Matybigfro

really enjoyed reading dave fitch on our biggest fears about planting missional communities.
'Instead I plead with the community planters/leaders/participants to see community seeding as a way of life. We are simply moving into an “under-churched” place, in close proximity to one another, living simply and missionally, tending to the surrounding community relationally out of the vision of the Gospel'

And it lead me to think that one of the most important things to think about in this process are what are the things I cant live without. It strikes me this was possibly a natural part of the old school oversea's missionary process you left everything and could only take the essentials
this skin shedding was part and parcell of the gospel taking process but often not so easy to do in our post christian context because the homeland is to hand the instantly available for us.
But in the context of the church plant/seeding of the missional community it is a very helpfull way to plan our strategy.

For me when I think what can I not live without i think of Food (partucularly sharing food with others), celebration, space and quiet (particulaly to give space for God) and personanlly making music(although I've found i can pretty happily live without worship music, sunday morning meetings and bible studies)

Great article about the first few hurdles for spotify.com since it's launch. I media whore freind of mine for london tipped me off about this a few months ago and I ignored him (mainly i just didn't read the link), then jonny baker posted it on his blog and i actually read what it was and jumped right in (does this mean i'm a baker groupie). So yea it's great, probably better than last.fm that I'd just started getting into (part of why ignored it at first) but the great thing is you can keep you last stats going by linking the account (its all about the synergy baby). It makes me really want to get a Ipod touch to run it on wirelessy (which I think could really take off if we start to get some decent wireless coverage nation wide, especially if its free, man itunes would totally go bust). Obviously this is just waiting for some form of of specificat hardware wireless device (which also would be awesome).

Unsuprisingly it seems the people holding up the change are the record labels and entertainment buisiness, it's not gonna be instant but everyone new the napstar spelled death for the way the music industry worked, but what no one worked out is that people want free music (or very good value) and don't mind if it's legal or illegal, but provide them with a better alternative to breaking the law and they will. it's kinda sad this has come from outside the industry but not surprissing, really these guy's should have been on the inside doing this, but much like the church big organisations tend to operate in maintenance mode not change and evolve mode. For some reason we'd rather keep something that doesn't work going than change to something new that does work or might work better (much like the UK/global ecconomy maybe more ranting on that later).

With this whole reshaping of society (thats really what i think it is, and it probably will hit economics soon too) things are gonna change, spotify is actually giving labels a life line really, ubnlike radio as a music medium who i think it really could spell death for or at least like labels spell death fir the status quo. I wonder with the evolution and growth of spotify if we'll see spotify
icon's, personality's and leaders, folks who hot tip new artist to be found on spotify or creators of great playlists and party mix's. The possiblility rock i think, its seems exciting to watch these really cool things unfolding onour desk's and literally changing the world we swim in.

The fantastic David Fitch has posted a couple of great stories from Francis Chan, truly inspiring stuff and very challenging. Like Dave i don't much about Chan other than seeing him credit on a couple of 'Passion' teaching mp3's but utterly love the challenge held within those stories.

It reminded me of hearing how people would take widow's and orphans to the NT church to almost drop them off knowing that these we're people who cared for those in their midst that needed care. It was well known (how ever i doubt advertised) that people in the church did not go without. Would it not be wonderful for church to be known as place where you did not need insurance or a pension.

One of Emily's old friends married a americanner, and are part of 'life on the vine' the church Mr Fitch planted in Chicago. 'Fitchie baby' is how they referred to him once when they found out I had read his blog a bit when they were staying with us in Thornaby while touring the uk as Rue Royale. The post is affectionately named in honour and memory of the night they played at the 'waiting room' in Yarm and the great short time we had with them when they stayed in our spare room of 6 months. Much love to the Dekkers you should check them out at their a fore linked myspace.