Posted 35 days ago
The Seed Sampler - April 2008
|
Dear Friends and co-Conspirators,
Our recent conference, The New Conspirators, was a great success. We brought together over 300 people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives to enjoy challenging input, discussion and creativity. Attendees particularly appreciated opportunities to network with others who are grappling with how to live out God’s call effectively in today’s challenging world.
Shalom,
|
|
Seed Smile: Kids at the Conference
|
|
Seed Story: Reflections on The New Conspirators
by Jonathan Brink, Thrive Ministries
 “Every once in a great while an event comes along that intrigues me enough that I have to participate. The New Conspirators conference was exactly that conference. Formed by Mustard Seed Associates, an organization started by Tom and Christine Sine, the conference provided insightful glimpses of everyday people doing extraordinary things. Their desire was to bring together the four streams of the renewal within the western church: emerging, missional, mosaic (or multicultural) and monastic.” Read the whole article here. |
|
Announcement! Book Launch Special
 The New Conspirators conference was the first appearance of Tom’s new book, The New Conspirators: Creating the Future One Mustard Seed at a Time, which had been three years in the making. To celebrate the birthing of such a long, challenging process, we are offering it online for only $10 USD, plus shipping, until April 30, 2008. After that, it’s back to $15. The book is designed as a group study resource, so you might consider ordering copies for all those in your small group.For a preview of the book and to check out reviews from the blogosphere and all over the world, click here. ORDER NOW! “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,” Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, “nothing will be impossible for you.” Tom Sine invites readers to join a new generation of conspirators and discover how God can more fully use their mustard seeds to be a difference and make a difference that reflects something of God’s kingdom. Why don’t you discover what all the buzz is about…and join the conspiracy? ORDER The New Conspirators NOW! |
|
Liturgy: Morning Prayers-Conspiring in the Streets
by Mark Pierson, Melbourne, Australia
 Spirit of the living and loving God, in the beginning there was only chaos and disorder, but you saw beauty. Then you breathed life and hope into the world and cities grew. Spirit of the city-living and city-loving God, in our cities today there is much chaos and disorder amidst the beauty. Spirit, breathe life and hope into our cities. In our lives in the city today, there is much chaos and disorder as well as beauty. Breathe courage to transform those parts of us that stifle and destroy, our recklessness with others and ourselves, the things we do that damage and betray. Spirit, breathe life into us, rebuild our hope and replenish the beauty in our lives so we can sense more clearly your presence around us in our cities. View the whole liturgy here. |
|
Reflection: “Gabrial and the Vagabond”
 Reflect on the amazing story of “Gabriel and the Vagabond,” a song by singer/songwriter Foy Vance. A video of him performing live is at Eliacin’s blog, along with the lyrics.This video was part of Friday Morning Prayers at The New Conspirators on the theme of “Conspiring in the Streets” (see Liturgy above). Morning prayers were facilitated by Mark Pierson. Click here to view the reflection. |
|
Seed Share: Planting Post-Conference Mustard Seeds
by Penny Carothers, Burnside Writers Collective Click here to read the whole article. “Earlier this month, hundreds of people gathered in Seattle for The New Conspirators conference. Most of us had longings we did not know what to do with, and some, ideas for how to move forward. We came to learn, connect, and imagine new ways for engaging the challenges facing the church, the poor, and the planet. We listened as leaders and conspirators communicated their vision and activities for creating new expressions of discipleship, community, church, and mission. We took it all in, and at the end of the conference, imagined (or re-imagined) how we would go forth to be a difference and make a difference.“The following are three stories of how people have taken their mustard seed of an idea and begun to change their world.” |
|
Seed Share: Meeting Jesus in Lake City
by Peter Ilgenfritz, University Congregational United Church of Christ, Seattle, WA  On Friday afternoon, conference attendees had the opportunity to visit one of four neighborhoods in Seattle. The idea was for people to wander around the neighborhood, observing the happenings, talking to people on the street and in shops, picking up discarded items from the gutters, taking pictures, and all the time asking themselves the question, “Where do you sense God already at work in this neighborhood?”This Seed Share is from a group that visited Lake City, a neighborhood in the northeastern corner of Seattle. They met Jesus in a hobby shop, and he had some very interesting things to say to them. Read Peter’s story of meeting Jesus in Lake City here. |
Couldn’t make it to the conference? Bring the conference to you with these recordings of workshop and plenary sessions. Most .mp3 files are available for $3.00, but there are also a couple freebies, as well as recordings from the 2006 conference, The Church Has Left the Building. Visit
Related
« Don't trade lives MP3's available New Conspirators Conference »
Reader Comments