Spiritual Home

A Spiritual home I think is something that sneaks up on you. You walk in and you feel that Ahhh, I can relax feeling. It fits a few spots. For me you can be who you are, specifically believe conscientiously without switching off your brain; a place with the grace to explore. We dropped in Solace on Sunday that was the experience for me. We did the labyrinth, it was a time to sit still and reflect. No hype, slogans; ahhh.

I've had that 'home' feeling only once before, my late teens, late eighties early nineties. The Vineyard presence was just beginning to make itself know in Bendigo through the renewal of a Charismatic Anglican Church. It felt like God was in it for me. It fitted a place for me socially and I didn't experience God. Yet I kept on looking for the same experience for the next 10-15 years of my life. Trying to manufacture that moment again and again. It became tiring after a while. At times hollow.

The photo is some cracks I took in the middle of the labyrinth at Solace. I couldn't help looking at them. They possessed a strange beauty. Fractured.

Mission as Compassion

One of the organisations which I have an affinity with is Solace EMC in Melbourne. There is a bit of interesting conversation happening on their blog about Mission and Compassion.

Mission is an outward focus -the wellbeing of others not yourself. (Life with God has a huge and primary place for every person's wellbeing and whilst we start at the place to be renewed we are inevitably urged by God to focus on "others" as well.)

Jesus' whole attitude was "missional" -focused on "other" - he was sent and sends his friends and followers in a likewise manner.

Compassion seems to be the motivator and the compass. If we can be soft hearted and full of love for the "other" then perhaps we may not go too far wrong. So practices and lifestyles that grow our hearts are vital - much more so than messages or techniques.

Loving God and loving our neighbour are the core of God's commands to us and make up the communal fabric of our life on earth. They are the same command with different faces and as all the letters of John in the NT make clear you can NOT love God and hate your brother. So service to God and the world is the same thing.

Related articles by Zemanta

• How Cultivating Compassion Makes You a Better Communicator (suzemuse.com)
• Dr. Gary Trosclair: Blessed Are Those Who Suffer? (huffingtonpost.com)
• The Key To Everything In Life (pastorpaulvbsblog.blogspot.com)

Rusty Springs

Got Back from Rusty Springs yesterday so a bit of an update.

I went to a few things, but not as much as I would have liked. The first night was a shocker in the tent, rain rain rain. We were dry but if you wanted to go to the toilet etc etc leaving the tent was a terrible especially with kids. So we ended up at a beautiful B&B that liked kids so it worked out well (except for the $$$).

I got to three workshops which I will blog on in a bit more detail.

• Whats happening when what I believe is not what I used to believe.
• Ethical Shopping
• Slow food

We also spent a lot of times with the 'Rusty Kids' and families. This was great, We did stuff with kids and we also chatted and got to know other parents.

There was also a fair bit of music but I didn't get to any of it. I was just to stuffed at night. 

Overall we will try to get there again next year and be a bit more prepared with camping arrangements.
 

Rusty Springs

Next weekend the family are off to "Rusty Spring festivle" in Dalesford.

The festival is about exploring lifestyle, well-being and spirituality. These things are all interconnected and there’s no expectation of anyone.

Some of the work shops I'm eying are::

• An exploration towards the meaning of life
• What's happening when what I believe is not what I used to believe
• What's all this about Ignatian spirituality
• Finding Spiritual tradition that is right for you
• Slow food

And most importantly the *kids* program.

'Solace EMC Inc, the auspicing organization for the festival, is a religious not-for-profit company which has a Christian heritage. Both Christina and myself have been along to Solace in Fairfield a few time so we are looking forward to what is in store. (It will also be nice not having the Vineyard sandwich)

Solace, Sunday @ the Forge 2nd intensive

On Sunday morning instead of been at Ranges we headed to Solace EMC in Fairfield as part of the 2nd Forge intensive. I had heard a lot about Solace so I was pretty happy to attend.

1) We attended the "Solace Sunday Stuff", a bit of a blurb on that from there web site

Sunday Stuff is hosted by Fairfield SPACE (and contributes time and effort into the facilities and connecting to other parts if Fairfield SPACE in return). Sunday Stuff is a gathering of people who pray, worship, learn from the Bible and fellowship together. There are no requirements to conform to a specific set of beliefs, but the gathering is centred on the life and teachings of Jesus.

I really did think this was one of the first times that we really participated as a family at Church. There was a real effort to intergate all ages which I realy appreciated. Kids been Kids was no problem. (Phew) I was also under the impression that Solace was a lot larger. It was about the same or a little smaller than us at Ranges.

2) I could see that they have identified similar issues as us. It would appear that Solace EMC Vineyard Cataylst Network, have a bit of an overlap. The ideas of being a "network" as well as "self directed groups" spring to mind.

3) Connection with the Anglican Church. Olivia was asked a few times about the formal relationship with the Anglican church (Not by myself). I felt that the answers were rather complicated in nature and that most probably there were a few difficulties. What was made quite clearly was that Solace EMC was incorporated independently of the Anglican Church.

4) Interested that they put the EMC on there name. Emergent Missional Church. A lot of pastors are thinking through this stuff but, not actually claiming it. Especially the "Emergent" side of the conversation.

5) Money, I'm not sure how many people are on "staff", but even if they employed one person full time I don't think that this congregation would able to support them. I wonder if some funding comes in from the Anglicans or the OP Shop?

I couldn't talk up Solace enough. Overall you feel that it is a safe place where people are encouraged to find where they fit with Spirituallity, and there is no rush. That the compartmentalness of large churches is just not part of there thinking. It would certainly be an option for us if we didn't have Ranges.