Emerging Network Theory Part 2

Dwight Friesen under writings and essays, has some really good essays on networks that are worth checking out. As for me, here is the rest of the paper that I wrote as networks relate to implications for ministry:

Implications for Ministry Networks in the 21st Century

Networks exist as platforms for interaction, communication, and best practices to rise to the surface among groups who are moving in the same direction with the same core values and purpose. The establishment of the network serves to facilitate greater effectiveness and innovation among the participants. It expands by empowering all of its members to spread the idea around their own edges, thus inviting others to connect with them. It is not controlled as much as it is influenced by the flow of information, vision, and ideas as directed by the influential “gatekeepers” or “switchers” of the network. These “gatekeepers” are the hubs of relationships within the network, around which participants seem to gather.

Practical Keys to Establish and Lead a Ministry Network:

1. Lead through ideas, words, and vision.
2. Create interactive experiences where network participants are able to share their story and shape the future of the network.
3. Instead of “one to many” communication, create “many to many” conversational environments where best practices are discussed and adopted.
4. Use the internet through interactive web sites that create community and participation, such as blogs.
5. Use regional conferences/get togethers for the purpose of sharing information, building relationships, and learning about what others are doing that is successful.
6. Create a community of like-minded travelers that is reciprocal. Once interdependence is created, the bonds within the network are strong enough to provide for greater innovation and growth.
7. Connect people relationally and spiritually through prayer, communication, and ministry partnering. Much of this globally can be done through the web site if it is interactive and constantly renewing itself through the creation of feedback loops.
8. Ideally, you want to enable each participant to become an expert who is fully empowered and equipped to take the concept of the network to another likeminded person or organization. In a sense, the network is not controlled from the center, but rather it is moving among the edges by the push and flow of ideas, energy, and relationships. It morphs and changes and is constantly innovating as new participants take it further than before as they bring their own experiences to bear. Remember, it is about movement, not management.
9. Embodiment of the idea: the network stays true to it’s original DNA because the idea that brought people together in the first place is embodied in the relationships that are formed. What are we about? Why are we in relationship? The mission stays central and thus drives innovation and experimentation. The network exists to facilitate this process through coaching, encouragement, relationship building, and through creating learning and sharing environments where people can come together and grow. A good example of this is The Intersection Conference sponsored by Global Spectrum in April-May 2004, http://www.globalspectrum.org/intersection/. This conference features a myriad of presenters who meet with small groups of participants and engage in discussions, presentations, and conversations on the issues at hand. It is extremely participatory and allows for the creation of new ideas, strategies, and practices to emerge as experts come together.
10. Create contributors instead of consumers. We often want people to consume our idea or talent, so they have to continue to come to us. This validates and perpetuates our importance and role. Instead, we should help people connect with God’s plan for their life and ministry in the context of relationship with others. Each participant has a role to play and has something to offer the movement. When each participant is communicating, giving, and taking based on their relationships in desire to see the network succeed, then the network functions correctly.

In conclusion, Network Leadership is about facilitating relationships and the flow of ideas in order to benefit all involved and to spread the movement quickly and with great range.

Emerging Network Theory

I've been doing some research lately on networks and the role of networks in 21st Century organizational life. While working with Military Missions Network, as one of my final contributions, I wrote a paper on networks and their value to those of us engaged in ministry in the emerging postmodern world. Here are a few thoughts:

Network Theory: Organizational Structuring for the 21st Century

What are Networks? How do they work? How do they function? What defines them? What causes them to spread and grow, seemingly out of control and without cause? How do you organize networks or movements?

Some Aspects of Networks:

No obvious leader or center
No familiar structure
No easy diagram to describe them
They self-organize
They morph and change as they react to interference or breakdown

“Networks are the language of our times, but our institutions are not programmed to understand them.”

Networks are extended groupings of likeminded entities, individuals, or organizations that interact and remain in informal contact for mutual assistance or support.

