it's about 'what is church?' it's about whether 'emergent' is the latest Christian trend or something more substantial. it's musing on what it means to live faithfully...in the city, in America, in community, intergenerationally, at this time in history...
posted by Richard Dahlstrom @ 7:42 AM
My name is Richard Dahlstrom, and I'm the Senior Pastor at Bethany Community Church in Seattle, WA. I've started this blog so that I can record my own thoughts about being a middle-aged pastor, in a great city, at the beginning of the 21st century. I've been at Bethany for over 10 years, and during this time, it seems that my entire theological world has been deconstructed, and recontructed again on the same foundation - with the end result feeling somewhat as if I've been through a squeezing machine, had some of the less essential elements removed, and came out on the other side feeling spacious, joyous, better able to love and enjoy all that life has to offer. The learning has come from all kinds of places: all kinds of books, music and art, the Bible, fellow pastors on staff, countless folk in our little flock, (an intergenerational lot consisting of lots of university students, and plenty of folk who remember where they were when Kennedy was shot) with whom I love to converse over good coffee, hikes and climbs in the Cascades, Colorado, Europe, my wife, my kids, and early mornings, again with good coffee, on the deck - quietly listening for the voice of the creator.
3 Comments:
Richard, Thanks for the reminder of the necessary and life-giving nature of PLAY, and the way we see Christ's truths revealed in creation. Such a refreshing message, one not often relayed by today's leaders...Thank You.
Ryan
thank you for that post, richard. I listened to Jurgen Moltmann at SPU on Wednesday and he talked about his hope for our integration with nature. this slideshow imparted that hope. I was especially moved by the animal's willingness to to be vulnerable in order to engage in play. so beautiful.
Richard, the image of the grizzle bear and wolf playing was amazing. Looking at those pictures made me thank God for his wonderful creation.
Marcus
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