Growing Smaller and Smaller Until We Take Over The World

Chapter 12 quotes from Shane Claiborne's "The Irresistible Revolution." Ewee, there were some rather hard-to-swallow elements in this chapter. But it really touched on some things I've already been thinking about lately. Funny how God will do that sometimes. I suppose he knows it takes some of us longer to digest our food than others.

So... the quotes:

p. 317 The old comic strip: Two pastors are talking, and one of them asks the other, “How’s your church?” The other pastor boasts, “Quite well, I should say. When I got there, we had only thirty members, and I have been there only a year. Now we are seeing over four hundred people on Sunday morning. And how’s your church?” The first pastor says, “Well, I don’t know. When I got there, we were seeing about a hundred. I’ve been preaching the gospel, and I’ve preached that ole church down to ten.” (Shane says, “I’m not sure the Christian gospel always draws a crowd.”)
Boy does this fly in the face of the church growth stuff I was raised on.

p. 319 “The church has always faced the same temptation, from the time of Constantine’s sword to now. We are tempted to do great things like rappel from the rafters in the newest church gym or throw the best pizza party so that kids might bow before the altar.”
A great youth ministry line I once heard (can't remember where): "Whatever you win them with is what you'll win them to." You know, if we teach 'em that church is all about playing games, what do we think they're going to learn from that?

p. 320 Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community (even if their intentions are ever so earnest), but the person who loves those around them will create community.” (Shane says): “Many congregations are in love with their mission and vision and rip one another apart in committee meetings trying to attain it. And many social activists I know tear each other up and burn themselves out fighting for a better world while forgetting that the seeds of that world are right next to them.”
Ouch. Um... yeah. I confess... a problem from time to time here. But I agree wholeheartedly with what he's saying.

p. 321 “We have a God who enters the world through smallness – a baby refugee, a homeless rabbi, the lilies and the sparrows. We have a God who values the little offering of a couple of coins from a widow over the megacharity of millionaires. We have a God who speaks through little people – a stuttering spokesman named Moses; the stubborn donkey of Balaam; a lying brothel owner named Rahab; an adulterous king named David; a ragtag bunch of disciples who betrayed, doubted, and denied; and a converted terrorist named Paul.”
Isn't He great! Gotta love that.

p. 337 “So there goes Jesus turning power on its head again. His power was not in crushing but in being crushed, triumphing over the empire’s sword with his cross. Mustard must be crushed, ground, broken in order for its power to be released.”

p. 338 “Mustard – the official sponsor of the Jesus revolution; a healing balm, a sign of upside-down power, and a good dip for a kosher meal.”
Maybe you've never noticed the line under my title, but mustard is a major part of this blog -- and it IS dangerous to make it a part of your life. Mustard seeds aren't just tiny, but they were unwanted in many places because of the great strength of the plant that grew from them. It can split rocks for cryin-out-loud! It's almost unnoticed, but even in small amounts is dangerously powerful!

All in all, a good chapter; but another equally unsettling one. Much to ponder. Much to do.

Journey real, folks.