Emerging Values of Networks:

Communication – “The most important shift is away from broadcast (one to many) towards conversational (many to many).” This shows the importance of communication that is dialogical, open ended, and creative. Proper application of this would be to construct websites, presentations, conferences, and resources that allowed for feedback, creative construction of ideas, and collaboration. In fostering communication, it is important to find the ‘gatekeepers’ or ‘hubs’ through which information must pass to reach the widest possible audience. It is similar to the Person of Peace in Luke 10. He was a hub of a network of people that were influenced by his testimony and acceptance of the gospel.
Transparency – “The dynamic of information in a network is one of openness.” Because of the speedy flow of information across networks, it is important that networks foster transparency and honesty. It is also important that information be open and accessible.
Knowledge – Knowledge is passed along and created through the collaborative efforts of humans as they engage in network behavior.
Innovation – “(Innovation) is itself a network endeavor. Good ideas are dependent on an environment that is supportive of collaboration.”
Accountability – “In an interconnected world simple chains of cause and effect are difficult to establish. Most organizations are nodes in a whole series of complex networks, some of which they may not even realize they belong to. The impact of those networks and the outcomes they produce is rarely the result of any one organization but rather the interactions between them . . . In the future, our conception of accountability seems likely to evolve away from simple lines of answerability towards something more complex and messy with lines of accountability that are:
- Multiple, so that any one actor was accountable to a number of other actors in a number of different ways
- Overlapping, so that at different times in different circumstances one source of accountability might take priority, but at no point could there be no accountability at all
- Based on deliberative as well as procedural processes – generating opportunities for genuine discussion and learning, rather than fostering defensive mindsets or going through the motions.”
Citizenship – “Networked citizens will participate in the creation of new decision making capabilities as well as understanding their informal power and responsibilities.”
Power – “power no longer resides in individual institutions (even states), but in the ‘switchers’ through which networks regulate terms of entry and privilege or exclude particular interests or positions.”

Thus, we see that networks, through access, collaboration, and the development of critical mass have the capacity to create ideas and to speed the flow of resources and information exponentially faster than hierarchical organizations.

More on this in the next post . . .

More on Basketball . . .

Charley Rosen in an article for The Sporting News said some of the same things about basketball that I said yesterday, just a whole lot better. In fairness, he has written like 12 books and I just have this measley little blog . . . An excerpt:

The corporate entity that is the NBA is a victim of its own need to generate big bucks. By lionizing individual players and marginalizing The Game, the league necessarily creates artificial heroes and villains, true-believers and apostates.
What to do, then? How to bring a sense of proportion into the business and fanaticism of professional sports?
Education is the only answer — or rather, reeducation. The players, the fans, the professional observers, and even the NBA's puppet-masters must learn how to discern the true, eternal beauty of athletic competition. In truth, basketball is ballet with defense. A leaping, dancing, spontaneous celebration of the human spirit as performed by gifted, acrobatic giants — the finest athletes in the world! The Game represents a blending of skills in unlimited and unpredictable combinations. Yes, it's five-against-five. But it's also 10 players playing one game.
Winning is certainly the goal. But so is community of spirit. And there's also a bittersweet glory in playing the right way and losing. Both on and off the court.

Isn't this the challenge for all of us in life? Through Christ, we are reintroduced to our purpose in life and why we are here: to live for God's glory. He has given us a new heart and enabled us to live in communion with Him and in community with others. Sin and selfishness distorts our glory and causes us to fall out of rhthym with God's pace. We struggle, become ugly and distorted, and it is obvious that we have made life all about us. Praise God for His grace that restores us and allows us to step back on the path that leads to life. When we walk on His path, we have greater joy, peace, and beauty in our lives than when we chart our own course. It all makes sense, Him being the Creator and all.

Basketball As Metaphor

I used to love basketball. I loved the teamwork, the passing, the strategy, the defense. I loved to see ball movement and movement without the ball. I loved the underdog and the way that basketball flowed. It was beautiful. It was art. When I was a kid, I used to play the game every chance I got. I would play for hours after school. Shooting. Running my drills. Practice, Practice, Practice until I made every shot. I constructed fantasies, where I was the hero off the bench in the state championship game. My injury riddled team needed me to rescue them as they played the Goliath of the state. They say that your dreams say a lot about who you are. Obviously.
Basketball was a vehicle for dreams for me at one time. But, now, it has become a sea of disappointment. I am specifically talking about the Pacers-Pistons fight of a couple of weeks ago, but even larger than that, the game as devolved into a selfish display of individualism. Poor shooting, no ball movement, no passing, little teamwork. It is all about the individual player and what they can do so they can be seen on ESPN.
In many ways, basketball was beautiful when it most closely resembled the rhythm of life that God has set out for us. Connect to your reason for living by loving the Creator. Love others. Put others before yourself. Join your life together with others in community around a cause (for Christians it is to reflect God's glory in the world). Be the least so that God can exalt you. Now that basketball so clearly looks like the rest of the fallen world instead of art, it is ugly, selfish, and pointless. So, I am hereby ceasing to be a basketball fan, until someone begins to play it the right way again. I long for beauty in God's creation. I look for art in life in unexpected places. I really miss a good jump shot off a perfectly executed pick and roll.

