A New Season

This past summer was quiet for The Journey. Many of our core members were out of the country. We did, however, still manage to engage in many of the larger events going on in our community, from supporting a Camino walk to helping out with Urban Soul. It was a quiet season.

It's now, however, as a new season begins that The Journey is in the midst of re-asking God what he'd have us do. We are entering a period of commissioning. Because The Journey is a church of mission (ie. not a church with a mission) we seek to constantly re-evaluate the tasks we feel God has for us. This is a really exciting time! It's a time of listening and prayer. It's a time of dreaming and discussing. It's a time of planning and preparing.

Anyone who considers themselves "on mission" is welcome to be commissioned with us. We usually have one or two individuals share about what they feel God is asking them to do in the coming year, they share how The Journey can tangibly help in that mission and then we spend time praying for the individual.

By the end we usually have a pretty good sense of where God is leading our group. We also grow in community as we embrace and help in one another's missions.

This is perhaps my favorite season in the Journey's life. I can't wait.

Journey to Les 2 Alpes

We made it back from this year's Journey University Snowboard trip. Our first two days we were snowed-in which meant that our last four days were amazing snow. In the evenings we sat around and discussed Rob Bell's book Sex God which often took us into the early hours of the morning. I really enjoyed this trip because it was with seven guys who I've come to know quite well through the past three years. The conversations were deeply personal.

Photos of the University Trip

Technorati Tags: Photos, Travel, Youth Work

Secondary School Snowboard Trip

Sign-Ups are officially open today for The Journey 2009 Snowboard Trip to France. We will be joining forces with Champfleuri, a Christian-run camp just outside of France. The cost will be €350 plus the cost of your flight (details in the brochure). Days will be spent snowboarding and in the evenings we will discuss life and faith from a Christian perspective.

Download the Brochure for more information.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Blog Readings

Phil has been digging up some great posts on church and mission:

Exit Strategies & Empowerment Strategies for Christian Leaders by Neil Cole
Does our leadership enable and empower those around us to join in God's mission for the world?

A True Seeker Service by Neil Cole
Neil turns the phrase "seeker" on its head: rather than providing a space for those searching for God, we become the seekers and go to the places where Jesus would hang out.

Three Questions for the Attractional Practitioners Who Question the Fruit of Missional by David Fitch
Fitch explores the paradigm shift required when transitioning between attractional and missional forms of church in the form of questions.

And finally, a video from our friend Michael Frost who wants us to get our heads around what it means to be missional:

Camino Trip

The Journey is joining up with Agape to organize the trip of a lifetime. June 13-27 2009 will provide the opportunity to bring students and young adults on a pilgrimage in Northwestern Spain, on the Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James).

Go HERE for more information.

"The normal course of day-to-day human interactions locks us into patterns of feeling, thought, and action that are geared to a world set against God."
- Dallas Willard

The Camino de Santiago is the only long-distance footpath to be recognized by the United Nations, and given World Heritage status because of its historical and spiritual significance. The June 13-23 walk will take us 150km (92 miles), through a truly spectacular part of Spain, and will give us an authentic pilgrim's experience!

Our vision is to make this a fun and 'safe' place to invite friends, as we exercise our bodies (with lots of walking), broaden our minds (with new cultural experiences), deepen our souls (as we hear from the Word each evening, and dialogue with one another about it along the way), and nourish our hearts (as we pray for and serve one another and those we meet along the way).

Our guide will be veteran, twelve-time pilgrim, and 'Camino' expert, Kelly Mulholland.

The project will also nourish our hearts and deepen our souls as we will use this pilgrimage to raise funds for an orphanage in Portugal.

This could be the most rewarding thing you do next summer. Check it out!

"Just take a look for a moment at our daily routine. In general we are very busy people. We have many meetings to attend, many visits to make, many services to lead. Our calendars are filled with appointments, our days and weeks filled with engagements, and our years filled with plans and projects. There is seldom a period in which we do not know what to do, and we move through life in such a distracted way that we do not even take the time and rest to wonder if any of the things we think, say, or do are worth thinking, saying, or doing. We simply go along with the many 'musts' and 'oughts' that have been handed on to us, and we live with them as if they were authentic translations of the Gospel of our Lord."
- Henri J.M Nouwen

Clean Newpark Day

We're joining forces with our friends at Serve the City to clean up Newpark Secondary School in Blackrock. From the STC website:

"Coming up on Saturday, 13 December, there'll be an opportunity for anyone and everyone to serve at Newpark Comprehensive School in Newtown Park Avenue. Projects will range from painting to gardening. The project is being led by some parents and teachers who would like to improve the appearance of this underfunded local school in order to create a more pleasant environment for staff and students alike. So if you're available or if you can get away from that Christmas shopping in Dundrum or the city centre for a few hours of serving, e-mail Cormac Shaw at cormacandkaren@eircom.net.This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The group will begin tidying up the school at 9.00 and go for about 4 hours, finishing up around 13.00. The only thing you might need will be gloves for the gardening. All other supplies will be provided, though a smile and a willing heart are also highly recommended. =) Expect to hear a special solo rendition of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" from our friend Cormac."

The Journey University Snowboard Trip

We're taking applications for The Journey University Snowboard Trip Jan. 22-29, 2009 for those 18 and older. If you're up for coming along, please download the brochure and let us know of your interest. Look forward to seeing you on the slopes and discussing God.

Bells

The Journey has begun a new initiative to be intentional about how we live out the Gospel. It's called BELLS. We've decided to insert weekly rhythms into our lives in an effort to define what it means to be a follower of Christ in Blackrock. These are less a set of rules we must do and more a set of commitments we've chosen to do as a reminder that we're all not crazy and are, in fact, a part of something bigger happening in Ireland. So, without delay, here are the BELLS*:

Bless at least 3 people each week. Blessing someone could be as short and simple as a kind word or email or as extravagant as a gift or celebration for someone.

Eat with at least 3 other people each week. If you read about the life of Jesus, you'll see he ate with people a lot. Try to share at least one of these meals with a person who is a not-yet Christian.

Listen to the promptings of God in our lives. Commit specific times of solitude for active listening to God. It's hard to stop so we need to be intentional about doing it.

Learn from Jesus each week. Make sure you spend a significant time each week learning from the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John). If we're hoping to be like Jesus we must know Jesus.

Sent (Journal). This is an affirmation that we are to be missional or "sent" in our nature. We must seek out acts of hospitality, just use of our money, fights for justice and ways to help the poor & marginalized. Take time each week to journal and praise God for how he's sending you.


*We've taken these commitments from Michael Frost's book Exiles - an excellent resource for those searching out how to live missionally.