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Scot (and the rest of y’all at the “One T”) ;^),

It is good to see that this conversation is continuing to bounce around the blogosphere. There has been some conversation over at Missional Tribe about it that has been interesting. So I’ll just chime in here as inspired by the comments.

I believe that there is one covenant to which we are to belong — the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus. We connect to that covenant when we recite the Jesus Creed. Loving God and Loving Others fulfills the Law. When we love God and love others in this (or another virtual space), we are experiencing a kind of covenant community. It is not the same as other kinds, but that does not mean it does not count.

We experience many different kinds of community in our lives. Not one of them fulfills each and every need for connection. This is another of those both/and situations. We are to receive with grace and gratitude each and every connection that the Spirit provides.

In the two years I have been a part of the Jesus Creed community, I have shared many personal things that I have not been able to express in other places. Those persons who were part of those conversations have shared a precious community with me that has nurtured me in ways I did not think possible. They have functioned as the hand or shoulder of Christ in profound ways. This is nothing short of a gift from God….

I believe that the moving of community into the virtual realm gives us a bit of a better glimpse of “the communion of the saints” — and that leads us to ponder perichoresis — at least it does for me. My post over at Missional Tribe pondered this some: http://abisomeone.missionaltribe.org/2009/02/15/the-virtual-nature-of-perichoresis/

And for those of you who have not watched the video, it will be important for you to review the four components that Shane identifies as being essential to community.

One last thought…sometimes, unfortunately, it is important for us to define things according to what we have not experienced as well as what we have experienced. I have physically been in churches where I have thought I was part of the community most of my life … only to be surprised by the real thing in the virtual. That is not meant as a slam … it is the sad, sobering reality of far too many.

The virtual provides a methodology for transparency … and when used well, the Spirit shows up in ways that can be breath-taking. I do not believe it wise to discount this.

Sorry that this wee virtual abbess has not yet had the time to fully process this … I am trusting the Spirit to bring the right words at the right time.

Have you chimed in somewhere on this discussion?  I saw that Brother Maynard did over at Subversive Influence.   Your thoughts are welcome here.

I first saw it at a fellow Instigator’s blog, The Blind Beggar.

Then, fellow Wikiklesia editor and author, John LaGrue wrote this importat push back over at microclesia, where I saw Steve Knight had linked to his post.

Next, Missional Tribe-ster Jonathan Brinks talks about it and the elusive nature of communitas over at Missio Dei.

Please do read them all, and you can see my comments in each of them.

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However…it was this post by my virtual Emerging Quaker friend, Diane, commenting on my last post about addiction, that triggered this post.

…your thoughts about a glimpse of the true church make me think of the thoughts bubbling deep inside me about perichoresis.  I have a group over at Missional Tribe getting ready to talk about perichoresis, and this has been launched in my heart by how much the virtual reminds me of the Spirit….

I believe very strongly that the nature of the Spirit is echoed by the virtual world — a world that has fewer barriers of time and distance and location.  Where we may “dance” together as the Bride unfettered by the physical and released in the Spirit to “practice” in the virtual realm.

I’m going to have to process this further over in the Dancing Lessons group…and I invite you to join us there… or here in the comments.

Abi

One particularly interesting one is by Patrick Oden…read it if you want to get to the nitty gritty issue.

And if you need a smile, read Grace’s post…but not while eating or drinking–the Abbess will not be responsible for choking accidents….

So, what follows is my comment on Raffi’s MT post:

My name is Peggy, and I’m addicted to the web….

Like Jamie (and so many others), there is a virtual community that lifts and supports me that stand in the gap of what does not exist in my face-to-face reality.  I have learned that I need to be more restrained.

But I find that I am able to be more restrained as the sense of “starvation” abates … for I have been many years in a very desert kind of place, a dry land where there is little to refresh and nourish.  For me, to have turned away from the oasis that the Holy Spirit has provided in my virtual community would only have hurt me more — like the traumatized one in shock who pushes away the hands of those come to help and heal.

These hands have lifted me up and brushed the sand from my face.  I admit, in those early days, I was a bit like those who gulp the water in such a way as to splash more than is swallowed … and the starving who forget to take small bites and chew thoroughly.

But I’m recovering from that and the strength is seeping back into my weak limbs … and I can now do things in the physical realm because of the strength received from the virtual.

And so I remain AbiSomeone–a very small little Virtual Abbess, looking to continue the process of reverse mentoring and, like Rick, get on with the business of being an apprentice so that I may also be one who apprentices.

But there is only one Master….

Blessings to each of you….

If you’ve not read my chapter on Virtual Mentoring at The Abbey, it’s barking right up this tree.  You can find it’s tab at the top of this blog.

Okay, now I’ve got to get cracking!  :^)

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WCGIP In Israel: One Big Family Reunion

Some 437 International delegates from more than 30 countries and nearly 100 different tribes made the pilgrimage to Israel to attend the Seventh World Christian Gathering of Indigenous People. Delegates presented songs, dances, and prayers each from their own tribal tradition and all in honor of Jesus. Some of the traditional singing and dancing presented had never before been done praising Creator’s Son anywhere, much less openly and publicly in the land of Jesus. It was truly historic.

All left with a greater vision of the Father’s heart for themselves, their nations and a strong sense of being a part of a growing global community of Indigenous Christ-followers.

Delegates spent the first three days at the Ginnosar Kibbutz on the Sea of Galilee. There they worshipped together with tribal people from around the world using their amazing tribal songs, dances, music and languages. There was very little teaching and preaching, but story-telling of God’s work among their people, along with talking circles in the afternoons, filled the daily schedules.