Thanksgiving with the Family

It's been a while since I blogged. I'm hoping to get more regular with this, but I didn't have a computer all week as we spent Thanksgiving with my wife's family a couple of hours north of here. She and I took off for a night and day to Nashville (without the kids) and spent most of the time at OpryMills mall. I'm not much of a mall guy, but it was something to do. We saw National Treasure with Nicholas Cage, which was actually a pretty good movie. So, now we're back and are settling back into things. Ah, life . . . I have so much to be thankful for, actually. God has blessed me with an incredible family, a wife that I love dearly, a great church to work in and be a part of, and His presence in my life. It is so important to take time to be thankful. Life passes us by and we spend a lot of time wishing that we had this or that, complaining about bad things that have happened to us, etc. God wants us to rejoice! We can do that because of who He is and what He has done in our lives. God is good and I am thankful for that.

What a Week

Wow. I just had one of the busiest weeks in at least the past month! I started it with a cold on Sunday while we were practicing for the Christmas play. Monday was a long day, but really great - our small group met at a home waaaaay outside of our main town and about 20 of us trudged up there. I talked about how the Kingdom of God is more like a party than anything else, and often when we get together it seems that way!
On Tuesday, I had a couple of meetings and that night, a group of us from around the city continued meeting to form a young adults gathering. We are trying to come up with a name for a coffeehouse/emergent gathering for 20-30 somethings from all over the city from many churches. We are gaining a good start, but our creative process got stuck the other night. Fortunately, we have made some progress since then on our blog.
Wednesday, I met all day with a ministry that I have served on the board for called Military Missions Network. I actually resigned from the board that day for a whole host of reasons that aren't worth getting into here, but I hope and pray that they do well and are very successful in all that they do. It was a real growth experience to work with them in the design of the network. I learned a ton and am really thankful for them bringing me along. Godspeed to you, guys, I wish you the best!
Thursday was filled with meetings all day and we had dinner with a really great family that night, from which I actually got a free haircut! Outstanding.
Friday, I got to see the play, Fiddler on the Roof with my wife and another couple at an old playhouse here in town. It was a first rate production from a touring company from New York. It was incredible! I was not familiar with the play, but the interaction between the "Tradition" of the old world and the innovations of the new was really enlightening. It really spoke to me about how life is meant to be a celebration lived out among family and friends. Love seemed to be the motivating factor bringing about the changes, but I don't know if it always makes everything better. Sometimes we lose more than we think when we change.
Saturday, I got a phone call from my best friend in Germany. He is a captain in the Army and we grew up together. I saw him this summer when I went to Europe and I found out that he is coming home over Christmas, so we should get to hang out then. I'm really excited about that.
So, I'm still trying to get into this blog thing. I'm enjoying it, but when you have really busy weeks like this one, it is hard to make time. But, as I look back, I praise God that He let me experience the things that I did. The conversations, the laughter, the celebrations, the sadness that comes from loss. Even though it was busy and I had a cold, I felt alive. I was contributing to the tapestry of the experience of the human race. Thank you Lord for letting me breathe. Thank You Lord for letting me see you in the magnificent and the mundane.

Why talk about politics?

O.K. I've been writing a lot so far about politics, especially concerning the recent election. As a follower of Jesus in the American South, it seems that we are all expected to rest squarely in the Republican camp on everything without really thinking about it. In reality, I disagree. Jesus' ethic is beyond political parties or the "left" or "right". He teaches us to live by an ethic that is beyond this world and beyond compromise or expediency. Yes, I am pro-life, but that extends not just to abortion, but also to our views on international behavior, poverty, education, healthcare, etc. I am opposed to the gay agenda, but that means that I am also consistent on my views on sexuality when it comes to heterosexuals within the context of marriage. I am pro capitalism, but I believe that corporations should be responsible with their employees, products, and business practices. I am for small government, but the really needy should be given a proper life boat in times of need. I am for personal responsibility, but in a society where health care costs could absolutely destroy a family if one child gets sick, I think that we should provide some form of health care for those in need. I am for lower taxes, but we all should contribute in an equitable way for the common good, including education, infrastructure, public works, defense, etc. In other words, I am a conservative, but I hope that I am a responsible conservative that sees the needs of others and cares enough to lend a hand. I hope that my concern for the environment goes beyond my concern for the profit margins of industries that are big polluters. I hope that I reflect Jesus in my political and social view a whole lot more than a certain political party. I hope that my connection to Christ will trump whatever blind support I am expected to give to one party or candidate or the next. I hope that Chrisitians will follow scripture and take stands that are consistent rather than just grasp for power like everyone else. I hope we'll use some sense . . .

