salt the planet

While the convention continues to be a fantastic experience and I have yet to enter a seminar through which God did not illumine some part of my journey, the time constraints (aka sleep!) have not allowed me to post on all things in the day. Therefore I will attempt to begin from those things in which I have been most attentive to the movement of God.

In my previous post, I mentioned how I felt as though I have been wrestling with God and had been touched by him as Jacob was: leaving the encounter limping and even affecting the behavior of the entire community of Israel (at least in their eating habits). I pray that my wrestling will similarly affect the community where God has placed me.

Well, doggone wrestling with God has got me in a full nelson, and I'm not quite sure how to get out or even if I want out. I find myself crying to God that I only have two hips and if he "touches" me much more, I won't be able to even get around (which maybe is what he wants).

Nick and I slept in this morning and missed seminar series #2. It was kind of nice though, not to cave to the pressure of doing everything. It was harder to resist than I thought. Anyway, our first experience this morning was Doug Pagitt speaking in general session #3. He did a fantastic job of working with the passages of Acts 10-11. I am going to have to go back and listen to the entire message again, but here are some of the highlights (Doug's statements loosely quoted in blue and my implication of them in green):

• For Peter and the 1st Century Jewish church, the Gentiles were the outsiders: unclean and defiling all who were in contact with them. Who are the outsiders now? Who do we define as in and out and how do we define them that way? Why do we define ourselves in that manner? How do we consider ourselves or others as unclean for being in contact with these outsiders?
• Even though Cornelius was a Gentile, not only did God hear his prayers and give acceptance to his actions with the poor (verse 4), but he also heard from God. How quick am I to assume that God does not hear the prayers of the outsider (especially those on the "outside" of a relationship with God)? How often do I believe that God does not recognize or accept the actions of the outsider?
• Peter asked the question, "Why did you send for me?" He did not come in and begin telling them what he thought they needed. How often do I step into a conversation with an outsider and not listen to their experience but would rather share of the "visions" and amazing things I have seen first. I must seek to posture myself to hear from "outsiders" as God may well have been speaking to them, offering them the completion of the picture.

Update (1/05/06): Doug has added the podcast for this message at this link.