Stranger in a Strange Land
Arrival
Hmmm… an introduction appears to be in order here. My name is Jim Robertson – I am one of the live bloggers for the Renov8 Church Planting Congress. And immediately to my left (or right – not sure as we have yet to talk theologically) is Len Hjalmerson, the other live blogger. It will be easy to tell us apart… Len is the educated one, and I’m the one who looks like a charter member of O.H.A. (Old Hippies Anonymous). So, when everyone else here is having an ‘ AHA!’ moment, if I just don’t seem to get it, well – that’d be my OHA moment. Please be patient – I will come around eventually. BTW – if you don’t follow Len’s blog… it’s time to start. I have been reading him for about 5 years now, and cannot say enough good things. Well regarded around the world, Len blogs about mission, church planting, spiritual formation, leadership and spirituality.
My qualifications to blog here… well, truth be told: minimal. I am not a church plant pastor like my friends Darrell, Jack or Matt; not a church planting consultant like my buddy Jay, nor an urban missionary like my daughter Heather, and friends Paul, Jocelyn, Sean, Michael, Tim, Matt, Danny, Dani, David, Liz, and many others. I do not work in missions administration like my wife Darlene; am not a Fresh Expressions coordinator such as is friend & event collaborator Thomas, and neither am I a church plant / missional / Fresh Expressions encouraging bishop such as Jane Alexander who leads the Diocese I worship in. I do not teach missions, evangelism and ecclesiology such as my friend David does, and the list goes on.
In fact, on the surface, much of my life would appear to be 180 degrees opposite … with my vocational call being in the areas of crafting alternative worship services, liturgies, devotional exercises and rituals, and my day job is as a lawyer - 18 years of trench warfare in the criminal courts before taking a staff job with Legal Aid.
But I am surrounded by friends who are church planters, urban missionaries and related calls, and their passion is not foreign to me… indeed, it is of great interest. And that will frame much of what I will seek to blog about this week- I will seek to meet and reveal some of the passionate hearts that are here, so all of us can be further inspired and encouraged.
Some other friends have joined me in this task at Renov8. Merton, Carreto, A’Kempis, and de Yepes will hopefully pass on some insights and wisdom.
I am excited to be here.