Is the Republican Party really Christian?

Frank Rich in today's New York Times makes a very interesting point about the real political/social/moral climate in America today. He basically says that, even though Conservative Christians expect Republicans to endorse our values, in reality, they will pander to us at election time and throw us a bone over certain issues. When it comes down to it, however, it is really all about the money:

It's in the G.O.P.'s interest to pander to this far-right constituency - votes are votes - but you can be certain that a party joined at the hip to much of corporate America, Mr. Murdoch included, will take no action to curtail the blue culture these voters deplore. As Marshall Wittman, an independent-minded former associate of both Ralph Reed and John McCain, wrote before the election, "The only things the religious conservatives get are largely symbolic votes on proposals guaranteed to fail, such as the gay marriage constitutional amendment." That amendment has never had a prayer of rounding up the two-thirds majority needed for passage and still doesn't.
Mr. Wittman echoes Thomas Frank, the author of "What's the Matter With Kansas?," by common consent the year's most prescient political book. "Values," Mr. Frank writes, "always take a backseat to the needs of money once the elections are won." Under this perennial "trick," as he calls it, Republican politicians promise to stop abortion and force the culture industry "to clean up its act" - until the votes are counted. Then they return to their higher priorities, like cutting capital gains and estate taxes. Mr. Murdoch and his fellow cultural barons - from Sumner Redstone, the Bush-endorsing C.E.O. of Viacom, to Richard Parsons, the Republican C.E.O. of Time Warner, to Jeffrey Immelt, the Bush-contributing C.E.O. of G.E. (NBC Universal) - are about to be rewarded not just with more tax breaks but also with deregulatory goodies increasing their power to market salacious entertainment. It's they, not Susan Sarandon and Bruce Springsteen, who actually set the cultural agenda Gary Bauer and company say they despise.
But it's not only the G.O.P.'s fealty to its financial backers that is predictive of how little cultural bang the "values" voters will get for their Bush-Cheney votes. At 78 percent, the nonvalues voters have far more votes than they do, and both parties will cater to that overwhelming majority's blue tastes first and last. Their mandate is clear: The same poll that clocked "moral values" partisans at 22 percent of the electorate found that nearly three times as many Americans approve of some form of legal status for gay couples, whether civil unions (35 percent) or marriage (27 percent). Do the math and you'll find that the poll also shows that for all the G.O.P.'s efforts to court Jews, the total number of Jewish Republican voters in 2004, while up from 2000, was still some 200,000 less than the number of gay Republican voters.

This is what I have been saying for some time. Both parties are basically the same, even though they say different things. This is why I feel that Christians, if they really want to see change, should live out the Kingdom ethic that Jesus gave us and truly be salt and light in our culture through our lives. Then, the political/social realities will begin to reflect our actual lives and attitudes. You can't change this thing from the top down. What does it mean to think Christianly? What does it mean to have a Christian approach to healthcare, poverty, the environment, capitalism, marriage, sexuality, entertainment, etc. Yes, we should be involved in politics, but our real power is in the gospel which actually changes lives, not just government.

Gospel of Luke

I'm getting to teach through the last few chapters of the Gospel of Luke at my church. It has been the most amazing experience. I've seen a link in the stories of Jesus healing people, the parables, and the encounters with the pharisees as a demonstration of what the Christian life will look like in the Kingdom of God after he has ascended to heaven. It has been amazing. The Word has really come alive for me in this.

RE: Is God Up to Something in USA

Andrew Jones, my friend at TallSkinnyKiwi had an interesting post this morning. He asks if God is at work through the reemergence of the church in the U.S. through the church influencing the election, the success of the Passion movie, Christian music, etc. Some people wrote back and said that they did not see how God was working in the U.S. since the Bush presidency was not pursuing Godly goals through things like the invasion of Iraq, the environment, etc. (some of our European brothers). Andrew's point was really encouraging though. Read it for yourself by clicking on the link at the top of the post.

