Faith arise!

A city heading towards the future

It's been an interesting day in Beirut. It is really hot and humid here this time of year. Today we've orientated to the city, where you can really see the huge difference between different parts of the city. The central Beirut was destroyed in war so that part has been fully built anew, so it's very Western and fancy. Everywhere else you can see destroyed buildings with all the holes on the walls of the houses of once so beautiful city.Now the city is really a one huge reconstruction site.

The military presense is seen everywhere. It reminds me of Israel. Almost in every street corner there are soldiers or police standing very visibly with their guns (which is a great help is you get lost since they are friendly and speak god English). Today we actualy got taken into a military check point since we were obviously taking pictures on a wrong place (not of forbidden things)since the soldiers got worried that we had taken a video of they actions. In the end it was a bit funny when thay looked at our holiday pictures and laughed a bit (!) on us since the pics weren't really that thretening at all.

And it's hard to decide whom to worship in this city since there are pics of Rafic Hariri, one year ago assassinated prime minister ALL OVER the city, on every wall, street corner, even on cars. We went to see a rememorial site of him yesterday evening. In many places you also see posters with one word in two languages: TRUTH. I think it refers to international investigation on the murder. The public opinion is that it was done by Syrians but nothing is proved this far, although it's already more that a year ago.

Other thing you can see everywhere are the Brasilian flags. Not sure on that either, guess it refers to fotball.

Anyway, we've got to see a lot. The seaside is absolutely beautiful. The atmosphere is very much more open and international than in Istanbul. We visited American university of Beirut campus, that is said to be one of the most beautiful in the world with view on the sea and an amazing garden around the old pictoresque buildings. Maybe I could study a bit more...

Planning to do some day trips to Tyre, Byblos and Baalbek. Trying to keep you updated. 

And some of the atmosphere in pictures

Awesome İstanbul

Still in İstanbul...trying to cope wıth a random Turkisk keyboard. Well, at least you can join my journey by that..çğüı..

İt has been really good time, very relational, relaxed but effective since we have progressed in planning quite well and also got exposed to some local spırıtual issues. We went to pray in the place where the city was founded, Yedikule and ended the time praying in the Mosque of Vıctory (over Christians when the city was conquered by muslims). We have visited Ottoman palace of Topikapi, and wondered the remarkable archıtecture of Aya Sophia and today been on a cruise on Bosphorus in the wonderful sunshine. So it's been really hard, work believe me ;)

We have noticed how life ıs quite relaxed on the European side, busy on the busıness centers on the Asıan sıde, and has its very own flavour on Asian sıde where the locals lıve. It's just a beautiful experience to take a boat over to the other side. Everywhere there are frıendly people to help you. So many streets to wander.

Today İ happened to run into some local believers. Most of the believers that İ had met this far were Amerıcan missionaries. Actually, today İ run into an American guy whom İ met two years ago in a YWAM conferense ın Rovaniemi, north of Finland. Well, it's a small world you never know whom to run into! İt was very encouragin sınce he knows very well an other guy İ will meet in Lebanon where İ'm heading tomorrow.

In the evening when sun was setting Marc and İ were tryıng to film an invitation to the next Connect Europe gathering where will explore some of the issues conserning Constantine and institutionalizing the church(since this is THE city of Constantine), east meeting west. what it really means to be a church in a non-western culture with equal but different mindset. Actually most of the coffee houses, back yards and ...even mosques seem much more relevant as meeting places for a community than churches with benches where İ have been. İ just love settings wıth carpets on the floor and the wall wıth lots of pillows..and çai of course! 

Heading south

I'll be flying to Istanbul tomorrow to meet there with my Connect Europe friends  Marc, Gaby and Jeff to  plan the  next  network gathering.  So  looking forward  to inspiring  time  together!

From Istanbul I will continue on to Beirut to meet with several people and to get to know a city of many cultures. The  civil  war lasted there 1975-1990 but now the Lebanese are building a different future. I will be staying there for two weeks during which I hope to get to understand at leat a hint of the situation there. I guess I will really enjoy the city..and the warmth. Quite weird indeed, after all my travels to the most northern regions. I will try and blog how things are going there when possible.

Petra got back yesterday night from Belgrad, where she attended a 24-7 gathering "Big conversations". Was really good to hear some news what God is doing in Eastern Europe, and of course see some sunny pictures.

Matter matters- or restoring connectedness 2

There has been a long Christian tendency to read the Bible through Greek glasses, to see salvation as salvation out of the created world, rather than for the created world. Yet salvation is about restoration of all broken relationships, including the relationship with the place and with other creatures- then that fullest understading of gospel will make the difference."   

I've been researching a bit into environmental movement (one of those arenas where many church-abandoned prophets and apostles find themselves).  I'm not really interested in Christian environmental movement, but rather trying to find answers to these questions:
How much deeper (than what I now realise) can the  wounds of dualism be in my Christian heritage? And how can I find my way back to where temporary earth and everyday life still matters?

I've read stories of people finding their Native roots, and being restored to their cultural identity as a part of indigenous community. And those stories come to me when I think how we believers have been cut off of our connection to nature (among so many other things we've been disconnected from by our dualistic heritage) because we have emphasized spiritual things over things of matter.

For many believers the environmental movement represents something humanistic that is to be avoided, especially Greenpeace because it even has "that rainbow in their logo" (I always thought that a rainbow symbolizes God's covenent with the people, stupid me!).  It's incredible how vividly Old Testament describes God speaking through nature.So in this recent boom of learning to hear God's voice, should we also learn to listen to God's voice in nature, how he speaks through plants and animals - and if he doesn't speak, to ask what's the reason.

"Jesus and the prophets spent much time in the wilderness because they understood the earth holds an quality in which the presence of God can easily be experienced. What have we learned from Jesus when most Christian meetings are inside an artificial environment with four walls and plastic plants in the corner. To aboriginal peoples, the the entire creation is a sanctuary for worship."

Modern Christianity has been involved in building a mechanistic world view, and  placed God in a church building, but I think there is little hope in postmodern Jesus following movement, that it will let its storytellers and artist reconnect us to earth, time and place, by telling stories that remind us of our stewardship over it. Going back to Bible again, I think it's outstanding that the whole story happens in places, among peoples, mountains and lakes that are mentioned by name and many of which still exist.