A simple sweat lodge was built by the North American First Nations delegates on the Sea of Galilee where several dozen tribal people from half-a-dozen countries met to offer sacrifices of prayer and thanksgiving and to intercede for their nations. In this traditional “prayer hut” attendees could be heard fervently pouring out their hearts to Jesus for spiritual renewal, peace and healing for their lands and people.

At the Sea of Galilee, the entire delegation rode in three barge-type boats to Capernaum. In the middle of the sea, the three boats were tied side by side, with the middle boat serving as the music and dance area. The musicians from Papua New Guinea along with their traditional tribal dancers began singing and dancing their traditional dances to begin a time of joy-filled worship together. Soon many joined in with their own dances and about ten drums appeared for a drum-jam session with tribal rhythms blended together. We laughed and celebrated with great exuberance like a big family should when they gather together for a reunion.

About 100 delegates came from Papua and Indonesia. For many of these tribal people, the gospel has been in their remote areas for less than 50 years. Theirs is among the newest of churches in the world. Their worship to Jesus fully expressed the context of their indigenous music, singing, regalia, dress and dance forms. Their drumming and chanting was awesome! Many delegates said they were one of the most inspiring representations at this year’s Gathering.

A family of eight came from Okinawa. Their traditional music, dancing and outfits were so anointed, beautiful, graceful and amazing that many could be seen weeping as they watched and listened. The dignity of their movements so expressed the presence of the Holy Spirit that people were simply awed as they worshipped with them.

Of great significance is the emerging global Indigenous youth initiative. They are convening gathering in different parts of the world to address issues of concern to their generation. Plans for other global gatherings focusing on issues of social justice, micro-economic development and indigenous theological training in different parts of the world are being hatched.

Make plans for the Eighth World Christian Gathering of Indigenous People hosted by the Maori in New Zealand in 2010 or 2011.

[For more details and beautiful color photos, click here.]

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Wiconi International
Removing Barriers—Building Bridges

The bottom line is that we are primarily brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus is Lord and the rest of us fall in line behind him. This place is not about having to earn the right to be heard by whatever hoops we have jumped through.

Each of us has a voice–and this is intended to be a safe space to speak our stories of missional life to those who want to listen.  [Site Administrators and Moderators are here to help make this site run smoothly, not to control things!]

We realize that there are some whose virtual identity must be anonymous because of vulnerabilities in real life. Two of our instigators are known by names not their own. We certainly want to honor their circumstances. But even though they are publicly anonymous, we instigators know each other’s real identity privately.

There are also times when it is good to know what our various “credentials” are. It helps us understand where we are coming from and some of the context for our experiences. Should that kind of information be saved for our profiles?

So, what do you think?

Do we want to use titles instead of, or in addition to, our names? How does that encourage or intimidate conversation? Is it a non-issue?

I decided to write this post because I named my blog here “The Tribal Abbess” to differentiate it from my “home” blog, The Virtual Abbess and my identity as AbiSomeone, The Abbess at The Virtual Abbey.  It is very much a virtual descriptor, not a positional title.  ;^)   And you’ll find the name Peggy Brown next to all my comments everywhere else.

So, now’s your chance to throw in your two cents….

It wiggled.

Sigh…it is the first of his baby molars to be loose!

Thrilled, he went right to the bathroom mirror to check it out…and returned in about 15 seconds with the tooth in his hand!

Offhandedly, I said “Say, why don’t you see if the tooth on the other side is loose,  too?” Well…off to the mirror again…and in another 20 seconds, he was back with that tooth in his hand as well!

Two teeth within about two minutes! We’ve never had anything like this happen before….

Then came breakfast this morning. And the pain. It was very tender chewing with two gaping holes in the lineup! He decided that he just couldn’t eat–it hurt too much.

And so I suggested that maybe he just needed to take smaller bites. (With a flashback to Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.) And his face just lit up! So…he nibbled his way through his breakfast just fine.

…but I was pondering….

How often do I react to adaptive challenges (the kind that come with natural, to-be-expected losses) with “I can’t do this….” And perhaps the lesson is that I just need to slow down and take smaller bites and chew more thoroughly.

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I’m praying that each of us will move into the New Year with an awareness that sometimes we just need to slow down and take smaller bites as we figure out ways to “eat the elephant” we call missional living.

Do you have any stories about “taking smaller bites” to share? I’d love to hear them….

Abi

Anyway, I am hopeful that one of the things that Missional Tribe is able to do is to stimulate hunger and thirst for story-telling.  Stories that are as hearty as my chicken soup — the one that simmers for over 24 hours (talk about your aromas wafting about….) and as thirst quenching as my ginger kombucha (which takes even longer to make!).

The thing is that these two items just don’t fit into America’s fast-paced culture.  And as a result, our bodies are denied the amazing riches God has hidden within bone-broth based soup and nutrient-rich kombucha tea.

So, as I open a jar of the soup I made the other day and enjoy a glass of kombucha with it, I am grateful for the nutrition, even if there is nothing actively stimulating my hunger and thirst…

…and I’m starting to “virtually” salivate just a bit when I think of the treasures God will be “cooking up” to feed our hunger for incarnational living and “brewing up” to quench our thirst for companions on the missional journey — here at Missional Tribe.

Yeah … I think I’ll mosey out to the kitchen … and I hope to see you around the Campfire real soon.

My first post was made on the general missional blog, because I didn’t have my own blog within the tribe.  If you want to see it, you can find it here.