell peppers, sweet banana peppers, and tomatoes......6,000 plants in all! It was just getting dark when the last volunteers left the farm.
We had a system going: One man, John, came with six dibble sticks (They are pointed sticks that are about 2" wide that have a handle...about the height of a cane.). We were able to use the tools to make holes through the plastic just at the right distances that were deep enough to just drop in the plants and cover the roots with dirt...minimal digging...minimal bending. (This is not to imply that bending and kneeling were eliminated. That never happens, as any gardener knows.) These wonderful volunteers were moving in all directions, looking for how to spread out, not bunch up, and keep the process moving.
At the same time, Dick was putting down more plastic, and he had men working on the connections from the 2" main water line to the drip hoses under the plastic strips. The irrigation system is up and running. They also repositioned the gates in the electric fence so we will be better able to maneuver the quads and trailers at harvest time. Dick had a new pond dug to provide additional water for the nearly doubled garden. The plastic-laying machine makes for a better utilization of the garden area. That's why we could double the number of plants.
Next week we will be planting seeds...cucumber, zucchini, and beans. We will also be starting to put in the stakes for the tomatoes. If you can do that, please bring a mallet or hammer. I'm hoping to be able to start stringing the twine to tie up the tomatoes.
Now we only have to pray that the weather and the bugs are kind to us. If so, we could have a truly wonderful harvest to help feed our food dependent neighbors in Westmoreland County. Come again if you can. We are there on Monday evenings. However, even one evening contributes to the whole. Each person doing what he or she can do, large or small, all hopefully adds up to a major contribution to the Westmoreland County Food Bank to help those in need, especially in these economic times. Thanks again for a job well done.
Blessings,
Lyn Hunter
Praise God! Thanks to all who helped out.
Grace and Peace
Monday, June 1, 2009
By Your Side
We recorded the rehearsal of the song that we did last night at Student Ministry, and some of the students have asked me to post it. Here it is:
Grace and Peace
Grace and Peace
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A note from Lyn Hunter from The Hunger Garden
Hi All,
Unfortunately, we will have to cancel the Hunger Garden activities for this evening, May 27. The several days of rain that we had at the garden have created a mud bog. There is standing water in the troughs between the plastic strips. Also, weather.com is predicting thunderstorms to begin around 3:00 p.m., which are to last all evening.
We have thousands of plants waiting to be planted next Monday. We can use your help if you can possibly find the time to join us to plant. Thank you for all you do to help us. We really appreciate it.
Lyn Hunter
724-744-4961
They have THOUSANDS of plants waiting for us! Let's make a strong showing for Jesus next Monday.
Grace and Peace
Unfortunately, we will have to cancel the Hunger Garden activities for this evening, May 27. The several days of rain that we had at the garden have created a mud bog. There is standing water in the troughs between the plastic strips. Also, weather.com is predicting thunderstorms to begin around 3:00 p.m., which are to last all evening.
We have thousands of plants waiting to be planted next Monday. We can use your help if you can possibly find the time to join us to plant. Thank you for all you do to help us. We really appreciate it.
Lyn Hunter
724-744-4961
They have THOUSANDS of plants waiting for us! Let's make a strong showing for Jesus next Monday.
Grace and Peace
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