An Update on the Bennett Lineup

 

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I’ve been quiet for a few days now.  We’ve jumping in to a our new surroundings as best we can.

Graeme: He likes his classmates and his teacher. He’s playing baseball, he’s not enthused about it because he hasn’t played in a couple years and he’s slightly behind some of his teammates.

Levi: He wanted to switch to all-day kindergarten after 3 days of half day here.  The days aren’t really designed for half days anyway, so he was missing all the things he likes most: art, music, library and gym.  We found a gymnastics place nearby he’s looking forward to checking out.

Joel: Well, he’s 3 1/2.  He’s not enjoyed picking up Levi this whole year.  I guess it feels the same to to him as it does me, right when you’re getting on a roll it’s time to go again.  He’s excited to have me all to himself, for “the whole daaaay, Daddy?” That’s right Joel. He’ll help me discover some new cafe’s while his brothers are in school I’m sure.

Jen: Is enjoying her new job.  Learning the ropes at a new job is always a task, but she thinks this might be her favorite position yet.  Navigating Seattle has really given her fits.   I’m glad Jen has a smartphone, although GPS has steered her way wrong before.  I don’t think she’ll need is much more.  Practice makes perfect I guess.

Me: Well, I’m supposed to be the calm and collected one.  Which, I am.  I’m being the cheerleader and trying to do a couple things around the house each day to get us settled. Going to the  credit union was a task with all three Bennett Boys yesterday, but they lived mostly unmamed. I’m really glad I have a smartphone too.  Google Maps has been a life saver. I’ll post about an adventure Joel and I had later.  I’m getting invited to Mom Coffee’s and play-dates. Jen’s slightly jealous.  I’ve been telling the mom that I’m scoping out friends, “This is an interview.” [Only slightly joking.]  Luckily I was was raised by a pack of women [Mom, Grandma and their friends] so I feel comfortable in those situations. I’ve come away with some good contacts and some great information.   I came away from one play-date with a full sheet of notes and Bravest Husband Award. 😉

The adventure continues.

a manifesto for a new millennium

Ron Martoia has captivated my attention for a few years now.  I had heard of him about a year before he came to the General Assembly of the Church of God in Michigan as our speaker, what Fall of ’06?.  He really challenged our thinking.  In a way that I had longed to be challenged.  I wanted to be able to challenge fellow ChOGers but hadn’t been far enough in my thinking to be a guide of any sort. I still think I lack there.  Maybe I just need more time to ponder and write.  For the first time for a lot of people he was a inteligent voice for a new form of church.  He wasn’t the first they had heard in my opinion, just maybe the first one some respected.  See if you’ve never heard of him, or been around him he’s the hippest guy in the room.  Yet he’s probably the smartest guy in the room too.  He was both of those when came to challenge us in Lansing.  Sorry, the long intro is over now.

Ron has put lots and lots of time pondering our point in history.  What is the current cultural atmosphere?  What are the implications on the ways that we’ve done church in the West for 300 years?  How the cultural climate is  different than before, and why that requires a changed format for church/expressions of the Body of Christ.

Here is where Ron has landed after many years of thought:  The Transformational Trek Tribe Manifesto.  You can download it. Read it and chew on it.  I encourage you, if you’ve wondered “Is how we’re living as the church, is this really how Jesus intended for us to live a transformed life?” to mull Ron’s ideas over.    I won’t critique what Ron says at the moment, I just want to engage and wrestle with it first myself.  He may be on to something.  I hope some of you will wrestle and grapple with me.  I hope this gets your mind going.