I wrote him an email that I though I would post here since it has to do with specific things that are going on in here in my own city that I believe God is really in. Here it is:

Excellent discussion and comments, Andrew. Another thing that is happening that is not being noticed directly is that churches are beginning to work together. 10 years ago this was considered impossible, but is happening now more and more. Christians are praying and working together like never before. In my own city in the Bible Belt South a few weeks ago, First Baptist Church had John Perkins in to speak to city and church leaders. He really challenged us on the power of the gospel, social issues, and politics! The crowd was incredibly Republican, but he challenged us to think critically about the Republican party and not travel lock-step with them. Incredibly, people responded very favorably. The pastor of FBC stood up and said that he wanted everyone to come together (church leaders, social leaders, business leaders, political leaders) to engage in holistic ministry to the poor and come up with real solutions to our continued racial division! In the heart of the Bible Belt! So the world will see what can happen in a city of division when the church comes together to truly love God and love people! I was stunned but really excited. Our little group has been working and praying toward this for several years and the pastors of the large churches were always too busy to participate. Not anymore. Yes, Andrew, I believe that God is doing something and while on the surface it looks like the same old thing by grasping for power, there is an undercurrent of a real desire to represent God. This is happening in the institutional church. We are also starting a citywide worship gathering of young adults from over a dozen churches so far to come together to seek the Lord and have a place to bring friends. It is pretty "emerging". The rallying cry is that no one gets credit but Jesus. We are all giving ministry away.
I know this is a long comment, but I sense such cynicism in the emerging church about certain things that it is possible that when God moves in ways that we didn't expect him to, we are going to miss out on it because it doesn't fit our preconceived notions. It reminds me of some pharisees I once read about. I'm just saying that there is an undercurrent to all of the NEGATIVE power stuff that might be from God. Real people who are really hungry for the Lord. I think that that is what you are sensing. Maybe it doesn't always look right and maybe it manifests itself the wrong way, but I would ask the world to pray for what is being birthed in America, that those who are really trying to do the right thing would stay the course and bring others with them.

Political Testiness

It appears as though the liberal disdain for the conservative win in the election has become even more heated. The Washington Times reports that liberals in the blue states are considering seceeding from the union because they do not want to live in the same country as the homophobic, redneck, Jesus-loving morons in the red states. How do true Jesus followers speak to such hatred? What can we do to represent the way of Jesus and bring reconciliation, while standing up for what is right locally and globally? When people hate us, how do we withstand their attacks and still love and forgive? Unfortunately, evangelical Christians are now almost totally identified with the Republican party. I did vote for Bush because of some key issues, but that does not mean that my faith in Christ is fully connected with every issue that Republicans stand for. I actually do not agree with everything that Republicans do, nor do I agree with every way that Christians express their beliefs. It seems as though we are in a time where everyone wants to shove everyone else into one camp or another. I think that this is why Jesus told us not to judge one another (I think that he is talking here more about motives than actions. We have to judge each others actions - they are verifiable. But, we cannot judge each other's motives, thoughts, or heart. Only God knows that). We never really make good judgements, and we are, in fact, trying to take over God's job. I have enough to worry about without that.

Henri Nouwen and The Fullness of Time

I love to read. When I read I feel like I am having a conversation with the author and am able to respond and react to what he is saying. It helps me to go places in my mind and to figure out what I think about things. So, on this blog, I'll be posting quotes and synopses on the many books, articles, etc. that I am interested in at the time.

I read this last night from a book of collected writing from the late Catholic spiritual writer Henri Nouwen. I thought that it was helpful in valuing each moment and being open to experience what God has for us in Jesus Christ:

Jesus came in the fullness of time. He will come again in the fullness of time. Wherever Jesus is, the Christ is, time is brought to its fullness. We often experience our time as empty. We hope that tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year the real things will happen. But sometimes we experience the fullness of time. That is when it seems that time stands still; that past, present, and future become one; that everything is present where we are; and that God, we, and all that is have come together in total unity. This is the experience of God's time. "When the completion of the time came (that is, in the fullness of time), God sent his Son, born of a woman" (Gal. 4:4), and in the fullness of time God will "bring everything together under Christ, as head, everything in the heavens and everything on earth" (Eph. 1:10). It is in the fullness of time that we meet God - Henri Nouwen.

When I meet with Christ, time reaches it's fullness. This goes along with a verse I have been meditating on lately: "Those who look to him are radiant. Their faces are never covered with shame" Psalm 34:5. If we look to Jesus, we radiate the beauty, grace, peace, and presence of God. Our lives are given meaning and fulfillment. The mundane is charged with His glory and purpose. When Jesus is involved, our lives become worth living. Our shame is taken away because we are forgiven and made new. The old has gone, the new has come. Cool stuff. Truth to build a life upon.

