a capital experience: koinonia

hey gang - here we are at our last week of this cohort! time sure has flown, though i am looking forwards to breakfast this saturday, dec.2, at the cracker barrel to come full circle in our discussions.

here are the last set of questions for "capital experience."

#1 though the tie-ins between koinonia and jubilee may be more obvious, how do you feel like the three weeks wove together to create a fuller picture of spiritual stewardship? were there some consistent themes tracing through each of the three weeks?

#2 at the end of the series, do you feel like you have enough information/inspiration to continue wrestling with the spiritual implications of how we handle our money? or, do you think that things were left too open-ended? if they were too open, how would you have "closed them out" differently?

#3 how would you summarize the "spirit" of this series in one word?

#4 finally, is there anything you observed that you would like to comment on that i have not given space to do so in either this week's questions or the previous two weeks' questions? [i.e. is there anything - anything at all - you'd like to say but haven't yet had the chance?]

ok - thanks again everyone. you've been a great cohort!

- david

a capital experience: jubilee

what a week!

i've received more emails, phone calls, personal notes, private messages, and been caught up in more conversation than regarding any message i've taught ever.

if only salvation were so meaningful :)

seriously, though - my world has been rocked by this teaching, and i'm sure i'm not alone. husbands and wives are entering into new levels of faith and watchfulness and creativity because of what god's spirit has chosen to do through last weekend, and it really is an amazing thing to see. let's all be in prayer for the continued sensitivity to the holy spirit that is required of each of us - it'd be a terrible this to miss out on!

ok - so this week, i predict, will be nowhere near as world-rocking as last week but will certainly take us further and deeper into our new understanding of finance and god's economy. we'll be speaking about the old testament notion of jubilee and the way that - in contrast to tithin - jesus and the disciples most certainly did carry over the spirit of jubilee into the early church.

with this in mind

#1 how well did i do in justifying why we can accept the spirit of jubilee within christianity but not the law of tithing? what is the difference between the spirit and the law? what is the difference between tithing as a part of that old system and jubilee as a part of that old system?

#2 what was the spirit of jubilee? what were some of the values/hopes/ideals that resonated with you as we talked about its application today? what might some of our "first steps" be in owning a personal spirit of jubilee?

#3 what does it do to your perception of jesus to see him advocating jubilee without advocating tithing? what does that say about his character and nature? the character and nature of god? if you were to be honest, would you say your version of jesus is more like the jubilee jesus or the tithing jesus? i'm being a little vague here on purpose, because i want to see what you come up with.

alright - i think this whole series has the potential to revolutionize our church, so give this your whole heart, soul, and strength!

a capital experience: beyond tithing

hey gang - i'm beginning a 3wk series on money in which i'll be tackling the ugly subject of tithing. you should know, before we begin, that i've always been a legalist when it comes to tithing and have never been persuaded by any of the anti-tithe arguments i've run across through the years.

this has all recently changed to a dramatic degree.

so, in this series, i'll be deconstructing the tithe. i realize that this has been done before at westwinds, but - to be honest - i've heard and read those sermons and have a low opinion of the hermeneutical methodology employed therein. "a capital experience" is going to take us well beyond those talks and into some very new territory - at least for me!

with this in mind, i'd like your help with the following

#1 was i able to deconstruct tithing without sounding like a jerk, or a know-it-all? was i able to be gracious in the midst of pulling apart a long-standing church-wide belief?

#2 was the deconstruction piece of the talk helpful? did it feel coherent? were you able to follow my arguments about why tithing is biblical but not christian? did you feel like there were areas i left out of my explanation? did you feel like i "fudged" anything?

#3 once we moved past the deconstruction of the tithe, what did you learn about how we ought to manage our resources? did you feel a relief at the idea of "not-tithing"? did you feel any enthusiasm about what new alternatives might arise out of your new freedom? how do you think jesus was motivating you during these creative-thought times?

#4 i'm guessing you all will leave the weekend a little unbalanced; which, at this point in the series, is good. what issues are you wrestling with? are you feeling convicted by your relief? are you feeling ashamed by your lack of conviction? are you fantasizing about how god may be directing you to use your resources?

#5 what dangers are there to westwinds by deconstructing the tithe? how should we proceed forwards without damaging the financial situation of our church?

ok - anxious to hear your thoughts!

- david

toe hold [stand alone]

hey gang - i'm in vancouver right now getting ready to speak at my old church tomorrow morning so randy is going to be teaching you all in fusion [p.s. don't forget the new fusion times!].

so - with my absence [and inherent ignorance of his talk] in mind, let's keep our questions simple:

#1 what was the talk about? to what does "toe hold" refer? [i actually do know this much, but i think randy will like seeing your varying interpretations]

#2 in what ways did this connect with you personally? was this a timely teaching? in what areas of your life does this find immediate application?

#3 if westwinds was to truly live a community life based upon promise/covenant, how different would we look from the way we look now?

ok - knock yourselves out and pray hard for randy! i'll be back in jackson on tuesday and look forwards to your responses!