meditatio at the water's edge

Tonight is the last night of the retreat with Dallas. Actually, Dallas left like eight hours ago. I'm up late here with Malcom Hawker, Alan Creech, and Mike Bishop. Dallas talked about stuff that I've been over before, but it is always good to rehear it.

Here's the top five lowlights from the retreat.

5. I was delayed by almost three hours on the way in and had to keep Kevin Rains, Chris Marshall, and Mark Priddy up until two thirty in the morning. Mark had a nasty cough. I felt bad.

4. Alan Creech cut his big toe in the hot tub as the 'big boys' tried to flood some water out of the hot tub. Pain.

3. I had my first Guiness. It was...different. Not bad, just not 'tasty.' Sorry, I'm just not a beer guy.

2. The boys smoked some really bad "Cuban-seeded wrapping" cigars from Albertsons, and some sweet smelling pipes. Even the Dr. Pepper couldn't get rid of the smell of cheap cigar that clung to my teeth like a wet sweater.

1. Dallas falling in his chair off the step on the back porch. EVERYONE stopped breathing and was paralyzed for no less than 5 seconds. Dallas jumped up, brushed himself off, and looked to be pretty much alright. Scary.

Okay, for the highlights and other beneficial bits...in no particular order.

C. Well, of course, Dallas said some great stuff. I'll put the stuff I wrote down on the site later. But one thing he mentioned was the importance of teaching and preaching in spiritual transformation. I think it might have been more along the lines of proclamation. Both are important: teaching and proclamation. More on that later...

O. I asked Dallas about the statement he has often made that he doesn't know a single community that has an intentional curriculum for Christlikeness. I said, "We want to do it." He said there is no contemporary example. I asked him about past examples. He pointed to Charlesd Wesley, George Fox, and St. Francis. So you know what's next on my reading list. I guess it's time to read the book on St. Francis that my brother got me for Christmas.

L. It is apparent that we need to connect with other communities in the midwest (at least Michigan) for annual, bi-annual, or quarterly events to give us all a sense of what God is doing in our group and in groups around us. I think that would be healthy for us to see that we're not alone and not crazy. It will also be helpful to come alongside groups who are just starting up or are struggling with the things we are.

T. Tonight we talked about what Allelon was going to develop into. Is it going to be a network of leaders or a network of churches? Go to the Allelon website and read the mission, vision, etc. That pretty much sums it up. As Eric Keck posed, "Who wouldn't want to sign up for that?"

R. One of the best things has been meeting the amazing folks who are leading these missional communities. I could name drop all the names, but let me just say it was inspiring. Inspiring to see the women (wives) as part of this retreat.

A. Spiritual Disciplines. What I learned was that I have been avoiding some that I need to take up again. Such as? Well, it's really none of your business, but secrecy for one. Others are prayer and fasting. I have really been overly conscious about what people think of me, so secrecy I hope will remove my addiction to approval. Prayer because I don't listen to God enough. And fasting because I am addicted to chocolate and other desserts. My body needs to learn that it is not king. Hopefully that will translate to the rest of my life in relationship with God.

I. Little sleep with little observable effects. That has let me spend time late at night listening and talking to Alan, Malcom, Kevin and others.

N. The wonderful hospitality of the Priddy family. Mark and Jeanette have been wonderful opening up their home to us. And Debbie Hunter...can you say "Iron Chef"? The food has been unspeakably good.

E. More of what Dallas said...He said that the kingdom is always "spinning off" communities of Jesus' disciples. I think we need to remember that 1) we don't 'plant' churches. They are proiduced by the action of God in the lives of people. The kingdom produces community as people enter into it and live by the life of God. 2) we need to be working with God to help these kingdom produced communities to grow. That will be the role of Allelon, not on solely (or primarily) on a national level, but on a regional/local level. As Jason Evans told Randy recently, we will have to be Allelon to other groups. That kind of sounded like what Mark Priddy was talking about last night.