Politics as Backdrop

I like politics. Not enough to be really involved in it, mind you, but enough to keep up with what people think, what they find important, and how they express those views. Politics has taken the place of religion for many in a secular society because it has become the answer to the 'big questions' of life, or at least it provides the solution to the question of how do we get out of our mess. So, it has been interesting to watch the fallout from the November 2 presidential election among both Democrats and Republicans. Most amazing is to watch the introspection that Democrats are going through trying to understand why they lost. Bob Herbert in an editorial in the New York Times yesterday says that, in contrast to what many political pundits are saying, it had nothing to do with moral values. Why try to appeal to Middle America whose values he finds fairly "repellent?" Democrats need to define what they stand for and advance those views as morality. Eleanor Clift in Newsweek says that Democrats should not get caught up in the anit-abortion, anti-gay rights agenda of conservatives, but rather define moral values with issues such as raising the minimum wage since the Bible has a lot more to say about poverty than the other issues. I think that it is both poverty and morality, not either/or and that is the problem with politics in America. Herbert finds Evangelical Christians repellent and Clift tries to expand the scope of what morality is to include the Democratic agenda. It seems that neither really care about what is important to people or what really works - they are more interested in their side winning. So, ultimately it is about power, not values, public service, or the greater good.

While Democrats try to coopt what they perceive as winning Republican strategies, and Republicans are glorying in their victory, God's agenda for this world is much more holistic, redemptive, and beautiful than either side can possibly imagine, no matter how much they appeal to religion and moral values to win votes. Politics tells us a great deal about what we are placing our faith in here in America. Is Bush the savior? Does Kerry have the strength to oust Bush and "restore sanity to the White House?" Both sides are right on some issues. Both sides are flawed. As Christians, the question becomes how we participate. Do we follow one party step for step, or do we have the moral courage to believe that some things are right because God says so, and some things are wrong, despite the fact that a praying president or candidate proposes them. If politics is a backdrop or stage for us to play out our hopes, dreams, and fears, then what does it tell us about ourselves when we place our trust in a candidate and fail to ask hard questions of that candidate on very important issues, like the sanctity of life either in the womb, in city streets, or in far away places like Iraq? Both supporters of Bush and Kerry did not ask those questions because they so wanted to win. This election was more about power than truth for both sides, but that was difficult to see because we got caught up in the partial truth that each candidate was supporting.

If we could see the larger story of God's activity in this world, what it looks like really, for His Kingdom to come, and what our role in that is to be, then we will not just be spectators cheering for one candidate over the other, we will truly be participants in His plan to redeem a fallen world in every area of life, which includes the spiritual, the social, and the economic spheres. Jesus is a Savior from every form of injustice, suffering, hatred, and sin. Maybe, over the next four years, we can look to Him more than we look to Washington.

Why Blog?

Well, I have finally started. I do not have any idea who will read this, but I have a sense that maybe I can begin to take part in a conversation on life and spirituality that is going on all around the world. Tallskinnykiwi, otherwise known as Andrew Jones, was the first blogger (web logger) that I ran into and he is still the most influential to me. That is probably because I know him personally, having met him and his wife Debbie when I lived in San Francisco a few years ago. I hope to spend a lot of time talking about life, culture, the way historical forces shape the present and the future, and where we are headed in the church, which is an area that is pretty important to me.


I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and because of that, I tend to think about things in a way that tries to be consistent with his life and teachings. I am, like everyone else who calls themselves 'Christian', in process, or on a journey to knowing Jesus more and having my life be shaped by him more and more everyday. Sometimes this happens in indiscernable ways, but he is always active, always moving, always leading, always there. That is why I chose the name Downshoredrift for this blog. Downshoredrift is the phenomenon that takes place when you are at the beach and you are out in the water floating in front of your umbrella and blanket. You think you are in the same place and you look up and realize that you have floated way down the beach without realizing you were moving. That is because the waves crash into the shore in a straight line, but come off the shore diagonally, pushing you up the beach further and further with each crashing wave. I think that those of us who are following Jesus have the same experience. The events of life crash against the shore and we think that we are staying put, or moving backwards, but all along, God's hand leads us closer and closer to Him. Well, I hope to chronicle that, in a sense, and help others see His hand in their own lives, the church, and the world around us. Let's see how far up the shore God takes us . . .

Beginnings . . .

Well, here I go. We'll see where this leads.